Dr Carmel Patterson
Senior Lecturer
National School of Education, Faculty of Education and Arts
Areas of expertise: teacher professional learning; teacher collective efficacy; pedagogical thinking
Phone: +61 2 9701 4194
Email: carmel.patterson@acu.edu.au
Location: ACU Strathfield Campus
HDR Supervisor accreditation status: Provisional
ORCID ID: 0000-0002-3383-9764
Carmel Patterson is Senior Lecturer in the National School of Education, Faculty of Education and Arts at the Australian Catholic University. She has demonstrated capacity for the integration of ICT in STEM teaching and learning in universities and schools. Carmel is an experienced teacher of secondary Science, Mathematics, and Philosophy, and an experienced school leader specialising in teacher professional learning. She maintains high quality teaching for undergraduate and post-graduate students across the discipline areas of Research in Education, Science and Technology, Mathematics, Health, Organisational Learning, and e-Learning Design. Carmel is an experienced school leader specialising in teacher professional learning, and is an experienced teacher of secondary Science, Mathematics, and Philosophy. She collaborates with fellow academics in leading partnerships with NSW schools across the independent sector, Catholic and the department systems. Carmel maintains critical friendships across local and international tertiary and secondary education networks and collegially co-authors and co-presents on educational research methodology and leadership for professional learning.
Carmel's research promotes understanding of Teacher Professional Learning (TPL) experiences throughout a teaching career and the implications posed by the continuing workforce issues in the profession. Her focus encompasses the learning required by preservice teachers (PSTs) during professional experience placements, the increased learning curve being experienced by PSTs as they transition to the profession during their final placements and/or part- or full-time employment, the leadership learning required for early career teachers (ECTs) as these responsibilities are being experienced earlier within careers, and the learning required by teachers operating at higher levels of expertise for mentoring PSTs and ECTs whose TPL experience may vastly differ from their own.
View academia profile
Select publications
Book
- Patterson, C. (2019). Enacted Personal Professional Learning: Re-thinking Teacher Expertise with Story-telling and Problematics. Singapore: Springer.
Chapter
- Patterson, C., & O'Brien, G. (2023). Cultivating a schoolwide pedagogy: achievements and challenges of shifting teacher learning on thinking. In S. Swaffield & P. E. Poekert (Eds.), Leadership for professional learning : perspectives, constructs and connections. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
Journal articles
- Patterson, C. (2024). Articulating teacher thinking to build collectively efficacious practice: a longitudinal study. Professional Development in Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2024.2357294
- Patterson, C., & Macqueen, S. (2021). Drawing on two methodological approaches: A collaborative approach to interview interpretation. Issues in Educational Research, 31(1). Retrieved from http://www.iier.org.au/iier31/patterson.pdf
- Patterson, C., & O'Brien, G. (2021). Cultivating a Schoolwide Pedagogy: Achievements and Challenges of Shifting Teaching Thinking on Learning. Professional Development in Education. doi:10.1080/19415257.2021.1879221
- Patterson, C., & O'Brien, G. (2021). A pedagogical model for improving thinking about learning. Leading and Managing, 27(1), 99-116.
- Macqueen, S., & Patterson, C. (2020). Reflexivity in a longitudinal narrative inquiry: in pursuit of clarity of interpretations. International Journal of Research & Method in Education, 1-10. doi:10.1080/1743727X.2020.1724279
- Patterson, C. (2018). Constructing narrative and phenomenological meaning within one study. Qualitative Research Journal, 18(3), 223-237. doi:10.1108/QRJ-D-17-00033
- Patterson, C. (2017). Accessing Narrative Oral History and Phenomenological Lifeworld Experience Through Interviews: Professional Learning Experience of Expert Teachers. SAGE Research Methods Cases. doi:10.4135/9781526401120
- Yen, M., Trede, F., & Patterson, C. (2015). Learning in the workplace: the role of Nurse Managers. Australian Health Review, 40(3), 286-291. doi:10.1071/AH15022
Conference papers / symposia
- Swaffield, S., Poekert, P., Clarke, S., & Patterson, C. (2022). The transformative potential of leading professional learning differently - Developing thinking together. Paper presented at the AARE Annual Conference - Transforming The Future Of Education: The Role Of Research, University of South Australia, Adelaide.
- Swaffield, S., Poekert, P., Clarke, S., Dempster, N., & Patterson, C. (2022). Leadership for Professional Learning. Paper presented at the AARE Annual Conference - Transforming The Future Of Education: The Role Of Research, University of South Australia, Adelaide.
- Patterson, C., & O'Brien, G. (2019). Cultivating Schoolwide Routines for Improved Learning Outcomes: Achievements and Challenges of using Pedagogical Model for Shifting Teacher and Learner Thinking. Paper presented at the AARE Annual Conference, QUT Kelvin Grove, Brisbane.
- Patterson, C., & Furney, A.-M. (2018). Improving Learning with the Learning Thinking Scope. Paper presented at the AIS Education Research Symposium - Putting the Evidence to Work, University of Technology Sydney.
- Patterson, C., Furney, A.-M., English, K., & O'Brien, G. (2017). Improving Learning with the Learning Thinking Scope. Paper presented at the ACEL Conference - Respect the past, Lead the present, Secure the future, International Convention Centre, Sydney.
- Patterson, C., & Macqueen, S. (2016). Elucidating interview approaches and techniques: Delving for deeper meaning on teacher learning. Paper presented at the AARE Annual Conference - Transforming Education Research, Melbourne.
Projects
- 2017-2023 Chief Investigator (CI) on UTS HREC ETH17-1191 approved research on the Learning Thinking Scope as Industry Fellow, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Technology Sydney.
- 2023 (current) A member of a joint ACU and Association of Independent Schools (AIS) NSW project focussed on 'classroom ready' graduates. The project is in the initial stage of undertaking a literature review.
Accolades and Awards
- University of Technology Sydney, Full-Time UTS Doctoral Scholarship, 2009
Appointments and Affiliations
Appointments
- Senior Lecturer in the National School of Education, Faculty of Education and Arts at the Australian Catholic University, 2023 (current).
- PhD Candidate, Industry Fellow, Casual Lecturer and Tertiary Supervisor, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, 2014-2016, 2009-2012.
- Full-Time Lecturer-In-Charge of Curriculum and Pedagogy, Faculty of Education and Arts, 2013.
Affiliations
- Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE). 2009 (Current) Executive committee member and HDR pre-conference all-day workshops organiser (2010-11) and contributing delegate in annual conferences.
- Australian Teacher Education Association (ATEA)
- Leadership for Professional Learning (LfPL) network Cambridge, England.
- Australian Council of Educational Leaders (ACEL)
- Association of Independent Schools (AIS) NSW
International journal review panels
- Leadership for Professional Learning (LfPL) network Cambridge, England. 2019 (Current) Symposium Advisory Board and reviewer, and symposium delegate
Public engagement activities
Government submission
- Hunter, J., Yasukawa, K., Kearney, M., Eckert, G., Heggart, K., Carter, D., Bates, K., Maher, D., Patterson, C. (2022). UTS School of International Studies and Education : Submission to the Upper House Inquiry into teacher shortages in NSW. (123). University of Technology Sydney: Faculty of Arts and Social Science UTS Retrieved from https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/handle/10453/159477
Social media
- Patterson, C. (2021). The evidence says teachers need more time and more money. Why is the government ignoring it? Retrieved from https://www.aare.edu.au/blog/?p=8560
