Katie Salerno

Proposed title

Reading Mathematics: An investigation of Teacher Librarians' experiences engaging with mathematics education in Australian Secondary Schools

Supervisors

Principal Supervisor: Dr Kasey Garrison
Co-Supervisor: Dr Kay Oddone
Co-Supervisor: Dr Mary Carroll

Research

The purpose of this qualitative research project is to investigate the experiences of Teacher Librarians in engaging with teaching and learning in Mathematics in Australian secondary schools. This research is predicated on the natural but underutilized place that the Teacher Librarian occupies in Australian secondary schools as they operate across the curriculum and possess a wealth of literacy and pedagogical knowledge. Secondary students require strong literacy skills in subjects such as Mathematics but this often overlooked. This study seeks to explore the barriers and enablers that Teacher Librarians currently experience in this area.

Why I chose Charles Sturt

This research was born from my experiences undertaking a Master of Education (Teacher Librarianship) at CSU. I enjoyed the flexibility and autonomy that the online format afforded and my line of inquiry came directly from a project that I completed as part of my work placement. A PhD was a natural progression of my education and the guidance and wisdom that Kasey gave me as my placement supervisor meant that I was delighted to have her supervise the continuation of my studies.