Alison Willis

Biography

Dr Alison Willis's research investigates the effects of stress and trauma on learning. She has recently examined the tensions between academic performance improvement agendas and student wellbeing concerns. This work is opening up new fields of study and considerations for policy as teachers experiences and voices are heard, and the vital role that they play in children's lives and learning is better understood.

Alison’s experience also encompasses an international dimension as she has had input into DFAT programs for teachers from Indonesia, West Papua Indonesia, Uganda, and Vanuatu. She is a part of the Transcultural and Indigenous Pedagogies Research Group at USC Australia and is a ACER Associate in Education and Development. She conducted her doctoral research in Northern Uganda, and her Master’s research was a comparative study of Australian and Finnish students’ learning dispositions. Her experience in Northern Uganda led to the development of a suite of research interests, including the effects of stress and trauma on students’ learning, the roles that teachers play in helping student overcome the effects of stress and trauma, learning in conflict and post-conflict environments, the effects of culture on learning, and teachers’ conceptions of learning in developing contexts. Her study of human experience has given her a strong foundation in qualitative research methods.

Alison is the founder of the Teachers of Australia project, a social media campaign that champions the great work and immense heart of teachers. Alison’s career has spanned multiple levels of education – primary, middle and secondary schools, and undergraduate and postgraduate courses at university.

Alison has experience in providing professional learning and development for teachers, educational leadership, working with teams of teachers in curriculum development, and as a coach in pedagogy. She has a range of short open access public lectures that have been specifically developed to support teachers and students while the negotiate the effects of COVID-19:

How Teachers Respond to Student Stress

Tips for Schooling at Home

Research areas

• Effects of stress and trauma on learning
• Tensions between academic performance and student wellbeing
• Teacher wellbeing
• Educational development
• Social media connectivity within the teaching profession
• Socio-cultural and psycho-social theories of learning
• Qualitative methodologies

Teaching areas

• Pre-service teacher education
• Curriculum and pedagogy
• Quality teaching and learning practices
• Senior English literature, language and literacy
• Action research for teachers

Expert media commentary

• Education during times of crisis
• The effects of stress and trauma on learning
• The role of teachers in student rehabilitation
• Experiences of rural and remote teachers
• Teacher wellbeing