Professor Rebecca Bull recently joined the Faculty of Human Sciences as a Professor of Numeracy in the Department of Educational Studies. Originally hailing from the UK, Rebecca’s research draws on a number of disciplines – including education, cognitive science and psychology – to better understand the typical and atypical development of numeracy and cognitive skills in children, and how educators can best support this development.
In the area of early childhood development, Rebecca is interested in how young children think about number and quantity, and how these basic skills (often referred to as number sense) support growth in mathematical skills. She also examines how the development of cognitive skills, such as working memory or the ability to self-regulate behaviour, contribute to children’s typical (and atypical) development.
Rebecca has examined children and parents’ informal numeracy interactions, the pedagogical approaches to numeracy that educators use in day care settings, and the quality of educator-child interactions. Her findings have helped to identify early risk indicators for later mathematical difficulties as well as the development of classroom-based interventions.
Rebecca also has conducted research involving children and adults with hearing loss and is keen to test whether synchronous multi-sensory information (or a lack of) impacts how we represent and activate numerical information.
Rebecca has a wide range of interests and expertise to offer colleagues as well as the leadership skills and experience to build Macquarie’s reputation in numeracy, adding to our already exceptional interdisciplinary reputation in child development. She is looking forward to getting to know colleagues across the Faculty. You can contact her by email at r.bull@mq.edu.au.
Want to know more about Professor Bull? Read on to discover 10 more things about her interests outside research:
1) The thing I find most rewarding in my role is…
Seeing students and research staff proactively engage in research because they WANT to, not because they HAVE to.
2) The question I hear most often in my work is…
The question I hear most often in my work is… are you analysing me (when you tell them you are also a psychologist).
3) My mother/father always told me…
Be polite, and never jump the queue (very British!)
4) My guilty pleasure is…
Watching Great British Bake Off.
5) This year I want to…
Grow more veggies and transition into a more sustainable lifestyle
6) My hidden talent is…
Sailing – I am a certified bareboat skipper, but have only had a few opportunities to put my skills into practice. Anyone looking for novice competent crew for their yacht…..?
7) The bravest thing I’ve done is…
A night dive in an unexpectedly fast current.
8) Something I’ve never done but wanted to try is…
A very long distance multi-day walk, preferably accompanied by a dog.
9) A place that’s special to me is…
A little beach in the Philippines with basic accommodation, wonderful sunsets, a house reef for snorkelling and diving, and great margaritas.
10) A moment I’ll always remember is…
Sharing wedding vows on a deserted beach in Western Australia, and then going back to our campervan for a delicious wedding dinner of canned chilli con carne.