Ms. Selena Prior
Scholarly Teaching Fellow, Teacher Education
Campus
Biography
Selena Prior is an experienced lecturer in initial teacher education and an educational consultant, with more than twenty-five years of professional experience across school, university and education management contexts. She is passionate about teaching and learning and enjoys mentoring ITE students to become capable, confident teachers.
Selena began her career as a middle years teacher in a select-entry accelerated program, teaching English and the humanities. She later moved into higher education as a teacher and mentor of pre-service teachers at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education and now at Federation University Australia.
Selena worked for several years as an education consultant on a project funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, delivering professional learning in global education and curriculum development to teachers across Victoria. She has also held consultancy roles with Thinking Connections, the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority, and the Melbourne Graduate School of Education.
Her PhD research investigates factors that impact English teachers’ preparedness to teach ethics and ethical reasoning. Working in partnership with The Ethics Centre and the Menzies Foundation, Selena is developing and trialling online ethics curriculum modules and resources. She has also collaborated with the Art Gallery of Ballarat and the Victorian Association of Philosophy in Schools (VAPS) to create short films and resources for regional schools.
More about Selena
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours), University of Melbourne
- Graduate Diploma of Education, University of Melbourne
- Master of Education (Research), University of Melbourne
- PhD candidate (current), Federation University
Areas of interest
- Initial teacher education
- Humanities education, especially history, geography and civics
- Ethics education
- Democracy and civics education
- Mentoring and partnership
Areas of expertise
Selena Prior has expertise in initial teacher education, with a strong focus on humanities education, including history, geography and civics. She is particularly interested in ethics education and philosophy in schools, supporting teachers and pre‑service teachers to develop the knowledge and confidence to teach ethical reasoning, democratic participation and global citizenship.
Selena also has extensive expertise in mentoring and partnership work, building effective connections between universities, schools and external organisations. Her experience includes curriculum design, professional learning and educational consultancy, with a strong emphasis on translating research into practical resources and programs that support teachers and students, particularly in regional and diverse educational contexts.
Grants
- Menzies Leadership Foundation, Industry Partnership Scholarship (2025–2027)
- Federation University Research Training Program (RTP) Stipend Scholarship (2025–2027) for the project: Ethics education
- Teaching Excellence Program – Curriculum development (Professional Learning Curriculum – Developing Geospatial Skills (Primary–Secondary), Department of Education and Training
- Primary and secondary education
- Humanities curriculum
- Curriculum and assessment
Professional association memberships
- History Teacher’s Association of Victoria
- Prior, S. & Wilks, S. Philosophy in Public and other educational spaces in Burgh, G., & Thornton, S. (Eds.) (2019). Philosophical Inquiry with Children: The development of an inquiring society in Australia. Abingdon: Routledge
- Prior, S. (2023). Primary teaching strategies from pre-service practice. Agora (Melbourne, Vic.), 58(1), 35–38.
- Prior, S. (2024). Approaches for activating the ethical understanding capability. Agora (Melbourne, Vic.), 59(1), 45–49.
- Prior, S., (reviewed by), & Dyason, F., (reviewed by). (2025). Kritikos: Reviews. Agora, 60(3), 72.