Dr Martyn Mills-Bayne
Senior Lecturer
School of Education
College of Education, Behavioural and Social Sciences
Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD (as Co-Supervisor) - email supervisor to discuss availability.
I am a Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Education at the University of South Australia where I have been teaching in Initial Teacher Education across early childhood and primary programs for over 17 years. Before becoming a university teacher educator, I taught in junior primary schools and preschools across Adelaide's North and North-East suburbs.
My honours research was centred on the areas of moral reasoning and values education in Early Childhood settings and my PhD doctoral thesis was titled 'Fostering Children’s Capacity for Empathic Reasoning: The Role of Community of Inquiry in an Empathic Pedagogy'. I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) and support a range of early career academic colleagues through UniSA’s Teaching Academic Group (TAG) in the Education Futures Unit.
My research interests are in Social Emotional Learning, neurodiversity in education, supporting international student teachers, and the benefits of esports in schools and communities.
I am AuDHD and have a passion for supporting neurodiverse learners through universal design principles and approaches across all areas of teaching and learning. I am a co-leader of the newly founded Neurodiversity@UniSA Special Interest Group.
I am also an enthusiastic advocate for a gender diverse Early Years Workforce, and I promote and support a push for more men in ECEC through UniSA's innovative MENtor Program for Males in ECE and my involvement with the Minderoo Foundation Dad's Alliance.
I have delivered a wide range of conference presentations and invited lectures across Australia and internationally, including recent international keynotes for the 2024 Family Education and Social Support Academic Symposium at Sichuan Normal University in China, and the 2024 NZ Office of Early Childhood Education National Summit in Wellington, New Zealand.
I am a current member of The Front Project's Apiary Fellowship which is a network of diverse leaders in the early childhood field who work together to enact change in the systems and structures of the ECEC sector and beyond.
I regularly engage with media around topics related to the early years workforce, gender diversity in ECEC, and the social emotional needs of children. I am available for expert comment in these areas, or any related aspect of Early Childhood Education.
Where are all the male teachers?
The Conversation
- Moral development in young children,
- Critical thinking in Early Childhood Educational settings,
- Empathic Pedagogy in Junior Primary,
- Males in Early Childhood Education
| Date | Type | Title | Institution Name | Country | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Award | Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning | University of South Australia | Australia | 500AUD |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Mills-Bayne, M. (2025). Radical ideas for increasing gender diversity in the ECEC workforce. In 2025 ECA National Conference: Universal not Uniform. Perth. |
| 2024 | Mills-Bayne, M. (2024). A few good men: thriving VS surviving’: Building a strong, sustainable and diverse ECEC workforce. In Thriving Educators, Aspiring Male Professionals (TEAM). online. |
| 2022 | Mills-Bayne, M., Spears, B., & Taddeo, C. (2022). Innovations in leisure planning: the role of local government in providing for the growth of esports. In Parks and Leisure Australia SA/NT 2022 Conference: Innovation in Parks, Sports and Leisure: The New Normal. Adelaide. |
| 2022 | Mills-Bayne, M., Spears, B., & Taddeo, C. (2022). Esports in schools and communities: let’s learn and game. In Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) 2022 Conference. Adelaide. |
| 2022 | Mills-Bayne, M., Raymond, S., & Hudson, R. (2022). Enabling the unpacking and re-packing of transcultural schoolbags through an immersive placement experience. In National Association of Enabling Educators of Australia (NAEEA) 2022 Conference. Adelaide. |
| 2020 | Mills-Bayne, M. (2020). Expanding transcultural boundaries: the UniSA regional placement experience. In https://isana.org.au/isana-2020-conference-proceedings/. online. |
| 2018 | Mills-Bayne, M. (2018). Belonging in the early years: The right of the child to a gender diverse educational experience. In 2018 National Men’s Health Gathering: 12th National Men’s Health Conference & 9th Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Male Health Convention. Parramatta. |
| 2018 | Mills-Bayne, M. (2018). The empathic pedagogy: Care and compassion in the community of inquiry. In Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) SA Conference 2018. Adelaide. |
| 2018 | Mills-Bayne, M. (2018). Not a “boy’s club”: The creation of the Australian Association for Men in Early Childhood (AAMEC). In International Early Childhood Symposium (IECS). Sydney. |
| 2017 | Mills-Bayne, M., Soong, H., Geer, R., Rebecca, R. -N., & Lucas, B. (2017). 'Bridging the gap - connecting lifeworld experiences to Australian schooling: Experiences of international pre-service teachers (IPSTs) in the 'Celebrating Cultural Diversity' Program at UniSA. In National Association of Field Experience Administrators (NAFEA) Conference 2017. Adelaide. |
| 2017 | Mills-Bayne, M. (2017). ”I had the feeling that parents didn’t want to talk to me”: Supporting male pre-service teachers on Early Childhood Education placements. In National Association of Field Experience Administrators (NAFEA) Conference 2017. Adelaide. |
| 2017 | Mills-Bayne, M. (2017). Being male, becoming connected, & belonging in the early years: Building on the success of the MENtor Program for Males in ECE. In Down to Earth Practical Solutions (DTEPS) MENu Conference. Canberra. |
| 2017 | Mills-Bayne, M. (2017). The ethics of hunting Pokemon and other creatures of the imagination. In Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) SA Conference 2017. Adelaide. |
| 2016 | Mills-Bayne, M. (2016). Stepping out of isolation: Supporting males in early childhood education through the MENtor program. In Men in Early Childhood Care and Education Network New Zealand (ECMENz) Annual Forum. Tauranga. |
| 2016 | Mills-Bayne, M., Raymond, S., & Webb-Williams, J. (2016). Transforming play: the nature of modern childhood and implications for education. In Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) Conference. Melbourne. |
| 2016 | Mills-Bayne, M., Soong, H., Geer, R., Reid-Nguyen, R., Whitington, V., & Lucas, B. (2016). Enhancing better learning outcomes for international pre-service teachers: Reflections from teacher educators on professional experience placement in a ‘Celebrating Cultural Diversity’ Program. In Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) Conference. Melbourne. |
| 2016 | Mills-Bayne, M. (2016). The MENtor program for males in early childhood education: Addressing the impacts of gender imbalance on student experience. In Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) Conference. Melbourne. |
| 2015 | Mills-Bayne, M. (2015). Fostering empathic reasoning and ethical understanding through the Community of Inquiry Approach. In Australian Curriculum Studies Association (ACSA) Biennial Curriculum Conference: Curriculum Leadership for a Diverse Australia. Adelaide. |
| 2014 | Mills-Bayne, M., & Kinnear, V. (2014). 'Children's use of justificatory language within and without the Community of Inquiry', Philosophy's Contribution to School Education. In The Federation of Australasian Philosophy in Schools Associations (FAPSA) 2014 Annual Conference. Canberra. |
| 2013 | Mills-Bayne, M. (2013). Giving male Early Childhood Educators a voice: A survey of male ECE graduates from UniSA 2003-2013. In Australian Association for Research in Education (AARA) Annual International Conference. Adelaide. |
| 2013 | Mills Bayne, M. (2013). Emotional dialogue in the Community of Inquiry: building an empathic pedagogy. In 2013 FAPSA Conference : Philosophy in Schools: Supporting Teaching and Learning. Australia: FAPSA - Federation of Australasian Philosophy in Schools Associations. |
| 2012 | Mills-Bayne, M. (2012). The Identity Web: deepening our dialogue about social and cultural similarities through engagement with wool and words. In The Joint AARE and APERA Conference. Sydney. |
| 2012 | Mills-Bayne, M. (2012). The Community of Inquiry: strengthening the teacher/researcher collaborative relationship. In The Joint AARE and APERA Conference. Sydney. |
| 2011 | Mills-Bayne, M., & Kinnear, V. (2011). Ways of listening: ‘community of inquiry’ as a methodological participatory tool for children’s voice in research and pedagogy. In AARE International Research in Education Conference. Hobart. |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Mills-Bayne, M. (2026). Equity across the sector: Supporting a gender diverse workforce in Ambrose School Age Care. Poster session presented at the meeting of 2026 Professional Learning Program, Ambrose School Aged Care. Olympic Park, Sydney. |
| 2024 | Mills-Bayne, M. (2024). A little less conversation, A lot more action’: Building a strong, sustainable and diverse ECEC workforce. Poster session presented at the meeting of New Zealand Office of Early Childhood Education National Summit: ‘The future for children in ECE and care’. Wellington: New Zealand Office of Early Childhood Education (OECE). |
| 2024 | Mills-Bayne, M. (2024). The Importance of Male Involvement in Family Education’: Supporting young children’s development in Chinese families. Poster session presented at the meeting of 2024 Family Education and Social Support Academic Symposium. Sichuan Normal University, China. |
| 2020 | Mills-Bayne, M. (2020). Men working in early childhood education – where now?. Poster session presented at the meeting of Men’s Health Connected Online Summit: 2020 National Men’s Health Gathering: 13th National Men’s Health Conference & 10th Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Male Health Convention. online. |
| 2020 | Mills-Bayne, M. (2020). Men working in early childhood education – where now?. Poster session presented at the meeting of Men’s Health Connected Online Summit: 2020 National Men’s Health Gathering: 13th National Men’s Health Conference & 10th Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Male Health Convention. online. |
| 2018 | Mills-Bayne, M. (2018). Why philosophy?: Developing general capabilities for life. Poster session presented at the meeting of 2018 Australasian Philosothon: Federation of Australasian Philosophy in Schools Associations (FAPSA). St Peters College Adelaide. |
| 2018 | Mills-Bayne, M. (2018). Male Educators on the Fringe. Poster session presented at the meeting of MENu conference 2018: Male Educators on the Fringe. Adelaide. |
| 2018 | Mills-Bayne, M. (2018). Male Educators on the Fringe. Poster session presented at the meeting of MENu conference 2018: Male Educators on the Fringe. Adelaide. |
| 2017 | Mills-Bayne, M. (2017). Educator Panel. Poster session presented at the meeting of Community Early Learning Australia (CELA) INSPIRE Conference 2017. Sydney. |
| 2017 | Mills-Bayne, M. (2017). Educator Panel. Poster session presented at the meeting of Community Early Learning Australia (CELA) INSPIRE Conference 2017. Sydney. |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2021 | Mills-Bayne, M., Spears, B., Taddeo, C., Barnes, A., & Victoria, T. (2021). Facilitators of, and barriers to, positive esports behaviours: A pilot study. Adelaide: University of South Australia. |
| 2017 | Soong, H., Kerkham, L., Geer, R., Lucas, B., Mills Bayne, M., & Reid Nguyen, R. (2017). Celebrating cultural diversity practicum preparatory program: enhancing better learning outcomes for international pre-service teachers undertaking practicums in western contexts. Australia: Australian Government Office of Learning and Teaching. |
| 2015 | Webb Williams, J., Mills Bayne, M., & Raymond, S. (2015). Children's Voices in Play: Research report prepared for City of Salisbury Council 2015. Australia: University of South Australia. |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2017 | Mills-Bayne, M. (2017). Fostering children's capacity for empathic reasoning: the role of community of inquiry in an empathic pedagogy. (University of South Australia). |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Mills-Bayne, M. (2025). Parents are feeling anxious about men in childcare centres. Stronger rules would make everyone feel safer. The Conversation. |
| 2017 | Mills-Bayne, M., Rhodin, M., & Jackson, B. (2017). It takes a village. Early Childhood Australia. |
Courses I teach
- EDUC 1100 Contemporary Contexts of Early Childhood Education (2025)
- EDUC 2056 Humanities and Social Sciences Education (2025)
- EDUC 2092 Professional Experience 2: Curriculum and Pedagogy (Early Childhood) (2025)
- EDUC 5287 Early Childhood Professional Experience and Reflection (Junior Primary) (2025)
- EDUC 1100 Contemporary Contexts of Early Childhood Education (2024)
- EDUC 1102 Foundations in Learning and Teaching 1: Learning through Play (2024)
- EDUC 2056 Humanities and Social Sciences Education (2024)
- EDUC 2092 Professional Experience 2: Curriculum and Pedagogy (Early Childhood) (2024)
- EDUC 5287 Early Childhood Professional Experience and Reflection (Junior Primary) (2024)
Available For Media Comment.