ProfessorLouise Paatsch

My investigations into children's communication and language continue to expand, particularly in understanding their use of language in social contexts, with a focus on pragmatic and metapragmatic language. These social contexts include in the home, at school, and in informal learning settings such as museums and galleries. This research has also explored teachers' own talk patterns and the ways in which teachers and educators can foster children's communication and language. Aspects of this research have led to the development of many professional learning programs including the Supporting Oral Language Development (SOLD) program and Thinking Differently about Practice (with Professor Andrea Nolan), where teachers, educators, and allied health professionals come together to build knowledge and reflect on practices that support young children's language and play abilities.

As a chief investigator in the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child and a researcher who works across education and health, my research draws from multidisciplinary practices to investigate children's digital childhoods. These investigations explore: characteristics of children's digital play; teachers' knowledge and practices with digital technologies; ways in which teachers and industry partners can work together to support children's digital concepts; and children's engagement and enjoyment with digital technologies across various contexts including in the classroom, playground and in informal settings.

Another strand of my research involves working with community organisations, such as Cottage by the Sea and Beyond the Bell, to identify and address some of the social challenges experienced by vulnerable groups in accessing education and reaching their potential. The impacts of such organisations have listened to the voices of these children and young people with the aim to empower them to take an active role in their communities and to support them to reimagine their own futures.