ProfessorJoanne O'Mara

Professor Joanne O'Mara is an internationally recognised researcher in Language, Literature and Literacy Education at Deakin University. Her work is centred on secondary subject English education, drama education, literacy and digital learning, with a longstanding commitment to understanding how young people create, interpret and share texts in rapidly changing social and technological contexts.

Her research explores the teaching and learning of subject English, innovative curriculum and pedagogical practices, teacher professional learning, digital literacies, educational equity, and the conditions of teachers' work. Central to her scholarship is an interest in the role of texts and storytelling in shaping learning, identity, culture and social change.

Across her career, she has investigated language and literature practices in areas including reading, creative writing, drama pedagogy, digital games, multimodal texts, maker literacies and emerging forms of communication. Her scholarship spans young people's language and literature education in digitised global times, teaching as an ethical, critical and reflective practice, and reimagining education for a Post-Treaty Australia.

Professor O'Mara's research has informed educational policy, curriculum development and professional practice in Australia and internationally. Alongside her university work, she serves as President of the Victorian Association for the Teaching of English (VATE), where she contributes to curriculum reform, professional learning and advocacy for English teachers.

Current research projects include:

Celebrating Book Week: Creating a culture of reading in schools (Joanne O'Mara, Sarah Ohi, Julia Prout). 

This project investigates the ways in which the Book Week supports reading. See the following  https://theconversation.com/book-week-its-not-the-costume-that-matters-but-falling-in-love-with-reading-188748

80 years of the Children's Book Council of Australia: Changing Re/presentations of Australian values in Australian Schools (Joanne O'Mara, Jodi McAlister, Kate Cuthbert, Elizabeth Little and Paul Veno)

In this project we analyse the CBCA Winners and Recommended Book Lists and the paratexts around these books in order to explore what kinds of books are awarded and thus considered to have this particular kind of merit.