Biography and expertise
Dr Vanessa Miller is a Lecturer in Education at Southern Cross University, specialising in classroom management. She understands classroom management as a complex, multifaceted discipline that integrates preventative and responsive strategies to support students’ academic, social, and emotional development. Her teaching and research draw on qualitative methods, particularly participatory design and action research, to explore how attention to wellbeing and identity can inform inclusive learning environments and effective teaching practice. Vanessa values participatory action research for its focus on transformation and professional growth, positioning teachers and students as agents of change.
Vanessa brings over 30 years of experience across the primary, secondary, and tertiary education sectors in Queensland and New South Wales. Her professional journey includes roles as a primary teacher, Head of Primary, school counsellor, university lecturer, behaviour adviser, and preschool manager. Her diverse background underpins her commitment to fostering learning environments where teachers and students can thrive.
Inspired by two study visits to the Reggio Emilia schools in Italy, her doctoral research investigated how participatory design processes can support student wellbeing and engagement. Before joining Southern Cross University, she was a Postdoctoral Researcher on the National Embedded Cross-Sector Teacher Education Project (NECSTEP) (https://www.ac.edu.au/research/research-clusters/teaching-school-hubs-necstep/).