Dr Alison Bedford

Dr Alison Bedford
NameDr Alison Bedford
Email Addressalison.bedford@unisq.edu.au
Job TitleSenior Lecturer (Curriculum and Pedagogy)
QualificationsBA Qld, BEd Qld, BA(Hons) Qld, PhD USQ
DepartmentSchool of Education
ORCIDhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-6708-9896
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Biography

Dr Alison Bedford's research focuses on history curriculum and pedagogy, and the teaching and study of literature. Her recent publications have focused on History in the Australian curriculum and effective inquiry pedagogies, and in representations of diversity in children's literature. She also has an interest in the intersections between science and fiction, particularly during the 19th century.

Dr Bedford is a co-founder of the German-Australian Literature and Artistic Collective (GALACTIC), an international research collaborative focusing on children's literature. She is also the co-founder of the History Educators' Regional Network and is committed to supporting the professional development of regional and remote teachers

Employment

PositionOrganisationFromTo
Lecturer Curriculum and PedagogySchool of Education2022
ITE Secondary Specialisation Convenor School of Education 2022

Expertise

History curriculum

inquiry pedagogies

children's literature

science fiction

Mary Shelley

19th century literature

Teaching

EDS4404: Secondary History Curriculum and Pedagogy

Fields of Research

  • 390102. Curriculum and pedagogy theory and development
  • 390107. Humanities and social sciences curriculum and pedagogy (excl. economics, business and management)
  • 430299. Heritage, archive and museum studies not elsewhere classified
  • 470504. British and Irish literature
  • 470514. Literary theory

Professional Membership

Professional MembershipYear
Australian Association for Research in Education
Australian Literacy Educators’ Association
Queensland History Teachers' Association
History Teachers' Association of New South Wales
BA
Qld
2004
BEd
Qld
2004
BA(Hons)
Qld
2007
PhD
USQ
2019

Current Supervisions

Research TitleSupervisor TypeLevel of StudyCommenced
Cross-cultural communication: The translation of Australian childrens literature for Korean child readersAssociate SupervisorDoctoral2025
Breaking Down Barriers: Exploring the implications of `school can¿t¿ in LGBTIQ+ StudentsAssociate SupervisorDoctoral2025
A study of Picnic at Hanging Rock and a range of Australian Gothic texts such as Voss and The White Earth through the lens of Hegelian/Ecocritical theoryAssociate SupervisorDoctoral2024
Dry rainforest plant and leaf fungal endophyte diversity in south-east Queensland: implications for ecological restorationAssociate SupervisorMasters2024
Investigating the use of spaced learning practices in Mathematics to improve cohort results and student progression in their learningAssociate SupervisorMasters2024
Exploring the effects of using a constraints-led approach to teaching Middle Years HPE practical classes on the engagement and self-confidence of girls participating in Physical EducationAssociate SupervisorDoctoral2024
Developing an effective pedagogical model for the use of emergent digital tools in secondary History classrooms.Associate SupervisorDoctoral2023
SELF IN THE MAKING: VIRGINIA WOOLF'S PLASTIC SUBJECTSAssociate SupervisorDoctoral2023
Cultural Hegemony and the Catholic School: Applying a neo-Gramscian framework to Catholic identity, mission, Charism and meaning makingAssociate SupervisorDoctoral2022
Project titleDetailsYear
UniSQ Early Career Researcher Development Program $10 000 to support research on the teaching of national histories in Queensland secondary schools. 2023

Challenging the Status Quo: Disability in Australian Children's Picture Books

Glasby, Karen, Chamlin, Tracey, Kerby, Martin, Baguley, Margaret, Bedford, Alison, Tualaulelei, Eseta and Zerafa-Payne, Emerson. 2025. "Challenging the Status Quo: Disability in Australian Children's Picture Books." Kritika Kultura. 46, pp. 22-46. https://doi.org/10.13185/1656-152X.2153

Hey History! Giving voice to Australian history by Anna Clark, Jane Curtis, Clare Wright and Britta Jorgensen

Bedford, Alison. 2024. "Hey History! Giving voice to Australian history by Anna Clark, Jane Curtis, Clare Wright and Britta Jorgensen." History Australia. 21 (4), pp. 661-662. https://doi.org/10.1080/14490854.2024.2412973

A Teacher's Guide to Academic Integrity and GenAI

Roux, R., Bedford, A., Burke, K., Thomas, J., Chamlin, T., Hede, C., Scott, E. and Kann, E.. 2024. A Teacher's Guide to Academic Integrity and GenAI. University of Southern Queensland.

Collaborative supervision of teacher-researchers: A professional development success story

Bedford, Alison, Scott, Emily, Hede, Crystal and Cook, Peter. 2024. "Collaborative supervision of teacher-researchers: A professional development success story." The Australian Educational Leader. 46 (3), pp. 56-58.

A call for different perspectives

Bedford, Alison and Barnes, Naomi. 2024. "A call for different perspectives." Historical Thinking, Culture, and Education. 1 (1). https://doi.org/10.12685/htce.1317

Australia's national(ist) history curriculum: history education as a site of attempted de-democratisation

Bedford, Alison and Kerby, Martin. 2024. "Australia's national(ist) history curriculum: history education as a site of attempted de-democratisation." Curriculum Perspectives. 44 (4), pp. 463-474. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41297-024-00248-9

Toil and trouble: why time-poor teachers choose these texts today

Bedford, Alison. 2024. "Toil and trouble: why time-poor teachers choose these texts today." EduResearch Matters: A Voice for Australian Education Researchers.

Frankenstein Episode 4: Sense and sustainability

Bedford, Alison. 2024. Frankenstein Episode 4: Sense and sustainability.

The Search for Truth: Filming the Battle of Meewah

Maddock, Daniel, Baguley, Margaret, Kerby, Martin and Bedford, Alison. 2023. "The Search for Truth: Filming the Battle of Meewah." Historical Encounters. 10 (2), pp. 106-119. https://doi.org/10.52289/hej10.210

Australian children's picture books, the Frontier Wars, and Joseph Campbell's hero with a thousand faces

Baguley, Margaret, Kerby, Martin, Bedford, Alison and O'Brien, Mia. 2023. "Australian children's picture books, the Frontier Wars, and Joseph Campbell's hero with a thousand faces." Historical Encounters. 10 (2), pp. 73-83. https://doi.org/10.52289/hej10.207

The very marrow of the national idea: Frontier wars and the Australian curriculum

Bedford, Alison, Kerby, Martin, Baguley, Margaret and Maddock, Daniel. 2023. "The very marrow of the national idea: Frontier wars and the Australian curriculum." Historical Encounters. 10 (2), pp. 22-37. https://doi.org/10.52289/hej10.203

The ABC of history education: a comparison of Australian, British and Canadian approaches to teaching national and First Nations histories

Bedford, Alison. 2023. "The ABC of history education: a comparison of Australian, British and Canadian approaches to teaching national and First Nations histories." History of Education Review. https://doi.org/10.1108/HER-06-2022-0024

How to say gay: what should happen in Australia

Seeley, Kahlia and Bedford, Alison. 2023. "How to say gay: what should happen in Australia." EduResearch Matters: A Voice for Australian Education Researchers.

A scoping review of LGBTQIA+ inclusion in Queensland’s North Coast Region secondary school policies

Seeley, Kahlia and Bedford, Alison. 2023. "A scoping review of LGBTQIA+ inclusion in Queensland’s North Coast Region secondary school policies." Issues in Educational Research. 33 (3), pp. 1161-1189.

Not just in black and white: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australian children’s picture books

Zerafa-Payne, Emerson, Kerby, Martin, Tualaulelei, Eseta, Bedford, Alison and Baguley, Margaret. 2024. "Not just in black and white: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australian children’s picture books." Australian Journal of Language and Literacy. 47 (1), pp. 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44020-023-00048-0

Empowering Teachers and Democratising Schooling: Perspectives from Australia by Keith Heggart and Steven Kolber (eds.)

Bedford, Alison. 2023. "Empowering Teachers and Democratising Schooling: Perspectives from Australia by Keith Heggart and Steven Kolber (eds.)." Australian Journal of Education. 67 (3), pp. 308-309. https://doi.org/10.1177/00049441231199553

Just How Radical Is Radical: Children’s Picture Books and Trans Youth

Bedford, Alison, Bromdal, Annette, Kerby, Martin and Baguley, Margaret. 2025. "Just How Radical Is Radical: Children’s Picture Books and Trans Youth ." Children's Literature in Education: an international quarterly. 56 (1), pp. 17-33. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10583-023-09537-9

Critical and Collaborative Problem-solving: An Action Research Project on the Development of Cognition-Centred Inquiry for Year 11 Senior History

Bedford, Alison. 2022. Critical and Collaborative Problem-solving: An Action Research Project on the Development of Cognition-Centred Inquiry for Year 11 Senior History. Global Action Research Collaborative on Girls’ Education (GARC).

Critical and collaborative problem-solving: An action research project on the development of cognition-centred inquiry for Year 11 senior history

Bedford, Alison. 2023. "Critical and collaborative problem-solving: An action research project on the development of cognition-centred inquiry for Year 11 senior history." Impact. (18).

Direct and Indirect Benefits: an Open Peer Review of Zamarti, L. & Nally, D. (2023). The impact of archaeology professional development on history teachers’ pedagogy.

Bedford, Alison. 2023. "Direct and Indirect Benefits: an Open Peer Review of Zamarti, L. & Nally, D. (2023). The impact of archaeology professional development on history teachers’ pedagogy. " Public History Review. 11 (1).

'The Practice of Freedom': Thoughts Towards Realigning the Priorities of Secondary and Tertiary Literature Educators

Gildersleeve, Jessica and Bedford, Alison. 2023. "'The Practice of Freedom': Thoughts Towards Realigning the Priorities of Secondary and Tertiary Literature Educators." Australian Journal of English Education (AJEE). 58 (1), pp. 46-53.

Annotation for critical reading: An action research project

Bedford, Alison and Park-Ballay, Cate. 2023. "Annotation for critical reading: An action research project." Australian Journal of English Education (AJEE). 58 (2), pp. 69-80.

Biographical Essay of Mary Shelley

Bedford, Alison. 2023. "Biographical Essay of Mary Shelley." Frankenstein Art Novel. Bond and Grace.

A Visual Analysis of Meet … Captain Cook (2011) – a Modern Australian Picture Book

Baguley, Margaret, Bedford, Alison, Ryan, Lisa, Kerby, Martin and Tualaulelei, Eseta. 2023. "A Visual Analysis of Meet … Captain Cook (2011) – a Modern Australian Picture Book." Australian Art Education. 44 (3), pp. 3-16.

Implied Rather than Intended? Children’s Picture Books, Civil Religion, and the First Landing on the Moon

Kerby, Martin, Baguley, Margaret, Bedford, Alison and Maddock, Daniel. 2024. "Implied Rather than Intended? Children’s Picture Books, Civil Religion, and the First Landing on the Moon." Children's Literature in Education: an international quarterly. 55 (3), pp. 483-500. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10583-022-09519-3

Playing tertiary tetris: Valuing the voices of casual educators in higher education

Davis, I. and Bedford, A.. 2022. "Playing tertiary tetris: Valuing the voices of casual educators in higher education." HERDSA QLD Professional Development and Networking Day. Brisbane 17 - 17 Nov 2022 Australia.

What you should know now about the NSW government and Dolores Umbridge’s evil ways

Bedford, Alison. 2022. "What you should know now about the NSW government and Dolores Umbridge’s evil ways ." EduResearch Matters: A Voice for Australian Education Researchers. 7 November 2022.

The education minister’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad idea [Blog post]

Bedford, Alison and Barnes, Naomi. 2022. "The education minister’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad idea [Blog post]." EduResearch Matters: A Voice for Australian Education Researchers. 4 August 2022, pp. 1-9.

Critical and Collaborative Problem-solving: An Action Research Project on the Development of Cognition-Centred Inquiry for Year 11 and 12 Senior History

Bedford, Alison. 2022. "Critical and Collaborative Problem-solving: An Action Research Project on the Development of Cognition-Centred Inquiry for Year 11 and 12 Senior History." Global Forum on Girls Education III (ISCGS 2022). Boston, United States 27 - 30 Jun 2022 United States.

Playing tertiary tetris: Valuing the voices of casual educators in higher education

Davis, Ian, Abel, Susan, Feldman, Courtney and Bedford, Alison. 2022. "Playing tertiary tetris: Valuing the voices of casual educators in higher education." 44th Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia Annual Conference (HERDSA 2022). Melbourne, Australia 27 - 30 Jun 2022 Australia.

The truth: what our students really learn about Anzac Day [Blog post]

Bedford, Alison and Barnes, Naomi. 2022. "The truth: what our students really learn about Anzac Day [Blog post]." EduResearch Matters: A Voice for Australian Education Researchers. 19 April 2022.

The Subjugation of Art to Propaganda: An Anti-trans Children's Picture Book and the Culture Wars

Kerby, Martin, Curtis, Elizabeth, Bedford, Alison and Baguley, Margaret. 2022. "The Subjugation of Art to Propaganda: An Anti-trans Children's Picture Book and the Culture Wars." Australian Art Education. 43 (2), pp. 186-199.

Teaching Secondary History

Sharp, Heather, Dallimore, Jonathon, Bedford, Alison, Kerby, Martin, Goulding, James, Heath, Treesa, Von Guttner, Darius and Zarmati, Louise. 2022. Teaching Secondary History. United Kingdom. Cambridge University Press.

Cambridge Humanities and Social Sciences for Queensland Year 10

Bedford, Alison, Kann, Emma, Holland, Nina, Prouten, Jessica and Sill, Emily. 2022. Cambridge Humanities and Social Sciences for Queensland Year 10. Port Melbourne, Victoria. Cambridge University Press.

Remixing Influencers: Academics Reading and Writing About Philosophy and Pop Culture

Barnes, N., Bedford, A., Jefferies, M., McCandless, T., Thomas, M. and Firth, K.. 2022. "Remixing Influencers: Academics Reading and Writing About Philosophy and Pop Culture." Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) 2022 Annual Conference. Adelaide, South Australia 27 Nov - 01 Dec 2022

Planning for student learning and assessment

Bedford, Alison and Kerby, Martin. 2022. "Planning for student learning and assessment." Teaching Secondary History. Cambridge, United Kingdom. Cambridge University Press. pp. 124-151

Teaching and learning: history as inquiry

Bedford, Alison and Kerby, Martin. 2022. "Teaching and learning: history as inquiry." Teaching Secondary History. Cambridge, United Kingdom. Cambridge University Press. pp. 100-123

If these stones could speak: War memorials and contested memory

Kerby, Martin, Baguley, Margaret, Bedford, Alison and Gehrmann, Richard. 2021. "If these stones could speak: War memorials and contested memory." Historical Encounters. 8 (3), pp. 1-12. https://doi.org/10.52289/hej8.301

Conflict and the Australian commemorative landscape

Bedford, Alison, Gehrmann, Richard, Kerby, Martin and Baguley, Margaret. 2021. "Conflict and the Australian commemorative landscape." Historical Encounters. 8 (3), pp. 13-26. https://doi.org/10.52289/hej8.302

A Possession Forever: A Guide to Using Commemorative Memorials and Monuments in the Classroom

Kerby, Martin, Baguley, Margaret, Gehrmann, Richard and Bedford, Alison. Rowling, Samara and Andersen, Nikki (ed.) 2021. A Possession Forever: A Guide to Using Commemorative Memorials and Monuments in the Classroom. Australia. University of Southern Queensland.

Frontline heroes: bush fires, the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and the Queensland Press

Kerby, Martin, Baguley, Margaret, Gehrmann, Richard and Bedford, Alison. 2023. "Frontline heroes: bush fires, the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and the Queensland Press." Media, War and Conflict. 16 (1), pp. 26-43. https://doi.org/10.1177/1750635221990939

In the Heart of the Land and the People they Loved: Community responses to commemoration

Kerby, Martin, Maddock, Daniel, Gehrmann, Richard, Baguley, Margaret and Bedford, Alison. 2021. In the Heart of the Land and the People they Loved: Community responses to commemoration. Toowoomba, Australia.

Remixing Influencers: Academics Reading and Writing About Philosophy and Pop Culture

Barnes, Naomi and Bedford, Alison. 2021. "Remixing Influencers: Academics Reading and Writing About Philosophy and Pop Culture." Barnes, Naomi and Bedford, Alison (ed.) Unlocking Social Theory With Popular Culture: Remixing Theoretical Influencers. Switzerland. Springer. pp. 1-8

Orange is the New Other

Bedford, Alison and Chalmers, Emma. 2021. "Orange is the New Other." Barnes, Naomi and Bedford, Alison (ed.) Unlocking Social Theory with Popular Culture: Remixing Theoretical Influencers. Switzerland. Springer. pp. 71-82

Unlocking social theory with popular culture: remixing theoretical influencers

Bedford, Alison and Barnes, Naomi (ed.) 2021. Unlocking social theory with popular culture: remixing theoretical influencers. Springer.

In Frankenstein's Wake: Mary Shelley, Morality and Science Fiction

Bedford, Alison. Palumbo, Donald E. and Sullivan III, C. W. (ed.) 2021. In Frankenstein's Wake: Mary Shelley, Morality and Science Fiction. Jefferson, United States. McFarland & Company, Inc..

Toes, Coat-tails and Shoulders: Collaboration, co-authorship and career opportunities from an ECR perspective

Bedford, Alison. 2020. "Toes, Coat-tails and Shoulders: Collaboration, co-authorship and career opportunities from an ECR perspective." 26th Postgraduate and Early Career Researcher Group Research Symposium: Research Relationships and Supports: Facilitating Research Through Collaboration (2020). Toowoomba, Australia 27 Nov 2020 Toowoomba, Australia.

Conversations for synthesis: Using the Harkness method in student-led historical inquiry

Bedford, Alison. 2020. "Conversations for synthesis: Using the Harkness method in student-led historical inquiry." Historical Encounters. 7 (3), pp. 48-62.

Schooling in the time of COVID: An opportunity to liberate learning

Bedford, Alison and Geddert, Deirdre. 2020. "Schooling in the time of COVID: An opportunity to liberate learning." InAlliance. 62, pp. 106-111.

Preparing for the external exam and the impact of results on university entrance

Bedford, Alison and Gloudemans, Tonia. 2020. "Preparing for the external exam and the impact of results on university entrance." 'Tomorrow is Now' Humanities Lecture Series. Toowoomba, Australia 31 Aug 2020 Toowoomba, Australia.

Designing a Responsive Classroom

Bedford, Alison and Kann, Emma. 2020. "Designing a Responsive Classroom." 2020 QHTA State E-Conference: History: Where Next?. Virtual Conference 27 Jun 2020 Australia.

Teaching As Truth-telling: A Demythologising Pedagogy for the Australian Frontier Wars

Bedford, Alison and Wall, Vince. 2020. "Teaching As Truth-telling: A Demythologising Pedagogy for the Australian Frontier Wars." Agora. 55 (1), pp. 47-55.

Eyeing the Abject: Real Science and Fictional Frankensteinian Bodies

Bedford, Alison. 2019. "Eyeing the Abject: Real Science and Fictional Frankensteinian Bodies." Romantic Studies Association of Australasia 2019 Conference: Embodying Romanticism. Canberra, Australia 21 - 23 Nov 2019 Canberra, Australia.

Being a Unicorn: Finishing Your PhD Early

Bedford, Alison. 2019. "Being a Unicorn: Finishing Your PhD Early." The Thesis Whisperer.

Reevaluating Biography

Bedford, Alison. 2019. "Reevaluating Biography." Dewhirst, Catherine and Connors, Libby (ed.) 38th Australian Historical Association Conference: Local Communities, Global Networks (AHA 2019). Toowoomba, Australia 08 - 12 Jul 2019 Toowoomba, Australia.

Socrates’ Heir: Having Student-Led Conversations with the Harkness Method

Kann, Emma and Bedford, Alison. 2019. "Socrates’ Heir: Having Student-Led Conversations with the Harkness Method." 2019 QHTA State History Conference: What Matters?. Brisbane, Australia 29 Jun 2019 Australia.

Socrates’ Heir: Having Student-Led Conversations with the Harkness Method - All She Can Be

Bedford, Alison and Kann, Emma. 2019. "Socrates’ Heir: Having Student-Led Conversations with the Harkness Method - All She Can Be." HTANSW 2019 Teaching History Symposium. Sydney, Australia 09 - 10 Apr 2019 Australia.

Cambridge Checkpoints QCE Study Guide Modern History Units 1–4

Bedford, Alison, Martens, C. and Slavin, R.. 2019. Cambridge Checkpoints QCE Study Guide Modern History Units 1–4. Port Melbourne, Australia. Cambridge University Press.

Reinvigorating Reading

Bedford, Alison. 2019. "Reinvigorating Reading." Words' Worth. 51 (1).

Ripples and Rebounds: Tracing the Impact of Frankenstein

Bedford, Alison. 2018. "Ripples and Rebounds: Tracing the Impact of Frankenstein." 39th International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts: (ICFA39) '200 Years of the Fantastic: Celebrating Franken­stein and Mary Shelley'. Orlando, United States 14 - 18 Mar 2018

In Shelley's wake: tracing two centuries of impact

Bedford, Alison M.. 2018. In Shelley's wake: tracing two centuries of impact. PhD Thesis Doctor of Philosophy. University of Southern Queensland. https://doi.org/10.26192/5f62eb9d77b5c

Reading and Responding: Literature, Ethics and Citizenship

Bedford, Alison. 2017. "Reading and Responding: Literature, Ethics and Citizenship." Reading and Writing in the 21st Century Literary Studies Classroom: Theory and Practice. Brisbane, Australia 06 - 08 Jul 2017 Brisbane, Australia.

Proactive Pastoral Care

Bedford, Alison. 2017. "Proactive Pastoral Care." SEQTA Changemakers 2017. Perth, Australia 23 - 24 Mar 2017

Biography and Beyond: The Reanimation of Mary Shelley

Bedford, Alison. 2017. "Biography and Beyond: The Reanimation of Mary Shelley." Baker, Dallas, Sulway, Nike and Brien, Donna (ed.) Recovering History Through Fact and Fiction: Forgotten Lives. Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. pp. 183-193

Biography and Beyond: The Reanimation of Mary Shelley

Bedford, Alison. 2016. "Biography and Beyond: The Reanimation of Mary Shelley." Forgotten Lives/Biography: A Symposium (2016). Toowoomba, Australia 28 Apr 2016 Toowoomba, Australia.

Mary Shelley: The Dr Frankenstein of Discourse

Bedford, Alison. 2015. "Mary Shelley: The Dr Frankenstein of Discourse." School of Arts and Communication Post-Graduate Colloquium. Toowoomba, Australia 15 Jul 2015 Toowoomba, Australia.

Two Lives of Frankenstein: Text and Moral Compass

Bedford, Alison. 2014. "Two Lives of Frankenstein: Text and Moral Compass." 18th Annual Work-in-Progress Conference: The Life of Things (2014). Brisbane, Australia Brisbane, Australia.