School of Teacher Education
Dr Lena Danaia
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
BEd(Hons)CSU, PhD CSU
Lena Danaia
Charles Sturt University Faculty of Education
Bathurst, NSW, Australia
Ph:(02) 6338 4372
Fax:(02) 6338 4417
Email Lena DanaiaBio
Lena is currently involved in an Australian School Innovation in Science, Technology and Mathematics (ASISTM) funded project. The project, Wildflowers in the Sky, is coordinated by Mr Robert Hollow of the Australia Telescope National Facility, a division of CSIRO, and involves isolated primary and junior secondary science teachers and their students in Western Australia.
Lena continues to be involved in an action research project involving pre-service primary teachers who are undertaking the two Science and Technology Curriculum subjects (EMS200 and EMS312).
Research
- Science, Technology and Mathematics
Teaching
Teaching Award
In 2006, Lena was part of a team that was successful at wining a Carrick Citation for outstanding contributions to student learning. The citation: “For building innovative primary science classroom practice through pre-service teacher immersion in a problem-based, collaborative learning experience”.
Professional Engagement
- Member of the Australian Association for Research in Education
- Member of the Science Teachers’ Association of NSW
- Member of the local Mitchell Science Teachers’ Association
- Member of PETA the Primary English Teaching Association
Publications
Papers Under Review
- Hollow, R., McKinnon, D., Danaia, L., & Townsend, A. (2007). Wildflowers in the sky: Professional development delivery in isolated schools in Western Australia. World Conference on Science and Technology Education.
- McKinnon, D., & Danaia, L. (2007). An Australian study of the impact of using remote telescopes in the teaching of astronomy. World Conference on Science and Technology Education.
- McKinnon, D., Danaia, L., & Parkes, V. (2007). Teaching primary teacher education students how to teach science. World Conference on Science and Technology Education.
- McKinnon, D., Danaia, L., & Parkes, V. (2007). Innovative primary science classroom practice through pre-service teacher immersion in a problem-based, collaborative learning experience: Approaches to teaching that influence, motivate and inspire students to learn. Australian Teacher Education Association (ATEA) Conference.
Journal Articles
- Danaia, L. & McKinnon, D. H. (2006). Switch on to science. Education Quarterly Australia: The ICT Agenda, Winter Edition, 38-39.
- McKinnon, D. H. & Danaia, L. (2005). PD and ICTs: We have a ways to go. Australian Educational Computing Journal of the Australian Council for Computers in Education, 20 (1), 24-29.
- McKinnon, D.H., Geissinger, H. & Danaia, L. (2002). Helping them understand: Astronomy for Grades 5 and 6. Information Technology in Childhood Education Annual, 14, 263-275.
Book Chapters
- McKinnon, D.H. & Danaia, L. (2006). Remote Telescopes in Education: Report of an Australian Study. In Jay Pasachoff, Rosa Maria Ros & Naomi Pasachoff (Eds.), Innovation in Teaching/Learning Astronomy. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK.
- Danaia, L. (2004). Miss, this is for you. In Harrison, L.; Allan, R.; Phillip, J. & Reid, J. (Ed.) Into the Whirly Wind: Stories of ‘first year out’ teaching. Bathurst, NSW: Charles Sturt University.
- McKinnon, D.H., Geissinger, H. & Danaia, L. (2004). Learning about Astronomy: The Remote Telescope Project in Primary Schools. In Chandra B. Sharma (Ed.) Technology Enhanced Primary Education: Global Experiences. New Delhi: Kautilya Publications.
Conference Papers
- McKinnon, D. H., Danaia, L., & Parkes, V. (2006). Innovative primary science classroom practice through pre-service teacher immersion in a problem-based, collaborative learning experience: Approaches to teaching that influence, motivate and inspire students to learn. Poster presentation at the Maximising Opportunity and Managing Risk Conferences, 21st November 2006 Wagga Wagga, NSW and 23rd November 2006 Bathurst, NSW.
- Danaia, L. & McKinnon, D. H. (2006). The use of remote access telescopes in science education: Impacts and opportunities. In Curriculum Corporation, A vision splendid. ICT: research, pedagogy, implementation for schools. Adelaide: Curriculum Corporation.
- McKinnon, D. H. & Danaia, L. (2006). Remote Telescopes in Education: Report of an Australian Study. Refereed Paper Preseantation at the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), Prague, 13th-24th August.
- McKinnon, D. H. & Danaia, L. (2005). PBL, collaboration, portfolio and criterion referenced assessment in a science and technology curriculum subject for beginning teachers. In: Dirk HR Spennemann & Leslie Burr (eds), Good Practice in Practice. Proceedings of the Student Experience Conference 5-7th September ’05. (pp. 4–23). Wagga Wagga, NSW: Charles Sturt University.
- McKinnon, D. H. & Danaia, L. (2005). PBL, collaboration, portfolio and criterion referenced assessment in a science and technology curriculum subject for beginning teachers. Presented at the CSU Learning & Teaching Conference: Bright ideas and Evolving Evidence, Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, 28 and 29 September 2005. (non-refereed).
Unpublished Theses
- Danaia, L. (2006). Students’ experiences, perceptions and performance in junior secondary science: An intervention study involving astronomy and a remote telescope. Unpublished PhD Thesis. Charles Sturt University: Bathurst.
- Danaia, L. J. (2001). An Investigation of primary age students’ alternative conceptions of astronomical phenomena: An intervention study. Unpublished BEd (Hons) Thesis. Charles Sturt University, Bathurst.