Dr. Catherine E Camden Pratt

• Biography
• Areas of Research / Teaching Expertise
• Awards and Recognition
• Selected Publications
• Contact Details

Biography

Catherine is passionate about education for personal and social change, and has 20plus years experience in education and welfare across a variety of settings. These settings include:  community preschool teacher (Qld);  School Holiday Coordinator (Kids Activities Newtown  NSW);  weekend cook (Australian Quadriplegic Association); voluntary support worker (Mother Theresa Orphanage Manila Philippines);  Branch Coordinator and NSW Training Officer (Homecare NSW); class teacher (Lorien Novalis Steiner School, NSW); primary school classroom teacher  (Abbotsford and Dulwich Hill Public Schools, NSW DET; Project Officer, Aboriginal Education across 3 districts (NSW DET) and Itinerant Support Teacher Behaviour -  with a focus on students with autism spectrum disorders (NSW DET). She graduated with her Masters in Applied Science (Social Ecology) in 1997 and with her PhD in 2003. In 2000 Catherine began teaching in Social Ecology at the UWS and has also taught in diversity and pedagogy studies in the School of Education. Catherine foregrounds critical creativity in her teaching and research in which she integrates creative arts.  Her pedagogies are student centred and experiential with the focus on praxis. Her  current teaching includes Learning and Creativity in the Education Studies Major and Applied Imagination in the Master of Education (Social Ecology). Catherine is currently the Course Adviser for the Education Studies Major. She has exhibited her artwork, published a popular press book from her creative and transgressive 2002 PhD, as well as and performing co-written research plays. She spends her down time writing poetry, painting, and spending time with family and friends.

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Areas of Research / Teaching Expertise

Arts based research methodologies; creativity; social ecology; learning and creativity; applied imagination; marginalised voices; mental health.

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Awards and Recognition

2010 Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) Citation for Outstanding Contribution for Student Learning. ALTC Citation was awarded for "foregrounding critical creativity: establishing safe spaces for experimentation using creative learning approaches which transform students’ understanding of themselves as agents of change."

2007 College of Arts Teaching Excellence Award (Highly Commended).

2007 College of Arts Grant for Highest Scores in Student Feedback on Unit.

1999 UWS Hawkesbury Postgraduate Research Award

1997 National Excellence in Teaching Award; nominated by members of school community at  Abbotsford Public School.

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Selected Publications

Books - sole-authored

Camden-Pratt, C. (2006) Out of the shadows: daughters growing up with a ‘mad’ mother. Lane Cove NSW Australia: Finch Publications.

Books - co-authored

Wright, D., Camden Pratt, C., & Hill, S. (Eds) Social Ecology: Learning through place, nature, story and community. United Kingdom: Hawthorn Press (in press, anticipated July 2011)

Book chapters - sole-authored

Camden Pratt (2011) Be-coming with social ecology: creative learning. In Wright, D., Camden Pratt, C., & Hill, S. (Eds) Social Ecology: Learning through place, nature, story and community. United Kingdom: Hawthorn Press (in press).

Camden Pratt, C. (2009) Relationality and the art of becoming. In Davies, B. and Gannon, S. (Eds) Pedagogical Encounters New York: Peter Lang.

Camden Pratt, C. (2007) Creative Arts and Critical Autobiography: challenges of blending the deeply personal and the academic in qualitative research. In Higgs, J. et al Being Critical and Creative in Qualitative Research, Fivedock, NSW: Hampden Press.

Book chapters - co-authored

Wright, D., Camden Pratt, C., & Hill, S. (2011) Introduction. In Wright, D., Camden Pratt, C., & Hill, S. (Eds) Social Ecology: Learning through place, nature, story and community. United Kingdom: Hawthorn Press (in press)

Davies, B., Bansel, P., Camden Pratt, C., Gannon, S., Zabrodska, K.(2009) Reflections on a day in the art class. In Davies, B. and Gannon, S. (Eds) Pedagogical Encounters New York: Peter Lang.

Davies, B., Bansel, P., Camden Pratt, C., Ellwood, C., Gannon, S., Zabrodska, K. (2009) Second skin: the architecture of pedagogical encounters. In Davies, B. and Gannon, S. (Eds) Pedagogical Encounters New York: Peter Lang.

Ellwood, C and Camden Pratt, C. (2009) Becoming Blossom, becoming Oddbod: Clowning as transformational process. In Davies, B. and Gannon, S. (Eds) Pedagogical Encounters New York: Peter Lang.

Horsfall, D., Bridgeman, K., Camden-Pratt, C., Kaufman Hall, V., Pinn, J., (2007) Playing Creative Edges: Performing Research - Women out to Lunch. In Being Critical and Creative in Qualitative Research, Joy Higgs, Angie Tichen, Debbie Horsfall & Hilary B Armstrong, Hampden Press, Sydney.

Journal Articles - sole-authored

Camden Pratt, C., (2008) Applied Social Ecology: using creative arts and critical thinking in co-creating and sustaining ecological learning webs in tertiary pedagogies. In Transnational Curriculum Inquiry (opens in a new window) 5 (1) 2008

Journal articles - co-authored

Horsfall, D., Bridges, D., Camden-Pratt, C., Sammon, L. (2004) A Performance of Difference. In Journal of Reflective Practice 5 (1). 91-110

Creative works - sole-authored

Camden Pratt, C., (2010) Ashes. In Williams, C (Ed) The Green Fuse, the Picaro Press Poetry Prize 2010. Warners Bay Australia: Picaro Press.

Camden Pratt, C. (2007) Telling the Messy Stories. Guest Speaker at The Secret Life of Women at Braemar Gallery, Springwood, NSW

Camden Pratt, C. (2007) Art making and community. Guest speaker to open Exhibition, Celebrating Women’s Resilience. Exhibition International Women’s Day. at Braemar Gallery Springwood.

Camden Pratt, C. (2006) Creative processes in healing child sexual assault. Guest speaker to open Exhibition, Strange Angels at Braemar Gallery Springwood.

Camden Pratt, C. (2003) waiting to be re-memebered. Paintings and artist conversation. Paintings from 2002 PhD Daughters of Persephone: legacies of maternal ‘madness’. Blue Mountains Women’s Health Centre, Katoomba NSW.

Creative works - co-authored

Camden Pratt, C. (2006) with Bridgeman, K; Horsfall D, Pinn, J; Kaufmann Hall, V, Kirraly E; Walking Creative Edges: Performing Research (Performance) at The Pacific Edge, Regional Arts Australia national conference This was based our current individual and collective research.

Camden Pratt, C. (2005) with Bridgeman, K; Horsfall D, Pinn, J; Kaufmann Hall, V.; Am I too outspoken? (Performance)  This play was based on research by the Australian Women in Agriculture (AWIA)and opened its national conference in Orange, NSW.

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