School of Teacher Education
Kay Owens
Lecturer
TBA MEd Syd, PhD Deakin
Kay Owens
Charles Sturt University Faculty of Education
Dubbo, NSW, Australia
Ph:(02) 6885 7352
Fax:(02) 6885 7316
Email Kay OwensBio
Kay Owens chose a lecturing position at Charles Sturt University in Dubbo in the School of Teacher Education in 2003 after serving for 15 years at the University of Western Sydney where she was a Senior Lecturer. During that period she gained her PhD in mathematics education on young children engaged in spatial problem solving.
Kay has a long career internationally with 15 years in Papua New Guinea where she held a lectureship in mathematics at the PNG University of Technology and a Head of Department position at Balob Teachers College. She was also selected for a Swedish lecturer exchange to Gothenburg University for the enhancement of tertiary education in that country and for a Masters Course at the Inter-University Institute in Macau. Kay has continued her research working with colleagues in Papua New Guinea and Sweden with a focus on ethnomathematics (mathematics, language and culture) and space, geometry and measurement education. Her international projects have been funded by USA National Science Foundation, AusAid and her universities’ competitive grants while her local and state projects have had funding from state and federal governments and non-government agencies and her universities.
She has worked recently with local regional schools especially on quality teaching projects and with the Indigenous community. She has undertaken several studies evaluating education initiatives and held a number of professional positions as President, Vice-President, editor and Executive member.
Her university teaching interests are early childhood and primary mathematics education and sustainability (HSIE) education, and schools, communities, children and social justice in a global world. She also teaches educational research subjects. She is a member of the University of Goroka Glen Lean Ethnomathematics Centre, PNG, and the CSU Curriculum, Policy and Change research group.
Research
- Primary and secondary mathematics education
- Spatial and measurement mathematics
- Students' responsiveness to learning experiences that engage them
- Ethnomathematics
- Assessing spatial knowledge
- Teacher education evaluation
- Working with Indigenous communities
Teaching
- Teaching experience in NSW secondary and primary schools, Papua New Guinea tertiary mathematics and health education, Macau and Sweden in mathematics education
- Advisor to Count Me Into Space project for NSW Department of Education and Training and Measurement project for the Melbourne Catholic Education Office, and former University represesentative on the K-6 Curriculum Committee of the NSW Board of Studies
- Former Senior Lecturer in Mathematics Education, University of Western Sydney
- Primary and early childhood teaching – space and measurement, cultural transitions in school, HSIE and sustainability education (click here for materials for teachers)
Professional Engagement
- Formerly Vice President Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia and editor of two books on Mathematics Education Research in Australasia
- Former President and current Secretary of Australian College of Education Orana Regional Group
- Former President of Dubbo Field Naturalists and Conservation Society
- Organiser of local three day forum: Discontinuities and Continuities in Literacy and Numeracy Education for Young Indigenous Children: Global perspectives on the influence of historical and contemporary contexts with representatives from four nations
- Organiser for a mini-conference on Education for Cultural and Environmental Sustainability with representatives from across the local community
- Executive member of Primary Association of Mathematics of the Mathematics Association of NSW, former editor of PAMphlets and tertiary representative
- Critical friend to HOTIQ (Higher Order Thinking Intellectual Quality) and Outback Maths ASISTM projects and AQTIP project, Cowra, evaluator of Bidialectal approach to teaching Standard Australian English
Publications
Recent Journal and Book Publications
- Owens, K. (2008). Culturality in mathematics education: A comparative study, Nordisk Matematikk Didaktikk-Nordic Studies in Mathematics Education, 13(4), 7-28.
- Owens, K. (2008). Identity as a mathematical thinker. Mathematics Teacher Education and Development, 9, 36-50.
- Owens, K. (submitted). Ethnomathematics in Papua New Guinea. In G. Knijnik & B. Barton (Eds.) The contribution of Ubi D’Ambrosio to mathematics. Kluwer.
- Owens, K. & Outhred, L. (2006). The complexity of learning geometry and measurement. In A. Gutiérrez & P. Boero (Eds.) Handbook of research on the psychology of mathematics education: Past, present and future (pp. 83-115). Rotterdam, Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
- Owens, K. (2004). Improving the learning of space mathematics through teacher professional development. In B. Clarke, D. M. Clarke, G. Emanuelsson, B. Johansson, D. V. Lambdin, F. K. Lester, A. Wallby, & K. Wallby, (Eds.) International perspectives on learning and teaching mathematics (pp. 569-584). Göteborg: National Center for Mathematics Education.
- Owens, K. (2003), Investigating and visualizing in space and geometry, Australian Primary Mathematics Classroom, 8(2), 14-19.
Earlier Top Publications
- Owens, K. (2001). The work of Glendon Lean on the counting systems of Papua New Guinea and Oceania. Mathematics Education Research Journal, 13(1), 47-71.
- Owens, K. & Clements, M. A. (1998). Representations used in spatial problem solving in the classroom. Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 17 (2), 197-218.
- Owens, K., & Outhred, L. (1998). Primary school students’ visualising and understanding of tiling areas of different shapes. Mathematics Education Research Journal, 10 (3), 28-41.
- Owens, K., Perry, B., Conroy, J., Geoghegan, N., & Howe, P. (1998). Responsiveness and affective processes in the interactive construction of understanding in mathematics. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 35(2), 105-127.
Refereed Conference Publications
- Owens, K., & Kaleva, W. (2008). Case studies of mathematical thinking about area in Papua New Guinea. In O. Figueras, J. L. Cortina, S. Alatorre, T. Rojano, & A. Sepúlveda (eds.), Proceedings of the annual conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME) and North America chapter of PME, PME32 – PMENAXXX (Vol. 4, pp. 73-80). Morelia, Mexico: Organising Committee of PME32-PMENAXXX.
- Owens, K., & Kaleva, W. (2008). Indigenous Papua New Guinea knowledges related to volume and mass. Paper for the International Congress on Mathematics Education, Discussion Group 11 on The Role of Ethnomathematics in Mathematics Education. http://dg.icme11.org/document/get/311
- Owens, K. (2008). Diversity of approaches to mathematics education in a cultural context. In Proceedings of the conference of the International Study Group on the Relations between History and Pedagogy of Mathematics, HPM2008. Mexico City, Organising Committee.
- Owens, K. (2007). Changing our perspective on measurement: A cultural case study. In J. Watson & K. Beswick (Eds.) Proceedings of the 30th annual conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia (pp.563-573). Sydney: MERGA.
- Owens, K. (2007). The realities of intellectual quality in mathematics classrooms. In K. Milton & H. Reeves (Eds.) Proceedings of the biennial conference of Australian Association of Mathematics (pp. 211-220). Adelaide, SA: AAMT.
- Owens, K. (2006). Rethinking cultural research. Proceedings of Third International Conference on Ethnomathematics, Auckland, New Zealand. http://www.math.auckland.ac.nz/~poisard/ICEm3/
- Owens, K. (2006). The dangerous swing to rote learning. Reflections 31(1), 13-18.
- Owens, K. (2006). Number systems – Examples from Papua New Guinea. Reflections, 31(1), 81-86.
- Owens, K. (2005). Substantive communication of space mathematics in upper primary school. In H. Chick & J. Vincent (eds.) Proceedings of the 29th annual conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (Vol. 4, pp. 33-40). Melbourne: PME.
- Owens, K. (2005). Teachers’ development of substantive communication about mathematics. In P. Clarkson, A. Downton, D. Gronn, M. Horne, A. McDonough, R. Pierce, & A. Roche (eds.) Building Connections: Research, theory and practice Proceedings of the 28th annual conference of Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia (pp. 601-608). Sydney: MERGA.
- Owens, K. (2005). Challenging mathematical beliefs of beginning primary school teacher education students with ICTs. In L. Lindberg (ed.) “Bildning” and/or training. Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Adults Learning Mathematics (pp. 136-148). Gothenburg, Sweden: IPD Göteborg University. (Abstract Refereed)
- Owens, K. (2005). Patterns on spreadsheets. Reflections, 30(4), 18-22.
- Owens, K. (2005). Imagery and property noticing: Young students' perceptions of three-dimensional shapes. In P. Jeffery (compiler) Proceedings of the annual conference for the Australian Association for Research in Education, http://www.aare.edu.au/conf05/ File: OWE04038
- Matang, R., & Owens, K. (2004). Rich transitions from indigenous counting systems to English arithmetic strategies: Implications for Mathematics Education in Papua New Guinea. Paper presented at the Ethnomathematics Discussion Group 15, International Congress on Mathematics Instruction 10, Copenhagen. http://www.icme10.dk/
- Owens, K., McPhail, D., & Reddacliff, C. (2003) Facilitating the teaching of space mathematics: An evaluation. In N. Pateman, B. Dougherty, & J. Zilliox (Eds) Proceedings of 27th annual conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (vol. 1, pp. 339-345). Hawaii, USA: PME.
- Owens, K. (2003). Looking inside classrooms: Teachers engaging students, students being responsive, In M. Goos (eds), Mathematics – Making Waves, Proceedings of the biennial conference of Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers, available as CD.
- Owens, K (2003) Count Me Into Space – maximising mathematical inspiration and innovation, Reflections, 28 (1), 12-16.
- Owens, K., Pattison, J., & Lewis, E. (2003). Organising maths trails. Reflections, 28(1), 27-30.
Reports
- Reid, J., & Owens, K. (with Bennet, M., & Coombe, K., & Hill, Y.) (2005). Report on the Bidialectal Approach to writing Standard Australian English, 2004 Aboriginal Programs Unit, NSW Department of Education and Training.
- Owens, K. (2004). Report on the Bidialectal Project 2003. Aboriginal Programs Unit, NSW Department of Education and Training.
- Owens, K. (2002). Report on Count Me Into Space implemented in 2001 by two groups of schools with facilitators from the schools. For Department of Education and Training Professional Support and Curriculum Directorate.
- Owens, K., & Perry, B. (2001). Mathematics K-10 Literature Review for NSW Board of Studies. http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/ in Reading Room.
- Clarkson, P., Hamadi, T., Kaleva, W., Owens, K., & Toomey, R. (2003). Final Report. PNG-Australia Development Cooperation Program. Baseline Survey: Interpretative Evaluation Report of the Primary and Secondary Teacher Education Project.
- Owens, K. (2001). Development of the test: Thinking about 3D Shapes. Report to NSW Department of Education and Training.
- Owens, K. (2001). Teachers' understanding of mathematics education for the space strand of primary schools. Report to NSW Department of Education and Training.
Earlier Important Publications
- Owens, K. (2000 published in 2002) Traditional counting systems and their relevance for elementary schools in Papua New Guinea. PNG Journal of Education, 36(1 & 2), 62-72.
- Lowrie, T., & Owens, K. (2000). Making connections with space and measurement. In K. Owens & J. Mousley (Eds.) Mathematics Education Research in Australasia 1996-1999 (pp. 181-194). Sydney: Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia.
- Owens, K., Mitchelmore, M., Outhred, L., & Pegg, J. (1996). Space, geometry, measurement, and visualisation. In B. Atweh, K. Owens, & P. Sullivan (Eds.), Research in mathematics education in Australasia 1992-1995, (pp. 311-343). Sydney: Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia.
- Owens, K. (1997). Classroom views of space. In B. Doig & J. Lokan (Eds.) Learning from children, Mathematics from a classroom perspective, ACER Research Monograph No. 52, (pp. 125-145.). Melbourne: Australian Council for Educational Research.
- Owens, K. (1996). Recent research and a critique of theories of early geometry learning: The case of the angle concept. Nordisk Matematikk Didaktikk-Nordic Studies in Mathematics Education, 4 (2/3), 85-106.
- Owens, K. (1992). Spatial mathematics: A group test for primary school students. In M. Stephens & J. Izard (Eds.) Reshaping assessment practices: Assessment in the mathematical sciences under challenge, (pp. 333-354) Melbourne: Australian Council for Educational Research.
Materials for Teachers
- Creating space
- Unravelling the mystery of mathematics [PDF]
- Getting started with statistics in educational research [PDF]
- Primary measurement [PDF]
Full list of Publications