Digital Commons Network^™

A Partnership For Ipod Pedagogy: Using The Technology Of Millennial Learners Across Educational Contexts, Lisa K. Kervin, Doug Reid, Jeff Vardy, Carroll Hindle

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

This paper explores collaboration between researchers at the tertiary level, with primary school teachers and their students as iPods are integrated into learning experiences. Embarking on this partnership, it is our aim to weave value-added, mutually beneficial and collaborative relationships into our on-going professional interactions as we work towards the development of a pedagogical framework to support classroom teachers in using iPods and podcasting in their educational settings. Such collaborative relationships have been promoted as a way to foster professional relationships, provide learning opportunities for educators, encourage change and develop common understanding across contexts.

Appropriate pedagogy and procedures to assist …

A Technology-Enhanced Multiliteracies Learning Design For Geography Education, Lori Lockyer, Barry Harper

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Educators are being challenged to prepare students to effectively participate in our increasingly globalised society. Contemporary views of pedagogy suggest supporting learners by providing scaffolds for their engagement in real world tasks - tasks that provide opportunities to both explore and apply their learning through multi-modal expressions' within their diverse contexts. This article describes a project that draws upon the emerging views of multiliteracies in the design of a K-12 education excursion program. The multiliteracies learning design developed for .the program is applied to specific discipline-focused learning objectives and implemented within a technology-enhanced environment, which provides learners with access to …

Questioning The Net Generation: A Collaborative Project In Australian Higher Education, Gregor Kennedy, Kerri-Lee Krause, Kathleen Gray, Terry Judd, Susan J. Bennett, Karl A. Maton, Barney Dalgarno, Andrea Bishop

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

This paper describes a project, which has been supported by the Carrick Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, that aims to identify how the technologybased tools of a new generation of students can be successfully used by higher education. Recent commentaries propose that Universities are ill-equipped to educate a new generation of learners whose sophisticated use of emerging technologies is incompatible with current teaching practice. This project will investigate this proposed gap between learners’ and teachers’ use of technologies and identify the implications for higher education. This paper presents the rationale of the project, highlighting its critical stance …

An Examination Of The Enablers And Inhibitors Surrounding The Establishment Of A School University Partnership: The Grays Point Project, Julie Kiggins, Lisa K. Kervin, Philip Rouland

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Collaboration between academics, staff and students is promoted as a way to foster professional relationships, foster change and develop common understanding across both the school and university contexts. In a time when education is under frequent criticism it is necessary to break down the barriers between the two contexts and work together collegially. It is within this climate that a small team of academics from the Faculty of Education at the University of Wollongong and teachers from Grays Point Public School (a southern suburb of Sydney) have launched a collaborative research project. As we begin this professional journey we have …

Physical Education Research From Postmodern, Poststructural And Postcolonial Perspectives, Jan Wright

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Physical education research drawing on poststructuralist and postmodernist approaches is relatively new. At this point in time there seems to be a notable absence of research in physical education drawing on postcolonial theory and agendas, although the relevance of such an approach to research in the field is one that will be argued in this chapter. Whether researchers describe their work as postmodern or poststructural tends to be determined by whether they are researching in a North American context or UK, European, Australian and New Zealand context. In many cases, there is no explicit indication as to whether researchers identify …

Authentic Conditions For Authentic Assessment: Aligning Task And Assessment, Janice A. Herrington, Anthony J. Herrington

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Despite major discussion and consideration of authentic assessment through the 1990s, little progress appears to have been made towards its widespread adoption in higher education. Universities often serve to limit the use of authentic approaches in learning tasks and assessment, through restrictive policies. In this paper, we briefly review the literature and summarise the characteristic elements of authentic assessment, and argue that task, assessment and university policies must be aligned for truly effective use of authentic assessment to occur in higher education.

Being Special In A Meritocracy: The Role Of Special Education In Singapore, Deslea M. Konza, Abi Tan

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

For more than three decades the education system in Singapore, based on the mantra of meritocracy, has been successful in steering the island state towards high achievement. A strong political will has framed the educational policy as an investment for a productive and cohesive society in an internationally competitive context. Education is considered to be a powerful tool by which the integration of culturally different racial groups is facilitated. In the education of children with special needs, Singapore currently shares similar provisions with countries such as the United States, Britain and Australia. Besides special schools, there is provision for inclusion …

Scaffolding Numeracy: Pre-Service Teachers' Perspective, Irina M. Verenikina, Mohan Chinnappan

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Scaffolding has become increasingly popular as it provides teachers with an appealing alternative to traditional classroom techniques of teaching. Recent research identified a number of different ways that scaffolding can be used in the classroom to improve students’ numeracy levels in primary schools. However, despite the importance of scaffolding, pre-service teachers experience difficulties in understanding the complex techniques of scaffolding and often fail to make connections between theoretical explanations and their practical use. This paper examines current perceptions of scaffolding by a cohort of pre-service teachers, both in its conceptual framework and its practical implications to teaching in the classroom, …

Cross-Cultural Online Communication: Making Connections Through Project-Based Learning, Mike Keppell, Morris Jong, Harold Tsang, Susan J. Bennett, Lori Lockyer

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

This paper examines a project that encourages cross-cultural communication among teachereducation students through online discussion and project-based learning. An authentic case was presented to eleven students (divided into two groups) who volunteered to participate in the project over one semester. The case focussed on the development of a website by the two groups which would provide information to local Hong Kong students visiting the University of Wollongong on an intensive English immersion programme. The students were encouraged to seek advice from their HKIEd mentor and UOW advisor via synchronous and asynchronous communication tools available in the Blackboard Learning Management System. …

Nsw High School Students Construction Of Democratic Citizenship Through Language Learning: A Case Study Of Japanese Language Learning Experience, Yuko Ramzan

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

This study reports on the perceptions of five high school students in NSW who have been studying Japanese language since their primary schooling. The study examines how the students construct their self and others within their Japanese language classes and how the classes contribute to citizenship education. The discussion, based on data derived from in-depth and semi-structured interviews is focused on perceptions of language learning, interculturality and citizenship education. The results suggest that language learning contributes to the students’ construction of interculturality, which in turn provides a focus for meting the students’ needs for citizenship education.

Educated Women's Ways Of Knowing On Gender, Education And Social Transformation: Exploring Actionable Space, Vinathe Sharma-Brymer

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

How do women with higher education view their own experiences of being educated in their everyday life? How do they understand and address gender relations as educated women? What is their analysis of gender and social transformation in the contemporary Indian society? This paper examines these questions in the light of educated women’s experiences. Stories and narratives of five women living in urban Bangalore in Southern India provide the ground to inquire into issues of gender and social transformation. This paper argues that theoretical perspectives supporting transformation through education do not effectively address the everyday experiences of women living in …

The Self-Monitoring Of Expert Sport Instructors, Paul G. Schempp, Bryan A. Mccullick, Christopher Busch, Collin A. Webster, Ilse Sannen Mason

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

This study identified the major facets of professional practice monitored by expert teachers. Specifically, the skills and knowledge expert sport instructors regularly scrutinized in order to improve their teaching and coaching were categorized and examined. Data were collected from 31 teachers listed by Golf Magazine as the Top 100 Golf Instructors in America. The teachers listed aspects of their teaching they regularly monitored in assessing their own strengths and weaknesses. Data were analyzed in three steps. First, responses were reviewed to identify the characteristics monitored by the teachers. Second, characteristics grouped under each theme were reviewed and clustered into representative …

Teaching Games For Understanding (Tgfu) In Primary And Secondary Physical Education, Paul I. Webb, Philip J. Pearson, G. Forrest

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Recent changes in teaching syllabuses and pedagogy have implications for practising teachers in relation to both content and teaching strategies traditionally utilised in the teaching of games. There has been a move towards a Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) approach over the last decade with a growing number of books, journal publications conferences and professional development workshops specifically devoted to TGfU. Teaching Games for Understanding places an emphasis on the play, where tactical and strategic problems are posed in a modified game environment, ultimately drawing upon students to make decisions. This differs from the technique-based approach that uses drills out …

Underachievement In A Whole City Cohort Of Academically Gifted Children: What Does It Look Like?, Roselyn M. Dixon, Rhonda Craven, Andrew Martin

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Underachievement has long been recognised as a problem for some gifted children. The aim of the research described in this article was to investigate the affective characteristics of achieving and underachieving intellectually gifted children. In particular, the three affective characteristics were academic self-concept, self-expectations for future achievement and academic locus of control for children who were moving from elementary school to a middle school setting. Forty- one participants were chosen who had a Full WISC-R test over 125 from a large sample of middle school-aged children entering Middle School in a New Zealand city. Of these 41 intellectually gifted participants, …

The Measurement Of Multidimensional Self-Concept In Adults With Mild Intellectual Disability, Roselyn M. Dixon, Rhonda Craven, Andrew Martin

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Although self-concept is now recognised as a multidimensional construct, unidimensional measurement is still common practice for adults with mild intellectual disabilities. For this study, two groups of adults with intellectual disabilities were chosen from two institutions. One group were being prepared to move to community living (Movers) and the other group were staying at their residential service (Stayers). All of the participants had an IQ within the range of 56-75 for those with mild intellectual disability and within the range of 45- 56 for those with mild-moderate intellectual disability. Group 1 consisted of 25 adults who had a mean age …

Visions For Literacy Learning: The Quest For Meaningful Use Of Computer-Based Technology In Reading And Writing Experiences, Lisa K. Kervin, Jessica Mantei

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.

In Whose Name? Mapping Voice And Vision In A Critical Examination Of Literature On Literacy In The Lower Primary School Years, Pauline J. Harris, Lisa K. Kervin

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

This paper presents the outcomes of a critical analysis of journal art icles, government reports and agendas on l iteracy in lower Primary classrooms. While different voices and perspectives clearly emerge, our concern is not engaging with or promoting par ticular viewpoints and agendas per se. Rather, this paper moves beyond debate to focus on mapping these voices onto the kinds of literacy/ies they characterise, the instructional practices they port ray, the research frameworks they ut ilise, the issues they art iculate, the groups they represent, the venues in which they are heard, the audiences to which they speak, and …

Identifying Authentic Mobile Learning In Teacher Education: A Design-Based Approach, Anthony J. Herrington, Janice A. Herrington

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

The adoption of mobile technologies in higher education has been variable and inconsistent across the sector. Little is known about how people learn best from mobile devices such as mobile phones, personal digital assistants and portable digital audio players, and yet these are the technologies of choice of a generation of young adults who are proficient and competent in their use. This paper describes a project to explore, implement and document pedagogies that go beyond the use of mobile technologies for information delivery and communication. It describes a design-based approach to researching the use of mobile devices as cognitive tools …

Teaching Games For Understanding - 10 Years In Australia, Philip J. Pearson, Paul I. Webb, Kim Mckeen

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

TGfU was introduced to the Australian sporting community in 1996, through workshops presented by Rod Thorpe who was visiting from Loughborough University, England. Now, 10 years on, with the concept having been the focus of many coaching workshops and professional development sessions for physical education teachers and sports coaches, one would expect that TGfU would be well known and utilised among these groups.

This paper reports on the knowledge, understanding and experience that first year physical and health education students at an Australian university have on TGfU. Seventy students were surveyed by questionnaire and then actively engaged in a variety …

A Model For Professional Development Of Teaching Games For Understanding For Teachers In New South Wales, Australia, Paul I. Webb, Philip J. Pearson, Kim Mckeen

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

With the advent of a new syllabus for secondary schools (years 7-10) and a quality teaching focus in New South Wales schools the Australian Council of Health, Physical Education and Recreation (ACHPER, New South Wales) determined that there was a need for the professional development of teachers in teaching games for understanding (TGfU) and relating this to the new syllabus. The result was a full day professional development workshop for teachers of which five have been held and which approximately 200 teachers have attended. This paper will address the content of the workshop and respondents comments about the workshop.

The …