The experience of being an intergenerational beneficiary of widening participation policy underpins my passion for equitable access to education and guides my approaches to working in enabling education. I am passionate about social justice and strive towards making a positive difference to the lives of others. My teaching approaches are underpinned by the philosophical work of Paulo Freire and Ira Shor (1987) who believe in the liberating and transformational role that education can play. This educational philosophy inspires us to employ critical approaches which lead to transformative experiences wherein students can critique power structures and gain agency: ‘as conscious human beings, we can discover how we are conditioned... Read more
About me
The experience of being an intergenerational beneficiary of widening participation policy underpins my passion for equitable access to education and guides my approaches to working in enabling education. I am passionate about social justice and strive towards making a positive difference to the lives of others. My teaching approaches are underpinned by the philosophical work of Paulo Freire and Ira Shor (1987) who believe in the liberating and transformational role that education can play. This educational philosophy inspires us to employ critical approaches which lead to transformative experiences wherein students can critique power structures and gain agency: ‘as conscious human beings, we can discover how we are conditioned by the dominant ideology. We can gain distance on our moment of existence…we can struggle to become free precisely because we can know we are not free! That is why we can think of transformation’ (Shor & Freire 1987, p. 13). I teach Critical Thinking and Global Sociology courses as well as look after the suite of Diploma Programs at UniSA College, University of South Australia as Program Director. I have built a community of practice of the teaching team through professional development initiatives and action research projects in enabling pedagogy. I also run a women’s education program for women who have been recently homeless or experienced domestic violence.
About me
Higher Education and Research Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA) Chair, SA Branch
National Association of Enabling Educators of Australia (NAEEA) Executive Committee member
Pedagogies for Social Justice, Education Futures
Research Centre for Gender Studies, Hawke Research Centre
About me
Doctor of Philosophy University of South Australia
Bachelor of Arts University of South Australia
Bachelor of Arts (honours) University of South Australia
Recently Published
Journal articles
Hattam, S & Weiler, T (2020) 'Every single student counts’: leadership of professional development underpinned by social justice for sessional staff in a South Australian university, Professional Development in Education.
Hattam, S & Bilic, S (2019) ‘‘I can be powerful as an individual agent’: Experiences of recently homeless women in an enabling program, transformative pedagogies and spaces of empowerment in higher education, Journal of International Studies in Widening Participation, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp.
Book chapter
Hattam, S & Stokes, J (2019) 'Fostering critical students who are active agents of their own learning: liberation ... Read more
Research
Research since 2008 is shown below. To see earlier years visit ORCID
Open access indicates that an output is open access.
| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2020 |
5
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| 2019 |
Open access
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| 2019 |
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| 2018 |
1
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| 2014 |
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| Year | Output |
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| 2019 |
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| 2014 |
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| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2020 |
5
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| 2019 |
Open access
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| 2018 |
1
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| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2009 |
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| 2008 |
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PhD Thesis
Hattam, S (2014) Motherhood, equality and the state: the possibilities and limitations of the Australian Human Rights Commission, University of South Australia, Adelaide.
Conference Presentations
Hattam, S Weiler, T & King, T (2019) ‘A tailored approach to professional development for enabling educators at UniSA College’, Students Transitions Achievements Retention and Success Conference, July 7-10 Melbourne Australia.
Hattam, S Bilic, S & Stokes J (2018) ‘I’ve always wanted to come back’: turning-back-around to education for early school leavers at UniSA College, UniSA Teaching Innovation Unit Teaching & Learning Symposium, Adelaide 9 November 2018.
Hattam, S Hattam, R Bilic, S Stokes, J Oldham, P Weiler, T Ng, J & Wilson, N (2018) ‘Sustaining enabling pedagogies through action research project at UniSA College’ UniSA Teaching Innovation Unit Teaching & Learning Symposium, Adelaide 9 November 2018.
Hattam, S Bilic, S Hetz, H Wetherall, S & Sulaiman, M (2018) ‘Teaching Global Citizenship and Critical Thinking in the Trump era’ UniSA Teaching Innovation Unit Teaching & Learning Symposium, Adelaide 9 November 2018.
Hattam, S Stokes, J & Bilic, S (2018) ‘Just don’t give up on me’: Exploring the lived experience of early school leavers and factors which lead them to ‘turn back around’ to education, HERDSA Conference, Adelaide July 2018.
Hattam, S Bilic, S & Stokes J (2017) Engaging the disengaged and disenfranchised: 20 years on from ‘dropping out and drifting off’ to ‘turning back around', The Reimagining Education for Democracy Conference, Brisbane December 2017.
Hattam, S Stokes, J & Ulpen, T (2017) Understanding Why Students Leave Enabling Programs and What May Help Them Stay, The Learner Conference, Hawaii September 2017.
Hattam, S & Bilic, S (2016) Fostering an active school culture through a sociological imagining: enabling ‘liberation’ at UniSA College, Australian Association of Researchers of Education Conference, Melbourne December 2016.
Hattam, S & Bilic, S (2014) ‘Fostering an active school culture through the Sociological Imagining’ of the society and the world’, Foundation and Bridging Educators, New Zealand 4-5 December 2014
Hattam, S (2014) ‘I was told I was a bad mother and bad employee for working while having a young family’ (AHRC 2014)The Australian Sociological Association Conference, University of South Australia, Adelaide.
Hattam, S (2014) ‘Critical literacy as an equity strategy in Higher Education’ School of Education Centre for Research Education (CREd) Conference, University of South Australia, Adelaide.
Hattam, R & Hattam, S (2012) ‘Critical Literacy and Higher Education in South Australia’, American Education Research Association Conference Vancouver, Canada 15-17 May 2012.
Hattam, S (2009) Australia ‘Making feminist politics’: The Australian Human Rights Commission’s ‘tools’ for social change in a global crisis, Macquarie University Australasian Political Studies Association Conference, Sydney 29 September 2009.
Hattam, S (2008) ‘Equal but different’: deconstructing universal motherhood and the potential for the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission to promote women’s rights discourses in Australia', Southern Cross University Activating Human Rights and Peace Conference, Byron Bay Australia 1-4 July 2008
Research
Recently Published
Journal articles
Hattam, S & Weiler, T (2020) 'Every single student counts’: leadership of professional development underpinned by social justice for sessional staff in a South Australian university, Professional Development in Education.
Hattam, S & Bilic, S (2019) ‘‘I can be powerful as an individual agent’: Experiences of recently homeless women in an enabling program, transformative pedagogies and spaces of empowerment in higher education, Journal of International Studies in Widening Participation, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp.
Book chapter
Hattam, S & Stokes, J (2019) 'Fostering critical students who are active agents of their own learning: liberation and connection in enabling education' in Philosophy, Pedagogy and Practice Engaging students in transitional educational spaces. A book edited by: Dr Angela Jones, Ms Anita Olds and Dr Joanne Lisciandro.
Projects - current
Chief Investigator: Engaging the disengaged and disenfranchised: 20 years on from ‘dropping out and drifting off’, to ‘turning back around'.
Chief Investigator: Unlocking education pathways for women, Evaluation of intensive offering of a sociology course to clients of a women's refuge centre
Facilitated intensive pathway program with Catherine House & Zahra Foundation 2016 - 2019.
Impact of program on women experiencing DV
Listen to my radio interview where I discuss our pathway programs (5MU, 21st September 2020)
Success of program - award winner
Participated in Writing Program for Equity and Widening Participation Practitioners 2018 Australian Program, University of Newcastle
External engagement & recognition
| Organisation | Country |
|---|---|
| University of South Australia | AUSTRALIA |
External engagement & recognition
| Engagement/recognition | Year |
|---|---|
Citations for Outstanding Contributions to Student LearningOffice for Learning and Teaching, Department of Education and Training, Australian Government |
2020 |
Facilitator of Intensive Pathway ProgramSagamartha Women's Centre, Catherine House |
2020 |
Senior FellowAdvance Higher Education |
2020 |
Facilitator of Intensive Pathway ProgramSagamartha Women's Centre, Catherine House |
2019 |
Facilitator of Intensive Pathway ProgramSagamartha Women's Centre, Catherine House |
2018 |
Facilitator of Intensive Pathway ProgramSagamartha Women's Centre, Catherine House |
2017 |
Facilitator of Intensive Pathway ProgramSagamartha Women's Centre, Catherine House |
2016 |
Peer Reviewer
Awarded Higher Education The Educator 'Innovation Award', 2020
Awarded Senior Fellowship, Higher Education Academy UK, 2020
Recipient of Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning with the Australian Awards for University Teaching, in category regarding: ‘Innovation, leadership or scholarship that has influenced and enhanced learning and teaching and/or the student experience’, 2019
Recipient of UniSA Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Students Learning 2018
Teaching & student supervision
