One of the primary focuses of my current research is the application of memory systems in education. After over 40 years in the classroom, this is the topic which is closest to my heart.
My research has taken place at a number of schools including Malmsbury Primary School, Steiner Castlemaine and Steiner Ballarat, Candlebark School, Castlemaine Secondary College, Carey Grammar and Pheonix P12, Ballarat.
At tertiary level, I have been working with the Cultural Astronomy course at the University of Melbourne as well as the Murrup Barak centre for supporting First Nations students. I am also working with the Psychology Department at the University of Melbourne in a multi-university research project exploring the implementation of Indigenous memory systems in tertiary education..
Indigenous Memory Systems are now formally in the Victorian final year of high school (VCE) study design for the third largest subject, Psychology. My training video for the teachers can be found here
I am working on a project looking at memory systems for learning foreign languages from an English speaking background. I am comparing French, for which we have some hooks, to Chinese (Mandarin) for which we have no hooks. Absolutely none. And memory works best when hooking onto something you already know. As a result of the experiment, I have become totally intrigued with the Chinese narrative scrolls as a mnemonic form with applications in education. To make it even better, they are the most gorgeous art forms. The free booklet for my system for Chinese can be found by clicking on this sentence.
My other research focus in memory systems in archaeological interpretation and prehistory. That has its own tag in the top menu.