Achieving optimum critically reflective professional practice: the Arts imperative

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• More details about David Smith

  David Smith

  Dr David Smith is an Associate Professor (Ret.) in Education at the University of Sydney. His academic qualifications include a BA (New England [majors in Geography & Economics], BA Hons (Macquarie)(Urban Sociology and Transport Geography) and PhD (Sydney) [Teacher Curriculum Decision-Making in Classrooms]. He began his career at Bathurst Teachers College and spent 10 years teaching at public primary and secondary schools in both rural and city areas. In 1971 he was seconded Lecturer in Teacher Education (Geography/Social Sciences) at Macquarie University and in 1973 was appointed Head Teacher (Social Science) at Ryde High School. Between 1973 - 2002 David worked with principals and teachers in schools in Sydney and regional areas in teacher professional learning, pedagogy, action research, leadership & management, school-based change, strategic planning, school/department evaluation, teacher and principal mentoring. He worked at the School of Teaching & Curriculum Studies, Faculty of Education, University of Sydney and became coordinator of Professional Experience and co-developer/co-ordinator of the Master of Teaching degree, University of Sydney. He has spent over 20 years researching strategies for educating for Professional Reflective Practice (teachers/preservice teachers, social workers, and medical students) and has published/presented over 30 articles & books on reflective practice in Education. In 2003, he retired from the University of Sydney remaining as Adjunct Professor. Between 2003 and 2012 he has worked in over 100 primary and secondary Public, Independent and Catholic schools in NSW teaching alongside various projects e.g. ‘Quality Teaching’; Outcomes- based Assessment, Learning and assessment-driven teaching; rich assessment tasks and explicit quality criteria; transition from primary to secondary; whole-brain learning and metacognitive skills; literacy and numeracy across-curriculum; differentiated learning and personal learning; school appraisal and self-evaluation using action learning and action research strategies. He has undertaken major research projects for national government, University of Sydney, University of Western Sydney, Deakin University, NSW Department of Education and Training, and Sydney, Parramatta and Broken Bay Catholic dioceses. David is the author/co-author/editor of some 14 books and more than 100 book chapters, articles and reports. His best-known work is ‘Curriculum: Action on Reflection’, co- authored with Terry Lovat (2003, 4th Ed.). He was Academic Consultant to Colyton School Cluster ‘Big Sky Stories’ in Broken Hill and conducts ongoing research is school based projects (eg. Kambala 2025/26). A major focus of his is workshops, public performances and education in ‘Photovoltaic Energy’ and Sustainable Living, which involve Solar Model Car Workshops and school-based Composting, Rooftop Solar and EVs. He is a singer, songwriter and guitarist, who has written two unperformed musicals – ‘Beatles Remember’ (where the fab four meet in Heaven and perform their Number 1s) and ‘Remember Covid’ (20+ original songs tracing events of Covid). David is also a regular charity musician to Aged-Care/Nursing Homes across Northern suburbs/beaches in Sydney and now Bathurst. David’s other interests include supporting (and trying to keep up with) 13 grandchildren and attending their Sydney-based performances of acting, singing, dancing & performing. He also enjoys playing and listening to music, reading, gardening, walking and writing in the beautiful, clean air of Bathurst in regional NSW!