Public Lecture with Dr Robert Philips - Using Local Knowledge in Rural Schools

The University of Melbourne, Department of Rural Health recently delivered an online public webinar by Dr Philip Roberts.

This public webinar is for parents and school teachers to discuss how school based knowledge can conflict with the knowledges of rural communities, and how to develop approaches to bridge this divide. The lecture aims to assist rural, regional and remote community members and teachers develop a shared language for talking about social justice from the perspective of their place. Through highlighting the spatial dimensions of social justice and the implications for recognising different knowledges and careers, this lecture outlines a road map to achieving more inclusive educational practices and valuing the specialist knowledge of teachers in these communities.

Watch the recorded webinar below:

About Dr Philip Roberts

Prior to moving to the university sector 14 years ago, Philip was a teacher and school executive in rural and remote schools for 12 years. He has held various positions on state curriculum boards, departmental boards, teacher registration boards andthe teachers union. He teaches preservice teachers, and post graduate classes on curriculum development, the use of data in educational decision making, and the preparation of professionals for rural communities. Philip has spent his career advocating for and supporting initiatives aimed at enhancing equity for rural, regional and remote communities. Philip is now the research leader of the Rural Education, Curriculum and Communities Research Group in the Centre for Sustainable Communities at the University of Canberra and an ARC DECRA Fellow (2020-23). Philip's research focuses on the role of knowledge in curriculum, rural knowledges and the sustainability of rural communities.