Education Commons^™

The Role Of Ict In The Pedagogical Transformation Of Primary Teachers: Dream, Aspiration, Reality, Frank G. Bate

Education Conference Papers

This paper discusses findings from a recent longitudinal study that examined how 35 beginning teachers used information and communications technologies (ICT) in the first 3 years of their teaching. The research, set in Australia, adopted a mixed method approach to help understand the role that ICT played in the evolving pedagogical identities of the teachers involved. The study found that beginning teachers articulated pedagogical beliefs that aimed to engage their students in active meaning making. It also found that these teachers were competent in the use of a basic suite of ICT software. However, pedagogical beliefs that resonate with contemporary …

Aspire: Formation Of Pre-Service Teachers Through Leadership, Community Engagement And Retreat Training, Chris Hackett, Shane D. Lavery

Education Papers and Journal Articles

This article explores the experiences of pre-service teachers who are involved in a program promoting leadership, community engagement and retreat training. It initially presents a review of the literature on the significant links between teacher commitment and quality teaching. It then describes how four significant dispositions: care, leadership, service and reflective practice, are embedded in a program entitled ‘ASPIRE’ at The University of Notre Dame Australia. The program is designed to assist pre-service teachers in recognising and developing their sense of teaching vocation. An outline of the research methodology is provided. Specifically, the research is based on qualitative data derived …

The Role Of Experiential Content Knowledge In The Formation Of Beginning Re Teachers, Chris Hackett

Education Papers and Journal Articles

This article discusses the role of experiential content knowledge as an essential component to the formation of beginning RE teachers. The article initially outlines the meaning and parameters of experiential content knowledge and its relationship to the teaching of Religious Education in Catholic schools. An exploration of how this experiential content knowledge may be recognised is described with reference to the perceptions of a purposive sample of beginning RE teachers in Catholic secondary schools in Western Australia. The article then discusses the links between experiential content knowledge and developing a sense of vocation towards teaching Religious Education.

“Just Challenge Those High-Ability Learners And They’Ll Be All Right!” The Impact Of Social Context And Challenging Instruction On The Affective Development Of High-Ability Students, Katrina Eddles-Hirsch, Wilma Vialle, Karen B. Rogers, John Mccormick

Education Papers and Journal Articles

This study provided a voice to gifted elementary children attending three very different schools that endeavoured to meet their atypical academic needs. While educators have theorised that special programs for gifted students benefit gifted children academically and contribute positively to their social and emotional development, there is limited research to support this belief. The phenomenological framework used in this study allowed 27 gifted elementary students to present their perceptions of the advantages and disadvantages of extension class environments. The results demonstrate that while challenging instruction was clearly important for the emotional wellbeing of the advanced learners, it went hand in …

Pre-Service Teachers Using The Le@Rning Federation's Digital Resources., Chris Campbell, Jean Macnish

Education Conference Papers

This work in progress paper describes research that is investigating the use of learning objects, created by, and digital resources, negotiated by The Le@rning Federation and their use in a technology unit in pre-service teacher education as well as investigating how these learning objects are being used by the pre-service students while out in schools during their practicum. This study will have data collection in 2010 which will involve approximately 700 students across two campuses of the university which are located in Sydney and Fremantle. The study uses a qualitative research methodology and involves questionnaires as the primary data collection …

Tpack And The Real World: How Useful Is The Framework?, Frank G. Bate, Dorit Maor

Education Conference Papers

This paper describes a recent longitudinal study set in Australia which examined the extent to which early career teachers used information and communication technologies (ICT) in their classrooms. The study, which tracked 35 teachers through the first three years of their teaching, found a range of personal and socio-cultural factors that impacted on the extent to which ICT was used. In addressing personal factors such as teachers’ beliefs, knowledge and skills, the research drew upon the work of Mishra and Koehler (2006) to consider the inter-relationships between teachers’ technological, pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK). The use of TPACK as an …

Understanding The Need For Induction Programmes For Beginning Teachers In Independent Catholic Secondary Schools In New South Wales, Sean P. Kearney

Education Conference Papers

This article reports on the initial findings and justification for research undertaken in a Doctor of Education course at the University of Wollongong regarding induction programmes for beginning teachers in New South Wales independent Catholic high schools in the Sydney region. A review of relevant literature has identified seven elements of effective induction that have been utilised to select six Catholic independent high schools in Sydney to participate in a collective case study, which seeks to ascertain the nature of effective induction in these schools. The purpose of the case studies is to better understand the successes and limitations of …

Sharing Learning Designs That Work., Leanne Cameron, Chris Campbell

Education Conference Papers

Sharing learning designs that have been previously trialled and proven successful is a means of disseminating innovation and best teaching practice whilst at the same time conserving teacher time and effort. Generic learning designs provide a lesson scaffold that can introduce innovative teaching strategies to lecturers without requiring them to become experts in learning design or theory. The LAMS Activity Planner is a tool that uses generic learning designs to provide comprehensive guidance for academics that will assist them in the development of inspiring learning design examples and supportive activities. In this paper, two learning design examples, WebQuests and Web …

Class Sizes: The Elephant Under The Carpet Of Ict Integration, Frank G. Bate

Education Conference Papers

This paper discusses findings from a recent longitudinal study that examined how 35 beginning teachers used information and communications technologies (ICT) in the first 3 years of their teaching. The research, set in Western Australia, adopted a mixed method approach to help understand the role that ICT played in the evolving pedagogical identities of the teachers involved. The study found that beginning teachers articulated pedagogical beliefs that aimed to engage their students in active meaning making. It also found that these teachers were competent in the use of a basic suite of ICT software. However, pedagogical beliefs that resonated with …

Student Ministry: Preparing Young People As Leaders For The 21st Century, Chris Hackett, Shane D. Lavery

Education Conference Papers

Ministry with young people has never been more important. Ever-increasing local, national and global concerns demand that schools must do more than prepare young people as responsible citizens. They must prepare young people as emerging leaders with a civic conscience who proactively seek solutions to issues such as increased poverty, the plight of refugees, terrorism, climate change, and corporate greed. This article is about student ministry. Student ministry, as defined in this article, specifically aims to build leadership capacity in school students. In particular, the article attempts to highlight the distinctiveness of student ministry and those ways it promotes and …

Strategies For Hope And Sustainability, The Beginning Principal: Needs And Challenges, Debra Sayce, Shane D. Lavery

Education Conference Papers

Since the 1990s, educational leaders in developed countries have experienced significant change across all educational systems. To date, this momentum for rapid change has continued unabated. Political pressures on schools continue to increase as short term governments expect improvements in educational outcomes in shortened periods of time. Public expectations of performance by schools are intensifying. School effectiveness dominates professional discourse. Learning technologies have expanded. Family contexts have changed and the nature of the educational workforce is dictated by society s economic and social situation. Catholic school principals, in addition to coping with such issues, are also regarded as leaders within …

Managing Major Educational Change: Is The Cyclical Integration Model The Answer?, Richard G. Berlach

Education Conference Papers

Where minds meet, there lies the change vector. I have for a long time been fascinated by the way in which change, and specifically educational change, is managed. More often than not it seems, minds fail to meet in a crucial change-space. They either unwittingly zip past each other, deliberately avoid one another, or worse still, collide with excruciating force. This paper examines the interrelated role of government, the public service and teachers in successfully transitioning major change. It is argued that unless these bodies operate in synchrony, change negotiation is likely to be hampered. To this end, a model …

Integrating The Experience Of Students Through Collaborative Task Design Using Student Blogs, Chris Campbell

Education Conference Papers

There is interest in the social learning advantages technology-infused pedagogy gives higher-education students. This paper reports on data that was part of a wide project from multi-campus teaching in the Bachelor of Education course at La Trobe University. The project aim was to increase the use of technology in the course by enriching the student experience and moving beyond giving lecture content. The project used a blog as the main source of communication between students who were asked to collaboratively construct a definition of learning. Results show students were generally positive about the task, although improvements can be made to …

Education Students Use Of The Le@Rning Federation’S Digital Curriculum Resources, Chris Campbell

Education Conference Papers

The Le@rning Federation was created in order to assist educational facilities to provide 21st century education to school students. This study introduced and investigated the use of learning objects that were created by, and digital resources that were negotiated by The Le@rning Federation and their use in a technology unit in pre-service teacher education. This study involved 225 students from the Sydney campus of the University of Notre Dame Australia, with students signing up to The Le@rning Federation’s e-content website. This gave them access to the content in the website for the entire year from any computer with Internet access. …

Understanding The Pedagogical World-View Of Clinical Teachers In Australia: An Evidence-Based Approach, Frank Bate, Carole Steketee

Education Conference Papers

The education of tomorrow’s medical workforce is critical to the sustenance of healthy and progressive communities, particularly in the context of an aging population. Ongoing professional development focusing on the processes underpinning teaching and learning are important for clinical teachers (typically practicing doctors and surgeons) who, as busy professionals, also shoulder much of the responsibility for passing medical knowledge from one generation to the next. This paper discusses a recent study which posed two core questions: What pedagogical principles do clinical teachers perceive as important in underpinning their role as educators? And How do these perceptions differ from those held …

An Exploration Of The Study Abroad Experiences Of United States Students In Three Halls Of Residence At A Catholic University In Western Australia, Nicole Schiffer

Theses

The purpose of this research was to explore the ways United States students develop through studying abroad at a Catholic university in Western Australia. The significance of the research lies in the belief that host and home universities should be aware of the needs of these study abroad students. The needs of these students were understood through an exploration of the challenges faced, the support received, and the personal and professional development attained.

Four dimensions of the context contributed to an understanding of this study. These four dimensions were the University of Notre Dame Australia Fremantle, the UNDA three halls …

The Role Of The Imagination In The Religious Conversion Of Adolescents Attending Catholic Secondary Schools, Richard Patrick Branson

Theses

The mission of the Catholic Church is evangelisation, the purpose of which is conversion. At a diocesan level, the mission is carried out through the agencies of family, parish and school. Every Catholic school is mandated to carry out its part in the Church’s mission through its curriculum that incorporates both Religious Education and planned catechetical experiences. This study was devised to find out some students’ perceptions of their faith, the influences that they perceive on changes to their faith, and to describe how the imagination assisted their faith development and religious conversion. Fifteen Catholic secondary school students from four …