Research in Focus: Recent Episodes
Research in Focus
Research In Focus is a podcast featuring short interviews with researchers at La Trobe University. From politics to journalism to history, we focus on the personal stories and big questions. Hosted by Lawrie Zion and Lauren Gawne, season one episodes out every fortnight.
In this conversation with Özlem Sensoy, Shirley Steinberg will discuss principles and ethics of rock n’ roll and its value as a generative metaphor for research. The conversation will cover aspects of performance & “sway/g,” history & values, radicalism & margins, volume & voice, collaboration & individuality. As the late Freddie Mercury said, “Darling, my attitude is ‘fuck it’; I’m doing everything with everyone.” This conversation will explore what it could mean to open up the rich world and work of educational research to the radicalism of rock n’ roll.
Join us as Dr. Zuzana Vasko explores the intersection of arts practice, ecological learning, and contemplative inquiry. She reveals how the arts deepen our connection with the natural world and enhance her role as an educator. Discover her innovative approaches to make arts-based learning accessible to all, including those who may not see themselves as creative. This episode highlights how the unique qualities of arts-based learning—subjectivity, sense perception, and personal experience—foster profound ecological awareness.
In this episode, we delve into the effects of AI technologies, particularly ChatGPT, on university education, featuring insights from Dr. Joel Heng Hartse and Dr. Daniel Chang. From an instructor's viewpoint, they explore the dynamic interplay between AI technology and their teaching approaches, highlighting both potential risks and opportunities. As we navigate ethical considerations, the importance of writing skills, and the need to uphold academic integrity in an era of rapid digital advancement, this discussion encourages a profound reflection on how AI is not merely transforming educational paradigms but also redefining the essence of learning and teaching.Get links to the articles discussed in the podcast,Heng Hartse, J. (2023, August 31). We've admitted defeat when we say that ChatGPT can write at all. Vancouver Sun. Retrieved from https://vancouversun.com/opinion/op-ed/joel-heng-hartse-weve-admitted-defeat-when-we-say-that-chatgpt-can-write-at-allChang, D. H., Lin, M. P.-C., Hajian, S., & Wang, Q. Q. (2023). Educational Design Principles of Using AI Chatbot That Supports Self-Regulated Learning in Education: Goal Setting, Feedback, and Personalization. Sustainability (Basel, Switzerland), 15(17), 12921. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151712921
Join us in this enlightening episode where Dr. Yumiko Murai, an Assistant Professor at Simon Fraser University, delves into the transformative role of play in education. She shares her unique perspective on integrating play with learning, especially in the context of educational technology and maker spaces. Drawing from her diverse background as a musician turned educator, Dr. Murai uncovers the powerful impact of playful learning and creative thinking in shaping future educational practices and experiences. - This episode is produced by The Children's Table podcast team, and supported by the Research Hub.
Dive into a thought-provoking conversation with Dr. Robyn Ilten-Gee, Assistant Professor at Simon Fraser University, as she unveils the impact of podcasting on youth development. This episode examines the unique ways podcasts contribute to children's moral and social growth, highlighting their role in enhancing critical thinking and empathy. Dr. Ilten-Gee’s expertise in narrative and media education shows how podcasts can be transformative educational tools, enriching young minds and fostering a deeper understanding of social justice. Discover the empowering potential of podcasts in shaping future generations. - Produced by The Children's Table podcast team, and supported by the Research Hub.
On March 30, 2023 FOE faculty at the Harbour Centre campus participated in a Podcasts and Pedagogies Symposium organized by Elizabeth Marshall. This interdisciplinary international event included a dialogic roundtable with Hannah McGregor (co-host of Witch, Please & host of Secret Feminist Agenda), Am Johal (host of Below the Radar), and Anna Mae Duane, Kate Capshaw and Victoria Ford Smith (co-hosts of The Children’s Table) as well as a conversation with Suzanne Smythe and Robyn Ilten-Gee on using podcasting with youth as social justice pedagogy. We are delighted to share one of the outcomes of that symposium — podcast interviews conducted by the Children’s Table podcast team with Robyn Itlen-Gee and Yumiko Murai. This first episode provides an overview of the symposium and highlights from the interviews.
Explore Dancing-Reading-Writing (DRW) as a dynamic and ever-evolving ABR practice that fuses bodily engagement with research. Dr. Carolina Bergonzoni delves into the synergy of dance, reading, and writing, emphasizing how DRW transcends traditional research approaches. Her personal reflections, photos, and poetic writing exemplify ways in which dance guides understanding and generates insights. DRW challenges the notion of fixed research, advocating for a continuous process of inquiry and underscoring how this process leads to unexpected discoveries. DRW encourages educators, artists, and researchers to integrate embodied experiences and creativity into their research journey.
To navigate our digital world, educational researchers argue that we need a new form of reasoning. With increasing inequities, digital dilemmas, and more complex global relationships, it is more critical than ever to equip students with the necessary skills to tackle these challenges. In this episode, Dr. Robyn Ilten-Gee discusses her research project, which focuses on fostering civic reasoning through journalism education. Her study explores the role of journalism education in cultivating civic reasoning, highlighting the importance of attending to identity and moral development, and fostering conceptual change in young individuals.
Many early career researchers and graduate students are looking to publish their research findings in journal articles, conference proceedings, book chapters, and other formats. In this episode, Dr. John Nesbit and Dr. Tenzin Doleck share their experience and recommend strategies for productive publication. The conversation covers six themes: finding an appropriate journal, types of publications and their perceived value, publication strategies, popular topics vs. niche topics, the peer review process, and maintaining productivity. Although speaking primarily to researchers in the learning and data sciences, the episode will also interest scholars working in other fields of educational research.
Hannah McGregor, Assistant Professor of Publishing at SFU, interviews Amber Moore, a Banting Postdoctoral Fellow and feminist scholar at the Faculty of Education, on her teaching and scholarship. Amber shares her experience of being a high-school teacher and teaching teachers in the academy. She discusses the pedagogical potential of young adult literature, adolescent writing, and talking about rape culture through fanfiction. Their conversation highlights the importance of ethics of care including care for self.
Join Gloria Nystrom, a Doctoral Candidate in Languages, Cultures and Literacies, and Dr. Ena Lee as they discuss the importance of interdisciplinary frameworks in English language education research. As women of colour born and raised in “multicultural” Canada, their lived experiences negotiating language, “culture”, and identity illustrate the role of sociopolitical/sociohistorical landscapes on linguistic ideology and citizenry. Their dialogue highlights the salience of “race” in the lives of multilingual and multicultural students in Vancouver and why more critical educational research is needed to address issues of racism and educational equity in Canada.
In this episode, Dr. Rina Zazkis, Canada Research Chair in STEM Teaching and Learning, shares insights from her book Lesson Play in Mathematics Education: A Tool for Research and Professional Development, co-authored with Dr. Peter Liljedahl and Dr. Nathalie Sinclair. The book outlines how play-writing engages teachers in considering vital issues in instruction, with an aim of enhancing learning experiences of students. This conversation also helps listeners understand Dr. Zazkis’ research into undergraduate mathematics education, focusing on mathematical content-knowledge of preservice teachers and ways this knowledge is acquired and modified.
Join Josh Coward in conversation with Dr. David Zandvliet and Dr. Shannon Leddy, co-chairs of the Institute for Environmental Learning (IEL). Dr. Zandvliet describes his new role as a UNESCO Chair in Bio-Cultural Diversity and elaborates on the IEL’s award-winning work with the Vancouver Botanical Gardens Association. Dr. Leddy notes how Indigenous approaches to knowledge and the voices of Indigenous and BIPOC people have been missing. As Drs. Zandvliet and Leddy both agree, the work must continue.
In this episode, Dr. Sean Chorney, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University, proposes that mathematising aspects of our social world can help us to not only identify hidden problems, but to also formulate alternative conceptions of their causes and possible solutions. Dr. Chorney discusses the concept of gerrymandering, as a demonstration of how mathematics can raise awareness and imagination.
In this episode, Dr. Joel Heng Hartse and Dr. Ismaeil Fazel speak about two projects related to academic literacy, remote learning experiences and learning to identify and understand predatory academic publishers. Remote learning has become the norm during this particular time in our history and both researchers are seeking to understand and learn more about how stakeholders are taking on the new realities of higher education. Also aligning with their research interest in academic literacy, Dr. Heng Hartse and Dr. Fazel advocate for educating students and scholars about predatory academic publishers.
In this episode with Dr. Carolyn Mamchur, professor in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University, discusses the process of writing. To write well at the university level, Dr. Mamchur advises knowing what the question you’re responding to is really asking, finding yourself and your particular interest in that question, doing your research and finding the connections amongst the ideas. She shares that writing is telling a story that creates a meaningful relationship with the readers or other researchers.
This past spring, Dr. Heesoon Bai delivered a research seminar at UBC on Soil, Soul, Society: Regeneration from the Vital-Core. Many of the ideas covered in that seminar came out of the collective experience of a group of educators formed by Dr. Bai that met continuously over 12 years. In this episode, we interview Dr. Bai to discuss some of the concepts that were covered in her seminar, including a proposal that all teachers should take what is akin to a Hippocratic Oath and the importance of cultivating a contemplative practice. Dr. Bai shares why self-reflection, self-awareness, self-knowledge and self-cultivation is an important part of being a teacher.
In this episode, Dr. Huamei Han shares her research in 1) language, religion and immigrant settlement; 2) youth and multilingual study and 3) multilingualism in Africa-China trade migration. Dr. Han also provides an exciting overview of an issue of Language Ideology, Christianity, and Identity: Critical Empirical Examinations of Christian Institutions as Alternative Spaces which features five articles by scholars from around the world.
Whether it’s Aussie rules, soccer, rugby league or union, Australians love their football. Each of these codes has its own loyal fans and traditions, and different representations in the media. Nasya Bahfen, is a senior lecturer in the Department of Media and Communication at La Trobe University, whose research focuses on sports journalism in Australia. In this episode of Research in Focus, Nasya chats with Lauren Gawne about how the media represent different sporting codes. For more on Nasya’s research: https://scholars.latrobe.edu.au/display/nybahfen
Research in Focus is a La Trobe University podcast, produced by Lawrie Zion and Lauren Gawne. Support for this podcast comes from La Trobe University’s Transforming Human Societies Research Focus Area. This podcast is edited by Max Robins and hosted by Upstart. Music is Bright Future by Silent Partner. Recorded November 26th, 2018.
We don’t often think about the gestures that we use when we talk, although you might after listening to this episode. Gestures are a part of language, and like many other areas of language, linguistics provides a way to better understand them, and ourselves. Lauren Gawne is a David Myers Research Fellow in Linguistics, whose research focuses on grammar and gesture in Tibeto-Burman languages. In this episode of Research in Focus, Lauren chats to Lawrie Zion about why we gesture, the need to study a diverse range of languages, and the importance of communicating research. For more on Lauren’s research: https://scholars.latrobe.edu.au/display/l2gawne
Research in Focus is a La Trobe University podcast, produced by Lawrie Zion and Lauren Gawne. Support for this podcast comes from La Trobe University’s Transforming Human Societies Research Focus Area. This podcast is edited by Margaret Purdam and hosted by Upstart. Music is Bright Future by Silent Partner. Recorded November 27th, 2018.
Education is Australia’s third largest export, worth around 28 billion dollars to the economy, behind iron and coal. But what are the desires and aspirations of those who choose to study in another country? Jasvir Nachatar Singh, is a Lecturer in the Department of Management, Sport and Tourism, whose research focuses on the experiences of international postgraduate students, particularly in Malaysia. In this episode of Research in Focus, Jasvir talks to Lauren Gawne about the changing experiences and expectations of international students. For more on Jasvir’s research: https://scholars.latrobe.edu.au/display/jnachatarsin
Research in Focus is a La Trobe University podcast, produced by Lawrie Zion and Lauren Gawne. Support for this podcast comes from La Trobe University’s Transforming Human Societies Research Focus Area. This podcast is edited by Max Robins and hosted by Upstart. Music is Bright Future by Silent Partner. Recorded November 20th, 2018.
Some Australians take radical steps to reconcile their sexuality or sexual identity with their religious beliefs. But what are the impacts of purported conversion therapies on individuals and communities? Timothy Jones is a Senior Lecturer in History at La Trobe University, whose research focuses on gender, sexuality and religion. In this episode of Research in Focus, Tim chats with Lauren Gawne about a recently launched report on LGBT conversion therapy in Australia. For more on Tim’s research: https://scholars.latrobe.edu.au/display/twjones
Research in Focus is a La Trobe University podcast, produced by Lawrie Zion and Lauren Gawne. Support for this podcast comes from La Trobe University’s Transforming Human Societies Research Focus Area. This podcast is edited by Margaret Purdam and hosted by Upstart. Music is Bright Future by Silent Partner. Recorded December 4th, 2018.
The Himalayan mountain range sits on the border between India and China, the world’s two most populated nations, and also travels through Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan. These mountains are a key geopolitical and environmental landscape with implications for the wider Asian area. Ruth Gamble is a David Myers Research Fellow in the Department of Archaeology and History at La Trobe University, whose research focuses on the environmental history of the Tibetan plateau. In this episode of Research in Focus, Ruth chats to Lawrie Zion about the tense relations along the China/India border, and the implications for the environment in the rest of the region, and Australia. For more on Ruth’s research: https://scholars.latrobe.edu.au/display/rgamble
Research in Focus is a La Trobe University podcast, produced by Lawrie Zion and Lauren Gawne. Support for this podcast comes from La Trobe University’s Transforming Human Societies Research Focus Area. This podcast is edited by Margaret Purdam and hosted by Upstart. Music is Bright Future by Silent Partner. Recorded November 27th, 2018.
We might think of social media as a way of staying in touch with friends and family, and sharing pictures of our pets, but it also has an important role in providing new pathways to political and social activism. Monika Winarnita is a Research Officer in the ARC Discovery and Linkage New Beats project, whose research focuses on online media and digital activism in Indonesia. In this episode of Research in Focus, Monika chats with Lauren Gawne about how women are using social media to advance their political agenda in the leadup to the 2019 Indonesian elections. For more on Monika’s research: https://scholars.latrobe.edu.au/display/mwinarnita
Research in Focus is a La Trobe University podcast, produced by Lawrie Zion and Lauren Gawne. Support for this podcast comes from La Trobe University’s Transforming Human Societies Research Focus Area. This podcast is edited by Margaret Purdam and hosted by Upstart. Music is Bright Future by Silent Partner. Recorded November 27th, 2018.
Most of what we learn in Australian history is about major events that shape the Australian culture, but new focus on the economic history of Australia is revealing a rich and often untold story. Anne Rees is a David Myers Research Fellow in History at La Trobe University, whose research focuses on the social and economic history of Australia. In this episode of Research in Focus, Anne talks to Lauren Gawne about the sometimes radical history of economics as a field of study in Australia. For more on Anne's research: https://scholars.latrobe.edu.au/display/arees
Research in Focus is a La Trobe University podcast, produced by Lawrie Zion and Lauren Gawne. Support for this podcast comes from La Trobe University’s Transforming Human Societies Research Focus Area. This podcast is edited by Margaret Purdam and hosted by Upstart. Music is Bright Future by Silent Partner. Recorded December 4th, 2018.
Journalism has undergone a major shift in the last couple of decades, with a shrinking number of full-time journalists and a diversifying digital media landscape. Lawrie Zion is Professor of Journalism and Director of the Transforming Human Society Research Focus Area at La Trobe University. He leads the ARC-funded New Beats project which is examining journalism job loss in the era of digital disruption. In this episode of Research in Focus, Lawrie chats with Lauren Gawne about the New Beats project and how journalists are coping with career change. For more on Lawrie’s research: https://scholars.latrobe.edu.au/display/lzion
Research in Focus is a La Trobe University podcast, produced by Lawrie Zion and Lauren Gawne. Support for this podcast comes from La Trobe University’s Transforming Human Societies Research Focus Area. This podcast is edited by Max Robins and hosted by Upstart. Music is Bright Future by Silent Partner. Recorded November 27th, 2018.
In this episode, Dr. Pidgeon introduces herself and her work studying higher education, which includes her look at research ethics and her work studying Indigenous student experiences in higher education. Dr. Pidgeon describes some of her international and inter-university collaborations, as well the holistic methodological approach that informs her choices in research. She also speaks to SFU Education's recent five-year plan and how we might respond to the Faculty's new calls for Indigenous initiatives within the university.
In this episode, Dr. Natalia Gajdamaschko describes the context and tradition of cultural historical activity theory, a school of thought in developmental psychology based on the early work of Lev Vygotsky and Alexander Luria. Dr. Gajdamaschko describes some of the basic ideas of and differences between play activity theory and learning activity theory. She also shares highlights of her recent work with the new BC curriculum as well as some of her hopes for the future.
Working at the intersections of mental health and social justice, Dr. Sharalyn Jordan is using community-based research to advocate for access to refugee protection and psychosocial supports for people fleeing persecution related to sexual orientation, gender identity or expression (SOGIE). In this podcast, Dr. Jordan describes how the narrative accounts of LGBTQ+ refugees in Canada have impacted training in local settlement agencies, Federal Court decisions and new Federal guidelines on SOGIE refugee decisions.
This episodes features 2017 Cmolik Prize Winner, Dr. Peter Liljedahl, and his research on vertical non-permanent surfaces (VNPS) and visibly random groupings as effective teaching practices in mathematics classrooms. Dr. Liljedahl describes how Building Thinking Classrooms, a mathematics teaching practice framework, was developed with, and for, mathematics teachers in British Columbia.
How do students learn, critique and understand online data sources? How do they make sense of the knowledge available in online representations? This episode focuses on Dr. Engida Gebre, who is the primary investigator of the Learning Design for Developing Young Adults Data Literacy and Representation Competences project. Dr. Gebre explores the questions: how do students learn, critique and understand online data sources? How do they make sense of the knowledge available in online representation?
In this episode, Dr. Suzanne Smythe, associate professor in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University, discusses her new collectively co-written book: Disrupting the Boundaries in Education and Research. The book, collaboratively composed by an interdisciplinary group of professors at Simon Fraser University, explores the question: “How can we work together in new ways across our scholarly locations of early childhood education, mathematics, language, adult learning, and teacher education?”
In this episode, Dr. Charles Bingham, a professor in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University, discusses the STEPS Forward program, and in particular, discusses his project’s focus on post-secondary inclusion and providing support for students with developmental disabilities.