Associate ProfessorTrent Brown

Associate Professor Trent D. Brown is a health and physical education (HPE) researcher and teacher educator at Deakin University, where he serves as Graduate Research Coordinator. He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Physical Education) and a PhD from RMIT University. His research and teaching are informed by his experience as a school-based physical education and science teacher and his longstanding contribution to the HPE profession. In recognition of his professional leadership and service, Trent was awarded Fellowship of the Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation (ACHPER) in 2014 and has previously served as President of ACHPER Victoria.

Trent’s research focuses on HPE curriculum, pedagogy and assessment, with a particular interest in concepts-based approaches to physical education. A central concern of his work is how students develop meaningful conceptual understandings of physical education, health, movement and physical activity, and how these understandings can inform their participation, decision-making and lifelong engagement in physical activity. He is interested in moving beyond approaches that privilege participation and the development of physical skills alone, towards pedagogies that explicitly support students to understand, apply and critically engage with the concepts underpinning physical education.

His research examines the relationship between curriculum intentions, pedagogical practice and student learning, including how teachers interpret and enact curriculum, how knowledge is selected and taught, and how assessment can support deeper learning. He is particularly interested in the design, implementation and evaluation of concepts-based physical education curricula and pedagogies, and in the implications of these approaches for curriculum development, teacher education and professional learning. This work reflects a broader interest in how educational policy, curriculum frameworks and assessment practices shape what is taught and learned in HPE.

Related research interests include physical literacy, physical activity and fitness knowledge, motor competence, assessment practices and teacher assessment literacy. Across these areas, Trent is interested in how research evidence can inform curriculum design, improve teaching practice and support meaningful learning outcomes for students. He is also interested in the professional knowledge and capabilities teachers require to interpret curriculum, make informed pedagogical decisions and implement evidence-informed approaches in diverse educational contexts.

Trent’s research draws on qualitative and quantitative approaches, with an interest in research designs that enable a detailed understanding of educational practices while also examining the implementation and evaluation of pedagogical and curriculum interventions. He values research that connects theoretical and conceptual work with empirical investigation and that has practical relevance for teachers, teacher educators, curriculum developers and education policymakers.

In his teaching, Trent is committed to preparing reflective, critically informed and evidence-informed teachers. His interests include HPE teacher education, curriculum and pedagogical knowledge, assessment, and the connection between educational theory and practice. He is particularly interested in helping pre-service and practising teachers develop the confidence and capability to teach concepts explicitly, design purposeful learning experiences, assess student understanding and critically evaluate established approaches to physical education. His teaching is informed by the view that effective HPE requires more than the organisation of physical activities: it requires deliberate attention to what students learn, how they develop understanding and how they can apply that learning beyond the immediate lesson.

Trent welcomes enquiries from prospective PhD and higher degree research candidates whose interests align with his research, particularly in concepts-based physical education, HPE curriculum and pedagogy, teacher education, assessment and assessment literacy, physical literacy, and the design and evaluation of educational interventions.