Alison Willis

Dr Alison Willis is the founder of the Teachers of Australia project, a social media campaign that champions the great work and immense heart of teachers. She is currently researching how teachers balance academic performance agendas with student well-being concerns.

Alison's career has spanned multiple levels of education – primary, middle and secondary schools, and undergraduate and postgraduate courses at university. She has experience in educational leadership, working with teams of teachers on curriculum, and as a coach in pedagogy.

Alison’s experience also encompasses an international dimension as she has had input into DFAT's programmes for teachers from Indonesia, West Papua Indonesia, Uganda and Vanuatu. Alison is a part of the Transcultural and Indigenous Pedagogies Research Group at USC Australia. Her experience in Northern Uganda led to investigating the effects of stress and trauma on students’ learning, the roles that teachers play in helping student overcome the effects of stress and trauma, learning in conflict and post-conflict environments, the effects of culture on learning, and teachers’ conceptions of learning in developing contexts.