Dr Kathy Smith

Dr Kathy Smith

Associate Dean Partnerships in the School of Education at RMIT University

Associate Professor Kathy Smith is the Associate Dean Partnerships in the School of Education at RMIT University. Her research actively positions teachers as self-directed learners and co-researchers and her research findings and publications have ensured teacher expertise is accessible to enrich the professional perspectives of other educators.

8 total results
Research collaboration: Student engagement and purposeful learning
Research collaboration: Student engagement and purposeful learning

At St Joseph’s Primary School, teachers have had time to better understand how to effectively support each student to be intellectually, behaviourally, emotionally and socially engaged as learners. In last week's article, 3 teachers shared more about this opportunity and in today’s article 2 foundation teachers explain how they’ve benefited from examining their own practice.

Research collaboration: Teachers working to understand student engagement
Research collaboration: Teachers working to understand student engagement

‘As teachers work to address student learning needs, student engagement emerges as a key consideration for effective practice.’ In this article, 3 primary teachers share how being given time and support to explore this aspect of their teaching changed the way they thought about student learning.

Promoting student agency through PBL in STEM
Promoting student agency through PBL in STEM

In the final article of a series about a 3-year Australian research project into Problem Based Learning in school-based STEM education, 2 of the teachers who are co-researchers in the project – Melissa Gatt and Frank Fabri – discuss student agency as a necessary condition for meaningful STEM learning.

PBL in STEM – enhancing learning and teaching
PBL in STEM – enhancing learning and teaching

In the second of 3 articles about research into Problem Based Learning in schools, teachers involved in the project discuss how it has enabled them to reconsider their classroom practice and the conditions necessary for meaningful STEM learning.

Teachers as co-researchers – understanding the teacher experience
Teachers as co-researchers – understanding the teacher experience

In the first of 3 articles about a new Australian project researching Problem Based Learning in schools, Associate Professor Kathy Smith and Dr Jennifer Mansfield discuss the role of teachers as co-researchers and share educator insights on 4 key aspects of the experience.

Learning from lockdown – teacher wellbeing
Learning from lockdown – teacher wellbeing

The Knox School has been working with academics to research what teachers learned from the lockdown experience. In this final article of a three-part series, middle leader Melodie Matheson shares how teacher wellbeing became a transformative influence on her leadership.

Learning from lockdown – redefining school community collaboration
Learning from lockdown – redefining school community collaboration

The Knox School has worked with Monash University to research what teachers would like to take forward (and leave behind) from the remote learning experience. Three key areas of change were identified. This second article in a series focuses on school community collaboration.

Learning from lockdown – a catalyst for teacher agency
Learning from lockdown – a catalyst for teacher agency

The Knox School has worked with Monash University to research what teachers would like to take forward (and leave behind) from the remote learning experience. This three-part reader submission looks at key areas of change, starting with teacher agency.