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Associate Professor Paula Mildenhall

Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning)

Staff Member Details
Telephone: +61 8 6304 5065
Mobile: 0466 856 773
Email: p.mildenhall@ecu.edu.au
Campus: Joondalup  
Room: JO8.309  
ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7265-6744

Associate Professor Paula Mildenhall is currently the Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning) within the School of Education.

Background

Over the past 30 years Paula has held teaching and leadership roles across the education sector in primary and tertiary settings both in Australia and internationally in Saudi Arabia and the UK. After successfully gaining an APA scholarship and ECU excellence award, she completed her PhD in mathematics education in 2011. Her research focuses on mathematics and STEM education in primary schools and also how Pre-Service Teachers learn in tertiary settings. She is particularly experienced in video research methodology and case study research approaches.

Research interests

  • STEM Education
  • Teacher Education
  • Case Study methodology
  • Video research

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Edith Cowan University, 2011.
  • Master of Education, Edith Cowan University, 2006.
  • Bachelor of Education with Second Class Honours, United Kingdom, 1990.

Research Outputs

Book Chapters

  • Cowie, B., Mildenhall, P. (2022). Exploring STEM Learning in Primary Classrooms: In Support of Social Justice Agendas. Education in the 21st Century STEM, Creativity and Critical Thinking (49-62). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85300-6_4.

Journal Articles

  • Mildenhall, P., Sherriff, B., Cowie, B. (2021). The honey bees game: Engaging and inspiring the community with STEM. Research in Science and Technological Education, 39(2), 225-244. https://doi.org/10.1080/02635143.2019.1687440.
  • Lummis, G., Boston, J., Mildenhall, P., Winn, S. (2021). The UK’s Project Faraday and Secondary STEM Education. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 46(12), 69-91.
  • Mildenhall, P., Cowie, B. (2021). The potential of involving communities to enhance STEM education. Teachers and Curriculum, 21(2), 9-15. https://doi.org/10.15663/tandc.v21i0.371.

Book Chapters

  • Mildenhall, P., Sherriff, B. (2020). Learning mathematics through STEM in a play based classroom. STEM education in primary classrooms: Unravelling contemporary approaches in Australia and New Zealand (45-60). Routledge.

Journal Articles

  • Singh, K., Mildenhall, P., Roberts, P., Wren, J. (2019). Sustaining multi-partner engaged research: principles, processes and tensions. Reflective Practice, 20(4), 501-519. https://doi.org/10.1080/14623943.2019.1639497.
  • Mildenhall, P., Cowie, B., Sherriff, B. (2019). A STEM extended learning project to raise awareness of social justice in a year 3 primary classroom. International Journal of Science Education, 41(4), 471-489. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2018.1560514.

Conference Publications

  • Tamburri, S., Budgen, F., Mildenhall, P. (2019). Primary School Teachers’ Experience of Mathematics Education. Proceedings of the 42nd Annual Conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia (692-699). MERGA.

Reports

  • Mildenhall, P., Sherriff, B. (2019). The STEM Learning Project Evaluation Final Report. Australia. STEM Learning Project: a joint undertaking of a consortium in STEM education comprised of: Educational Computing Association of WA (ECAWA), the Mathematical Association of WA (MAWA), the Science Teachers Association of WA (STAWA) and Scitech.

Journal Articles

  • Mildenhall, P., Sherriff, B. (2018). Using multiple metaphors and multimodalities as a semiotic resource when teaching year 2 students computational strategies. Mathematics Education Research Journal, 30(4), 383-406. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13394-017-0212-8.

Journal Articles

  • Mildenhall, P. (2016). Estimation in the primary school: Developing a key mathematical skill for life. Australian Primary Mathematics Classroom, 21(1), 18-22.

Conference Publications

  • Bolton, D., Mildenhall, P., Sim, K., Lounsbury, L., Northcote, M. (2016). Engaging students in the use of technologies for assessment within Personal Learning Environments (PLE's). The development of a framework. Show Me The Learning. Proceedings ASCILITE 2016 Adelaide (57 - 66). ASCILITE.

Conference Publications

  • Mildenhall, P. (2015). Early years teachers' perspectives on teaching through multiple metaphors and multimodality. Proceedings of the 38th Annual Conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia (413-420). MERGA.
  • Lounsbury, L., Mildenhall, P., Bolton, D., Northcote, M., Anderson, A. (2015). Higher education students' use of technologies for assessment within Personal Learning Environments (PLEs). Conference Proceedings ASCILITE 2015: Globally connected, digitally enabled (202-215). ASCILITE.

Journal Articles

  • Mildenhall, P. (2014). Number sense development in the pre-primary classroom. Australian Primary Mathematics Classroom, 19(3), 6-10.

Conference Publications

  • Mildenhall, P. (2013). Using semiotic resources when building images of the part-whole model of fractions. Mathematics education: Yesterday, today and tomorrow (Proceedings of the 36th annual conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia) (506-512). Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia.

Conference Publications

  • Mildenhall, P., Hackling, M. (2012). The Impact of a Professional Learning Intervention Designed to Enhance Year Six Students’ Computational Estimation Performance. Mathematics Education: Expanding Horizons, Proceedings of the 35th Annual Conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia (497-504). Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia.

Journal Articles

  • Northcote, M., Mildenhall, P., Marshall, L., Swan, P. (2010). Interactive whiteboards: Interactive or just whiteboards?. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 26(4), 494-510.

Conference Publications

  • Mildenhall, P., Hackling, M., Swan, P. (2010). Computational Estimation in the Primary School: A Single Case Study of One Teacher’s Involvement in a Professional Learning Intervention. MERGA33 – 2010 : Shaping the Future of Mathematics Education Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia (407-413). Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia.

Conference Publications

  • Northcote, M., Marshall, L., Dobozy, E., Swan, P., Mildenhall, P. (2007). Tuning into podcasts: Collaborative research into the value-adding nature of podcasts in teacher education. Quality in Teacher Education: Considering different perspectives and agendas. Proceedings of the 2007 Australian Teacher Education (1-14). ATEA.

Research Projects

  • Research and evaluation of the STEM learning evaluation, Scitech, Grant, 2016 ‑ 2019, $76,534.
  • Semiotic resources in the Kindy mathematics classroom, Edith Cowan University, ECU Early Career Researcher Grant - 2013, 2013 ‑ 2014, $22,000.

Research Student Supervision

Associate Supervisor

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Exploring the application of a STEM Practices Framework to develop primary school teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge for mathematics teaching.
  • Doctor of Philosophy, Trust and developing the capabilities of academic staff in Communities of Practice

Principal Supervisor

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Bridging the gap: Using multimodalrepresentation to enhance the development of scientific literacy with year 11 integrated science students
  • Doctor of Philosophy, How exemplary teachers promote scientific reasoning and higher order thinking in primary science
  • Master of Education, Primary school teachers' experience of mathematics education: A phenomenological study
  • Master of Education, What boosts? What drags? A study of teacher views about the HALT certification process provided by the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.
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