S02E03 - Dr. Jenny Donovan on accelerating the use of educational research in Australian classrooms

In this episode, Brendan Lee speaks with Dr. Jenny Donovan, CEO of the Australian Education Research Organisation. Jenny has led some of the heaviest hitting bits of research in Australia. In her current role with AERO and previous one with NSW Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation, Jenny has been behind the teams that brought cognitive load theory to prominence and highlighted the lack of evidence behind programs like Reading Recovery and Language Learning & Literacy or L3 as it is more commonly known.

 

Throughout this interview, she discusses her journey into education research and the importance of evidence-based practice. Jenny emphasises the importance of areas such as explicit instruction, classroom management, teacher training, standardised testing like NAPLAN, and accountability in educational practices. It also touches on controversial topics such as fads in education and how to spot and avoid them.

Resources mentioned:

• AERO: Teaching for how students learn: A model of learning and teaching
• AERO: Engaged classrooms through effective classroom management
• NSW CESE: Cognitive load theory: Research that teachers really need to understand
• NSW CESE: Reading Recovery: a sector-wide analysis
• NSW CESE: Language, Learning & Literacy (L3) Review
• Project Follow Through

You can connect with: Jenny 

Twitter: @JennyDonovan2

Linkedin

AERO

 

You can connect with Brendan:

Twitter: @learnwithmrlee

Facebook: @learningwithmrlee

Website: learnwithlee.net

 

Support the Knowledge for Teachers Podcast: 

https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast