News and events

Centre Updates

February 2020

Continuation of The Centre for Children’s Learning in a Social World

It is with great pleasure that we announce the continuation of the Centre for Children’s Learning in a Social World for 2020. Previously funded under the Faculty of Human Sciences, we are excited to announce our new home in the Faculty of Arts. We are now considered a cross-faculty centre with members from the Department of Psychology (now under the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences) as well as members from the School of Education.

We have a busy year ahead of us, with research projects underway (see our projects page) as well as hosting quarterly seminars (open to all). We are also delighted to be hosting a Society for Research in Memory and Cognition (SARMAC) regional conference, focused on reminiscing across the lifespan. Further information on this conference will be made available later this year. We are also continuing our professional development outreach events targetting primary and secondary teachers.

Further information on events will be made available on our website (see below for past events and upcoming event details), we will also post information on these events via internal newsletters.

Upcoming Events

Reminiscing and Memory across the Lifespan (SARMAC Regional Meeting)

What: 2-day workshop

When: Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd December 2021

Our SARMAC Regional Meeting Australasia focuses on autobiographical memory development, function, and wellbeing across the lifespan. We are particularly interested in understanding how patterns of individual and shared reminiscing shape and inform autobiographical memory, wellbeing, and other aspects of positive psychological adjustment across different periods of life: childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and older age.

Across this 2-day workshop, we aim to bring together research academics, professionals, early career researchers, and students.

For more information please visit our event page

Past Events

MQTaLK!: The Story So Far

A/Professor Sheila Degotardi, A/Professor Naomi Sweller and Dr Emilia Djonov presented the 'story so far' of their ARC Discovery Grant research which investigates the implications of infants' language environment for their subsequent language development.

Changing Outcomes of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children

Professor Greg Leigh (Director of RIDBC Renwick Centre & Professor of Educational Studies at Macquarie University) presented research on the developmental impacts of earlier identification of hearing loss in children, specifically the linguistic developmental correlates of earlier intervention.

All Sample Sizes Great and Small

Dr Amy Bird (Lecturer in Clinical Psychology from University of Wollongong) presented the benefits and challenges of working with small and large sample sizes, specifically with regards to elucidate interaction processes among families experiencing mental health difficulties.

Turning Words into Numbers

Penny Van Bergen (Department of Educational Studies) and Naomi Sweller (Department of Psychology) present techniques for quantitatively coding and analysing speech data from conversations, classroom and family observations, and interviews.

Professional Development

What's love got to do with it? Pedagogical Love and Care in Early Childhood

On Wednesday, November 6, the Centre for Children’s Learning in a Social World hosted their inaugural Professional Development evening: What’s Love Got to do with It? Pedagogical Love and Care in Early Childhood Education. Hosted by Centre Co-Director, Associate Professor Penny Van Bergen, the expert panel of Dr Fay Hadley, Mel Ferris, Anthony Fennell and Professor Linda Harrison drew on their research and practice to debate the importance of pedagogical love and care as a foundational practice for all teachers. The panel debated the role of professional love in prior to school and school settings and considered how the notion of professional love is enacted by individuals differently.  All panelists believed that pedagogical love in its professional form is beneficial for all children.  The sold-out event, with over 180 registrations, drew in professionals from the early childhood sector, schools, parents, policy professionals, academics and students.

For those who were unable to attend the event, a recording of audio and presentation slides is available

* Please be aware that listening to this recording does not fulfil NESA accreditation requirements*

Media Coverage

Communication through the screen - gestures and words Dr Elizabeth Austin discusses her current research project with ABC Kids Early Education. Exploring the role of gestures and words used by presenters of ABC's PlaySchool, Dr Austin's research aims to understand how multimedia can best facilitate children's language development.
Benefits of good connections with teachers Research conducted by Dr Emma Burns on the benefits of positive connections with teachers has been highlighted in an article published by The Lighthouse. Findings demonstrate that students with a positive relationship with a teacher are more likely to finish year 12 and these relationships play a role in boosting self-esteem particularly for low-achieving students.
What determines a favourite teacher? A/Prof Penny Van Bergen, A/Prof Naomi Sweller and Prof Linda Graham of Queensland University of Technology teamed up to ask students who their favourite teacher is and why. The Conversation article explores the factors involved with favourite teachers and what teachers and parents can do to promote positive student-teacher relationships.
Supporting students during COVID-19 HSC A/Prof Penny Van Bergen along with Western Sydney University's Dr Erin MacKenzie and Roberto Parada co-authored an article in The Conversation outlining five ways to support year 12 students in the time of COVID-19 and exams.
The power of gestures in the classroom Research conducted by A/Prof Naomi Sweller and PhD candidate Nicole Dargue on the effects of gesture use on communication has been highlighted in an article published in The Lighthouse. The article specifically looking at the importance of teaching 'in real life' and how gesture can enhance children's learning. This article has also been republished by EssentialKids.
Supporting children during the pandemic Dr Fay Hadley alongside Deakin University's Dr Liz Rouse co-authored an article in Early Childhood Australia's Blog, The Spoke. Looking specifically at the invaluable role of educators in providing safety and security for children during this rapid time of change.
Coronavirus and children at home A/Prof Penny Van Bergen along with Western Sydney University's Dr Erin Mackenzie co-authored an article for The Conversation outlining four ways to keep your kids happy whilst at home during COVID-19 lockdown. Without resorting to Netflix.
Why children lie A/Prof Penny Van Bergen and Dr Carol Newall co-authored an article for The Conversation exploring lying from a developmental perspective. A/Prof Van Bergen also appeared on Studio 10 to share what we know about why children lie.
Why educator talk to infants is integral to early childhood program quality A/Prof Sheila Degotardi discussed her research on the importance of child-educator conversational interactions for high quality early childhood education programs with The Sydney Morning Herald.
What Your Earliest Memories Say About You A/Prof Van Bergen and Dr Andrews alongside University of Wollongong's Dr Amy Bird explored the factors that shape our earliest memories for The Conversation. A/Prof Van Bergen appeared on 6PR882 and Dr Andrews appeared on 2ser to discuss the factors that influence our ability to remember early childhood events.
Gender Bias in Science Education Dr Carol Newall discussed her recent research on gender bias in science education for primary school aged children with the Sydney Morning Herald.