Showcasing special education

Professor Kevin Wheldall, Dr Mark Carter and Ms Yuriko Kishida.

Find out about research opportunities and jobs over a relaxing glass of wine, and meet staff and past students, at an information evening at the Macquarie University Special Education Centre (MUSEC). 

On Thursday 13 October from 5pm, Professor Kevin Wheldall and his staff will talk about courses for full-time, part-time and distance students.

Special education provides services to those with disabilities and special learning needs. Areas of expertise at MUSEC include early childhood intervention, students with high support needs, reading, and gifted children.

Research into practice

“We offer a good quality induction program, and we work collaboratively with our students,” says Lecturer Dr Mark Carter. “We see research as being a joint effort between the academic and the student. As the work develops, we help improve research skills and written expression.”

Postgrad students are selected because they want to work in areas where the staff are already actively engaged in research. So Masters student Yuriko Kishida, who is developing an observational tool for measuring the concentration and focus of preschool children with disabilities, has become an enthusiastic participant in the Centre’s work. Like much of the research produced, her work will feed into practical recommendations other teachers can follow.

Kishida came to study in Australia because she was interested in pursuing earlier work she had begun in early childhood education, because courses were cheaper than those in the United States, and because Australia provides a safe environment in which to live and work. Like many graduates of the Centre, when she’s finished her thesis, she would like to continue in both teaching and research.

Carter says that a Masters of Philosophy by publication is a good example of the marriage of theory and practice which guides the Centre. As the student progresses, research is translated into publications, which are then integrated into the finished thesis.

A different structure from traditional learning

Face-to-face and practical sessions are vital to special education courses, but the high electronic component also makes them very suitable for part-time or distance students. Carter says that audio and video-conferencing, chat rooms and bulletin boards are integral parts of courses. This means that when staff meet students, the time is not taken up with conveying content, but with discussion that can deepen understanding.

“We are a nationally and internationally renowned research centre – so you know if you’re selected to come here that you’re getting the best quality, and a good balance between practice and theory,” says Sharyn Gilkes, who initiated and organises the information evenings.

For further information about the information evening, contact Sharyn Gilkes on sgilkes@aces1.aces.mq.edu.au The MUSEC website is at www.aces.mq.edu.au/musec

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