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Professor Robyn Ewing

BEd(Hons)(Sydney), PhD(Sydney)

Acting Dean

Professor, Teacher Education and the Arts

Email:

Phone: +61 2 9351 2422/ 3846

Fax:

Building.Room: A35.336

Research interests

Educational systems: administration, management and leadership

  • Preschool and primary education

Research on teaching and learning

  • Creative and performing arts
  • English and literacy

Keywords

arts-informed inquiry, drama and critical literacy, primary curriculum, the arts and learning; early-career teachers


Professional biography

Robyn is acting dean of the faculty.

She teaches in the areas of curriculum, English and drama, working with both undergraduate and postgraduate students. In the areas of English and the arts, Robyn's research has particularly focused on the use of drama as quality pedagogy with authentic texts to develop students' critical literacies. She has been published widely in this area.

Her current research interests also include teacher education, especially the experiences of early-career teachers and the role of mentoring; the use of arts-informed inquiry in education research; sustaining curriculum innovation; and evaluation, inquiry and case-based learning.  Robyn was president of the Primary English Teachers Association from 2001-2006.

Within the faculty, Robyn was inaugural co-director of the innovative Master of Teaching degree and has also been Associate Dean, Academic Programs; Associate Dean, Teaching and Learning; Director, BEd(Primary); and Director, Division of Professional Learning.

An experienced primary teacher and teacher educator, Robyn has a commitment to quality teaching and learning at all levels of education. She enjoys working collaboratively with classroom teachers interested in innovative curriculum practices. She has worked as an academic mentor with teachers at a range of Sydney primary and secondary schools with the major focus on improving literacy outcomes using drama and literature.


Awards

  • Director General's Award for Excellent Service to NSW Public Schools

  • Vice Chancellor's Excellence in Teaching Award 1999, University of Sydney

  • Quality Teaching Award 2002, NSW Minister of Education and Australian College of Educators

  • Excellence in Teaching Award 2004, Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Sydney

  • Vice Chancellor's Excellence in Research Higher Degree Supervision Award 2007, University of Sydney


Current projects

  • Using drama to develop students' imaginations and critical literacies.
  • ARC longitudinal 'Theatrespace' project with Universities of Melbourne and Griffith re young people's accessing theatre
  • School drama with Sydney Theatre Company re professional learning of primary teachers and the use of drama to enhance students' literacy development

Current research students

Project title Degree Research student
Primary schooling and children's social emotional wellbeing. PhD Nicole Brunker
The significance of text in the teaching of reading: A case study of the development of an indigenous community writer's resource. PhD Kathleen Rushton
Bridging two worlds: From industry to school. PhD Annette Green
What 'space' do Aboriginal Preservice teachers occupy in the Professional Experience and how does this impact on the formation of their identity as teachers? What tensions, contradictions, transitions and transformations are revealed? MPhil Catherine Burgess
The poetics of relatedness: The aesthetic prescence in Quality pedagogy. PhD Linda Hodson
From novel to screenplay and back (prov) PhD John Larkin
Teacher Beliefs: A narrative approach (prov) PhD David McPherson
Evaluating teacher professional learning models PhD Maxine Moore

Selected publications

Books

  • Ewing, R., Lowrie, T. and Higgs, J.(eds). (in press). Teaching and Communicating: Rethinking Professional Experiences. Melbourne: Oxford University Press.
  • Ewing, R. (in press). Curriculum and Assessment: A Narrative Approach. Melbourne: Oxford University Press.
  • Aubusson, P, Ewing, R. & Hoban, G. (2009). Action Learning in Schools: Reframing teachers' professional learning and development.. London: Routledge.
  • Groundwater-Smith, S, Ewing, R, Le Cornu, R. (2006). Teaching: Challenges and Dilemmas. Melbourne: University Press.
  • Ewing, R. (2006). Beyond the Reading Wars. Towards a balanced approach to helping children learn to read. Sydney: Primary English Teachers Association (PETA).
  • Ewing, R, Simons, J. (2004). Beyond the Script Take 2: Drama in the Classroom. (Vol. 1), Newtown NSW: Primary English Teaching Association.

Book chapters

  • Ewing, R, Miller, C, Saxton, J. (2008). Drama and Contemporary Picture Books in the Middle Years. In Anderson M, Hughes J, Manuel J (Ed.), Drama and English teaching: Imagination, action and engagement (pp. 121–135), Melbourne: Oxford University Press.
  • Ewing, R. (2007). Critical factors for conducting and sustaining action learning as a professional learning tool in the school workplace . In P. Ponte, B. Smit & J. Van Swet (Ed.), Postgraduate Programmes as Platform. A Research-led Approach (pp. 189–196), Rotterdam: SensePublishers.
  • Ewing, R. (2006). Reading to allow spaces to play. In R Ewing (Ed.), Beyond the Reading Wars. Towards a balanced approach to helping children learn to read (pp. 141–150), Sydney: Primary English Teachers Association (PETA).

Journal articles

  • Ewing, R, Hughes, J. (2008). Arts-Informed Inquiry in Teacher Education: contesting the myths. European Education Research Journal, 7(4), 512–522.
  • Le Cornu, R, Ewing, R. (2008). Reconceptualising professional experiences in pre-service teacher education/reconstructing the past to embrace the future. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24, 1799–1812.
  • Ewing, R, Freeman, M, Barrie, S, Ahmed nee Bell, A, O'Connor, D, Waugh, F, Sykes, C. (2008). Building community in academic settings: the importance of flexibility in a structured mentoring program . Mentoring and Tutoring: Partnership in Learning , 16(3), 294–310.
  • Gibson, R, Ewing, R. (2006). Integrating the creative arts (with INTEGRITY). Policy and Practice in Education, 12(1), 29–43.
  • Ewing, R. (2006). Beyond ‘reading wars’. Australian Author, August, 14–16.
  • Ewing, R. (2006). Beyond the Reading Wars. Australian Author, 38(2), 14–17.

Conference papers

  • Plummer, F, Ewing, R, Smith, D, Hoban, G, Dinham, S, Aubusson, P, Brady, L. (2008). Action learning: potential and pitfalls for innovation and research. In Jeffrey, P. AARE 2007 Focus Conference (pp. PLU0717X–PLU0717X). Canberra, 2007.
  • Ewing, R, Freeman, M, Ahmed nee Bell, A, Barrie, S, O'Connor, D, Shields, J, Spicer, PWaugh, F. (2007). The challenge of mentoring in academic settings: A pilot study. In Jeffery, PL AARE Conference - 2006 Papers by Papercode (pp. 1–18). Adelaide Australia, 27-30 Nov 2006.
  • Ewing, R, Freeman, M, Ahmed, A, O'Connor, D, Waugh, F. (2007). DELETE/Duplicate with 1050696xPUB124 Mentoring in Higher Education: A Case Study. In Assoc Professor Anette patterson Counterpoints on the Quality and Impact of Educational Research. Adelaide, Nov. 26-Nov.30, 2006.
  • Ewing, R. (2006). Reading Beyond the text: Using drama to enhance Children's critical literacy development. In Alyson Simpson Proceedings of the National Conference on Future Directions in Literacy (pp. 58–75). Sydney, 3-4 March 2006.
  • Smith King, N, Ewing, R. (2006). Squeeze in or squeeze out? How teachers fit the non-Biblical parable to the NSWDET K-6 English Syllabus (Board of Studies, 1998). In Jeffery, PL AARE Education Research. Creative Dissent: Constructive Solutions. Parramatta, 27Nov-1 Dec 2005.
  • 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.
  • Ewing, R, Smith, D. (2006). Transforming teacher pedagogical knowledge and practice through action learning . In Proceedings of the European Educational Research Association Conference. Geneva, 13/09/06-16/09/06 .
  • Ewing, R. (2006). Drama as critical, quality pedagogy. In Turning the Tides- Proceedings of the Drama Australia Conference 2006. Sydney, 30/09/06-02/10/06.
  • Ewing, R, Hughes, J. (2006). The role and function of drama in arts informed and narrative inquiry. In Turning the Tides- Proceedings of the Drama Australia Conference 2006. Sydney, 30/09/06-02/10/06.
  • Ewing, R. (2006). Critical factors in sustaining school-based change. In Proceedings of the Sustainable Leadership in Education Conference. Sydney, 22/09/06.
  • Ewing, R, Lecornu, R. (2006). Transforming Knowledge in Teacher Preservice Education Professional Experiences . In Proceedings of the European Educational Research Association Conference. Geneva, 13/09/06-16/09/06 .
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