Associate Dean (Teacher Education), Senior Lecturer
DipTchg(ECE) BEd MA EdD
Dunedin Campus
Tel 64 3 479 4261
Email alex.gunn@otago.ac.nz
Biography
After teaching in urban and rural not-for-profit and community based early childhood settings with children aged between birth and school-age, I took a position in early childhood teacher education in Christchurch. I moved to my position at the University of Otago College of Education in 2011 where I teach and research in early childhood education, inclusive education, teacher education, and assessment. I am interested in teachers' beliefs and practices, and in how the things we do in education come to reflect and (re)produce certain norms. Furthermore, I am intrigued by how teachers take up normative understandings in ways that enable and constrain particular subjects, understandings, and ideas.
Teaching Areas
- Teacher education
- Inclusive education (difference, diversity, and social justice in early childhood education)
- Contemporary views on children as learners
- Gender and education
- Curriculum and pedagogy in early childhood education
- Professional practices of teaching
- Assessment education
- Qualitative research design and implementation
Research Interests
- Teacher education
- Early childhood education (various aspects, e.g., gender, assessment, inclusion, teachers' practices, policy)
- Inclusive education and social justice (particularly queer concerns and heteronormativity)
- Educational assessment (sociocultural and narrative approaches)
Key Methodologies and Methods
- Qualitative approaches (nVivo user)
- Ethnography and genealogy
- Queer theory
- Practitioner research
- Foucaultian discourse analysis
- Interview and focus group methods
- Cultural historical research
- Questionnaire method
Currently supervising students in the areas of:
- Teacher education (international perspectives and issues)
- Narratives of wahine Māori contributions to kindergarten in Aotearoa
- Experiences of disabled secondary teachers
- Inclusive early childhood education (disability focus)
- Inclusive early childhood education (refugee/immigrant focus)
- Transitions from early childhood education to school
Publications
Gunn, A. (2018). The agency of things in children's storytelling: New questions for early-years teachers' pedagogical practice. Proceedings of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting: The Dreams, Possibilities, and Necessity of Public Education. Retrieved from http://www.aera.net/Events-Meetings/Annual-Meeting/Previous-Annual-Meetings/2018-Annual-Meeting
Berg, D., Gunn, A., Hill, M., & Haigh, M. (2018). Putting out fires, spinning plates, ... and doing research: A CHAT analysis of the day-to-day work of university-based teacher educators. Proceedings of the British Educational Research Association (BERA) Conference. Retrieved from https://www.bera.ac.uk/beraconference-2018/programme
Gunn, A., Hill, M. F., Berg, D., & Haigh, M. (2018, July). What might tools from teacher education classrooms tell us about teacher education for un(certain) times? Verbal presentation at the Australian Teacher Education Association (ATEA) & Teacher Education of Aotearoa New Zealand (TEFANZ) Conference: Teacher Education In and For Uncertain Times, Melbourne, Australia.
Loveridge, J., Gunn, A., & Mitchell, L. (2018, November). Ethics of collaborative research. Panel discussion at the New Zealand Association for Research in Education Early Childhood Education Special Interest Group (NZARE ECE SIG), Auckland, New Zealand.
Bateman, A., Carr, M., & Gunn, A. C. (2017). Children's use of objects in their storytelling. In A. C. Gunn & C. A. Hruska (Eds.), Interactions in early childhood education: Recent research and emergent concepts. (pp. 37-53). Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-981-10-4879-1
Other Research Output
Gunn, A. C. (2016, October). Free play and activity based storytelling: A case of one child's narrative competence at kindergarten and school. Southland Free Kindergarten Association. Ascot Park Hotel, Invercargill, New Zealand. [Research Presentation].
Gunn, A. (2016, October). Inclusive education: Difference, diversity, and social justice in early childhood education. Southland Free Kindergarten Association. Ascot Park Hotel, Invercargill, New Zealand. [Research Presentation].
Gunn, A. (2016, October). Quality assessment practices across the early years: NZ approaches. New Zealand Educational Institute. Pembroke School Hall, Oamaru, New Zealand. [Research Seminar].
Edited Book - Research
Gunn, A. C., & Hruska, C. A. (Eds.). (2017). Interactions in early childhood education: Recent research and emergent concepts. Singapore: Springer, 170p. doi: 10.1007/978-981-10-4879-1
Gunn, A. C., & Smith, L. A. (Eds.). (2015). Sexual cultures in Aotearoa New Zealand education. Dunedin, New Zealand: Otago University Press, 256p.
Gordon-Burns, D., Gunn, A. C., Purdue, K., & Surtees, N. (Eds.). (2012). Te Aotūroa Tātaki: Inclusive early childhood education: Perspectives on inclusion, social justice and equity from Aotearoa New Zealand. Wellington, NZ: NZCER Press, 206p.
Chapter in Book - Research
Gunn, A. C. (2017). Shaping gender relations in early childhood education: Children's interactions and learning about gender. In A. C. Gunn & C. A. Hruska (Eds.), Interactions in early childhood education: Recent research and emergent concepts. (pp. 69-80). Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-981-10-4879-1
Berg, D. A. G., Gunn, A. C., Hill, M. F., & Haigh, M. (2017). Building professionals and elevating the profession? The work of university-based initial teacher educators in Aotearoa New Zealand. In P. M. Bamber & J. C. Moore (Eds.), Teacher education in challenging times: Lessons for professionalism, partnership and practice. (pp. 29-40). Abingdon, UK: Routledge.
Bateman, A., Carr, M., & Gunn, A. C. (2017). Children's use of objects in their storytelling. In A. C. Gunn & C. A. Hruska (Eds.), Interactions in early childhood education: Recent research and emergent concepts. (pp. 37-53). Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-981-10-4879-1
Gunn, A. C., & Gasson, N. R. (2017). The spectre of standards in Aotearoa New Zealand early childhood education and care. In M. Li, J. L. Fox & S. Grieshaber (Eds.), Contemporary issues and challenge in early childhood education in the Asia-Pacific region. (pp. 165-179). Singapore: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-981-10-2207-4
Gunn, A. C. (2017). Using insights from interactions research to improve policy and practice in early childhood education. In A. C. Gunn & C. A. Hruska (Eds.), Interactions in early childhood education: Recent research and emergent concepts. (pp. 161-170). Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-981-10-4879-1
Gunn, A. C. (2015). The potential of queer theorising in early childhood education: Disrupting heteronormativity and practising for inclusion. In A. C. Gunn & L. A. Smith (Eds.), Sexual cultures in Aotearoa New Zealand education. (pp. 21-34). Dunedin, New Zealand: Otago University Press.
Smith, L. A., & Gunn, A. C. (2015). Challenging the pervasiveness of heteronormativity. In A. C. Gunn & L. A. Smith (Eds.), Sexual cultures in Aotearoa New Zealand education. (pp. 209-239). Dunedin, New Zealand: Otago University Press.
Journal - Research Article
Bissenden, M., & Gunn, A. C. (2017). Consent, assent and dissent: A case study of one child's understanding of research. Early Childhood Folio, 21(1), 11-15. doi: 10.18296/ecf.0035
Gunn, A. C., Hill, M. F., Berg, D., & Haigh, M. (2016). The changing work of teacher educators in Aotearoa New Zealand: A view through activity theory. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 44(4), 306-319. doi: 10.1080/1359866X.2016.1174815
Berg, D. A. G., Gunn, A. C., Hill, M. F., & Haigh, M. (2016). Research in the work of New Zealand teacher educators: A cultural-historical activity theory perspective. Higher Education Research & Development, 35(6), 1125-1138. doi: 10.1080/07294360.2016.1149694
Gunn, A. C., Berg, D., Hill, M. F., & Haigh, M. (2015). Constructing the academic category of teacher educator in universities' recruitment processes in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Journal of Education for Teaching, 41(3), 307-320. doi: 10.1080/02607476.2015.1041288
Gunn, A. C. (2015). Research work as curriculum work in New Zealand early childhood settings: What should be taught and learned? Journal of Pedagogy, 6(2), 103-117. doi: 10.1515/jped-2015-0016
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Full paper
Gunn, A. (2015). Building understandings of learning and development through learning stories [Pädagogische kompetenzentwicklung zu lern – und entwicklungsprozessen von kindern mittels lerngeschichten]. In C. Hruska & H.-W. Klusemann (Eds.), Interaktion in Bildung: Bildung in Interaktion Eine Dokumentation zum kooperativen Kongress GO APP - praktisch lernen. (pp. 44-53). Neubrandenburg, Germany: Hochschule Neubrandenburg. [Full Paper]
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Gunn, A. (2018). The agency of things in children's storytelling: New questions for early-years teachers' pedagogical practice. Proceedings of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting: The Dreams, Possibilities, and Necessity of Public Education. Retrieved from http://www.aera.net/Events-Meetings/Annual-Meeting/Previous-Annual-Meetings/2018-Annual-Meeting
Berg, D., Gunn, A., Hill, M., & Haigh, M. (2018). Putting out fires, spinning plates, ... and doing research: A CHAT analysis of the day-to-day work of university-based teacher educators. Proceedings of the British Educational Research Association (BERA) Conference. Retrieved from https://www.bera.ac.uk/beraconference-2018/programme
Hill, M. F., Gunn, A., Berg, D. A. G., & Haigh, M. (2016). Making accommodations: Policy tensions and research as an object of university-based teacher educators' work. Proceedings of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Conference. Retrieved from http://www.aera.net/tabid/10208/Default.aspx
Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Loveridge, J., Gunn, A., & Mitchell, L. (2018, November). Ethics of collaborative research. Panel discussion at the New Zealand Association for Research in Education Early Childhood Education Special Interest Group (NZARE ECE SIG), Auckland, New Zealand.
Gunn, A., Hill, M. F., Berg, D., & Haigh, M. (2018, July). What might tools from teacher education classrooms tell us about teacher education for un(certain) times? Verbal presentation at the Australian Teacher Education Association (ATEA) & Teacher Education of Aotearoa New Zealand (TEFANZ) Conference: Teacher Education In and For Uncertain Times, Melbourne, Australia.
Gunn, A. (2017, April). Free play and activity based storytelling: Jacob's narrative competence at kindergarten and at school. Verbal presentation at the Hui Akoranga Ngaio/Professional Learning Hui: Embracing our Past and Looking to Our Future, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Gunn, A. (2017, April). Difference, diversity and social justice in early childhood education: Inclusive education perspectives. Verbal presentation at the Hui Akoranga Ngaio/Professional Learning Hui: Embracing our Past and Looking to Our Future, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Gunn, A. (2016, July). Assessment: Te Whāriki's promise, teachers' practice. Verbal presentation at the Whānau Manaaki Conference: Tino Rangatiratanga: 20 Years of Te Whāriki, Wellington, New Zealand.
Gunn, A. C. (2016, September). Teacher and child voice in research involving them. Verbal presentation at the Central North Island Kindergarten Trust Huihuinga: I Have a Voice: Tōku Reo Tōku Ohooho, Rotorua, New Zealand.
Gunn, A. C., Bateman, A., Carr, M., & Reese, E. (2016, August). Storytelling in early childhood education and at school: Teachers' practices and children's learning in sociocultural curriculum. Verbal presentation at the University of Otago College of Education (UOCE) Annual Early Childhood Research Hui, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Gunn, A. (2016, September-October). (Re)connecting with Te Whāriki: Two decades of curriculum implementation in NZ early childhood education [Keynote]. Verbal presentation at the Celebrating Northland's Tamariki Conference, Whangarei, New Zealand.
