A/Prof. Linda Newman

Biography

In my position as Associate Professor at The University of Newcastle, I enjoy both my teaching and research work. There is an alignment between my teaching of Early Childhood Internship, early childhood teacher research, and contemporary literacies and my research. I am a member of the "Comparative and International Education Group University of Newcastle" (CIEGUN) through my research and teaching in Chile and South Africa. I am currently working with a research team from the University of Western Sydney in "Programa Futuro Infantil Hoy" (Children's Futures Today Project), a community capacity building and teacher change project. This project is situated in conditions of extreme poverty in Northern Chile. I also work in a developing research and teaching project in partnership with the University of Fort Hare in South Africa. We are privileged through this project, currently funded by the Ford Foundation, to have 3 South African lectures studying with us in our Masters of Early Childhood Education. I recently worked with a group of early childhood teachers in Newcastle, using one component of the Futuro Infantil Hoy curriculum - a literacy environment rating scale, with the purpose of achieving teacher change in three early childhood centres.My methodological interests include Practitioner Action Research, sociocultural methodology, ethical methodology, and visual methodologies. Each of these has been drawn on in recent research. The postgraduate students I help to supervise are working in areas of early childhood literacies, creativity and ICT; music across the grades; and professional learning.

I have worked in the early childhood education profession for over 30 years. I have taught in and managed a range of early childhood settings including preschool, long day care, school, early childhood intervention, and playgym. I entered vocational and further education as a TAFE teacher and later commenced lecturing in an early childhood degree at the University of Western Sydney. I joined The University of Newcastle in 2009. My research interests have always closely aligned to my work with children, families and teachers. My Masters research was related to transition to school and curriculum continuity for children with disabilities and additional needs, and their families. My doctoral research led on from this work and was related to professional ethics, and particularly the resolution of ethical dilemmas. This work resulted in co-authorship of the "Ethical Response Cycle", a now widely used ethical thinking facilitation model. In recent years, and ongoing from previous research, I have become interested in teacher change and practitioner action research.

Qualifications

• Doctor of Education, University of Western Sydney, 2001
• Master of Education (Honours), University of Western Sydney, 1997
• Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood), Hunter Institute of Higher Education, 1988
• Diploma of Teaching (Early Childhood Education), Sydney Kindergarten Teachers College, 1977

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Research

Research keywords

• pedagogical inquiry
• professional ethics
• teacher inquiry

Research expertise

Linda Newman is well recognised in national and international early childhood communities for her work in professional ethics and the development of professional learning communities, tied to her co-authored volume (with Lois Pollnitz), "Working with Children and Families: Professional, Legal and Ethical Issues". Current research is focusing on community capacity building through teacher pedagogical leadership, early literacy, and visual methodology. This research is centred in Northern Chile in the "Futuro Infantil Hoy" project. Linda works in partnership with the University of Western Sydney on this project.

Collaboration

Current Collaborations:

University of Western Sydney and Minera Escondida Foundation: "Programa Futuro Infantil Hoy" - Chile

University of Fort Hare and Ford Foundation - Capacity building with early childhood education academics

Languages

• English

Fields of Research

Code	Description	Percentage
130399	Specialist Studies In Education Not Elsewhere Classified	60
139999	Education Not Elsewhere Classified	20
130199	Education Systems Not Elsewhere Classified	20

Centres and Groups

Group

• ERIN-Comparative and International Education Group University of Newcastle (CIEGUN)

Memberships

Other

• Editor - Early Childhood Teacher Education Council

Appointments

Chair Early Childhood Teacher Education Council (NSW) (Australia)

01/07/2010

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Administrative

Administrative expertise

Linda Newman has held many administrative roles over her career. Currently she is the Chair - Early Childhood Program Management Committee and the Convenor of the Master of Early Childhood Education at the University of Newcastle.

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Teaching

Teaching keywords

• early childhood
• pedagogical change
• pedagogical leadership
• professional ethics

Teaching expertise

Linda's current teaching is in Early Childhood Internship at undergraduate level. At postgraduate level Linda teaches two courses in the Master of Early Childhood Education - "Conducting teacher Research in Early Childhood Education" and "Early Childhood Literacies". She also co-supervises several doctoral candidates.