ProfessorAlyson Simpson

Project Opportunities

Title: Arts, English and Literacy Education

Summary of opportunity:

The research activities in this area primarily concern the teaching
of English in primary and secondary schools. Research initiatives
include examining the use in the classroom of information and
communication technologies; visual literacy; multiliteracies; the
‘New Literacies’; popular culture and electronic media texts
(such as video games and SMS communication).

Opportunity synopsis:

The Arts, English and Literacy Education Network network emphasizes the interplay between the role of the creative arts, English Education and the development of literacy.  It offers educators opportunities to research and critique the role of creativity in the language arts curriculum. The Network was established in 2006 and brings together teachers, researchers, policy-makers and others in the fields of the creative arts and English.

Project Opportunities

Title: Children's Literature

Summary of opportunity:

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 a Professor in English literacy education.

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.

Opportunity synopsis:

Research interests

Learning sciences; psychology of education

• Learning technologies and new media

Research on teaching and learning

• Teacher education and professional learning
• English and literacy

Keywords: children's literature, elearning, visual literacy, blended learning, discourse analysis, pedagogy

----------Current Research Projects----------

• What's the Evidence: this study funded by the NSW Department of Education will support an investigation into the predictive validity of Teaching Performance Assessments (TPA) over a period of two years 2021-2023.
• Reading for Pleasure (RfP) Australia is a nested set of studies designed to explore reading for pleasure practices in initial teacher education and schools. Using multiple forms of data collection including surveys, interviews and classroom observations it mirrors and extends the original RfP work undertaken in the United Kingdom. Commencing in 2020 with local collaborators, interest has spread with branches of work developing across Australia, in Scotland and in Europe.
• Teaching about Reading Dialogic Interactions (TARDIS): this international comparative project examining the role of children's literature in pre-service teacher education is being run in four countries, the United Kingdom, United States, Canada and Australia. Data collection involving survey, interview, digital story and document analysis commenced in 2012 and ran till the end of 2014.
• Reading by Design an International Study on 21st Century Reading Processes: this study is a collaboration with Canada, the United States and Australia funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. The project examines the reading practices exhibited when students work with digital technology. It ran from 2012 to 2013.