Associate Professor Peter O'Connor - The University of Auckland

Associate Professor Peter O'Connor

Associate Professor Peter O'Connor
School of Critical Studies in Education

phone	+64 9 623 8899 ext 48477
fax	+64 9 623 8836
office	N335
email	p.oconnor@auckland.ac.nz
website	n/a

Background
Peter’s research interests centre on the application of drama pedagogy within wider social justice or public education actions. His most recent work includes developing a national theatre in education programme on family violence and child abuse. His PhD which won the AATE Distinguished Dissertation award in Washington DC in 2006 examined the use of drama to counter stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness as part of the Like Minds campaign. Peter is a Co Director of Applied Theatre Consultants Ltd. The company has held national education and research contracts with New Zealand Ministries of Education, Health, Police, Social Development, Justice, Corrections, the Department of Internal Affairs and Biosecurity New Zealand. International consultancy contracts have been conducted in Australia, Singapore, Taiwan, Vanuatu, Hong Kong and China.

Peter is Director of the Critical Research Unit in Applied Theatre.

Previous Professional Experience
Classroom teacher; Guidance Coordinator; part time lecturer; National Education Manager at the Race Relations Office; Project manager with the Mental Health Foundation; National Drama Facilitator with the Ministry of Education; Associate Professor, The University of Melbourne.

Publications

Recent publications include

O'Connor, P. (Ed.) (forthcoming 2010). Creating Democratic Citizenship Through Drama Education: Selected Writings of Jonothan Neelands. Stoke on Trent: Trentham Books.
O'Connor P. (forthcoming 2010) Everyday Theatre: A Case Study of Social Work Practice in New Zealand Schools. In Khazanghatte, J.& Chui, E. Voices of School Social Workers. Continuum Press: London.
O'Connor, P. (2009). Open the Loop: An applied theatre approach to cyberbullying. In M. Anderson, J. Carroll & D. Cameron (Eds.),Teaching drama with digital technologies: applying theatre, drama and technology to learning. Continuum Press: London.
O'Connor, P. (2009) Education for Now: Key Incompetencies. Teachers and Curriculum Vol 11.
O’Connor, P. (2009). Education from the edge. Drama Australia Journal Special Edition on National Curriculum 2010.
O’Connor, P. (2009) Silent, upon a peak in Darien: Education from the Edge. National (UK) Drama Magazine. Volume 1.
O’Connor, P. (2009) (Ed.) Everyday conversations about applied theatre. Child abuse and family violence addressed through theatre. Research in Drama Education Themed Edition.Vol 14.4. (Invited editor).
O’Connor, P. (2009). Miracles unnoticed. Research in Drama Education Special Edition Vol.14.4
O’Connor, P. (2009). Editorial. Research in Drama Education Special Edition. Vol 14.4
Stinson, M. and O'Connor, P. (2008). Teaching drama to students with special needs: Designs and Methods. In L. Cohen, S. Wright & K. Poon (Eds.), Special Education: Perspectives and Practices. Continuum Press: Singapore.
O'Connor, P. (2008). Minimising risk: neither missionary nor messenger. In K. Donelan & A. O'Brien (Eds.), The Arts and Youth at Risk. Global and Local Challenges. Cambridge Scholars Publishers. Cambridge.
Germon, J., Probin, E. and O'Connor, P. (2008). Towards Respectful Relationships: Strategies for Building and Sustaining Cultures of Respect in New South Wales State Schools. Commissioned by the Department of Education and Training through the Gender Studies Department, the University of Sydney.
O'Connor, P. and O'Connor, B. (2008). Where do I go when the world has ended? Children's Voices on Child Abuse and Neglect. Commissioned by The Centre for Social Research and Evaluation Te Pokap? Rangahau Arotaki Hapori. Wellington: Ministry of Social Development.
O'Connor, P. (2008). Our Time Together: An evaluation of the Discovery Programme. Commissioned by Child Connection Charitable Trust.
O’Connor, P. (2007). Reflection and refraction - the dimpled mirror of process drama. Youth Theatre Journal Vol 21 pp1-12.
O’Connor, P. (2007). Applied Theatre: Pure of Heart-Naively Complicit. Caribbean Quarterly Vol 53, Nos 1 and 2 pp23-37.
O’Connor, P. (2007). The everyday becomes extraordinary: conversations about family violence through applied theatre. IDEA/ Applied Theatre Researcher Vol 8
O'Connor, P. (2009) Youth and Community Centres: What Young People Say. Commissioned by Auckland City Council.
O'Connor, P. (2007). Process drama: a pedagogy of hope and inclusion. In M. Anderson, J. Hughes & J. Manuel (Eds.), Drama and English Teaching: imagination, action and engagement. Oxford University Press.
O'Connor, P. (2006). Keeping a piece of the rainbow: empowerment and disempowerment in drama education. In L. McCammon & D. McLauchlan (Eds.), Universal Mosaic of Drama and Theatre: The Idea 2004 Dialogues. Ontario: IDEA Publications.

Recent Plenary and Keynote Conference Presentations

2010 (forthcoming) Keynote presentation to the National Conference for Teachers of English and Literacy, Perth, Western Australia.
2010 The Truth about Stories; Keynote presentation to the Association of Literacy Educators, Northern Tasmania Annual Conference, Launceston, Tasmania at the Applied Theatre Symposium, The University of Victoria, British Columbia.
2009 Plenary reflective keynote of The International Mantle of the Expert Conference, Waikato, New Zealand.
2009 Talking About the Way the World Wags Garth Boomer Memorial Address and keynote presentation to The National Conference for Teachers of English and Literacy, Hobart, Tasmania.
2009 Centuries Old, Still Innovative: Process Drama and Second Language Teaching. Keynote presentation to The Fourth International Conference on Drama and English Teaching, Tainan University, Taiwan.
2009 Where Do You Go when Your World has Ended? Children’s Voices on Child Abuse. Keynote presentation to the Fourth International Conference of Social Work in Schools, Massey, Auckland.
2009 How Far Back From the Edge. Invited keynote presentation to Drama New Zealand National Conference, Wellington.
2008 Risk, Resilience and Resistance. The Basics of Applied Theatre and Mental Health. Keynote presentation to Open the Heart in Arts International Conference on The Arts and Mental Health, Hong Kong.
2008 On a Peak in Darien. Drama from the edge. Keynote presentation to the National Drama Association, Durham, England.
2008 Applied Theatre and Mental Health: What’s in a hug? Keynote presentation to the International Symposium on the Arts and Health, University of Northampton.
2007 Making the Everyday Extraordinary. Keynote presentation to the International Symposium on Applied Theatre, Sydney, Australia.
2007 On the Margins. Invited Speaker at the World Creativity Summit, Hong Kong.
2006 Process Drama: Pedagogy of Hope and Inclusion. Keynote presentation to Drama and English Teaching: Imagination, Action and Engagement Conference, Sydney, Australia.

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