Dr Catherine Easton
B Arts/Music Melb, GradDip Soc Sci (Applied Linguistics), SPSIL M Speech Pathology La Trobe, PhD La Trobe
-
PositionLecturer - Speech Pathology
-
CampusAlbury / Wodonga
-
Location
-
Phone/Fax02 6051 9159
-
Catherine Easton brings a diverse range of experiences and skills to her position at CSU. She gained her PhD in linguistics while supporting remote communities in Papua New Guinea to develop writing systems for their spoken languages. Her commitment to working alongside others to achieve their goals has been further developed through her Speech Pathology clinical experience in Early Childhood Intervention. She is committed to critically reflecting on her own practice and that of the disciplines she works in, with the aim of facilitating cultural and socially responsive language and speech pathology practice.
Teaching
Catherine Easton is committed to facilitating learning that is appropriate to the context of the students and their goals. She has a commitment to training and empowering those she works alongside. She has developed courses to train Papua New Guineans working in remote communities, including a Manual for Orthography Development which has been used by education departments and non-government organisations in a number of countries. At a tertiary level she has designed courses in phonetics, linguistics and sociolinguistics and has enjoyed applying these skills to her teaching in speech pathology.
Subject Delivery
- SPH105: Introduction to Communication Practice
- SPH106: Communication Development and Community Projects
- SPH214: Therapeutic Communication Practice
Innovations in Teaching
The development of cultural competence and skills in critical reflection are vital for learning how to provide appropriate and effective in our diverse society. She is committed to facilitating this deeper learning in her students so that they learn 'how to think and learn', not just 'what to think and learn'. She has begun exploring how to use technology to support collaborate learning among her students'.
Research
Catherine Easton’s research has grown from her engagement with individuals and communities while working as a linguist, social researcher and speech pathologist and a commitment to supporting others to find their own voice and tell their own stories. This has lead to an interest in the sociology of language and language development and critical analysis of professional, community and individual practices. She is currently involved in a new project which seeks to provide speech pathology and occupational therapy services to preschoolers in indigenous communities.
Current Research Projects
- Michael Curtin, Catherine Easton, Wendy Rose Davison, and Cindy Knight
Speech, Language, Attention and Movement
Current Research Higher Degree Students
- Melissa McKinnon Honours
- Meagan Vomari Honours
Professional & Community Engagement
Critical reflection of professional practice and community engagement is foundational in Catherine’s research and her approach to teaching. This is reflected in both her teaching and research profiles. Her community engagement has given her opportunities to: facilitate language and education based community development projects in remote parts of Papua New Guinea; and support families, child care centres and preschools to create environments that support communication, social and emotional development. This engagement continues in her current research on providing speech pathology services to preschoolers’ from indigenous communities.