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Dr. Daya Weerasinghe

Lecturer, FAST Mathematics

Contact

Campus

Berwick Campus

Biography

Dr Daya Weerasinghe is a lecturer (mathematics) and teacher educator (mathematics education) working in the Institute of Education, Arts and Community (IEAC) at the Berwick Campus of Federation University Australia. He joined the University in 2018 after completing his PhD studies at Monash University. He worked as a teaching associate and research associate at Clayton and Peninsula campuses while he was a PhD candidate at Monash University. Prior to his PhD, Daya worked at secondary schools in Australia, Box Hill Institute of TAFE and Victoria University.  

Daya has extensive experience in teaching secondary school students and teaching and research within higher education. He worked as a mathematics and ICT teacher in a number of metropolitan and regional secondary schools in Victoria. Daya has a lifelong interest in learning and teaching mathematics and is committed to the development of future mathematicians and mathematics teachers.  

Daya's academic work engages with a range of interconnected areas within mathematics education across teacher education and higher education contexts. In particular, he examines teaching and learning practices in mathematics, with a focus on the knowledge and experiences. His research also explores parents’ perceptions of, and involvement in, their children’s mathematics education. Additionally, he investigates how factors such as culture, gender and year level (K–12) shape students’ learning experiences and outcomes in mathematics.

Available for

HDR Supervision

HDR Examiner

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More about Daya

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Monash University
  • Graduate Diploma of Education, Monash University
  • Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, Box Hill Institute of TAFE
  • Master of Science (Computer Science), University of Colombo
  • Master of Engineering (Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering), University of Moratuwa
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Computer Technology, University of Colombo
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Writership and Communication, University of Sri Jayawardanepura
  • Bachelor of Science, University of Peradeniya

Areas of interest

  • Mathematics education 
  • Learning and teaching mathematics (primary, secondary and tertiary) 
  • Data analysis techniques 
  • Assessment methods and evaluation 

Areas of expertise

  • Mathematics teaching and learning in teacher education and higher education 
  • Students’ performance in enabling programs 
  • Parents’ perceptions and involvement in their children’s mathematics education 
  • Pre-service teacher knowledge and experiences 
  • Culture, gender and year level (K–12) differences in learning mathematics 

Grants

  • Seed grant, National Association of Enabling Educators of Australia (NAEEA) 

Awards

  • 1988: Awarded medal for coming first in Mathematics paper, City & Guilds of London Institute Examination for Telecommunication Technicians (UK)

Current

  • PhD student, Federation University, ‘Influence of culturally responsive pedagogy in stem curriculum on the academic success and students’ engagement at secondary level’, supervisor. 

Past

  • PhD student, Federation University, ‘Potential enablers and barriers in women's higher education in Afghanistan', co-supervisor. 

Specialist roles

  • Federation University Human Research Ethics Committee academic representative
  • Federation University GTPA panel member 
  • Benchmarking, Master of Teaching (primary) and Teaching and Learning Primary Mathematics 1 (Victoria University)
  • Thesis examiner (Master of Education Studies and Graduate Certificate of Education) 

Professional association memberships

  • Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT)
  • Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia (MERGA)
  • International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME)
  • National Association of Enabling Educators of Australia (NAEEA)
  • Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) 
  • World Federation of Associations of Teacher Education (WFATE) 
  • Publications

Receptive vocabulary size estimates for general and academic vocabulary at a multi-campus Australian university

Remote Learning and Teaching: Critical Perspectives of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Teacher Education in Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, and India