Dr Avis Ridgway - Researcher Profile

Biography

Avis Ridgway is a lecturer in the Faculty of Education at Monash University, Peninsula Campus, Australia, working with undergraduate and post graduate students and is an active associate of the International Research in Early Childhood Education Faculty Research Group. Avis has worked in education for 40 years. She began her career in rural Victorian communities as a primary teacher specialising in arts and music. Later she trained in early childhood education focusing on integrated arts curriculum for young children. Establishing new early childhood centres Avis undertook administration and leadership training and built support networks for early childhood professionals interested in integrated curriculum research related in particular, to the Reggio Emilia philosophy. Avis has taught at early childhood, primary, secondary and tertiary levels in government, private and community settings. Research project coordination and fieldwork with Professor Fleer led to Masters and Doctoral degrees in which Avis’ research using cultural-historical theory focused on creating visual dialectical methods as a way to show historical influences in children’s learning and development. Avis currently has a collaborative research network fellowship to research innovative visual methodologies for consideration of social justice, access inclusion and policy with academics from Queensland University of Teachnology, Charles Sturt University and at Monash University.

Research & Supervision Interests

Avis’ intellectual project is about using cultural- historical theoretical approaches to develop/create methodological tools for understanding influences on early learning and development (for use in any institution /community). Broad research interests include: Visual-vocal methodologies; play and learning; family and teacher practices; early childhood and primary/elementary pre-service teacher education and evaluation methods; Reggio Emilia research project as interpreted locally, nationally and internationally especially in relation to integrated arts curriculum.

Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy

Institution: Monash University

Year awarded: 2010

MASTER OF EDUCATION

Institution: Monash University

Year awarded: 2005

GRAD DIPLOMA IN EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION

Institution: University of Melbourne

Year awarded: 1995

BACHELOR OF EDUCATION

Institution: State CollEge of Victoria

Year awarded: 1982

DIPLOMA OF TEACHING (EARLY CHILDHOOD)

Institution: State CollEge of Victoria

Year awarded: 1979

Publications

Books

Ridgway, A. (ed), 2011, The Challenge (re search for a new culture of childhood), Reggio Emilia - Australia Information Exchange Inc., Australia.

Book Chapters

Fleer, M., Ridgway, A., 2007, Learning science during play, in Young Children: Thinking About the Scientific World, eds Marilyn Fleer, Early Childhood Australia Inc., Watson ACT Australia, pp. 17-21.

Journal Articles

Ridgway, A., Quinones Goytortua, G.G., 2012, How do early childhood students conceptualise play-based curriculum?, Australian Journal of Teacher Education [P], vol 37, issue 12, Social Science Press, Australia, pp. 46-56.

Ridgway, A., 2011, A hundred languages of play: skipping at school, The Challenge: Research for a New Culture of Childhood [P], vol 15, issue 1, Reggio Emilia - Australia Information Exchange Inc., Australia, pp. 15-16.

Ridgway, A., 2011, Book Review: Learning to Teach in the Early Years Classroom (by Mindy Blaise & Joce Nuttall), Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood [P], vol 12, issue 1, Symposium Journals, United Kingdom, pp. 96-98.

Ridgway, A., 2010, How can cultural-historical theory be used as a methodological dialectic?, European Early Childhood Education Research Journal [P], vol 18, issue 3, Routledge, United Kingdom, pp. 159-176.

Ridgway, A., 2009, Santa's Buckle: Using a cultural-historical framework to show societal, personal and institutional influences on learning in an Australian early childhood community, Australian Research in Early Childhood Education [P], vol 16, issue 1, Faculty of Education, Monash University, Australia, pp. 73-86.

Ridgway, A., 2007, Catch the future: 'The most subversive thing you can do is to show that something is possible', Australian Research in Early Childhood Education [P], vol 14, issue 1, Faculty of Education, Monash University, Australia, pp. 19-32.

Kennedy, A.M., Ridgway, A., Surman, L.W., 2006, 'Boundary crossing': negotiating understandings of early literacy and numeracy, Australian Journal of Early Childhood, vol 31, issue 4, Early Childhood Australia Inc., Watson ACT Australia, pp. 15-22.

Kennedy, A.M., Ridgway, A., 2005, 'Catch the future' literacy and numeracy pathways for young children: voices from the field, Journal of Australian Research in Early Childhood Education, vol 12, issue 1, Monash University, Faculty of Education, Faculty of Education Monash University Victoria Australia, pp. 43-57.

Ridgway, A., Surman, L., 2004, Practise what we preach: Why reflective pedagogy?, Australian Research in Early Childhood Education [P], vol 11, issue 2, Faculty of Education, Monash University, Australia, pp. 1-13.

Ridgway, A., Surman, L.W., 2004, Practise what we preach: why reflective pedagogy?, Journal of Australian Research in Early Childhood Education, vol 11, issue 1, Monash University, Melbourne Vic Australia, pp. 1-13.

Conference Proceedings

Auld, G., Ridgway, A., Williams, J., 2011, Digital oral feedback written assignments as professional learning for teacher educators: A collaborative self-study, Proceedings of the Australian Teacher Education Association (ATEA) Conference, 3 - 6 July, Australian Teacher Education Association (ATEA), Australia, pp. 1-7.

Ridgway, A., 2011, Intentional conversations: Parent/infant playful interaction at one day old and 8 weeks old, Abstracts from the EECERA 21st Annual Conference, 14 - 17 September 2011, European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA), Lausanne, Geneva, Switzerland, pp. 344-345.

Ridgway, A., 2011, The past-present dialectic: A new methodological tool for understanding child development, Abstracts of the 2011 ISCAR Congress Rome, 5 - 10 September, 2011, International Society for Cultural and Activity Research (ISCAR), Rome, Italy, pp. 1-4.

Ridgway, A., Quinones, G., 2010, Re-conceptualizing relations in field research using cultural-historical theory, Abstracts and Program of the 17th Conference of Australian Research in Early Childhood Education (ARECE), 19 - 21 January, 2010, Monash University, Australia, p. 14.

Ridgway, A., 2010, Reflection on child and community development: An artifact story - Santa's buckle, Conference Program and Abstracts from the Early Childhood Australia National Conference, 29 September - 2 October, 2010, Early Childhood Australia (ECA), Australia, p. 161.

Ridgway, A., 2010, The past-present dialectic as a methodological tool for understanding child and community development: The boat story, Abstracts of the AARE 2010 International Education Research Conference, 29 November - 2 December, 2010, Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE), Australia, p. 1.

Ridgway, A., 2010, The past-present dialectic: A new methodological tool for understanding childhood development, Abstracts and Program of the 17th Conference of Australian Research in Early Childhood Education (ARECE), 19 - 21 January, 2010, Monash University, Australia, p. 33.

Ridgway, A., 2009, Using cultural-historical methodology for understanding childhood development, Go boldly: Act Locally, Think Globally. MERC Annual Conference 2009, 3 July 2009, Monash Education Research Community (MERC), Clayton Vic Australia, pp. 18-19.

Fleer, M., Ridgway, A., 2007, Mapping the relations between everyday concepts and scientific concepts within playful learning environments., Learning and Sociocultural Theory: Exploring Modern Vygotskian Perspectives International Workshop 2007, 19 February 2007 to 21 February 2007, Researcher online: University of Wollongong, http://ro.uow.edu.au/llrg/, pp. 24-45.

Ridgway, A., 2007, Using a cultural-historical framework to show societal, personal and institutional influences on learning in an Australian early childhood community, 15th Annual Conference of Australian Research in Early Childhood Education: Program and Abstract Booklet, 23 January to 25 January 2007, Monash University Faculty of Education, Frankston Vic Australia, pp. 1-14.

Other

Ridgway, A., 2009, Reggio Emilia: Taking a (cultural-historical) view of childhood, Article in "Resource: FKA Children's Services Newsletter" (May 2009, Issue 139), FKA Children's Services, Victoria, Australia.

Ridgway, A., 2006, Documenting: feedback informing practice, Early Childhood Learning Communities: Sociocultural Research in Practice, Pearson Education Australia, Frenchs Forest NSW Australia, pp. 118-138.

Surman, L.W., Ridgway, A., Edwards, S.E., 2006, Program planning: negotiating the curriculum, Early Childhood Learning Communities: Sociocultural Research in Practice, Pearson Education Australia, Frenchs Forest NSW Australia, pp. 174-190.

Ridgway, A., Hammer, M.D., 2006, Spaces that educate, Early Childhood Learning Communities: Sociocultural Research in Practice, Pearson Education Australia, Frenchs Forest NSW Australia, pp. 95-117.

Postgraduate Research Supervisions

Current Supervision

Program of Study:

(MASTER'S BY RESEARCH).

Thesis Title:

Creative engagement in childhood: social and educational outcomes..

Supervisors:

De Vries, P (Joint-co), Ridgway, A (Joint).