Dr Cate Challen
Faculty of Creative Industries, Education & Social Justice,
School of Education
Biography
I am an educator committed to increasing access and equity in education by centring students and engaging teachers as powerful agents of change. I leverage my ten years of experience in the biotechnology sector and seven years as a classroom teacher to coach teachers and leaders on how to analyse and use data regularly to inform instructional practices and school-wide decision-making. I support new mathematics teachers to interrogate the status quo based on data, give students a voice and teach for social justice.Selected Publications
Challen, C. & Sharrock, D. (2024). Online Lesson Study: Solving authentic problems of practice. In R. Huang, N. Helgevold, J. Lang, & H. Jiang (Eds.), Teacher professional learning through lesson study in virtual/hybrid environments: opportunities, challenges, and future directions (pp.104-124). Routledge.
Sharrock, D. & Challen, C. (2023) Lesson study can build teachers’ confidence in their practice, The Learning Professional, 44(5): 50-54.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Personal details
Positions
- Senior Lecturer in Education (Mathematics and Technologies)
Faculty of Creative Industries, Education & Social Justice,
School of Education
Keywords
mathematics, student-centred, data, active learning, pedagogy, lesson study, continuous improvement
Research field
Teacher education and professional development of educators, Mathematics and numeracy curriculum and pedagogy, Education assessment and evaluation
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2020
Qualifications
- Doctor of Biotechnology (University of Queensland)
- Master of Biotechnology (University of Queensland)
- Bachelor of Science (University of Queensland)
Professional memberships and associations
Member, Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia
Member, MERGA Special Working Group - Effective Pedagogies
Member, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mathematics Alliance
Member, Queensland Association of Mathematics Teachers
Teaching
QUT - senior lecturer, maths education
High Tech High Graduate School of Education - course designer, Teacher Residency and Teacher credential programs
High Tech High Graduate School of Education - improvement coach
High Tech High - instructional coach - mathematics
High Tech High - high school maths, biology and physics teacher
Publications
- Challen, C., (2026). Navigating the Tensions of Continuous Improvement: Balancing Accountability, Teacher Autonomy, and Collaboration in an Australian High School. In K. Wilcox, E. Zumpe & D. Eddy-Spicer (Eds.), Teaching and Learning for Collaborative Continuous Improvement in Education: Challenges and Possibilities Across the Educational System (pp. 225–250). Myers Education Press. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/267482
- Challen, C. & Howard, C. (2026). Beyond the Numbers: Using Empathy Interviews for School Improvement. AEL - The Australian Educational Leader, 48(3), 35–38. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/268564
- Challen, C., Mallet, D. & Smith, K. (2026). Professional learning for out-of-field mathematics teachers: priorities and perspectives from teachers and school leaders. Professional Development in Education. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/263856
- Davis, J., Adams, S., Challen, C. & Bourke, T. (2025). Designing Inclusive Assessment in Schools: A Guide to Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Practice. Routledge. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/251843
- Challen, C. & Strong, S. (2025). Daily Discourse: Empowering every student in mathematics through Assessment for Learning. In J. Davis, S. Adams, C. Challen & T. Bourke (Eds.), Designing Inclusive Assessment in Schools: A Guide to Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Practice (pp. 39–49). Routledge. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/251848
- Sharrock, D. & Challen, C. (2024). Online Lesson Study: Solving authentic problems of practice. In R. Huang, N. Helgevold, J. Lang & H. Jiang (Eds.), Teacher Professional Learning through Lesson Study in Virtual and Hybrid Environments: Opportunities, Challenges, and Future Directions (pp. 104–124). Routledge. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/245292
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Cate, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
Filter publications:
A complete list of publications is available at: https://www.qut.edu.au/about/our-people/academic-profiles/catherine.challen
Awards
- Type
- Invited Talk, Presentation or Participant
- Reference year
- 2026
- Details
- Type
- University Prize including VC Award
- Reference year
- 2025
- Details
- Early Career category
- Type
- Keynote or Plenary Speaker
- Reference year
- 2023
- Details
- Invited as a keynote speaker to the conference to discuss research on Networked Improvement Communities for teacher professional learning. EduTeach Canadian Education, Teaching and Technology Conference
Selected research projects
- Title
- M in STEM
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- Start year
- 2024
- Keywords
Projects listed above are funded by Australian Competitive Grants. Projects funded from other sources are not listed due to confidentiality agreements.
Supervision
Looking for a postgraduate research supervisor?
I am currently accepting research students for Honours, Masters and PhD study.
You can browse existing student topics offered by QUT or propose your own topic.
Current supervisions
- Integrating Lesson Study into Mathematics Preservice Teachers' Experiential Learning Courses: A Design-Based Research
EdD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Associate Professor Vinesh Chandra - Investigating the Implementation of Integrated STEM Education in Indonesian Primary Schools: Opportunities, Challenges, and Pedagogical Practices
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Associate Professor Vinesh Chandra - The Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge of Filipino Initial Teacher Educators in Remote Teaching Environments
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Jennifer Clifton
Completed supervisions (Masters by Research)
The supervisions listed above are only a selection.