Dr Christine Grima-Farrell
University of New South Wales, Australia
18 April 2018 at 11:00
Faculty of Education Boardroom, Old Humanities Building
Organised by Centre for Resilience and Socio-Emotional Health in collaboration with the Department of Inclusion and Access to Learning, Faculty of Education
Inclusive education programs have changed in their approach to preparing teachers for modern day classrooms. The transition of pre-service teachers to confident classroom teachers requires a proactive and supported approach that empowers them with the personal and professional skills, knowledge and resilience to successfully engage with a diverse range of students. Twenty-four years after the Salamanca Statement (UNESCO, 1994), collaborative partnerships that promote teachers as change agents in inclusive education have proven to be beneficial in providing equitable and mutually rewarding opportunities for students as well as their pre-service teachers and mentors. This lecture responds to calls to support and empower pre-service teachers and higher education staff with the skills and knowledge of how to sustain the use research-based practices to enhance inclusive education cultures (ARACY, 2013; Grima-Farrell, 2017). It culminates with the Research To Practice Model, a conceptual framework that raises awareness of the complex links that are essential to uniting theoretical and practical efforts to enhance student engagement and success.
Dr Christine Grima-Farrell is an experienced teacher, special educator, teacher educator and system leader. She is President of the NSW Institute of Educational Research and Convenor of the Australian Association of Research in Education Teachers’ Work and Lives special interest group. Chris was awarded a NSW Premier’s Teaching award for Excellence in her work in the area of Inclusive Education and Research to Practice initiatives. She currently leads the Special Needs Division of the Broken Bay Catholic Schools System whilst living her scholarly work as she strives to raise awareness of ways to merge research and practice to support the diverse needs of students and enhance their wellbeing and resilience through promoting collaborative school and university partnerships.
