Tom Porta

Dr Tom Porta

Lecturer

School of Education

Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.

Hey there, I’m Tom. I am an academic, educator, researcher, and author - I used to write these biographies in the third person, to serve the reader as being an observer of my life, however, I have abandoned this form in my bio.

So, to that end, I will keep it brief.

My world revolves around shaping inclusive education and differentiated instruction. Completing my PhD in Inclusive Education in 2023 was a milestone, and now, I'm weaving my expertise as a Lecturer and educator, into helping schools achieve inclusive education.

With over a decade spent teaching in both primary and secondary settings, and another four years in tertiary education, I've dived deep into inclusive education, numeracy, learning difficulties, disabilities, and crafting programs for high support needs. I served as the Director of Inclusive Education, steering a local school toward a genuine culture of inclusion. It was a journey I'm incredibly proud of. I worked as a curriculum lead and project officer for the South Australian Government, supporting schools in curriculum implementation. Previously, I worked at Seymour College, teaching a range of subjects, heading the South Australian Certificate for Education, Vocational Education, and Learning Support. Previous to Seymour, I worked as Inclusive Education Coordinator for Mary Mackillop College in Kensington.

My research delves into senior-secondary schooling, focusing on how teachers approach differentiated instruction and their attitudes towards it. Exploring curriculum frameworks across Australian states is another passion of mine, seeking ways to enhance instruction efficiency and effectiveness. I'm all about empowering educators through robust professional development, nurturing their skills and confidence in embracing diverse teaching approaches.

I am the author of the book "The dance of differentiation", published by Amba Press in 2024. This book is a culmination of my learnings of a decade of teaching, in how to implement differentiation in the classroom.

Beyond my academic pursuits, I'm a board member of the Australian Association of Special Education committee (SA Chapter), driven by the collective goal of enhancing educational practices for students with diverse needs. I am an avid golfer and love spending time with my partner and our fur baby, Flora.

My research focuses on inclusive education, specifically inclusive teaching pedagogies and philosophies. I have a deep love of differentiation and differentiated instruction, investigating teachers self-efficacy in implementing differentiation. Similarly, I enjoy researching the impact of inclusive curriculum in the senior-secondary education space (Years 10-12). 

 

I am available to discuss doctoral supervision with prospective students.

 

I am the author of "The Dance of Differentiation", published by Amba Press in 2024. This book details in the teaching philosophy of differentiation, serving as a guide for teachers to implement differentiation in their classrooms. 

The Dance of Differentiation

 

  • Appointments
    Date Position Institution name
    2024 - ongoing Program Director, Master of Education University of Adelaide
    2024 - ongoing Lecturer in Education University of Adelaide
    2023 - 2024 Lecturer in Initial and Continuing Teacher Education Flinders University
    2023 - 2023 Director of Inclusive Education Woodcroft College
    2022 - 2022 Curriculum Lead Department for Education
    2021 - 2023 Sessional Academic Charles Sturt University
    2020 - 2023 Sessional Academic University of Southern Queensland
    2018 - 2021 Head of SACE Seymour College
    2016 - 2017 Inclusive Education Coordinator Mary Mackillop College
    2015 - 2015 Teacher Westminster School

  • Language Competencies
    Language Competency
    Italian Can read, write, speak and understand spoken

  • Education
    Date Institution name Country Title
    2023 University of New England Australia Diploma of Modern Languages (Italian)
    2019 - 2023 University of Southern Queensland Australia Doctor of Philosophy
    2015 - 2019 Flinders University Australia Master of Special Education
    2011 - 2014 Flinders University Australia Bachelor of Education(MSS)/Bachelor of the Arts

  • Certifications
    Date Title Institution name Country
    2019 Highly Accomplished Teacher AITSL -

  • Research Interests
    Inclusive education Teaching and curriculum Curriculum and Pedagogy

  • Journals
    Year Citation
    2024 Porta, T., Todd, N., & Gaunt, L. (2024). Australian senior-secondary teachers’ perceptions of leadership and policy for differentiated instruction. British Educational Research Journal, 50(3), 1022-1042.
    DOI
    2024 Porta, T., & Todd, N. (2024). The impact of labelling students with learning difficulties on teacher self-efficacy in differentiated instruction. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 24(1), 108-122.
    DOI Scopus1
    2022 Todd, N., Gaunt, L., & Porta, T. (2022). Terminology and Provision for Students with Learning Difficulties: An Examination of Australian State Government Education Department Websites. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 47(7), 21-37.
    DOI Scopus1 WoS1
    2022 Porta, T., Todd, N., & Gaunt, L. (2022). ‘I do not think I actually do it well’: a discourse analysis of Australian senior secondary teachers’ self-efficacy and attitudes towards implementation of differentiated instruction. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 22(3), 297-305.
    DOI Scopus4 WoS2
    2022 Porta, T., & Todd, N. (2022). Differentiated instruction within senior secondary curriculum frameworks: A small-scale study of teacher views from an independent South Australian school. Curriculum Journal, 33(4), 570-586.
    DOI Scopus7 WoS4

  • Conference Papers
    Year Citation
    2024 Porta, T., Quane, K., Thompson, M., Attard, C., Holmes, K., Gaunt, L., . . . Neill, B. (2024). Attending to Student Diversity in Mathematics Education in Inclusive Settings. In Surfing the waves of mathematics education. Gold Coast.
    2023 Quane, K., Gaunt, L., Trewartha, B., & Porta, T. (2023). Inclusive Mathematics Education: Supporting Students who are Hard of Hearing or Deaf/deaf. In Proceedings of the 45th Annual Conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia: Weaving Mathematics Education From All Perspectives. Newcastle.

  • Original Creative Works
    Year Citation
    2024 Authors: Porta T. Title: The Dance of Differentiation: Choreographing Inclusive Learning in Schools. Description: N/A. Extent: 200 pages.

  • Theses
    Year Citation
    2023 Porta, T. (2023). Differentiated instruction for students with learning difficulties in senior-secondary Australian schools: an inquiry of teacher attitudes and self-efficacy. (PhD Thesis, University of Southern Queensland).

 

Date Project/ No. Investigators Funding Body Amount
Jan 2024 Reading and differentiated instruction Dr Tom Porta & Dr Mellie Green ABLE ECR Grant $4800
July 2024 Inclusive education and wellbeing Dr Tom Porta, Professor Chris Boyle, Associate Professor Mathew White & Associate Professor Jo Anderson School of Education  $5000
January 2024 ITE and Autism Project Dr Tom Porta & Professor Susan Relly State Government SA $4200

EDUC3006 Critical Pedagogies in the Secondary Years

EDUC7558 Critical Pedagogies in the Secondary Years (Postgraduate)

EDUC7217 Curriculum, Assessment and Policy (Postgraduate)

  • Other Supervision Activities
    Date Role Research Topic Location Program Supervision Type Student Load Student Name
    2023 - 2024 Principal Supervisor Crisis and Education: Voices from Myanmar Higher Education Teachers Flinders University Master of Education Master - Kay Thwe Phyo
    2023 - 2024 Principal Supervisor Maldivian School Teachers’ Perceived Understanding and Planned use of Differentiated Instruction Flinders University Master of Education Master - Muna Adam

  • Board Memberships
    Date Role Board name Institution name Country
    2023 - ongoing Vice-President Australian Association of Special Education (SA Chapter) Australian Association of Special Education Australia

  • Committee Memberships
    Date Role Committee Institution Country
    2024 - ongoing Board Member ABLE Low Risk HREC Committee The University of Adelaide Australia

  • Memberships
    Date Role Membership Country
    2024 - ongoing Member Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia Australia
    2024 - ongoing Member ATEA Australia
    2022 - ongoing Member AARE Australia

  • Editorial Boards
    Date Role Editorial Board Name Institution Country
    2024 - ongoing Board Member The Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs National Association of Special educational Needs United Kingdom

  • Industry Partnerships
    Date Engagement Type Partner Name
    2024 - ongoing Collaboration ITE University Project

  • Presentation
    Date Topic Presented at Institution Country
    2024 - 2024 Examining the Australian educational landscape of differentiation through document analysis. ATEA University of Newcastle Australia
    2024 - 2024 The Dance of Differentiation School Inclusion Network School Inclusion Network Australia
    2024 - 2024 Differentiation PYP Network Meeting South Australia PYP Coordinators -
    2022 - 2022 AARE Conference: Australian senior-secondary teachers’ perceptions of differentiated instruction: implications for leadership and policy AARE UniSA City West Campus -
  • Position: Lecturer
  • Phone: 83130846
  • Email: tom.porta@adelaide.edu.au
  • Campus: North Terrace
  • Building: 10 Pulteney Street - Nexus 10 Tower, floor Eighth Floor
  • Org Unit: School of Education
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