The 2022 Education Research Conference brought together Griffith researchers, from all backgrounds and stages of their careers, as well as our Industry partners, to share research that matters and fosters excellence, equity and diversity, core values of GIER. In doing so, the conference sought to address some of the most pressing, systemic issues in education today.
Professor Donna Pendergast delivered the opening Keynote and challenged the attendees with the proposal that disruptive innovation in education requires us to value people first and foremost, and asked the audience to consider the Japanese notion of Ikagai: that our reason for being intersects passion, mission, vocation, and profession.
Professor Donna Pendergast
Professor Mary Ryan, from Australian Catholic University, gave the second keynote of the day and focused on teacher education that promotes diversity. She spoke of the need for educators and education decision makers to focus on what works, here and now and that we need both practice-based evidence and evidence-based practice if we are to reimagine teacher education.
Professor Mary Ryan
Over the course of the day, 13 research papers and eight ideas in their ‘early imagining’ phases were presented. The presentations, which encompassed a wide variety of theoretical and pedagogical approaches, were thought provoking and provided evidence of research that fostered excellence, equity or diversity. The day also included an interactive workshop by GIER’s Educational Justice, Excellent and Equity (EDJEE) group on sustaining scientific, teams based, HDR education in hybrid times.
The EDJEE Group: Sue Whatman, Franklin Li, Nicola Stewart, Carla Tapia, Bradley Hall, Danson Zheng
The day concluded with a panel discussion on the topic Innovation in Educational Research – fostering excellence, equity, and diversity and featured panel members, Professor Susan Harris-Rimmer, Dr Candace Kruger, Professor Donna Pendergast, Mr Andrew Riordan and Professor Leonie Rowan. The panel responded to questions from the attendees and provided a wide variety of perspectives on how excellence, equity and diversity can be supported in University and Industry settings.
Dr Steven Hodge, Dr Kathy Gibbs and A/P Kevin Larkin – Conference organisers
GIER will continue to share outcomes, insights, and impacts from our researcher’s work, that improve educational outcomes and social justice, and that generates new knowledge about diverse learners in diverse contexts.
