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Dr Robyn Gibson

BEd(Melbourne), MSc(OSU), PhD(RMIT)

Director, Community Relations

Senior Lecturer, Visual & Creative Arts Education

Email:

Phone: +61 2 9351 6423

Fax: +61 2 9351 4580

Building.Room: A35.412

Research interests

Research on teaching and learning

  • Creative and performing arts
  • Teacher education and professional learning

Keywords

Creative & Visual Arts education, the Arts and learning, arts-informed inquiry


Professional biography

Robyn completed her Masters at Ohio State University before undertaking her PhD in Australia. She has been a primary-school teacher, art/craft specialist and tertiary educator in Australia and the US.

Her doctoral thesis explored the relationship between Surrealism and fashion, specifically the creative collaborations between the Surrealist, Salvador Dali and fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli.

After completing her PhD in 2001, Robyn lectured extensively in a range of tertiary environments: nationally in fashion and textile design at RMIT, UTS and the Melbourne College of Fashion; and internationally in the Human Ecology College at Ohio State University, the College of Education at the University of Houston and the College of Education at the University of Memphis.

Robyn writes about primary-school education in the visual and creative arts. Her past research focused on children's attitudes to art, art making and art education. Currently she is examining the role of arts education in academic motivation, engagement & achievement. Her other academic research – which utilises interdisciplinary methodologies such as arts-informed inquiry concerns art as research; research as art particularly the connection between clothes & memory.

Since joining the Faculty, Robyn has assumed the roles of the Program Director of the Bachelor of Education (Primary) program, Professional Experiences Co-ordinator, Director of Retraining Programs, Associate Deam of Undergraduate & Preservice Programs & currently, Director of Community Relations.

Robyn has six times been nominated for the Faculty's  Excellence in Teaching Award, including in 2007, when she won.


Awards

  • Best Thesis Award 1991, Department of Textiles and Clothing, Ohio State University

  • Teaching Excellence Award 2007, Faculty of Education & Social Work, University of Sydney

  • Outstanding Thesis Award 1991, College of Human Ecology, Ohio State University

  • Nominated for Teaching Excellence Award, Faculty of Education & Social Work, University of Sydney, 2011

  • Nominated for Teaching Excellence Award, Faculty of Education & Social Work, University of Sydney, 2005

  • Australian Postgraduate Award (RMIT), 1996

  • Nominated for Teaching Excellence Award, Faculty of Education, University of Sydney, 1994

  • Phi Upsilon Omicron Honour Society 1990 -

  • Review of ConnectEd Arts strategy, Arts NSW (funded to $15,000)

  • The role of arts education and academic motivation, engagement & achievement, ARC Linkage Grant (funded to $364,000)

  • Academic motivation, engagement achievement and arts education: Effects of curricular & non-curicular participation in the arts in school, Australia Council for the Arts (funded to $10,000)

  • Using video as a tool to inform teaching practice, TIES Small Grant Scheme, University of Sydney (funded to $12,150)

  • Evaluation of Australian government quality teaching action learning for school teams, NSW Department of Educaiton & Training (funded to $55,000)

  • Primary children's attitudes to art, art-making & art education, SESQUI R&D Grant, University of Sydney (funded to $18,500)

  • Mulitmedia authoring & editing equipment, University of Sydney major equipment grant (funded to $52,090)

  • Engaging pre-tertiary students with concepts about social work and social justice using an interactive format, Teaching Inquiry Grant (TIGS), (funded to $3,951)

  • Nominated for Teaching Excellence Award, Faculty of Education & Social Work, University of Sydney, 2011.


Current projects

  • Evaluation of the 'School Drama' project in partnership with the Sydney Theatre Company re professional learning of primary teachers & the use of drama to enhance students' literacy development.
  • ARC Linkage Project (LP 0989687) in partnership with the Australia Council for the Arts re the Role of Arts Education in Academic Motivation, Engagement & Achievement ($364,000, 2009-2011).

Current research students

Project title Degree Research student
The Selkie Project: Teachers Storying, Storying Teachers PhD Victoria Campbell
Colours in a black world: exploring creativity in the blind. PhD Zhila Hasanloo
Teachers’ perceptions of change in the Arts curriculum in Australia. (Co- supervisor) PhD Linda Lorenza
Art museum experiences in the early years. PhD Lea Mai
The liberation of the intellect: creativity and the insider/outsider Lebanese MPhil Suzanne Mansour

Selected publications

Books

  • Gibson, R. & Ewing, R. (2011). Transforming the curriculum through the arts. (1st ed.), 2011: Palgrave Macmillan.

Book chapters

  • Gibson, R. (2013). Playing with paint, clay and other media. In Robyn Ewing (Ed.), The creative arts in the lives of young children (1st ed., pp. 96–113), Camberwell, Victoria: ACER.
  • Gibson, R. & Campbell, V. (2013). Playing with puppets. In Robyn Ewing (Ed.), The creative arts in the lives of young children (1st ed., pp. 114–128), Camberwell, Victoria: ACER.
  • Gibson, R. (2010). Helping preservice teachers learn to communicate effectively in school contexts.. In Robyn Ewing, Tom Lowrie & Joy Higgs (Ed.), Communicating in professional experience contexts in teacher education (1st ed., pp. 93–104), South Melbourne: Oxford University Press.
  • Gibson, R. & Hulsbosch, M. (2007). Collaboration, creation and quiet conversations. In Ardra Cole, Gary Knowles & Teresa Luciani (Ed.), The art of visual inquiry (1st ed., pp. 167–178), Halifax, Nova Scotia: Backalong Books.

Journal articles

  • Gibson, R. (2012). Valuing creativity in our teaching and learning. Focus on University Teaching and Learning, 20(1), 1–2.
  • Gibson, R. (2012). Are the arts still as elusive as the white rabbit?. Asia Pacific Journal for Arts Education, 10(3), 1–20. DOI:ISSN 1683-6995
  • Mai, L. & Gibson, R.*. (2011). The rights of the putti: A review of the literature on children as cultural citizens in art museums. Museum Management & Curatorship, 26(4), 355–371.
  • Ewing, R., Hristoski, H.,Gibson, R.* Campbell, V. & Robertson, A. (2011). Using drama to enhance literacy: The school drama initiative. Literacy learning: The middle years, 19(3), 33–39.
  • Gibson, R. (2010). The 'art' of creative teaching: Implications for higher education. Journal of Teaching in Higher Education, 15(5), 607–613.
  • Mai, L. & Gibson, R.*. (2009). The young child and the masterpiece: A review of the literature on the aesthetic experiences in early childhood. International Journal of the Arts in Society, 4(3), 357–368.
  • Gibson, R. & Anderson, M. (2008). Touching the void: Australian arts education. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 28(1), 103–193.
  • Gibson, R. & Ewing, R. (2008). Using performance to enhance English and literacy learning. E:update , (163), 1–8.
  • Gibson, R. (2008). Primary-age children's attitudes to art, art making and art education. International Journal of Education through Art, 4(2), 177–193.
  • Ewing, R. & Gibson, R.*. (2007). Creative teaching or teaching creatively? Providing spaces to research one's own practice. Waikato Journal of Education, 13, 161–180.
  • Gibson, R, Ewing, R. (2006). Integrating the creative arts (with INTEGRITY). Policy and Practice in Education, 12(1), 29–43.
  • Gibson-Quick, R. (1995). Women designers of the jazz age.. Women's View, 3(3), 9–12.
  • Gibson-Quick, R. (1993). Futuring home economics into the 1990s and beyond. Journal of Home Economics Association of Australia, 25(4), 126–128.
  • Gibson-Quick, R. (1991). Art deco: Fashions of the 1920s and 1930s. Journal of Home Economic Association of Australia, 23(4), 120–124.

Conference papers

  • Ewing, R. & Gibson, R.*. (2011). Arts-informed approaches to teacher education, research and pedagogy.. In Narrative,arts-based & post approaches to social research conference. Tempe, Arizona, 21-23 June.
  • Gibson, R. (2011). Are the Arts still as elusive as the White Rabbit?. In InSEA World Congress. Budapest, Hungary, 24-30 June.
  • Ewing, R., Hristofski, H., Gibson, R.* & Campbell, V. (2011). School Drama: Theatre and Schools Interacting. In Drama Australia Conference. Perth, 31 March - 2 April.
  • Hasanloo, Z. & Gibson, R.*. (2011). Creative writing as a mechanism for fostering creativity in the blind.. In 5th International Conference on Excellence in Education: Giftedness-Creativity-Development.. Istanbul, Turkey, 6-9 July.
  • Gibson, R.* Anderson, M., Martin, A.& Sudmalis, D. (2011). Arts education and academic motivation, engagement and achievement.. In Narrative, arts-based & post approaches to social research conference. Tempe, Arizona, 21-23 June.
  • Gibson, R.,* Mundy, C., Anderson, M., Martin, A. & Sudmalis, D. (2010). Arts, motivation & engagement: Innovative research for sustainable futures.. In International Arts in Society Conference. Sydney, 22-25 June.
  • Gibson, R. (2009). The creative class: Implications for higher education.. In International Arts in Society Conference. Venice, Italy, 28-31 July.
  • Mansour, M., Anderson, M., Gibson, R.* Martin, A. & Sudmalis, D. (2009). The role of arts education in academic motivation, engagement & achievement.. In Drama Australia National Conference. Melbourne, 24-26 November.
  • Gibson, R. (2008). Creative learning & teaching.. In European Conference on Educational Research.. Gothenburg, Sweden, 10-12 September.
  • Ewing, R., Gibson, R.* & Hughes, J. (2008). Creative assessment & evaluation strategies in tertiary contexts.. In 6th International Conference on Imagination & Education.. Sydney, 13-16 July.
  • Gibson, R. (2007). Dali's obsession with fashion: His art, his writing, his life.. In Peter McNeil, Catherine Ciole & Vicki Karaminas Fashion in Fiction International Conference Abstracts (pp. 27–27). Sydney, 26-27 May.
  • Gibson, R. & Ewing, R. (2007). Connecting change to teaching practice.. In European Conference on Educational Research.. Ghent, Belgium, 19-21 September.
  • Gibson, R. & Ewing, R. (2006). Creative teaching or teaching creatively? Using the creative arts to improve teaching and learning.. In International Conference on the Arts in Society. (pp. 22–22). Edinburgh, 15-18 August.
  • Gibson, R. & Ewing, R. (2006). Creative teaching in, through and across the creative arts.. In Beyond the Generic, Beyond the Differences: 2nd Dialogues & Differences Symposium. Melbourne, 20-22 April.
  • Ewing, R, Gibson, R. (2006). Enhancing ‘storying’ through through drama and literary texts. Using the Creative Arts to improve teaching and learning . In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on the Arts in Society. Edinburgh, 15/08/06-18/08/06.
  • Gibson, R. & Anderson, M. (2006). Filling the void: Arts education research and the Australian context.. In International Conference on the Arts in Society (pp. 23–23).
  • Gibson, R. & Ewing, R. (2005). Transforming teaching & learning in tertiary contexts: A case study.. In 3rd International Conference on Imagination & Education.. Vancouver, 13-16 July.
  • Gibson, R, Ewing, R. (2005). Transforming Teaching and Learning in Tertiary Contexts. In 3rd International Conference on Imagination and Education: engaging the imagination in teaching and learning . Vancouver, 13/07/05-16/07/05.
  • Gibson, R. & Hulsbosch, M. (2004). In your own backyard: The researched & the researcher.. In The Space Between Conference. Perth, 15-17 April.

Other

  • Gibson. R. (2011). Evaluation of School Drama Project 2010., Sydney Theatre Company & University of Sydney..
  • Campbell, V., Ewing, R. & Gibson, R.*. (2010). Evaluation report for School Drama pilot, 2009., Sydney Theatre Company & University of Sydney..
  • Anderson, M., Gibson, R. & Campbell, V. (2009). ConnectEd Arts Evaluation., Arts NSW & University of Sydney..
  • Ewing, R., Smith, D., Anderson, M., Gibson, R.* & Manuel, J. (2004). Australian government quality teaching programme action learning for school teams project evaluation report., ACT: DEST.
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