Gemma is the Deputy Head of School (Education/Teaching and Learning) and Senior Lecturer in the Graduate School of Education at The University of Western Australia. 

She coordinates both the Bachelor of Education (Primary) (Honours) and the Master of Teaching Primary courses at the Graduate School of Education. She coordinates and teaches core units on inclusion and diversity and the Humanities and Social Sciences curriculum (Primary).  At UWA, she has been awarded two faculty awards for Excellence in Teaching (2018, 2020) and two institutional awards for Excellence in Teaching (2020, 2022). In 2022, Gemma was awarded a national citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning (an Australian Award for University Teaching, AAUT), by Universities Australia. 

Her research interests include inclusive education, inclusive teacher practices, and the experiences and perspectives of students and their parents on inclusion and inclusive education. 

Key research: inclusive education, inclusive teaching, differentiation, gifted education, parents' experiences, teacher education.

Gemma is a registered teacher with the Teacher Registration Board of Western Australia (TRBWA) (2000 → ).  She is an executive member of the Australian Teacher Education Association (ATEA) (2022 - 2025), on the editorial board for the Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs (JORSEN) (2023 →), and a reviewer for several peer-reviewed journals, including the Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education.  In 2025, Gemma is also a member of the Hollywood Primary School Board.  

Gemma welcomes inquiries from prospective students (MPhil, EdD, and PhD) who are interested in researching the following areas: inclusive education, gifted education, differentiation, students' experiences and perspectives of inclusion, parents' experiences, and family-school partnerships.  

Deputy Head of School, Education (Graduate School of Education) (2023 → )

Member of the Hollywood Primary School Board (2025)

Bachelor of Education (Primary) (Honours) Course Coordinator (2024 → )

UWA Learning and Teaching Awards Selection Committee (October 2023 → )

Editorial board for the Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs (June 2023 →) 

UWA Ethics Low Risk Review Panel member (July 2023 → )

Chair of the Graduate School of Education Committee (2023 → )

Chair of the Graduate School of Education Board of Examiners Committee (2023 → )

University Learning and Teaching Committee member (2023 → )

Board of Studies: Society and Culture Committee member (2023 →  )

UWA Working Party - Special Consideration (2023 →   )

Australian Teacher Education Association (ATEA) Executive (2022-2025)

Graduate School of Education Board Member (2021 →  )

Disability Access and Inclusion Working Group (DAIWG): Academic representative (2021 → 2023)

Community of Practice (CoP): Evaluating your teaching (2021 → 2023)

Community of Practice (CoP): Higher Education Academy (HEA) Fellows (2022 → 2023)

Master of Teaching Primary Course Coordinator (2020 →  )

Academic Conduct Essentials (ACE) Steering Committee: Academic representative (2019 - 2020)

UWA Learning and Teaching Committee: FABLE nominee representative (2019 - 2020)

National and international conference presentations

Pozas, M., Letzel-Alt, V., Woltran, F., Porta, T., Gaitas, S., & Scarparolo, G. (2025, August).  "Macro and Micro-level variables that shape Differentiated Instruction".  Symposium.  EARLI Conference, University of Graz, Austria. 

Scarparolo, G. (2025, July). "We just want our children to have the opportunity to learn as every child should": A national qualitative survey of parents of intellectually gifted children in Australia.  London International Conference on Inclusive Education (LICIE), University College London Centre for Inclusive Education. 

Scarparolo, G. (2024, September 8-12).  Examining the experiences of parents of gifted children across Australia: What can we learn about effective family-school partnerships for gifted education? British Educational Research Association (BERA), University of Manchester.

Scarparolo, G., & Porta, T. (2024, July 10-12).  Examining the Australian educational landscape of differentiation through document analysis. Australian Teacher Education Association (ATEA) conference, University of Newcastle, Australia.

Scarparolo, G., Chamlin, T., & Glasby, K. (2023, July 12-14).  Family-school partnerships, the educative process, and pre-service teachers: a systematic literature review.  Australian Teacher Education Association (ATEA) conference, ACU Sydney, Australia.

Scarparolo, G. (2023, August 22-25).  Parent-Teacher Communication: What are the experiences of parents of children with specific educational needs? European Educational Research Association (EERA), ECER (European Conference on Educational Research conference, Glasgow.  https://eera-ecer.de/ecer-2023-glasgow

Scarparolo, G. (2022, October 21-22).  What do gifted children want their teachers to know? Implications for policy and practice.  AAEGT (Australian Association for the Education of the Gifted and Talented) national conference. Future Focus: A Gifted Education Paradigm. https://www.aaegt.net.au/conference-2022 

Scarparolo, G. (2022, July 6-8).  Pre-service teachers learning from parents of children with disability. Australian Teacher Education Association (ATEA) conference [online]. 

Scarparolo, G. (2022, May 31-1 June).  Differentiation: A focus on student voice.  Keynote presentation at the DI Asia (Differentiated Instruction) Summit 2022. https://www.diasia.academy/speakers 

Scarparolo, G. (2022, May 31-1 June).  What's on the menu? A spotlight on the learning menu strategy.  Spotlight session at the DI Asia (Differentiated Instruction) Summit 2022. https://www.diasia.academy/speakers

Scarparolo, G., & Mayne, F. (2020, August 24-28).  "We Have Important Things to Say Too!” The perspectives and experiences of children aged 8-12 years on a steering committee [Paper accepted for EERA Network 25: Research on Children's Rights in Education]. ECER conference at the University of Glasgow, Scotland.  (Conference cancelled due to COVID-19)

Scarparolo, G. (2019, September).  Inclusive education: is it inclusive of gifted students' needs? Paper presented at the UKFIET conference at the University of Oxford, England.  

Scarparolo, G., & Mayne, F. (2019, July).  Using mixed-reality simulation technology with pre-service teachers to increase their self-efficacy for explaining differentiation to parents.  Paper presented at the Australian Teacher Education Association (ATEA) conference, Queensland, Australia. 

Scarparolo, G., & MacKinnon, S. (2018, December).  Differentiation: What do Year 6 boys think?  Paper presented at the London International Conference on Education at the University of Cambridge, England.  

Scarparolo, G., & Subban, P. (2018, July).  Teacher Education: Preparing teachers for diversity through the practice of differentiation.  Paper presented at the Australian Teacher Education Association (ATEA) / Teacher Education Forum of Aotearoa New Zealand (TEFANZ) conference, Melbourne, Australia. 

State conference presentations

Scarparolo, G. (2024, June 24).  Quality Inclusive Practice: Maximising opportunities for student participation, engagement and achievement.  Successful Learning Conference 2024, University of Sydney, Australia. 

Scarparolo, G. (2023, March 17-18).  What can we learn from gifted students and their parents? Implications for practice. Keynote presentation at The Queensland Association for Gifted and Talented Children (QAGTC) Annual State Conference. Theme: Gifted Groups: from Diversity to Differentiation, Brisbane, Australia. 

Scarparolo, G. (2023, March 17-18).  Planning for differentiation: Challenges and opportunities. Invited presentation at The Queensland Association for Gifted and Talented Children (QAGTC) Annual State Conference. Theme: Gifted Groups: from Diversity to Differentiation, Brisbane, Australia. 

Scarparolo, G. (2021, July).  Utilising technology to be inclusive and engage all learners in the Humanities and Social Sciences learning area.  Google Educator Conference 2021.  

Mayne, F., & Scarparolo, G. (2021, January).  SimLab: Translating theory into practice.  WAND Teaching and Learning Forum Virtual Conference.   

Scarparolo, G. (2020, August).  Truffula Trees to Thneeds: Deforestation and Sustainable Management of Forests.  HASS Week WA Virtual Conference, Theme: Sustainability.

Scarparolo, G. (2019, August).  Providing opportunities for student voice in the classroom.  HASS Week WA conference presentation at the State Library of Western Australia. 

Scarparolo, G., & MacKinnon, S. (2018, August).  Differentiation and challenge based learning: What do students learn, create and publish?  HASS Week WA conference presentation at the State Library of Western Australia.  

Scarparolo, G. (2017, October).  Differentiating the Economics and Business curriculum in Years 5 & 6.  AISWA HASS conference at Perth College, Western Australia.

Scarparolo, G. (2017, September). 'Differentiating with Technology'.  Google CS4HS conference at The University of Western Australia.

Professional presentations

Scarparolo, G. (2023, April).  Differentiation: a focus on responsive and inclusive teaching.  St Hilda's Anglican School for Girls, Senior School, Mathematics Department, Western Australia. 

Scarparolo, G. (2022, October).  Differentiation: a focus on responsive and inclusive teaching.  St Hilda's Anglican School for Girls, Junior School, Perth Western Australia.  

Scarparolo, G. (2021, March 31st).  Engaged, informed and active citizens: voice, agency, inquiry and action.  Invited Guest Speaker at the Open House event at the Constitutional Centre of Western Australia during HASS Week WA.  

Scarparolo, G. (2020, October 28th).  Optimising teaching and learning in break out rooms.  Teaching Excellence Webinar Series at The University of Western Australia.  

Scarparolo, G. (2019, November).  Resourcing the Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) curriculum, Primary.  AISWA Libraries AGM held at Methodist Ladies' College, Claremont.  

Scarparolo, G. (2019, June).  Differentiation: what's the point? Riverton Primary School, Western Australia. 

Scarparolo, G. (2019, January).  Catering for diversity through differentiation when teaching the HASS curriculum.  Riverton Primary School, Western Australia. 

Scarparolo, G. (2018, November).  Differentiation for Gifted Students.  Presentation for Gifted WA, Western Australia

Scarparolo, G. (2018, August).  Writing to cater for students' interests, readiness and learning profile: A differentiated approach.  ALEA Professional Learning Series, Perth, Western Australia.

Scarparolo, G. (2018, March).  Differentiation instructional strategies - two professional learning workshops. Christ Church Grammar School (Years 5 and 6 teachers), Western Australia. 

Scarparolo, G. (2017, August).  An introduction and overview of differentiation.  Mount Lawley Primary School, Western Australia.