Congratulations to our 2024 Melbourne Global Centre Activity Grants recipients
Several distinguished academics from the Faculty of Education have been awarded Global Centre Activity Grants to commemorate the upcoming launch of the Melbourne Global Centre in Delhi. Opening in September 2024, this new Centre represents a significant milestone in the University’s engagement with India, serving as a hub for academic, community, and industry collaborations.
Congratulations to the following FoE staff for their successful grant applications:
- Dr. Stephen Chatelier: History, present, and future of International Baccalaureate education in India
- Dr. Adam Taylor: Engagement between young people in India and Australia to build global solidarity and transformational education for justice
- A/Prof Kate Coleman & Dr. Sarah Healy: Hackathon on Speculative Climate Futures
- Prof. Jan van Driel: Global issues and priorities in STEM education (in collaboration with the Faculty of Science)
- Dr. Donnie Adams: Advancing educational leadership practices that foster sustainable development
The grants will support a wide range of initiatives at the Centre, with Education playing a vital role, including seminars, roundtables, research symposia, and community engagement events, all aimed at fostering stronger ties between the University and its Indian partners. Our academics are excited to facilitate innovative and collaborative teaching and learning programs, providing valuable opportunities for mutual learning.
Each of the funded projects exemplifies this commitment to collaboration and impact:
Associate Professor Kate Coleman and Dr. Sarah Healy will lead the "Hacking the Anthropocene" initiative in India, engaging young people and educators in New Delhi through hackathons – events where people come together to solve common problems – at the Global Centre. In partnership with the Science Gallery Network, Socratus, and Council On Energy, Environment And Water (CEEW), Speculative Wanderings in Space and Place (SWISP) Lab will conduct two half-day hackathons for over 60 youth aged 14-25 from northern communities, and a full-day hackathon for 30+ teachers and alumni.
Professor Jan van Driel will address global challenges in STEM education for primary and secondary schools, focusing on real-world problems and 21st-century skills such as critical thinking and problem-solving. The project includes a roundtable with 20-25 participants from government, industry, schools, and universities, and will identify collaboration opportunities in curriculum design, pedagogy, and teacher training.
Dr. Donnie Adams is leading the Australia-India Leadership Roundtable (AILEAD 2024), which will unite 25 top academics from Australia and India to discuss "Leadership for Sustainable Educational Development." The event will feature participants from prestigious Indian institutions like NCERT and Mahindra University. It aims to tackle key challenges in educational leadership by sharing research, fostering skill development, and building a strong network of scholars dedicated to advancing sustainable education.
Deputy Dean, Professor Lindsay Oades finds the expansion of research and teaching efforts in India "exciting" and "hugely important to anyone who cares about education equity," given India's rich intellectual history and the large Indian diaspora in Australia.
"The Melbourne Global Centre Delhi is crucial for the Faculty as it will provide a gateway to India for our staff and students, allowing us to consolidate existing partnerships and maintain an ongoing presence," says Oades.
He highlights the "huge opportunity to contribute to education" in a country with over 265 million school students, where the National Education Policy has added three years of formal education.
The successful applicants will play a pivotal role in the Centre's launch, contributing to its mission of expanding academic and cultural exchanges between the two nations.