Staff Profile
Career Summary
Biography
I joined the University of Newcastle in mid-2010. Prior to that I held academic positions at The University of Edinburgh, Queensland University of Technology and Charles Sturt University. I have been a classroom teacher in both early childhood and primary contexts in Queensland and in London. My current research interests analyse relationships of power in early childhood education, including how relationships are produced and managed in early years settings – between children and children, staff and children and parents and staff. I have also undertaken policy analysis research on preschool education and on the historical place of women/mothers in early childhood education. Overall I am interested in questions about relationships of power, discourses and how women and children constitute their daily lives and relationships as mothers, early childhood practitioners and children in early years settings.
Qualifications
- PhD, University of Queensland, 02/07/2003
- Bachelor of Educational Studies (Honours), University of Queensland, 27/05/1999
- Bachelor of Educational Studies, University of Queensland, 15/08/1996
- Bachelor of Teaching, Griffith University, 04/03/1991
Research
Research keywords
- History of early childhood education
- Poststructuralism in early childhood education
- Relationships in early childhood education
Research expertise
My research is situated in early childhood education and care. I aim to find spaces that help us think in different ways about young children, their education and the relationships between the adults who care for them. To do this I make use of poststructural theorising, investigating and challenging some of the 'common knowledges' of early childhood education, for example play. My emphasis in this research and investigation is enabling positive spaces for thinking about (and talking about) young children, their education and the work of those who care for them. I hope that this thinking helps us reflect upon and challenge the nuances and complexities of early childhood education and care. Aspects of this work are historical and political, engaging in policy analysis and investigating broader historical, social and cultural contexts of families, women's paid work, care and childhood. More recent aspects of my research are focused on the care and education relationship between parents and early childhood educators, including their understandings of their relationships not only with each other as adults, but also their place in the lives of the child/ren they care for.
Fields of Research
| Code | Description | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 130399 | Specialist Studies In Education Not Elsewhere Classified | 100 |
Collaboration
Jo is interested in collaborations with researchers and RHD students investigating history, policy and day-to-day relationships in early childhood education and care.
Administrative
Administrative expertise
I am currently Program Convenor of the Bachelor of Teaching (Primary)/Bachelor of Early Childhood Studies degree on Callaghan campus at the University of Newcastle. I am also course coordinator of undergraduate and masters courses. I have been a member of various University committees and boards across Charles Sturt University, QUT and UoN.
Teaching
Teaching keywords
- Childhood studies
- Foundations of early childhood education
- History of early childhood education
- Theories of play
Teaching expertise
At the undergraduate level I teach in foundations of early childhood education, including history of early childhood education, sociology of childhood, approaches to early childhood education and policy for early childhood education. I have also supervised Honours, Masters, EdD and PhD theses on a range of topics related to early childhood education.
Grants and Funding
Summary
| Number of grants | 2 |
|---|---|
| Total funding | $6,500 |
For project grants received where the lead institution is other than the University of Newcastle, details are shown in italics.
Click on a grant title below to expand the full details for that specific grant.
2011 (1 grants)
Flows of care: Exploring relationships of caring, parenting and emotion in formal childcare.$5,000
Funding Body: University of Newcastle
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doctor Joanne Ailwood | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| New Staff Grant | Chief Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $5,000 | 2011 | 2011 |
| GNo:G1001044 | ||
2010 (1 grants)
Pacific early Childhood Education Research Association, Hangzhou, China, 25 - 27 July 2010$1,500
Funding Body: University of Newcastle - Faculty of Education and Arts
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doctor Joanne Ailwood | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Travel Grant | Chief Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $1,500 | 2010 | 2011 |
| GNo:G1000729 | ||
Research Supervision
| Number of current supervisions | 2 |
|---|---|
| Total current UoN PhD EFTSL | 0.6 |
For supervisions undertaken at an institution other that the University of Newcastle, details are shown in italics, and the institution name is listed below the program name.
Current Supervision
| Commenced | Proposed Completion | Program | Supervisor Type | Research Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 2016 | PhD (Education) | Co-Supervisor | Investigating the Roles of Home and the Kindergarten Literacy Environments in Supporting Saudi Children Emergent Literacy |
| 2012 | 2018 | PhD (Education) | Co-Supervisor | How is the idea of an education revolution understood at different times in Australian History |
Dr Joanne Ailwood
| Work Phone | (02) 4921 6603 |
|---|---|
| Jo.Ailwood@newcastle.edu.au | |
| Position | Senior Lecturer School of Education Faculty of Education and Arts |
| Office | HA117, Hunter Building, Callaghan University Drive Callaghan NSW 2308 Australia |
| URL: | www.newcastle.edu.au/profile/jo-ailwood |
