Overview
Background
Damon Thomas is a senior lecturer in literacy education. His current research interests include theories of writing, writing development, pedagogy, and assessment, systemic functional linguistics, argumentation, standardised assessment, and classical rhetoric. Damon's research has made important contributions in the following areas:
- Understanding the complexities of student writing development
- Exploring writing instruction in situ
- Unpacking and critiquing the results of Australia's only large-scale test: the National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy.
Damon completed his PhD at the University of Tasmania (UTAS) in 2015. He began lecturing at UTAS in 2014 and was promoted to senior lecturer in 2019. He took up a senior lecturer position at the University of Queensland (UQ) in 2021. Before starting his academic career, Damon taught as a primary school teacher in Tasmania after completing a Bachelor of Education degree with First Class Honours.
Damon was part of a team of Chief Investigators from the University of Tasmania, Deakin University, and La Trobe University that secured a successful ARC Linkage Project in 2015 in partnership with Anglicare Tasmania (LP150100558). The project investigated conditions that improved learning and wellbeing outcomes in regional, low-SES schools in Tasmania and Victoria. Damon oversaw the literacy component across school sites and conducted in-depth case studies in Tasmanian primary and high schools.
Damon is currently a Chief Investigator on an ARC Discovery Project investigating talk for learning in early years mathematics classrooms. Damon's main role is to employ several linguistic frameworks to understand the complexities of student dialogue and features of productive talk.
Damon is a member of several professional organisations including the Australian Systemic Functional Linguistics Association (ASFLA), the Primary English Teaching Association of Australia (PETAA), and the Australian Literacy Educators' Association (ALEA). Damon also translates literacy research for practising teachers via his blog: Read Write Think Learn
Availability
- Dr Damon Thomas is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor (Honours) of Education, University of Tasmania
- Graduate Certificate in Education, University of Tasmania
- Doctor of Philosophy of English and Literacy Curriculum and Pedagogy, University of Tasmania
- Alumni, University of Tasmania, University of Tasmania
Research interests
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Writing development (primary and secondary school)
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Writing pedagogy (primary and secondary school)
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Writing assessment (primary and secondary school)
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Evaluative and figurative language
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Standardised assessment
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Theories of writing
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Argumentation
Works
Search Professor Damon Thomas’s works on UQ eSpace
2021
Journal Article
University and school research partnerships as a source of professional growth in regional communities
Swabey, Karen, Muir, Tracey, Thomas, Damon, Emery, Sherridan and Edwards, Marie-Christina (2021). University and school research partnerships as a source of professional growth in regional communities. Australian Educational Researcher, 49 (5), 961-977. doi: 10.1007/s13384-021-00477-1
2021
Journal Article
Achieving teacher professional growth through professional experimentation and changes in pedagogical practices
Muir, Tracey, Deed, Craig, Thomas, Damon and Emery, Sherridan (2021). Achieving teacher professional growth through professional experimentation and changes in pedagogical practices. The Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 46 (9), 22-38. doi: 10.14221/ajte.2021v46n9.2
2021
Other Outputs
The impact of social norms on boys (and girls) as writers
Thomas, Damon (2021). The impact of social norms on boys (and girls) as writers. Docklands, VIC, Australia: Oxford Children's Language Australia.
2021
Journal Article
Team teaching in large spaces: three case studies framed by relational agency
Prain, Vaughan, Emery, Sherridan, Thomas, Damon, Lovejoy, Valerie, Farrelly, Cathleen, Baxter, Lindy, Blake, Damian, Deed, Craig, Edwards, Marie-Christina, Fingland, Doug, Mooney, Amanda, Muir, Tracey, Swabey, Karen, Tytler, Russell, Workman, Emma, Daniel-Zitzlaff, Tina and Henriksen, Joanne (2021). Team teaching in large spaces: three case studies framed by relational agency. Teaching Education, 33 (3), 1-15. doi: 10.1080/10476210.2020.1868423
2020
Journal Article
Teacher adaptation to flexible learning environments
Deed, Craig, Blake, Damian, Henriksen, Joanne, Mooney, Amanda, Prain, Vaughan, Tytler, Russell, Zitzlaff, Tina, Edwards, Marie, Emery, Sherridan, Muir, Tracey, Swabey, Karen, Thomas, Damon, Farrelly, Cathleen, Lovejoy, Valerie, Meyers, Noel and Fingland, Doug (2020). Teacher adaptation to flexible learning environments. Learning Environments Research, 23 (2), 153-165. doi: 10.1007/s10984-019-09302-0
2020
Journal Article
Writing persuasive texts: using grammatical metaphors for rhetorical purposes in an educational context
To, Vinh, Thomas, Damon and Thomas, Angela (2020). Writing persuasive texts: using grammatical metaphors for rhetorical purposes in an educational context. Australian Journal of Linguistics, 40 (2), 139-159. doi: 10.1080/07268602.2020.1732867
2020
Journal Article
Visualizing civic values: representations of idealized citizenship behaviours in images found in Nepalese social studies textbooks
Shah, Rabi, Brett, Peter and Thomas, Damon (2020). Visualizing civic values: representations of idealized citizenship behaviours in images found in Nepalese social studies textbooks. Citizenship Teaching and Learning, 15 (1), 79-99. doi: 10.1386/ctl_00021_1
2020
Journal Article
Writing futures in English
Lovejoy, Valerie, Thomas, Damon, Mow, Laura, Edgar, Christine, Alford, Sophie and Prain, Vaughan (2020). Writing futures in English. English in Australia, 55 (2), 5-14.
2019
Conference Publication
Technology and the knowledge quartet
Oates, Greg, Callingham, Rosemary, Getenet, Seyum, Hay, Ian, Beswick, Kim and Thomas, Damon (2019). Technology and the knowledge quartet. 42nd MERGA Conference, Perth, WA, Australia, 30 June - 4 July 2019.
2019
Journal Article
Rapid decline and gender disparities in the NAPLAN writing data
Thomas, Damon P. (2019). Rapid decline and gender disparities in the NAPLAN writing data. Australian Educational Researcher, 47 (5), 777-796. doi: 10.1007/s13384-019-00366-8
2019
Journal Article
Influences on local curriculum innovation in times of change: a literacy case study
Thomas, Damon P., Emery, Sherridan, Prain, Vaughan, Papageorgiou, Jeanette and McKendrick, Ann-Marie (2019). Influences on local curriculum innovation in times of change: a literacy case study. Australian Educational Researcher, 46 (3), 469-487. doi: 10.1007/s13384-018-0295-6
2019
Journal Article
Elaborating a framework for communicating assessment aims in higher education
Thomas, Damon, Moore, Robbie, Rundle, Olivia, Emery, Sherridan, Greaves, Robyn, te Riele, Kitty and Kowaluk, Andy (2019). Elaborating a framework for communicating assessment aims in higher education. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 44 (4), 546-564. doi: 10.1080/02602938.2018.1522615
2018
Journal Article
A framework to support personalising prescribed school curricula
Prain, Vaughan, Blake, Damian, Deed, Craig, Edwards, Marie, Emery, Sherridan, Farrelly, Cathleen, Fingland, Doug, Henriksen, Joanne, Lovejoy, Valerie, Meyers, Noel, Mooney, Amanda, Muir, Tracey, Sbaglia, Robert, Swabey, Karen, Thomas, Damon, Tytler, Russell and Zitzlaff, Tina (2018). A framework to support personalising prescribed school curricula. British Educational Research Journal, 44 (6), 1101-1119. doi: 10.1002/berj.3481
2018
Book Chapter
Embracing change when ‘writing for change’: my Ph.D. journey
Thomas, Damon (2018). Embracing change when ‘writing for change’: my Ph.D. journey. Structuring the thesis: matching method, paradigm, theories and findings. (pp. 207-216) edited by David Kember and Michael Corbett. Singapore, Singapore: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-981-13-0511-5_20
2017
Conference Publication
Examining interpersonal metaphor of modality in successful primary persuasive texts
To, Vinh and Thomas, Damon (2017). Examining interpersonal metaphor of modality in successful primary persuasive texts. 44th International Systemic Functional Congress, Wollongong, NSW, Australia, July 2017. Wollongong, NSW, Australia: ISFC Organising Committee.
2017
Conference Publication
Using SFL to personalise learning in early childhood classrooms
Thomas, Damon (2017). Using SFL to personalise learning in early childhood classrooms. 44th International Systemic Functional Congress, Wollongong, NSW, Australia, July 2017. Wollongong, NSW, Australia: ISFC Organising Committee.
2016
Book Chapter
Putting on the style: enhancing citizenship education with a persuasive writing framework
Thomas, Damon P. and Brett, Peter (2016). Putting on the style: enhancing citizenship education with a persuasive writing framework. What is next in educational research?. (pp. 285-295) Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Sense Publishers. doi: 10.1007/978-94-6300-524-1_25
2016
Journal Article
Nominalisation in high scoring primary and secondary school persuasive texts
Thomas, Damon and To, Vinh (2016). Nominalisation in high scoring primary and secondary school persuasive texts. Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 39 (2), 135-148.
2015
Journal Article
Evaluative stance in high achieving Year 3 persuasive texts
Thomas, Damon P., Thomas, Angela A. and Moltow, David T. (2015). Evaluative stance in high achieving Year 3 persuasive texts. Linguistics and Education, 30, 26-41. doi: 10.1016/j.linged.2015.03.003
2015
Book Chapter
Using attitude analysis to explore focused conversations for professional learning and development in early childhood
Nailon, Di, Thomas, Damon, Emery, Sherridan and Stephenson, Elspeth (2015). Using attitude analysis to explore focused conversations for professional learning and development in early childhood. Linguistics and language education in new horizons: the link between theory, research and pedagogy. (pp. 43-59) Hauppage, NY USA: Nova Science Publishers.
Funding
Current funding
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Damon Thomas is:
- Available for supervision
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Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Using picture books to foster children's intercultural understanding
Principal Advisor
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Doctor Philosophy
Stellar Storytelling: Understanding and promoting valued primary school narrative writing choices.
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Amy Rouse
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Doctor Philosophy
Using picture books to foster children's intercultural understanding
Principal Advisor
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Master Philosophy
Philosophical Causes of Declining Writing Standards in Middle Schoolers
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Kate McLay
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Master Philosophy
Philosophical Causes of Declining Writing Standards in Middle Schoolers
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Kate McLay
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Doctor Philosophy
Investigating Perspectives on Pronunciation Teaching in the Adult Migrant English Programme
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Stephen Heimans
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Doctor Philosophy
Understanding the Intersection of EFL Teachers' Reading Experiences, Identity Formation, and Professional Learning in an Indonesian Context
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Amy Rouse
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Doctor Philosophy
Anxiety and executive functions as predictors of reading achievement in primary school children
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Elizabeth Edwards
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Doctor Philosophy
Exploring Educator Opportunities for Promoting Gender Equity in Australian Single-sex Boy Schools
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Garth Stahl
Media
Enquiries
Contact Dr Damon Thomas directly for media enquiries about:
- English education
- Literacy
- NAPLAN
- Writing development
- Writing instruction
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