Gemma is the Course Coordinator of the Master of Teaching Primary (MTeach Primary) program in the Graduate School of Education (2020→). 

Gemma has taught primary and secondary school children in Western Australia.  She began tertiary teaching at Edith Cowan University in the Bachelor of Education (Primary) and Graduate Diploma of Education (Primary) courses.  At ECU she coordinated several units including the Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) curriculum unit (Primary).

Gemma began teaching at UWA in the Graduate School of Education in Semester 2, 2016 coordinating and teaching the unit, Differentiating the Curriculum in the Master of Teaching courses.  Gemma has been awarded two faculty Excellence in Teaching Awards (2018 and 2020) in the Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Education, and a UWA Award for Excellence in Teaching (2020). 

As an early career researcher, her research is focused on inclusive and equitable teacher practices which cater for diversity and the authentic inclusion of student voice both in the classroom and the wider community.  One of her current research projects focuses on the voices of gifted primary-aged students and their experiences in inclusive classrooms.  Another research project focuses on the intersection between child rights (Convention on the Rights of the Child), inclusive practices, and developing informed and active global citizens through the Humanities and Social Sciences curriculum and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.  

Gemma is the co-convenor, with Dr. Fiona Mayne, of the Children's VOICE Conference hosted at UWA in partnership with UNICEF Australia.  https://childrensvoice.net/    @VOICE_UWA  

She enjoys facilitating professional development in schools regarding her teaching areas and research interests. 

National and international conference presentations

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. (July, 2021).  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. (2021, March).  Engaged, Informed and Active Citizens: voice, agency, inquiry and action.  Open House at the Constitutional Centre of Western Australia, HASS Week WA.  

Scarparolo, G. (2020, October).  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.  

2021

Graduate School of Education Small Research Grant.

Project title: Hearing the voices of parents of children with disability: What do pre-service teachers learn about disability, effective consultation, and communication with parents?

18/7/2021 → 30/06/2022

2020

Graduate School of Education Scholarship of Learning and Teaching (SoLT) Small Grant.

Project title: Providing secondary pre-service teachers with a differentiated assessment.

6/7/2020 → 6/12/2021

Current research collaborations

Dr Pearl Subban (Monash University)

Dr Fiona Mayne (UWA)

UNICEF Australia

The University of Western Australia

2020→  Master of Teaching Primary Course Coordinator

Master of Teaching Early Childhood, Primary and Secondary

EDUC5514 Differentiating the Curriculum/Diversity in inclusive classrooms (2016 - present).

EDUC5485 Development, Teaching and Learning: Theory and Practice - Unit Coordinator (2018 and 2019).

EDUC5501 Integrated Studies: The Humanities and Social Sciences - Unit Coordinator (2018 - present).

EDUC5710 Advanced Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment - Unit Co-coordinator (2018 - present).

EDUC5509 Interventions for Learning  (Early Childhood and Primary) Unit Co-coordinator (2017 and 2019).

EDUC5485 Development of Teaching and Learning: Theory and Practice (2017, 2018 and 2019).

EDUC1104 A world of mobile learning. UWA Broadening unit tutor (2017 and 2018)

UWA mentor for the partnership project, Building Leadership for Change through School Immersion - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) with Phoenix Academy (3 months, 2017).

2021

Partnership with Bold Park Primary School as a host of a VOICE event

2020

Co-convenor, with Dr Fiona Mayne, of the VOICE children's conference in partnership with Unicef Australia(November 22, 2020) hosted at UWA.  VOICE, Voicing Our Ideas for Children Everywhere.  https://childrensvoice.net/

2019

Co-convenor, with Dr Fiona Mayne, of the inaugral VOICE children's conference in partnership with Unicef Australia (November 17, 2019) hosted at UWA.  VOICE, Voicing Our Ideas for Children Everywhere.  https://childrensvoice.net/

HASS week WA steering committee member (2019) representing UWA as the acacdemic partner.

Co-organiser, with Linda Cranley, of a Heritage Walk in Fremantle by Mike Lefroy for pre-service teachers as part of HASS Week WA (August, 2019)  

Co-organiser of HASS Matters event (August, 2019) at UWA with UWA academic staff and UWA Business and Marketing staff as part of HASS Week WA.  

Partnership with Riverton Primary School to support teachers to cater for gifted students through differentiation. 

2018

Event organiser for the launch of HASS Week WA at UWA with Dr Loretta Dolan (August, 2018).    

2017

Organising committee member for the Graduate School of Education inaugral digital technologies conference, 'Bringing learning to life with digital technologies: A conference by teachers for teachers' hosted by UWA at the Centre for Education Futures (28th October, 2017).