Dr Barbara Bannister

Biography

Barbara is a dedicated educator with a profound commitment to fostering confident and competent STEM teachers, especially in rural, regional and remote areas. With over three decades of experience, she has transitioned from a classroom teacher in rural and regional NSW public secondary schools to leadership roles in both metropolitan and regional high schools, to lecturer at university.

Barbara's passion for meeting the unique educational needs of high ability students in rural and regional areas earned her the prestigious Premier’s Scholarship for Excellence in Teaching. This accolade facilitated her exploration across four continents of technology's role in catering to the educational needs of these students.

In her role as the leader of Teaching, Learning, and Technology at Australia’s first virtual academically selective high school, Barbara led the development of pedagogy for online curriculum delivery for Years 7-10, emphasizing technology-enhanced approaches. Her diverse experiences include teaching university subjects in curriculum method subjects for Years 7-12 Science and Agriculture Initial Teacher Education and educational change management for an international cohort of senior school leaders.

As a member of the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) Technical Advisory Group for Science Years 7-10 syllabus development, Barbara has actively contributed to recent curriculum reform in NSW education. Her recognition with a Fellowship to the UK Higher Education Academy in 2023 highlights her expertise and contribution to tertiary education.

Barbara has a deep commitment to education, with a focus on leveraging technology for equitable STEM education. Her experiences across various educational levels and roles underscore her influence in curriculum development, leadership, and advocacy for quality education in diverse settings.

Qualifications

B Rur Sci (Ed), MEd, COGE, EdD

Awards

NSW Premier’s Scholarship for Excellence in Teaching;

Early Career Researcher scholarship (internal) CSU.

Admitted as a Fellow, Higher Education Academy

Teaching Areas

STEM and Agriculture education, Inclusive education

Primary Research Area/s

Research Supervision Experience

MAgSci: Assessing access to agricultural education: A review of senior secondary agriculture courses in Australia

MEd: The role of public libraries in the development and support of digital literacies in the community

MEd: Queensland educators’ demonstration of knowledge concerning effective identification practices for gifted and talented students

MEd: How we assess students’ collaborative skills: A qualitative study of self-reflective digital portfolio and non-portfolio assessment methods in two NSW secondary schools

Publications

Virtual Provision for Gifted Secondary School Students: Keeping the Best and Brightest in the Bush 2019-06-07 | Dissertation/Thesis | author

HANDLE: 1959.11/27427

CONTRIBUTORS: Barbara Bannister; Linley Cornish; Sue Gregory; Michelle Bannister-Tyrrell

Professional Learning Regarding Pedagogy in a Virtual Academically Selective High School

21st World Conference: Educating Gifted and Talented Children - Turning Research Into Practice

2015-08-01 | Conference paper | author

HANDLE: 1959.11/27237

CONTRIBUTORS: Barbara Bannister

Creative Use of Digital Technologies: Keeping the Best and Brightest in the Bush Australian and International Journal of Rural Education

2015-01-01 | Journal article | author

HANDLE: 1959.11/17564

CONTRIBUTORS: Barbara Bannister; Linley Cornish; Michelle Bannister-Tyrrell; Sue Gregory

Virtual provisions for talented secondary school students

14th International European Council for High Ability (ECHA) Conference , Ljubljana, Slovenia, 17/09/14

2014-09 | Conference paper | author

SOURCE-WORK-ID: 2b028817-6f6d-4511-988e-3aa9c8fd63f8

CONTRIBUTORS: Barbara Bannister

Xsel Virtual Selective High School Provision: Delivering Academically Selective Secondary Curriculum in Regional, Rural and Remote NSW

Australian and International Journal of Rural Education

2014-04-01 | Journal article | author

HANDLE: 1959.11/27097

CONTRIBUTORS: Furney, Ann-Marie; McDiarmid, Carol; Barbara Bannister

Re-Thinking Giftedness: Giftedness in the Digital Age

2014-01-01 | Conference paper | author

HANDLE: 1959.11/27648

CONTRIBUTORS: Barbara Bannister

Employing online pedagogies for gifted Secondary School students: A case study in rural and remote New South Wales, Australia

Giftedness 2012:The 12th Asia Pacific Conference on Giftedness

2012-01-01 | Conference paper | author

HANDLE: 1959.11/31487

CONTRIBUTORS: Barbara Bannister

Memberships

Member, NSW Association of Agriculture Teachers

Member, Science Teacher’s Association

NESA Accredited teacher, Member

NESA TAG for Science 7-10 syllabus

Fellow, Higher Education Academy

External Profiles

• ORCid Profile
• LinkedIn Profile