This webinar series showcases cutting-edge research relevant to girls’ education. It is designed for educators looking to stay on top of emerging trends and issues in girls’ learning and wellbeing.
Each of the webinars features a unique research project and shares the findings, recommendations and experiences of the researcher. The projects cover academic buoyancy, culturally sensitive intervention for girls at risk, and feedback strategies to help girls move forward, thrive and grow. Three of the projects were conducted in girls’ schools.
Format: Each webinar comprises a 20-40 minute presentation session from the researcher/s and is followed by an informal Q&A with the researcher and Jan Richardson, the Alliance’s Director of Research. Presenters include Professors Andrew Martin and Rebecca Collie from the University of NSW as well as fellows from the Global Action Research Collaborative — Margaret Adeane and Karen Lewis, and Alliance Fellowship recipient, Kirsten Taylor.
Access: Webinars are free for Alliance members HERE. Members will need to login to access the webinars. If your school is an Alliance member and you are not already registered for access to our member hub please request access HERE.
Non-members can purchase access to the course for $154 (AUD inc GST) below.
Applications: Applications are now open for the 2022-2023 Global Action Research Collaborative (GARC) and applications for the 2022 Alliance Fellowship open on 1 October 2021. FIND OUT MORE about these and other research opportunities.
WEBINARS AVAILABLE FROM 9 – 23 AUGUST 2021.
Margaret Adeane – Samuel Marsden Collegiate School, Wellington, New Zealand (36 minutes)
Brave not perfect: Finding the right feedback language to thrive
Margaret Adeane was selected as a participant in the pilot programme of the Global Action Research Collaborative (GARC). This programme brings together educators from the Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australasia, the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools (US), Girls’ Schools Association and Girls’ Day School Trust (UK), and other participating organisations and schools to conduct action research projects around a central theme.
In this webinar Margaret discusses the findings of her project investigating how to teach girls to fail and thrive in unstructured contexts so they develop the skillsets needed for the technologically disruptive workplaces of the future. A key aim was to develop the right language to help girls learn the ‘right way to fail’ and connect these classroom lessons to learning for life.
Karen Lewis – All Hallows’ School, Brisbane, Australia (28 minutes)
Feedback conversations to motivate adolescent girls’ learning
Karen Lewis was also selected as a Fellow in the pilot programme of the Global Action Research Collaborative (GARC). Karen led a team of English teachers to research, trial and evaluate digital, pre-recorded, written and face-to-face ‘feedback conversations’ with students to investigate which forms of feedback are best at motivating girls to become confident, resilient and self-directed learners.
Kirsten Taylor – Otago Girls’ High School, Otago, New Zealand – (44 minutes)
The Whaiora Pilot Project: Girls’ experiences of healing when engaging with Rongoā Māori and bicultural counselling
The Alliance’s inaugural Fellowship recipient, Kirsten Taylor, discusses the Whaiora Pilot Project, which assessed culturally appropriate interventions for ‘at risk’ high school girls in order to deliver a culturally responsive group-based response to self-care, resilience and wellbeing. Her findings provide a compelling argument for schools to adopt culturally appropriate interventions for Māori and other indigenous students experiencing psychological distress.
READ HER FULL RESEARCH FINDINGS
Prof Andrew Martin and Assoc Prof Rebecca Martin, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia – (58 minutes)
Exploring the role of academic buoyancy in students’ engagement, learning, and personal wellbeing
Alliance Research Grant recipients, Prof Martin and Assoc Prof Collie, are undertaking a three-year project investigating academic buoyancy in girls, which research shows is higher in boys. Academic buoyancy refers to the ability of students to successfully deal with the everyday academic stresses and setbacks of school, including challenging school work, poor test results, difficult exams, juggling multiple assignment deadlines, oral presentations, performances, and fluctuating levels of confidence and motivation. This session was recorded at the Alliance’s 2021 Summit on Girls Education.
ABOUT THE RESEARCHERS
Margaret Adeane
Margaret Adeane is Academic Director at Samuel Marsden Collegiate School, an independent girls’ school (Years 1 – 13) in Wellington, New Zealand. Margaret oversees curriculum, assessment and staff professional development for students and staff in Years 7 – 13. In the context of identified 21st century social and emotional learning skills, Margaret’s research explores ways in which feedback in a project-based learning programme can support the growth of social and emotional skills such as creativity, resilience and innovation skills for girls. The programme was designed to encourage a ‘brave not perfect’ mentality in a high-achieving school, where success is traditionally measured through formal assessment. Margaret is a former Head of English and has worked with the Ministry of Education in curriculum and resource development, assessment practice and as a subject examiner. She has a BA (Hons) in English literature from Victoria University of Wellington.
Karen Lewis
Karen has been teaching English and History in Australian girls’ schools for over 15 years. She is currently a senior Literature teacher at All Hallows’ School, the oldest girls’ secondary school in Brisbane. Her recent Fellowship with GARC saw Karen explore how to progress student learning, nurture resilience and increase confidence through a process of feeding back and feeding forward in teacher-student conversations. As English Curriculum Leader at All Hallows’, Karen managed and implemented numerous action research projects in curriculum review and design, with a particular focus on the use of technology to support student collaboration. She has also led the English department through unit development using the Understanding by Design framework. Karen earned her B.Ed with Honours from Queensland University of Technology and is currently studying her Master of Education in Leadership and Management through Queensland University of Technology.
Kirsten Taylor
Kirsten Taylor is a Counsellor/Kaiwhiriwhiri who is working at Otago Girls’ High School. She has 25 years experience predominantly in Arts education in a variety of schools in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. More recently Kirsten has trained as a Counsellor and specialises in Art Therapeutic practice and is currently formulating a bicultural practice honouring the strengths of both an indigenous Māori approach to healing and utlising Western knowledge bases. Kirsten is passionate about encouraging resilience and a help-seeking culture in order to support our amazing, diverse and unique youth.
Prof Andrew Martin
Andrew Martin, PhD, is Scientia Professor, Professor of Educational Psychology, and Co-Chair of the Educational Psychology Research Group in the School of Education at the University of New South Wales, Australia. He specializes in motivation, engagement, instruction, students with special needs, and quantitative research methods. He is also a Registered Psychologist.
Assoc Prof Rebecca Collie
Rebecca Collie, PhD, is a Scientia Associate Professor of Educational Psychology in the School of Education at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Australia. Rebecca’s research interests focus on motivation, wellbeing, and social-emotional development using quantitative research methods. Her research also encompasses related factors such as adaptability, buoyancy, goal setting, and interpersonal relationships. She examines personal, classroom, and school factors that support positive outcomes among both students and teachers.