We know more about teaching than ever—so why is change so slow? with Joanna Barbousas (Ep 69)

We know more about teaching than ever—so why is change so slow? with Joanna Barbousas (Ep 69)

From Chalk & Talk by Anna Stokke

April 17, 2026 · 1h 2m · Episode 69

About this episode

Anna Stokke interviews Joanna Barbousas about the challenges and strategies in transforming teacher education and implementing evidence-based practices in universities.

In this episode, Anna is joined by Professor Joanna Barbousas, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Education, Impact and Innovation, and Dean of the School of Education at La Trobe University in Australia. Early in her career, Joanna noticed that many capable students struggled to access the curriculum due to gaps in foundational reading and language skills—an insight that has shaped her work ever since. Now, she is focused on transforming teacher education to better prepare educators using evidence-based practices. Joanna shares how she led major changes at La Trobe University–redesigning programs to align with the science of learning and launching initiatives like the Science of Language and Reading Lab and the Science of Math Education Lab. Anna and Joanna also explore why change is so difficult in universities and what it takes to lead meaningful reform. This is a compelling conversation for anyone interested in improving education and translating research into practice. This episode is also available in video at www.youtube.com/@chalktalk-stokke SHORT COURSE La Trobe Short Course: Evidence-informed Mathematics Teaching – An Introduction…

People in this episode

Host: Anna Stokke

Guest: Joanna Barbousas

Topics covered

  • teacher education
  • evidence-based practices
  • curriculum access
  • educational reform
  • science of learning

Keywords

  • education
  • teacher training
  • curriculum
  • reading skills
  • mathematics education
  • university reform
  • evidence-informed teaching

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: La Trobe University, Science of Language and Reading Lab, Science of Math Education Lab

Places: Australia

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