Carla Kennedy

Biography

Carla is a lecturer/researcher in Education with the School of Education/Arts/Community at Federation University, Victoria, Australia. Carla is currently teaching professional experience units to undergraduate students in early childhood, primary and secondary education. Previously she held the position of Lecturer in Health and Society in the School of Psychology and Public Health at La Trobe University, Bundoora Campus teaching public health units to undergraduate and post graduate students. Her research using social inquiry has focused on school communities investigating compassion, existing power and inequalities in schools. By using social critical theory, Carla explicates how compassion in school communities can be made visible whilst identifying existing power structures and barriers. Critical reflection and storytelling has been a pivotal interest in considering how school communities can incorporate a compassionate stance in relation to taboo subjects such as death, dying bereavement. Further research on storytelling is of interest especially in regard to how factors such as social, nature and spiritual connections may contribute to this process. Carla has extensive research and educational experiences in schools, mentoring both pre service teachers and practicing teachers, leading school staff in program and policy development.

Areas of expertise

Carla has specific interests in the social and cultural life of communities and exploring the benefits of critical reflection which are demonstrated in the following publications. Carla’s research interests focus on the following two categories:

(1) Critical reflection and reflexivity
Carla has a strong commitment to exploring how we might approach pre service teacher and teacher critical reflection in schools to help identify existing power and structural barriers to compassion in education. How people interact within their communities and the larger educational institution is of particular significance.

(2) Storytelling
Carla’s more recent area of research explores storytelling (meaning making) as a way of strengthening social connections and resonance with nature and spirituality.