Researcher biography

Rob Gilbert worked as a teacher in Queensland secondary schools before completing his doctorate in curriculum studies at the University of London. His experience in curriculum work includes research and evaluation, consultancy and involvement in curriculum committees and agencies.

Rob Gilbert’s expertise is in curriculum development, research and evaluation. He has been a consultant for State and Commonwealth governments, the New Zealand Ministry of Education and the Curriculum Corporation. His research addresses issues of curriculum theory, design and development across a range of fields and levels of education. The work draws on sociocultural perspectives on schools and school contexts, concepts from the sociology of knowledge and the curriculum, and discourse theory.

Particular applications have included research in social and environmental education, education for citizenship, gender in education, the education of boys, standards based curriculum and assessment, and research training.

He is currently working on an analysis of contemporary Australian curriculum debates related to the culture wars and controversies about educational standards, as well as the development of standards based approaches to curriculum and assessment.