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Associate Professor Alyson Simpson

BA(UNSW), GradDipEd(Sydney), GradDipLibSc(UTS), GradDipChilLit(UTS), MEd(Sydney), PhD(UWS), MEd(HigherEducation)(Sydney)

Associate Dean Undergraduate / Preservice (Student Welfare and Progress)

Associate Professor, English and Literacy Education, Undergraduate and Graduate-entry programs

Email:

Phone: +61 2 9351 6344

Fax: +61 2 9351 2606

Building.Room: A35.429

Research interests

Learning sciences; psychology of education

  • Learning technologies and new media

Research on teaching and learning

  • English and literacy
  • Teacher education and professional learning

Keywords

children's literature, eLearning, visual literacy, blended learning, discourse analysis, pedagogy


Professional biography

Alyson has a passion for children’s literature. With a background as a teacher librarian she now works with graduate-entry trainee teachers at the University of Sydney as an Associate Professor in English literacy education.

In all areas of her teaching, Alyson links educational theory with practice. She has developed partnerships with schools to examine the connection between English, language development and the authentic use of information and communication technology in the classroom.

Alyson's classroom-based research employs discourse analysis to investigate the issues involved in the nature and development of language, critical literacy, working with children’s literature in online environments, and pedagogic change.


Awards

  • Faculty of Education and Social Work Teaching Excellence Award 2011

  • Faculty of Education and Social Work Teaching Excellence Award 2005 


Current projects

  • Reading by Design - an International Study on 21st Century Reading Processes. This study is a collaboration with Canada, US and Australia funded by the SSHRC. The project examines the reading practices exhibited when students work with digital technology. It will run from 2012 to 2013.

Current research students

Project title Degree Research student
Motivating and engaging the reader: Maurice Saxby’s contribution to the pedagogy of teaching reading with children’s literature. PhD Jacquei Hicks
Graphic novels in the NSW secondary English classroom: teachers’ perceptions and practice. EdD Dianne Laycock
The immigrants' child amid the literacy practices of the home and school: four case studies. PhD Susan Markose
Navigating the academic discourses of pre-service teaching education. EdD Gerald McRae
A systematic analysis of the impact of metafiction on award winning picturebooks. PhD Rachel Nolde
Blended learning in teaching Arabic language reading PhD Yahya Qenaey
TBC PhD Patricia Thibaut Paez

Selected publications

Books

  • Simpson, A., White, S. with P. Freebody and B. Comber . (2013). Language, Literacy and Literature. Melbourne: OUP.
  • Christie, F. Simpson, A. (2010). Literacy and Social Responsibility. London: Equinox.
  • Simpson, A. (2008). Reading Under the Covers. Helping Children to Choose Books. Sydney: Primary English Teachers Association (PETA).
  • Simpson, A. (2007). Future directions in literacy: International conversations conference 2007. Sydney: University of Sydney Press.
  • Unsworth L. Thomas, A. Simpson, A. Ahsa, J. (2005). Children’s Literature and computer-based teaching: From book raps to story palaces. . Buckingham: OUP.

Book chapters

  • Simpson, A. & Walsh, M. (in press). Teaching reading in a digital age: Towards an understanding of pedagogic practice . In A.Goodwyn, L. Reid & C. Durrant. (Ed.), International Perspectives on Teaching English in a Globalised World London: Routledge.
  • Simpson, A. Walsh, M. (2010). Multiple literacies: implications for changed pedagogy. In Christie, F. & Simpson, A. (Ed.), Literacy and Social Responsibility Multiple Perspectives (pp. 24–39), London: Equinox.
  • Simpson, A. (2006). Teaching primary school children how to 'read' images. In R Ewing (Ed.), Beyond the Reading Wars. Towards a balanced approach to helping children learn to read (pp. 125–139), Sydney: Primary English Teachers Association (PETA).

Journal articles

  • Simpson, A. (2012). Language and children’s literature: Sorting through the puzzle pieces. . Practically Primary. , 17(1), 9–13.
  • Simpson, A. Walsh, M. (2012). Reading is...: examining the impact of technology on reading practices for 21st century learners . SCAN, 31(February).
  • Simpson, A & White, S. (2012). Literacy in practice: Introducing four key learning processes. . Practically Primary, 17(3), 12–15.
  • Simpson, A. (2010). Dialogic teaching in an online environment: Book raps . English Teaching: Practice and Critique, 9(2), 31–46.
  • A.Simpson. (2010). Integrating technology with literacy: using teacher-guided collaborative online learning to encourage critical thinking. ALT-J, Research in Learning Technology, 18(2), 119–131. DOI:10.1080/09687769.2010.492846
  • Love, K, Simpson, A. (2005). Online discussion in schools: Towards a pedagogical framework. International Journal of Educational Research, 43(2005), 446–463.

Conference papers

  • Simpson, A. (2006). Discourses of War vs. Discourses of Childhood: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Meaning, Structure and Identity in Multimodal Narrative Texts. In T. Lê & M. Short Proceedings of the International Conference on Critical Discourse Analysis: Theory into Research (pp. 643–650). Launceston, Australia, 15-18 November 2005.
  • Simpson, A. (2006). Student voices, teachers' vibes and a researcher's view: book raps as a model of e-literacy. In Jennifer Rennie Voices, vibes and vision: Hearing the Voices, Feeling the Vibes and Capturing the Visions: Proceedings of the AATE/ALEA National Conference 2006. Darwin, 8-11 July 2006.
  • Simpson, A. (2005). Four Roles of the viewer: Developing an understanding of visual literacy. In J. Young .
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