Dr Judith Williams - Researcher Profile

Judith Williams

Address

Faculty of Education
Building A, Penninsula Campus

Biography

Transitions and change

Transitions interest Dr Judy Williams, particularly those related to teaching and the education of teachers.  Her current research delves into the implications of something she has personal experience in – the shift from classroom teacher to teacher educator – but her interest extends to other professional shifts and changes. What happens when students become teachers, or when people take up teaching after working in quite different careers?

 “My research is really about those career transitions and how people experience  it.  I want to explore what’s involved and try to understand it more so they can be supported,” Judy says.

 

Taking up university lecturing after a career teaching school children might seem to hold minimal challenges. But it’s wrong to assume it’s a straightforward progression, says Judy, who is working with Canadian and US researchers on a major project devoted to this issue.

 “We’re looking at what that transition actually involves, what it’s like for a classroom school teacher to become a teacher educator in a university setting and what that means for their own professional learning needs, their professional identity, the struggles they have, the support they need,” she says.

The project involves collating and assessing studies of their own experiences by the researchers and others who have made similar career changes. 

“Self-study is done extensively now in education,” Judy says. “It’s really just looking at yourself but it’s not self indulgent, it’s rigorous research. It’s hard because you’re the subject as well as the researcher. You’re researching your own practice in a rigorous way, examining it from a theoretical point of view.” 

She and her fellow researchers have found that the transition from teacher to teacher educator is not as easy as often imagined. 

“Some people struggle with finding out what it means to be a teacher educator as opposed to a teacher in school,” Judy says.  

In universities both here and overseas, many find little in the way of induction programs to help ease their way. They are left to sink or swim on the assumption that “you’re a teacher, you’ve taught for years, therefore you should not have any problems”. 

People moving to academia from other careers confront comparable problems. 

“Many beginner teacher educators go outside their university to find support,” Judy says. “The self-study networks provide a lot of support but it’s not necessarily happening within their own institutions, so we are looking at what these self-study communities provide and if that can that be provided in faculties of education.”

The mentoring of beginning teachers is another of Judy’s research interests. She focuses on how relationships are built between mentors and pre-service teachers and hopes that by discerning exactly what the challenges are, she can help attune teacher education programs to the demands of this vital role. 

“If we understand the mentoring process and actually do things for mentor teachers in schools, they’re more likely to feel they are getting something out of it and will therefore mentor more students,” she says. “It benefits both sides.”

In all, her general aim is to determine ways to ease transitions in the teaching world. But this does not mean finding a “one size fits all” approach -- such shifts are shaped by many elements, including family situation and personal life, and hence are very individual.

“Each personal journey is unique, though they all have things in common as well,” says Judy. “It’s a matter of understanding what the processes are and what’s involved and then supporting people in that transition.” 

 

Research & Supervision Interests

    • Teacher professional learning
    • Pre-service teacher education
    • Professional experience/practicum

Qualifications

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
Institution: Monash University
Year awarded: 2008
DIPLOMA OF TEACHING (PRIMARY)
Institution: Monash University
Year awarded: 2008
MASTER OF EDUCATIONAL POLICY & ADMINISTRATION
Institution: Monash University
Year awarded: 1998
BACHELOR OF ARTS
Institution: Monash University
Year awarded: 1993
BACHELOR OF EDUCATION (PRIMARY)
Institution: Deakin Unviersity
Year awarded: 1983

Publications

Book Chapters

Williams, J., Ritter, J., 2011, Constructing new professional identities through self-study: from teacher to teacher educator, in The Professional Development of Teacher Educators, eds Tony Bates, Anja Swennen and Ken Jones, Routledge, UK, USA and Canada, pp. 86-101.

Williams, J.J., 2007, Becoming a teacher. The professional learning journey of career change students in teacher education, in Dimensions of Professional Learning. Professionalism, Practice and Identity, eds Amanda Berry, Allie Clemans, Alexander Kostogriz, Sense Publishers, Rotterdam The Netherlands, pp. 141-154.

Journal Articles

Williams, J.J., Ritter, J., Bullock, S., 2012, Understanding the complexity of becoming a teacher educator: Experience, belonging, and practice within a professional learning community, Studying Teacher Education: a journal of self-study of teacher education practices [P], vol 8, issue 3, Routledge, United Kingdom, pp. 245-260.

Williams, J.J., 2010, Constructing a new professional identity: Career change into teaching, Teaching and Teacher Education [P], vol 26, issue 3, Pergamon / Elsevier, United Kingdom, pp. 639-647.

Williams, J.J., Ritter, J., 2010, Constructing new professional identities through self-study: from teacher to teacher educator, Professional Development in Education, vol 36, issue 1 & 2, Routledge, United Kingdom, pp. 77-92.

Williams, J.J., Power, K.M., 2010, Examining teacher educator practice and identity through core reflection, Studying Teacher Education [P], vol 6, issue 2, Routledge, United Kingdom, pp. 115-130.

Williams, J.J., Forgasz, H., 2009, The motivations of career change students in teacher education, Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education [P], vol 37, issue 1, Routledge, Australia / United Kingdom, pp. 95-108.

Conference Proceedings

Williams, J.J., 2012, Exploring the third space between schools and universities: Implications for a teacher educator's identity and practice, Proceedings of the Ninth International Conference on Self-Study of Teacher Education Practices (S-STEP), 15 - 19 August, 2012, Brigham Young University, United States, pp. 293-296.

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.

Williams, J., 2011, Negotiating professional and personal identities as new faculty members, American Educational Research Association (AERA) 2011 Annual Meeting Program, 8 - 12 April, 2011, American Educational Research Association (AERA), United States, p. 1.

Williams, J., 2010, Private identities, public practices: Examining the relationship between my changing practice as a teacher educator and my evolving identity as a teacher educator, Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference on Self-Study of Teacher Education Practices, 1 - 5 August, 2010, Brigham Young University, Utah, USA, pp. 282-285.

Williams, J., Power, K., 2009, Using core reflection in teacher education, Proceedings of the Annual ATEA Conference (2009), 28 June - 1 July, 2009, Australian Teacher Education Association (ATEA), Australia, pp. 1-13.

Williams, J.J., 2008, Self study as a means of facilitating a new professional identity: From primary teacher to teacher educator, Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Self-study of Teacher Education Practices, 3 August - 7 August 2008, University of Northern Iowa, USA, pp. 318-322.

Williams, J.J., 2006, Becoming a teacher: motivations and experiences of career change students in teacher education, Making Teaching Public: Reforms in Teacher Education. Proceedings of the 2006 Australian Teacher Education National Conference, 5 August 2006 to 8 August 2006, Australian Teacher Education Association (ATEA), WA Australia, pp. 320-329.

Williams, J.J., 2005, Career change students in teacher education: the policy and research context, Teacher Education: Local and Global. Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Australian Teacher Education Association Conference, 06/07/2005 to 09/07/2005, Centre for Professional Development, Griffith University, http://www.atea.edu.au/ConfPapers/ATEACONF2005V2.pdf, pp. 481-488.

Other

Williams, J.J., 2008, Constructing new professional identities: career change students in teacher education.

Postgraduate Research Supervisions

Current Supervision

Program of Study:
(MASTER'S BY RESEARCH).
Thesis Title:
Explicit teaching of writing to boys.
Supervisors:
Williams, J (Main).
Program of Study:
(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).
Thesis Title:
Teacher Identity and Teacher Perceptions.
Supervisors:
Williams, J (Main).
Program of Study:
(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).
Thesis Title:
Teacher professional learning through the provision of feedback on student work: a self study.
Supervisors:
Williams, J (Main).