Biography

Robert is currently Senior Lecturer in Curriculum Studies. He teaches courses in History, Social and Screen Media Education, and coordinates the History Education specialisation in the Master of Educational Studies program. He completed bachelor degree studies at the University of Sydney, where he was a recipient of the Newcombe Hodge Essay Prize (1997), and a Dean's List Scholar, graduating the equivalent of "dux litterarum" with Class I Honours and the University Medal (2000). Robert was appointed to Charles Sturt University in 2003, where he was a foundation member of the Subjectivities in Teacher Education (SITE) Community of Scholars led by Professor Bill Green; a key organiser and presenter at the New Psychologies in Education symposium (2004); and gained a reputation for pedagogical innovation. He joined The University of Newcastle in January 2007. He has since served two consecutive terms as Deputy Head of School, Teaching & Learning, providing leadership in the most wide-ranging and substantial undergraduate and postgraduate curriculum renewal projects within the School of Education for over a decade; and has recently accepted a 3-Year Ministerial appointment to the Hunter Institute of TAFE Advisory Council.

Described as "a refreshing new voice in Australian curriculum studies" (Professor Noel Gough, LaTrobe University), Robert's scholarly interests and contributions centre on theorizing a post-critical approach to History Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Didaktiks, including explorations of: (1) History Curriculum as postmodern, post-colonial, and political text; (2) History Didaktiks (specifically, the professional, pedagogical, hermeneutic, and meta-historical literacies required to teach History in a socially-critical way); and (3) Contemporary and historical curriculum theories, philosophies, and politics. He is Convenor of the HERMES History Education Research Group (see under Collaboration below), and has taught Curriculum Theory in the annual AARE Theory workshop series.

Robert is currently on sabbatical (through the university's Special Studies Program) from 1 July 2012 till 30 June 2013. As part of his SSP, Robert will spend two months as Visiting Research Fellow in the Department of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies at Umea University, Sweden; and is co-guest editing with Professor Monika Vinterek (Darlana University, Sweden), History Curriculum, Geschichtsdidaktik, and the Problem of the Nation, a special issue of the journal 'Education Sciences'.

Published Books

Qualifications

• PhD, University of Newcastle, 2006
• Bachelor of Education (Honours), University of Sydney, 2000

Research

Research keywords

• Curriculum Theory
• Educational Imagination
• Fachdidaktik
• Hermeneutics
• Historical Literacy
• History Curriculum
• History Education
• History Teaching
• Media Literacy
• Meta-History
• Pedagogy
• Philosophy of Education
• Philosophy of History
• Politics of Education
• Post-colonial Studies
• Postmodernism
• Teacher Education

Research expertise

Robert has particular expertise in historical and philosophical (poststructural, postcolonial and hermeneutic) research methodologies. His intellectual work includes contributions to Curriculum History, Theory, and Politics; History Education, Historical Consciousness, and Meta-Historical Literacies; Postmodern Pedagogies; and Digital Visual Media Literacies.

Collaboration

	HERMES is an interdisciplinary research group based at the University of Newcastle, Australia. Its main lines of research concern historical consciousness, media, and history education. Find out more information, including projects, publications, news and events, and possible affiliation, from the: HERMES website.
	The History Network for Teachers and Researchers is a professional community for history educators in universities, schools, museums, and heritage organisations, based in the Hunter region of NSW, Australia. You can participate in HNTR by clicking here to join our facebook group.
	For those colleagues, affiliates, and students who like to keep up with breaking news, discuss ideas, or share new finds and resources, Robert invites you to join him on Twitter the online social networking and microblogging service.
	If you are an academic anywhere in the world with shared interests, Robert invites you to join him on Academia.edu an online social networking community for university teachers and professors.

Honours and Research Higher Degree Supervision

Robert has significant expertise in poststructural and postcolonial theory, and document-based historical, philosophical, and hermeneutic research methodologies. He welcomes potential Honours or Research Higher Degree students, who are interested in:

• Curriculum change (explored through its History, Theory, or Politics);
• History, Humanities, or Social Science Curriculum or Pedagogy;
• The didaktik (pedagogical content) knowledge of History, Humanities, or Social Science teachers;
• Influences of Postmodernism, Poststructuralism, or Post-colonialism on the Educational Imagination.

Fields of Research

Memberships

Body relevant to professional practice.

• Member - NSW Teacher Education Council [NSW TEC] (2008 - 2011)
• Member - The History Teachers' Association of NSW [HTANSW]
• Member - History Educators Network of Australia [HENA]

Committee/Associations (relevant to research).

• Member - Australian Teacher Education Association [ATEA] (2007 - 2011)
• Member - International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning in History [HistorySOTL]
• Member - The Historical Association (UK) [HA]
• Member - Australian Association for Research in Education [AARE]
• Member - Australian Curriculum Studies Association [ACSA]
• Member - International Association for the Advancement of Curriculum Studies [IAACS]

Appointments

Awards

Distinction.

Research Award.

Administrative

Administrative expertise

Robert was appointed to the role of Deputy Head of School, Teaching and Learning, in February 2008, and continued in the role for two terms of office, providing academic leadership during a period of significant policy change within the field of teacher education specifically, and the higher education sector more generally. During his terms of office, Robert had portfolio responsibilities within the School of Education - the largest provider of initial teacher education in Australia - for a wide range of academic matters including program accreditation and transition, course quality and availability, complaint resolution, and curriculum renewal. His considerable achievements as a Deputy Head include the following:

• steered the Faculty's recent phase of initial teacher education and masters level curriculum renewal, including the transition process from the old (TQAP accredited) to new (NSWIT accredited) awards
• secured multiple teaching areas in most Bachelor of Teaching programs
• reintroduced languages and curriculum theory into the teacher education curriculum
• constructed the possibility of full majors in the disciplines in all initial teacher education programs
• instituted an embedded Honours program providing opportunity for Education graduates to follow a direct entry path into doctoral programs
• refined the Program Enrolment Checklists (PECs) to enhance accreditation pathway navigation for the more complex Primary and Secondary degrees
• initiated significant refinements in the course outline approval process
• designed and implemented procedures for addressing the Band 4 requirements of the NSWIT
• initiated new Higher education and TVET leadership pathways in the Master of Leadership and Management in Education
• initiated and developed the History Education pathway in the Master of Educational Studies program as part of the Alliance with the Australian National University (ANU)

Beyond the Deputy role, Robert has also contributed to Academic senate working parties on course outlines, course levels, and policy streamlining; piloted and assisted in the refinement of the University's course related ethics approval (CREA) process; served on a range of committees including School of Education interview panels, the Faculty of Education and Arts Progress and Appeals Committee, Faculty A-C Promotion Committee, and University Equity and Teaching & Learning Grant Committees; and acted in the role of Assistant Dean Teaching & Learning for the Faculty of Education and Arts, Program Convenor of the Bachelor of Teaching (Secondary)/Bachelor of Arts program (Callaghan Campus), and Chair of the Streamlining Academic Policies working party for Academic Senate (late 2011). He has been both a seconded and elected member of the executive committee of the Australian Teacher Education Association (ATEA) and maintained their official website from 2008-2011. He has recently accepted nomination to the NSW Board of Studies Curriculum Committee for Senior History, and has accepted a 3-year appointed by the Minister of Education (NSW) as the Tertiary Sector representative on the Hunter Institute of TAFE Advisory Council.

Teaching

Teaching keywords

• Curriculum Studies
• History Education
• Media Literacy
• Screen Technologies
• Society & Culture
• Studies of Religion

Teaching expertise

Robert's diverse teaching career has included work in various capacities as a full-time martial arts instructor (5th Dan Black Belt in Togakure Ryu Ninjutsu, and instructor licenses in Wing Chun and Non-Classical Kung-Fu and Arnis/Kali); communication consultant; lecturer in and practitioner of Shiatsu and Oriental Medicine; School Network Administrator; History, Technology and Learning Support Teacher in suburban high schools in Sydney; and sessional tutor and lecturer in TESOL at the University of Sydney. His first full time appointment as a university lecturer was to Charles Sturt University (Bathurst) where he coordinated courses in a diverse range of areas, and gained a reputation for pedagogical innovation [recognised through invited presentations to the: Faculty of Education Biennial Forum; Centre for Learning and Teaching; Foundation of University Learning and Teaching program; and Charles Sturt University Professors' Forum]. He has significant experience and expertise in university program and course design, and teaches courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels in the area of curriculum leadership, history and social education, and screen media literacies.

Teaching philosophy

Robert uses various approaches in his teaching, including project based learning, cognitive apprenticeship, authentic assessment, and a range of cooperative learning pedagogies. As a teacher, he seeks to foster a learning environment characterised by high intellectual challenge, high engagement, and appropriate support; moving as required between 'the sage on the stage' and 'the guide on the side'. He approaches teaching and learning as hermeneutic activities where the goal is the recognition or transformation of our epistemological, axiological, and ontological horizons; and applying poststructural theory to educational design, he encourages the development of practical capacities and meta-theoretical understanding, seeking to produce thoughtful educators who can provide defensible and informed justification for their actions, while navigating the complexities of the pedagogical encounter.

Teaching responsibilities

Please note that Robert is on sabbatical from 1 July 2012 - 30 June 2013. During the period of his leave any advice about the courses listed below should be sought from the assigned coordinator who can be located through the Hunter Academic Support Unit.

• EDUC1751 - Knowledge and Communication Technologies / Course Coordinator (Port Macquarie)
• EDUC2101 - Introduction to Specialist Studies / History Tutorials (Callaghan)
• EDUC4093 - Specialist Studies in Social Science 2C / Course Coordinator (Callaghan)
• EDUC6224 - Issues and Debates in History Education / Course Coordinator (Weblearn)
• EDUC6241 - Screen Education / Course Coordinator (Weblearn)
• EDUC6452 - Curriculum Leadership in Tertiary Education / Course Coordinator (Callaghan)

Program responsibilities

The History Education Specialisation is available as a pathway for qualified teachers wanting an additional approval to teach History, or practicing History teachers who wish to engage in professional renewal. It was developed as part of an alliance between The University of Newcastle and the Australian National University, and students may take units from both universities at Graduate Certificate or Masters level.

• History Education Specialisation > Important Information