Joanne O'Mara

I am the Chair of Secondary English Curriculum Inquiry. I have taught secondary English and Drama education in a wide range of school and university settings. I also trained as a Speech and Drama teacher through Trinity College, London. I have taught in Melbourne, Ballarat, Brisbane, Vanuatu and Canada, and bring this experience to my teaching, research, curriculum design and critique.

I research all aspects of English curriculum: Speaking and Listening, Reading and Viewing and Writing. I research young people's creation and usage of texts; innovative pedagogy, curriculum design and teaching practices as well as the policies and conditions of teachers' work. I have a particular interest in the areas of new literacies studies and the arts, and am passionate about my ongoing series of research projects into the intersection of subject English with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures, digital technologies, intercultural understanding, emergent literacies and new textual practices.

I believe that you have to start with where people are at and try to take them where they need to/want to go. I am an experienced post-graduate research supervisor and have successfully supervised a range of doctoral and masters students and their projects. I work in partnership with my post-graduate students, supporting them in the pursuit of their chosen project. I have worked across a range of critical theoretical resources and discipline areas. I am particularly interested in the usage of the creative arts as a research method and innovative approaches to research in the field of education. I have a strong record of supporting students through their studies to completion and beyond, assisting them to achieve their research and employment goals.