2024 Carolyn D. Baker Annual Memorial Lecture

Research on pedagogy-focused professional development: Demonstrable improvements in teacher and student outcomes presented by Professor Jenny Gore  

All are welcome to attend our free event. For catering purposes, please register by Friday 27 September 2024.

Carolyn Baker was an Associate Professor in the School of Education at The University of Queensland. Associate Professor Baker, who passed away in 2003, is best remembered for her research and her excellent postgraduate supervision and teaching. This prestigious annual memorial lecture commemorates the life and valuable contribution that our colleague, Carolyn, had generously shared with all of us during her time with the School of Education. The Carolyn D. Baker Memorial Lecture is presented as part of UQ's Research and Innovation week. Join us as we remember our colleague and friend Carolyn Baker at the annual memorial lecture.  

About the lecture

Despite massive global investment in professional development (PD), goals to improve student outcomes, including greater equity, are often unmet. In this talk, I will report on a program of research, conducted over the past 20 years, which shows positive effects for both teachers and students of Quality Teaching Rounds (QTR) PD. The research, which includes randomised controlled trials, replication studies, and independent evaluation – and traverses conceptual, qualitative, and quantitative analyses – highlights three components of the PD that were critical to its success. First, QTR puts pedagogy at the centre of PD. Second, QTR attends carefully to the power dynamics – based on experience, seniority, and positional authority – which often get in the way of critical analytical work among teachers. Third, QTR is backed by rigorous research, including four separate RCTs that collectively demonstrate (statistically significant) positive effects of the approach on the quality of teaching, teacher morale, teacher efficacy and student achievement. At a time when schools and teachers are under enormous pressure, exacerbated by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and dire teacher shortages, I argue that investment in PD with demonstrated impact is critical and urgent for the both the nation and our young people.

Abour our speaker

Jenny Gore is Laureate Professor and Director of the Teachers and Teaching Research Centre at the University of Newcastle. She has been awarded more than $34M in research funding, including grants from the Australian Research Council, Paul Ramsay Foundation, and multiple State Departments of Education, and her publications have been cited more than 16,000 times. Jenny tackles persistent educational challenges through comprehensive programs of research on teacher development, pedagogical reform, enhancing student outcomes, and the formation of student aspirations. Her impactful work has been recognised through numerous awards and accolades, most recently as a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to tertiary education.

Event Details:

Registration: 5:15pm for a 5:30pm start

Public Lecture: 5:30–6:30pm

Reception: 6:30–7:30pm

Location: Terrace Room, Sir Llew Edwards Building (14), UQ St Lucia 

Enquiries: ea.education@uq.edu.au