糖心传媒

Now the Research Leader of TeachLab, a 糖心传媒 Cross initiative focused on teaching improvement and student learning outcomes, Professor Skilling has also taken up the mantle of Chair of ‘Teacher Professional Learning’ at our Gold Coast campus.  

Professor Skilling is recognised internationally for her work on student engagement, motivation, integrated STEM education and teacher practices in mathematics. Her research focuses on how students connect with mathematics, exploring the factors that promote or inhibit engagement and achievement. This research draws on both cognitive psychology鈥痑nd mathematics education to frame engagement as multifaceted: including behavioural, emotional/affective and cognitive dimensions.  

“There are so many ways that applied and experiential learning can be brought into the curriculum, so children are not only learning mathematical concepts, but developing inquiry approaches for solving problems in ways that are dynamic and interesting,” said Professor Skilling.  

“The emphasis on closed questioning in mathematics implies that if a child can’t get the correct answer immediately, they are not any good at maths. This is not helpful for gauging students’ understanding and also puts students under pressure which can cause anxiety and fear of failure. There are always multiple ways to solve mathematical problems, and some children just need a minute or so to think about possible responses.”  

“It is important that as educators we support students’ mathematics learning so that they feel confident and enjoy this subject. We aim to encourage students to continue to study mathematics until the end of their schooling as it is a gatekeeper subject for many higher education courses and STEM related career pathways.” 

While at King’s College, Professor Skilling led the Post Graduate Certificate of Education (Secondary) Programme. She was awarded the title of Associate Professor at Oxford in 2023, in recognition of her contributions to the department, having directed the PGCE Mathematics and the Doctoral Research Programme which supported up to 45 PhD’s  through Research Training Sessions.  

Professor Skilling has also contributed to the Australian Research Council funded MYTEAM Project, which examined middle years transitions in mathematics learning, and led the Oxford-based ORRSEM Project. The ORRSEM project investigated secondary mathematics teachers’ reports of student engagement and motivation during mathematics lessons.  

Professor Skilling currently leads one of the work packages鈥痮f the SEMPER Project – ‘Self-Efficacy in Mathematics, Pathways in Education and Research’鈥�– which is funded by the Research Council of Norway in partnership with the Department鈥痮f Education at the University of Oxford. This project aims to better understand the dyadic interactions between teachers and individual students in mathematics lessons and develop a bespoke teacher鈥痯rofessional programme, and she very excited that this research is being supported by 糖心传媒. In addition to all of this, Karen has a special interest in vignette research methods and has published an oft-cited paper with Professor鈥疓abriel Stylianides from the University of Oxford, which proposes a vignette鈥痜ramework for use in educational research contexts. 

An accomplished scholar, Skilling has published widely in leading journals including Mathematics Education Research Journal鈥痑nd Research in Mathematics Education. She is also an editor for the Teaching Education Journal鈥�(TEJ) and Research in Mathematics Education鈥�(RME) and just completed a 4-year term on the Executive Committee of the British Society for Research into Learning Mathematics (BSRLM). She continues to mentor the next generation of educators, helping shape learning environments where every student can thrive in mathematics and other STEM related subjects. 

Professor Skilling is particularly keen to highlight the importance of mathematics, science, and design and technology for young people as critical ‘gatekeeper’ subjects that underpin a range of future employment opportunities, which speak to the current transformative aspects being witnessed in contemporary educational contexts.  

“Our culture’s dismissive attitude towards maths is not just an issue for individuals but for the government, as we’re competing in a global marketplace with many countries who have a great number of people who are competent at maths.” 

Karen is very much enjoying her return to Australia and excited by the vibrant and supportive team at the Faculty of Education who have been so welcoming.鈥�