Personal details
- Name
- Dr Grace O'Brien
- Position(s)
- Lecturer
Faculty of Education,
School of Early Childhood and Inclusive Education - Discipline *
- Education Systems, Specialist Studies in Education
- Phone
- +61 7 3138 3032
- g8.obrien@qut.edu.au
- Location
- View location details (QUT staff and student access only)
- Qualifications
-
PhD (University of Tech., Sydney), Dr (University of Tech., Sydney)
- Professional memberships
and associations Centre for Inclusive Education – https://research.qut.edu.au/c4ie/
Centre for Justice – https://www.qut.edu.au/law/research/centre-for-justice
Moreton Bay Murri Network
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Mathematics Alliance (ATSIMA)
Queensland College of Teachers
- Keywords
-
Indigenous Education, Children's Rights, Youth Justice, Social Justice and Inclusive Education, Exclusionary Practices, Racial Profiling of Minority Groups
Biography
Grace has worked in partnership with First Nations communities throughout Queensland for many years. She wishes to acknowledge and thank the Moreton Bay Murri Yarning Group and Mr Sid Doyle who were supportive in the completion of her PhD research. This research addressed the need for urgent educational reform to support the engagement of young First Nations males at school and prevent their over-representation in the juvenile justice system. Grace has worked across primary, secondary and tertiary education sectors to support an understanding and inclusion of First Nations perspectives and Knowledges within the education curriculum. She is a co-leader in the Centre for Inclusive Education – Indigenous Education Research Program, an affiliate member of the QUT Centre for Justice and the SECIE representative for the Faculty of Education’s, Equity Committee.
Grace’s areas of interest are:
Indigenous Education
School Equity
Cultural Safety
Lowering Exclusion Rates from schools
Social Justice
Inclusive Pedagogy
Schooling for the 21st Century
(Grace is available for Supervisions)
Teaching
EUB104 Stepping In
EUB406 Stepping Out/Teaching Performance Assessment
EUN130 Professional Experience: Introduction to Professional Practice – Unit Coordinator
EUB103 Culture Studies: Indigenous Education
EUN105 Teaching in New Times
EUB102 Teaching in New and Emerging Educational Contexts
EUB112 Child and Adolescent Learning and Development
Experience
Grace has worked in partnership with First Nations communities for over forty years to improve educational equity for First Nations children. She completed a Master of Indigenous Education through Macquarie University and received the Vice Chancellor’s commendation for Academic Excellence. Grace has expertise in the area of educational exclusion of First Nations young males and the school to prison pipeline in Australia, as well as embedding Indigenous perspectives into the curriculum in the primary, secondary and tertiary education sectors. She recently completed research into educational reform to support the engagement of young First Nations males at school in Queensland, to disrupt the school to prison pipeline.
Publications
- O'Brien G, Trudgett M, (2020) School house to big house, The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education p98-106
- Ewing B, Sarra G, Price R, O'Brien G, Priddle C, (2017) Access to sustainable employment and productive training: workplace participation strategies for Indigenous employees, Australian Aboriginal Studies p27-42
For more publications by this staff member, visit QUT ePrints, the University's research repository.
Awards
Awards and recognition
- Type
- Fellowships
- Reference year
- 2020
- Details
- AFHEA (Indigenous)
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2015
- Details
- Vice Chancellor's Commendation for Academic Excellence