Education Commons^™

An Investigation Of Early Childhood Staff And Their Transition To The New Western Australian Humanities And Social Sciences Curriculum, Jane Loxton, Christine Cunningham, Marianne J. Knaus

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In 2017, a new Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) curriculum was introduced into all of Western Australia’s classrooms. The aim of this study was to investigate how teachers transitioned to that new HASS curriculum. Using case study methodology, the experiences, opportunities and challenges faced by the early childhood (EC) staff in two Perth schools were investigated as they prepared for and implemented a new HASS Curriculum. The results suggested the need for strong leadership in times of change. The results also indicated that these small, independent schools needed good resources and professional development to help understand the changes. The research …

Initial Education Of Philosophy Teachers In Colombia: Association Between New Public Policy Requirements And National Standardized Tests, Alejandro Farieta-Barrera

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper evaluates the association between new public policy requirements for B.Ed. programs in Colombia —1) demand high-quality accreditation, 2) restrict distance modality, 3) restrict multidisciplinary programs, and 4) increase academic credits in education courses and pedagogical practices— and the outcomes of 1387 B.Ed. in Philosophy students in the National Saber Pro test 2016-2018, in ‘Education’ component. The methodology was multilevel linear regression; the residential region is the level variable, and were included other control variables (gender, age, ethnic minority, socioeconomic index, etc.). The results show that outcomes are associated with pedagogical practices and with non-multidisciplinary programs, supporting new regulations. …

Making A Difference To The Student Experience Through Purposeful Course Design, Lucia Zundans-Fraser, Alan Bain

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The study described examines the student experience in a graduate inclusive education course purposefully designed to address areas of need identified. These include the need for theory to underpin course design, the need for collaborative practice, and the need to reduce the theory-to-practice gap. Throughout their enrolment and after course completion, feedback from students is presented and examined in order to determine whether these needs have been met through the design of the course. Findings suggest that the organisation of learning materials, embedded capacity-building skills, and the practical applicability of course content was highly regarded by students and contributed to …

Lessons In Persistence: Investigating The Challenges Faced By Preservice Teachers In Teaching Coding And Computational Thinking In An Unfamiliar Context, Vinesh Chandra, Margaret Lloyd

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

An ongoing problem for teacher education institutions is bridging the gap between theory and practice and offering authentic experiences to challenge preservice teachers’ pedagogical decision-making. Preservice practicums simulate teaching and can, at best, offer controlled experiences in familiar settings. This restricts the opportunities for preservice teachers to develop confidence in their own pedagogical decision-making and to adapt curriculum to meet unknown or unforeseen conditions. This paper describes, through a small-scale qualitative case study, a teaching experience in an unfamiliar setting, the persistent actions taken to respond to a specific context and the impact this had on preservice teacher knowledge and …

Supporting Pre-Service Teachers In Becoming Reflective Practitioners Using Conversation And Professional Standards, Ondine J. Bradbury, Angela Fitzgerald, Justen P. O'Connor

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

A significant goal of teacher education is to support the development of reflective practitioners. This intention, however, is not easily achieved when after-the-fact recall and reporting are key features of pre-service teacher learning rather than critique and contemplation. This research reports on a small-scale pilot study evaluating a novel approach to help pre-service teachers develop reflective skills in order to both understand and address the requirements of the profession. The approach involved a set of Conversation Cards with a series of question-based prompts directly linked to the APSTs and designed to enhance reflective conversations. Focus group interview discussions unveiled the …

Curriculum Alignment After Reforms: A Systematic Review With Considerations For Queensland Pre- And In-Service Teachers, Claudia Elisabeth Johnson, Helen J. Boon, Maree Dinan Thompson

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This systematic review synthesises research on curriculum alignment to suggest considerations for the implementation of the Senior secondary curriculum reform in Queensland, Australia. It focuses on the coherence of cognitive skills in the prescribed and enacted curriculum as these are typically the least aligned curriculum components. Search methods, which followed the PRISMA model, resulted in 108 relevant articles for qualitative synthesis. Results show that alignment after curriculum reforms is typically low. The use of educational taxonomies can support curriculum alignment. Marzano and Kendall’s (2007) New Taxonomy of Educational Objectives underpins the new Queensland Senior secondary syllabi which, in line with …

Evidence-Based Reasoning Processes In Education: A Model To Support Interventionist Practice., Natasha Ziebell, Jemma Skeat

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The Evidence-based Reasoning model is a systematic inquiry into student learning to determine what interventions are required in classroom contexts. The four step process includes noticing students who need additional support in their learning, the use of assessment data to establish an evidence-base, and subsequent interpretation that leads to decision making. The reasoning process is supported by collaborative practice models both within and beyond the teaching profession. The evaluation of interventions is integral in determining the impact that interventions have on student learning.

Implicit Theories Of Learning As Reflected In One Upper Elementary Teacher's Talk, Laura May, Diane Truscott, R. D. Fremeau

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Strong empirical evidence exists indicating language can influence students’ beliefs about ability. Professional literature for teachers offers practical advice on how to adjust their classroom-based talk to support student achievement by orienting students toward an incremental theory of ability. Yet, little empirical work has been done to investigate how teacher talk plays out moment-to-moment within the classroom context. This study reports on a qualitative analysis of one upper elementary teacher's talk with regard to implicit theories of learning. Findings suggest teacher talk is dynamic and overlapping, operating along a continuum from entity-oriented talk to incremental-oriented talk across varied classroom situations. …

Teaching Writing: Effective Approaches For The Middle Years, Janet Hunter

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Book review

Investigating Probability Concepts Of Secondary Pre-Service Teachers In A Game Context, Hem Chand Dayal, Sashi Sharma

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

There is a rich literature on students’ and teachers’ intuitions and misconceptions about probability. However, less attention has been paid to the development of pre-service teachers’ probabilistic thinking in teacher education. Based on this, the second author developed a lesson sequence for teaching probability. In particular, it demonstrates how a game context can be used to explore the relationship between experimental and theoretical probabilities in a collaborative learning setting. The lesson sequence integrates concepts and processes related to probability and is grounded in socio-cultural theory. We trialed the sequence with secondary pre-service teachers. This paper focuses on their understanding …

Safe Spaces For Enabling The Creative Process In Classrooms, Monique Fuss, Graham R. Daniel

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Based on interviews with five creative professionals this article looks to investigate the creative experience as a source of data on how educators might create space for enabling the creative process in the classroom. Looking toward professional artists who are also committed educators provides core commentary on how to maximise creative experiences in the classroom. Whilst acknowledging the importance of physical space, the following article looks purposefully toward how to enable space as an internal state of being, with the intent toward establishing transdisciplinary discussions that stimulate and provoke creative pedagogical research across an interdependent continuum. The research concludes that …

Factors In Agency Development: A Supervisory Teaching Perspective, Paul Crowhurst, Linley Cornish

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Promoting student agency is an emerging priority in education. Supervisory teaching is a potentially useful approach for supporting agency development. This approach includes two characteristics, namely, tutorial learning conversations between the teacher and a group of one to four students, and students learning independently for extended periods of time. Supervisory teaching lessons in three primary-school classrooms were observed over a period of five months and teachers were interviewed as part of the data collection process. Five key factors were found to support students to have more agency in their learning: independence and ownership, scaffolding, students as teachers, joyfulness, and reflection. …

Receiving By Giving: The Impacts Of Immersive Service-Learning For Primary School-Age Students, Kimberley Luinstra

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Immersive service-learning (ISL) tours provide opportunities for students to deepen their academic and social learning as they provide services to others in an environment different to their home. Research on the effects of ISL tours has been conducted with secondary, tertiary, and graduate school level students, but little research exists on the effects for primary school-age students. This may be in part because of the scarcity of ISL programs available for primary school-age students.

This case study research explores the impacts of an ISL service-learning experience on its primary school-age participants. The community of the metropolitan suburban school at the …

Group Cohesion And Collaborative Information Behaviour: An Exploration Of Student Experiences Of University Group Work, Parisa Khatamian Far

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Modern organisations heavily rely on using interdisciplinary teams to accomplish intellectually demanding tasks. The advent of the World Wide Web, the advancements in communication technological tools and easy access to high volumes of information through the Web provide expanded capacity for individuals to work together and fulfil their shared goal but true collaboration is far from straightforward. Teamwork skills are identified as a desirable and distinguishing attribute of the graduates whom employers seek to employ. Accordingly, higher education institutions lay particular emphasis on developing students’ collaborative skills by designing and incorporating group projects into courses. The findings of relevant research …

Managing Science Teachers’ Adoption Of The 2005 Tanzanian Inquiry And Student-Centred Curriculum: Revealing Schoolbased Leaders’ Practices And Achievements, Noel Mark Makwinya

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Many countries have made considerable changes to their education systems in response to the forces of globalisation. Tanzania is no exception. The most recent educational change attempt in Tanzania relates to the introduction of the 2005 Tanzanian Inquiry and Student- Centred Curriculum.

Sound change-leadership is a necessary condition for the realisation of change, particularly in influencing its adoption. Within the descriptive qualitative research paradigm, this study employed a Type IV (embedded and multiple) case-study design to examine and describe science teachers’ lived experiences in dealing with this latest Tanzanian curriculum and the role played by school-based leaders in influencing such …