The MSET Ed Research Group was saddened to hear of the passing of colleague Brian!
We wanted to create a tribute to Brian – acknowledging how we valued and loved him. Please help us celebrate Brian’s life by posting your own reflections and thoughts. Together we will create a wonderful celebration of his life and contributions to our fields.
Brian worked for many years in the field of teacher education with a strong commitment to mathematics in primary and early-childhood teaching. Brian was an active member of the STEM research group until his retirement, working and writing with a range of mathematics colleagues at Deakin, especially his partner Susie Groves. and internationally, especially Julian Williams from the University of Manchester. He was active in two ARC projects linking mathematics and science in the early 2000s that involved Russell Tytler and John Cripps Clark as well as Susie, and with a major Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers and Australian Academy of Science funded project on inquiry mathematics. The reSolve Modelling Motion sequence arose out of this research (https://resolve.edu.au/v84-sequences/modelling-motion-years-5-and-6). Brian also managed a large Deakin project in Malaysia, focused on teacher education for teaching mathematics and science in English.
Brian’s particular expertise was in early years mathematics. He was an advocate of Freudenthal’s ‘Realistic Maths Education’. He was active in the international mathematics education scene, with strong links to Europe, where he was active in the annual Symposium on Elementary Mathematics Teaching held in Prague and co-edited a book on interdisciplinary mathematics arising from the ICME conference, and Japan where he worked on Japanese Lesson Study with Susie Groves and Wanty Widjaja. He served on the executive of both AARE and MERGA.
Brian was known for his psychometric expertise, particularly in large-scale international assessment programmes such as TIMSS and PISA, developed during his work with ACER on Item Response Theory. His PhD involved exploring a new direction for international testing based on a ‘partial credit model’. When he joined Deakin this expertise in quantitative methods was in constant demand. Colleagues sought his advice and support with design and analysis of surveys, and he gave his time generously, even post retirement. Brian was a regular contributor to the Contemporary Approaches to Research methodology symposia, and at research retreats. He continued to present his research at international conferences after retirement.
His colleagues will miss Brian’s acerbic humour, his care for teachers and teaching, and his impressive knowledge which he would bring to his passionate advocacy on an encyclopaedic range of topics – and his wit and bonhomie.
I first met Brian in 1993 at a Cornell misconceptions conference and immediately recognised him as an amusing and somewhat counter-culture academic who was plain good company. I was delighted, then, when he became a colleague, and with Susie, his partner, and John CC and others, we forged some strong maths science interdisciplinary directions for the group. Brian knew his science, just as he knew his mathematics. We co-supervised, with Susie, PhD projects and that was an experience! Brian loved the cut and thrust of contested ideas – he could hold his ground in an argument. He paid me the honour of inviting me then to supervise his own PhD – I had to be convinced since the idea of a partial credit analysis of TIMSS data seemed beyond my comfort zone, but I agreed on the proviso he needed a critical perspective only. So … that’s where I received some great professional learning in Item Response Theory! There, he occupied a dual role as both my star pupil, and my generous tutor 😊. I know, too, how much he helped so many colleagues with their own survey work and analysis. I remember too his stories of boating and boat construction, and the house at Raymond Island. His back problems over the past few years were triggered, apparently, by some major remodelling of his Hawthorn apartment – fighting with a jackhammer (really?) at height! His political stories were equally individual and uncompromising … but entertaining. My recent interactions with Brian have been through the Christmas events that Susie and he orchestrated, and especially our shared conversations attending Melbourne Theatre Company seasons. He will be missed.
I loved talking with Brian. He always had a perspective to learn with. Together we enjoyed a few great adventures. Here are some I often contemplate…
1: I loved spending afternoon hours exploring his office and the storeroom for great mathematical education tools and wonders!
2: He generously shared mathematical equipment with educators in Port Vila, Vanuatu.
3: Brian wrote and I supported a letter to the VC to implore her to halt all balloon use at Deakin! No balloons is now a Deakin policy!
4: We occasionally enjoyed great food and champagne / wine / beer in great company.
5: Brian collaborated on our Frogs project – Brian gave expertly in our ‘lost’ years… we eventually produced a most wonderful educational resource “Fascinating Frogs – 5 Victorian Frogs”
6: We shared a love for napping during the boring parts of theatre.
7: We shared a love for champagne and hot chips – a perfect pairing… maybe Susie’s influence was strong here!
8: I loved listening to Brian talking about living on Raymond Island and boats.. and boating adventures.
Like all of us, I will miss Brian!
I first met Brian when he and Susie hired me as research assistant for their Practical Mechanics in Primary Mathematics project. He and Susie were responsible for moving me from an unsuccessful classroom teacher to muddling academic. I was introduced into the academic literature and classroom research and spent many happy days at ACER with Brian and his colleagues and in the Cunningham Library having the power of rigorous research and evaluation revealed to my innocent eyes (although I have yet to gain a firm grasp of Rasch Analysis). As I moved into my doctorate, student politics and academic life he has remained the touchstone of a fiercely independent academic with a deep commitment to classroom teaching. I have had the pleasure of his combative conversation ever since, and all the time he made me think rigorously and pushed me to stand up for my ideas. Brian and his legacy will be greatly missed.
DR. SAEED SALIMPOUR:
While I knew Brian only for a short time, I had the joy and pleasure of knowing him!
I learnt so much from Brian, he was immensely generous with his time and patience! And he always had stories and anecdotes about boating, learning Russian, inside stories about the world of psychometric analysis and various other things.
My first meeting with Brian was for the section of my PhD that involved Rasch Modelling. It was Russell who suggested, that we should have a meeting with Brian. And that started a chain of events that led to a paper. Once the paper was published, I got an email from one of the well-known scholars in the field who said he had made the paper required reading for his Rasch Modelling course. That is a testament to Brian’s deep knowledge and experience!
I remember on the first meeting he had changed his background on Zoom to be astronomy-themed knowing my inclinations 🙂 Our meetings were the sort of meetings that really showed his passion for supporting “the next generation”. Even though he was retired and busy, early last year we started to have meetings about passing some of his knowledge on, we had some great conversations.
I will miss his humour, knowledge and conversations, and wherever he is, may he explore the Universe!
I must have first met Brian at the CAR symposium not long after I started my PhD (2012), and then at various get togethers of the science and maths education teams. I did not know Brian well, but he always struck me as someone who made academia better for his presence. Indeed, academia and the world at large would be a more interesting and caring place with more Brians! Alas, Brian was a one-off and he will be sorely missed, but certainly not forgotten. He lives on in spirit!
It is an honour to fondly remember Brian. In 2015, Deakin established alliances with government schools in support of initial teacher education. Brian kindly volunteered to be the academic associated with the Mooroolbark Alliance of which I was the Site Director. It was an absolute pleasure working with Brian. Unassuming, quiet, calm with a dry sense of wit and humour. Brian was extremely supportive of the PSTs, interested in their teaching and student learning, asking pertinent questions, particularly critically questioning pedagogical practice and take-it-for-granted assumptions, rather than providing solutions. Brian was ever-reliant, never in a rush, an interesting conversationalist, with a sharp intellect that often left me with wonderings that remain with me today.
I was pleased to work with Brian, Susie, John and Russell in the reSolve Modelling Motion activities at my secondary school. What a delight to see students outside trying to walk a constant speed, cutting up streamers as graphs, timing marbles rolling down inclines, dropping speed balls and making Newton meters. The students were enthusiastic and engaged and there was much interest sparked from teachers, parents and principal team. Is that really science and maths? Thank you, Brian, for generously sharing your knowledge, expertise, guidance and unwavering support for teaching and learning. Your legacy lives on.
My first memory of meeting Brian was at the PME conference hosted by the University of Melbourne in 2005. I was only in my second year of PhD study then and helped out at the conference as a student volunteer at the conference. After the conference dinner on the request of Kaye Stacey – my PhD supervisor and a good friend of Susie and Brian- Brian kindly gave me a lift me home even though he barely knew me at the time. He would not remember this first encounter anyway but I remember his kindness.
Seven years later when I joined School of Education in 2012 as a lecturer in mathematics education, Brian and Susie helped me in settling in to Australia and inviting me to join the Lesson Study project. Brian also shared a common interest on Realistic Mathematics Education. He had a great connection with Freudenthal Institute colleague Marja van den Heuvel-Panhuizen, whose research is also in early years mathematics education. We have co-published some articles and book chapters as well as co-supervise a PhD student together. He is generous in sharing his knowledge of Item Response Theory with his colleagues and students.
Brian enjoyed good food. We both like chillies and spicy food and almost always asked for extra chillies when we went for dinner with Susie.
Rest in peace Brian, thank you for your kindness. You are missed.
Wanty