Kelly Carabott

Kelly Carabott has a rich educational background spanning three decades in early childhood, primary, and tertiary settings. From a childhood proclamation of her desire to teach, she has built an academic career after 18 years of dedicated classroom practice in early childhood and primary contexts.

At Monash University's Faculty of Education, Kelly's research focuses on several interconnected areas: digital technologies in literacy education, multimodal text engagement, and innovative pedagogical approaches. Her investigations examine the literacy educational applications of digital tools and technology integration in classroom settings. Kelly's current research explores the use of multimodal texts in primary classrooms, demonstrated by her PhD thesis, "An Australian Primary School Teacher Teaching and Learning about Picturebooks: A Phenomenological Study," which received the Australian Literacy Educators Association (ALEA) Doctoral Thesis Award for outstanding research. This phenomenological study investigated how an upper primary school teacher designed, enacted, and reflected on teaching contemporary picturebooks across both paper and digital mediums. Her research transcends debates about the relative merits of different formats, arguing instead that teaching contemporary picturebooks necessitates similar pedagogical practices regardless of the medium, including extended 'talk around text' and intentional 'slowing down' of reading practices.

Kelly's academic approach is informed by phenomenological frameworks that privilege lived experiences and individual perspectives, as reflected in her co-authored book "Phenomenological Inquiry in Education: Theories, Practices, Provocations and Directions" (2021). This informs her research as she seeks to explore individual and group experiences in literacy education, delving into the complexity of literacy education in 21st-century classrooms.

A significant focus of Kelly's work involves building effective partnerships both in pre-service teacher education and school-university partnerships to foster meaningful dialogue around literacy education. Her publications address authentic assessment principles, collaborative storytelling for professional reflection, and creating "third spaces" where academic and professional knowledge converge to support pre-service teachers' literacy practices.

Kelly serves as co- editor of "Literacy Learning: The Middle Years," a peer-reviewed journal that promotes literacy education research and practice. She has shared her research extensively at international conferences in Australia, Fiji, Japan, Wales, Austria, England, Ireland and the USA, contributing to global conversations about digital literacy, teacher preparation, and innovative pedagogical approaches for contemporary classrooms.

Kelly's enduring passion for children's literature and literacy education continues to inspire her contributions to the field, particularly her work expanding our understanding of multimodal literacy practices in an increasingly digital educational landscape.

Literacy and Literature 

Multimodal Texts

Phenomenology

Multiliteracies

The use of digital technolgoies in literacy classrooms

Literacy Teacher Education

21st Century Education