Pamela Coutts

Biography

After a number of years in the positions of Head of Department and /or Director of the Teacher Education Program, from 2009 my main responsibility is as Director of the BED(TESOL) project. This is a joint project between the Malaysian Ministry of Education and a number of overseas institutions to prepare English teachers for Malaysian schools. Within Macquarie, the project is a collaboration between Education and Linguistics. The first two of five cohorts of students in Cycle 2 are currently teaching in secondary schools Malaysia, having completed the program. We currently have cohort 5 on campus in year 2 and cohort 4 in year 3. Cohort 3 is completing the final year taught in Malaysia. As part of this project I also convene EDUC390 and EDUC391. Cycle 3 is underway with our partner institute in Penang. For this extension of the project we are preparing teachers of English for Primary schools in Malaysia. My administrative responsibilities include being Chair of the Department's Learning and Teaching Committee, faculty representative on the Academic Program Committee and member of various other University working parties associated with learning and teaching. My background, as both an educational psychologist and a secondary teacher, leads to an interest in a broad range of topics. For instance, I have researched ideas about Homework, focusing on children's ideas about its purpose, their responsibility for it, and the differences between their ideas and those of their parents. My other research interest is to do with assessment practices, especially within schools. My postgraduate students' interests and topics are within the related areas of developmental and educational psychology and pedagogy.

Research Interest

Educational psychologist and a secondary teacher, Developmental and educational psychology and pedagogy.