Education Commons^™

Staff In Australia’S Schools 2013: Main Report On The Survey, Phillip Mckenzie, Paul R. Weldon, Glenn Rowley, Martin Murphy, Julie Mcmillan

Dr Glenn Rowley (retired)

This report provides an overview of the results obtained from the Staff in Australia’s Schools (SiAS) 2013 survey commissioned by the Australian Government Department of Education and conducted by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). The work was supported by an Advisory Committee of government and non-government school authorities and other stakeholder groups. The survey was intended to provide a detailed picture of the Australian teacher workforce, and to gather information to assist in future planning of the workforce. It was also designed to provide comparative and updated data following on from the previous SiAS surveys conducted in 2006-07 …

Examining The Mediation Of Power In A Collaborative Community: Engaging In Informal Science As Authentic Practice, Anton Puvirajah, Geeta Verma, Horace Webb

Geeta Verma

Focusing on the interplay of context and language, this study examined a group of high school students and their mentors’ use of language during a robotics competition. This informal setting allowed us to gain insights into the mediation and manifestation of power within the group. Using critical discourse analysis of competition transcripts and interviews we found that both students and mentors felt a sense of ownership and community leading to symmetry in power amongst them. The shift in power led to greater student ownership and agency and created a space for authentic and meaningful science learning. The context of the …

The Influence Of University Coursework On Pre-Service Middle And High School Teachers’ Experiences With Multicultural Themes, Geeta Verma

Geeta Verma

The study explored the influence of university-based teacher education courses on pre-service middle and high school teachers’ experiences with multicultural themes in a secondary science alternative certification program. Eight participants (N = 8), six women and two men, volunteered to be a part of the study that took place over a period of four semesters. Qualitative data was collected, coded and analyzed to make meaning of the participants’ experiences. Data comprised of participants’ reflective journals, personal and group interviews, and classroom observations done in middle school practicum and high school student teaching placements. The findings indicated that while the participants …

Science And Society In The Classroom: Using Sociocultural Perspectives To Develop Science Education, Geeta Verma

Geeta Verma

In 21st-century America, one of the goals of the education is to successfully prepare students for their meaningful, sustained, and robust participation in a democratic society. In the context of K–12 science education, this means educating students so that they develop into future adult citizen capable of considering and deciding on conflicting issues and policies influenced by science, technology, and sustainability issues. The challenge for science education is thus to find successful ways to integrate content, pedagogy, and citizenship education.

It is important to examine curricular approaches in science classrooms since most of the science education a student receives take …

Virtual Worlds In Pre-Service Teacher Education : The Introduction Of Virtual Worlds In Pre-Service Teacher Education To Foster Innovative Teaching-Learning Processes, Lisa Jacka

Dr Lisa Jacka

Few pre-service teacher education programs have integrated virtual worlds despite their capacity to provide a platform upon which new forms of teaching and learning can be explored. This research identified factors that influence the level of readiness of pre-service teacher educators and students to introduce, develop and support innovative teaching-learning processes using Virtual Worlds. Over three years Second Life and Sim-on-a-Stick were introduced in a School of Education and the perceptions, experiences, motivations and barriers of the participants were documented. A model was developed to assist pre-service teacher educators in the integration of virtual worlds in higher education.

Youth Participatory Action Research And The Future Of Education Reform, Oiyan Poon, Jacob Cohen

OiYan Poon

This article presents a youth participatory action research (YPAR) study, which was conducted through a theoretical lens incorporating the social justice youth policy framework and Critical Race Theory. Led by youth from the Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association (VAYLA), the study explored the impacts of post-Katrina school reforms on student experiences at six New Orleans high schools. The findings from the study exposed troubling educational disparities by race, class, limited English status, and geography. The YPAR project’s results counter neoliberal reform advocates’ narrative of a post-Katrina New Orleans school “miracle.” This article illuminates YPAR as both research method and pathway …

Reading: The Conferences, Kathryn Kinnucan-Welsch

Kathryn A. Kinnucan-Welsch

The theme of this issue of Reading Horizons is exemplary practice, and as I recall, several of the sessions from the annual conference of the International Reading Association it becomes clear how central the concept of teacher as professional is to exemplary practice. One session in particular — Teacher Preparation and Staff Development: Lessons from New Zealand — presented by Debra Elliot and colleagues provided some food for thought in considering the teacher as professional. In discussing current models of student teaching, which is of course a critical component to the development of the teacher as professional, Stephanie Steffey from …

Reviews: Professional Materials, Kathryn Kinnucan-Welsch, Sherry R. Myers, Paul Bright, Jeanne M. Jacobson

Kathryn A. Kinnucan-Welsch

Reviews of the following: Basic Reading Inventory (Jerry L. Johns) Merry Christmas, Amanda and April (Bonnie Pryor) Chicken Man (Michelle Edwards) All the Lights in the Night (Arthur A. Levine) Jack and the Beanstalk (Steven Kellogg) The Swineherd (Hans Christian Andersen) The Worst Person’s Christmas (James Stevenson) That’s Exactly the Way it Wasn’t (James Stevenson) An Auto Mechanic; A Carpenter; A Potter (Douglas Florian) Meredith’s Mother Takes the Train (Deborah Lee Rose)

Coaching For Metacognitive Instructional Practice, Kathryn Kinnucan-Welsch

Kathryn A. Kinnucan-Welsch

One way to identify students who are becoming accomplished readers and writers is to observe the degree to which the examples of coaching presented in this chapter are taken from my research as a participant in a statewide literacy professional development initiative: the Literacy Specialist Project (Kinnucan-Welsch, 2003a, 2003b; Rosemary, Grogan, et al., 2002). The central aim of the Literacy Specialist Project, launched in 2000 by the Ohio Department of Education, is to provide professional development to educators in the state of Ohio that supports enhanced understanding in the teaching of reading and writing. The professional development incorporates foundational knowledge …

Conversation And The Development Of Learning Communities, Kathryn Kinnucan-Welsch, Patrick Jenlink

Kathryn A. Kinnucan-Welsch

The process of designing social systems, including educational systems, is most likely to contribute to sustainable systems if the context for the design process is that of community. From a systems perspective, the people who serve the system and those who are served and affected by the system constitute the designing community (Banathy, 1996). The concept of design of professional learning communities for educators is particularly critical as we face the 21st century, given the historically dismal prospects for meaningful, substantive, professional development for teachers and other practitioners (Wilson & Berne, 1999). The purpose of this chapter is to examine …

Women Scholars, Integration, And The Marianist Tradition: Learning From Our Culture And Ourselves, Mary Ellen Seery, Shauna M. Adams, Kathryn Kinnucan-Welsch, Connie L. Bowman, Patricia R. Grogan, Laurice J. Joseph

Kathryn A. Kinnucan-Welsch

In the fall of 1997, a group of junior tenure-track women faculty in the Department of Teacher Education at the University of Dayton decided to meet regularly in order to support each other’s scholarly endeavors in the process of achieving promotion and tenure. The group of subsequently became known as the Writing-Writers’ Support Group (WWSG). In 2000, the group conducted a self-study of its group process to determine how the formation of women’s WWSG fit with the mission and characteristics of a Marianist university. The results suggest that, although each of the characteristics could be identified in the group processes, …

Urban Pds Partnership: Preparing Teachers For Social Justice, Connie L. Bowman, Rachel M.B. Collopy, Jamie Bentley, Elizabeth Cameron, David A. Taylor

Connie L. Bowman

We believe that for urban schools to meet their goals and mission — in the way the DECA is modeling — takes a partnership among many stakeholders. One such partnership that supports DECA, and might buttress other schools and students — and simultaneously help to enact a social justice ideal — is a school-university connection. DECA was founded as a Professional Development School (PDS), with the school and university developing a reciprocal relationship with a shared focus on the preparation of new teachers, the enhancement of high school students' achievement, school and university faculty members' professional development, and collaborative inquiries …

Women Scholars, Integration, And The Marianist Tradition: Learning From Our Culture And Ourselves, Mary Ellen Seery, Shauna M. Adams, Kathryn Kinnucan-Welsch, Connie L. Bowman, Patricia R. Grogan, Laurice J. Joseph

Connie L. Bowman

In the fall of 1997, a group of junior tenure-track women faculty in the Department of Teacher Education at the University of Dayton decided to meet regularly in order to support each other’s scholarly endeavors in the process of achieving promotion and tenure. The group of subsequently became known as the Writing-Writers’ Support Group (WWSG). In 2000, the group conducted a self-study of its group process to determine how the formation of women’s WWSG fit with the mission and characteristics of a Marianist university. The results suggest that, although each of the characteristics could be identified in the group processes, …

Responses From The Field, Roberta Weaver, Shauna Adams, Mary Landers

Shauna M. Adams

DeFiore (2006) provides a comprehensive review of elements that have shaped the state of special education in Catholic schools. The article speaks of the bishops’ vision without teeth and the theoretical support provided under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEIA). DeFiore discusses the demand for services that are not met because of a lack of resources, expertise, and funding. The article concludes by allowing that much has occurred over the past decade, but more is needed. To meet this need, DeFiore states that diocesan and local leaders must face the challenge of inspiring the laity to …

Catholic Schools And Multicultural Education: A Good Match, Charles J. Russo, Shauna M. Adams, Mary Ellen Seery

Shauna M. Adams

This article reflects on the place of multicultural education in Catholic schools. The authors review the history and development of Catholic schools in order to set a context for examination of the appropriateness of multicultural education.

Women Scholars, Integration, And The Marianist Tradition: Learning From Our Culture And Ourselves, Mary Ellen Seery, Shauna M. Adams, Kathryn Kinnucan-Welsch, Connie L. Bowman, Patricia R. Grogan, Laurice J. Joseph

Shauna M. Adams

In the fall of 1997, a group of junior tenure-track women faculty in the Department of Teacher Education at the University of Dayton decided to meet regularly in order to support each other’s scholarly endeavors in the process of achieving promotion and tenure. The group of subsequently became known as the Writing-Writers’ Support Group (WWSG). In 2000, the group conducted a self-study of its group process to determine how the formation of women’s WWSG fit with the mission and characteristics of a Marianist university. The results suggest that, although each of the characteristics could be identified in the group processes, …

The Joys And Sorrows Of Teaching High School Esl: Sarangarel's Story, Susan R. Adams

Susan Adams

Dr. Adams' contribution to: In M. Robbins (Ed.), The pressures of teaching: How teachers cope with classroom stress (pp. 87-98). New York: Kaplan Publishing.

Should Educators Be ‘Wrapping School Playgrounds In Cotton Wool’ To Encourage Physical Activity? Exploring Primary And Secondary Students’ Voices From The School Playground, Brendon P. Hyndman, Amanda Telford

Dr Brendon P Hyndman

Physical activity in school playgrounds has changed considerably over recent decades to reflect a climate of ‘surplus safety’. A growing culture of surplus safety can be attributed to a desire of parents and teachers responsible for children to protect school students from danger. The aim of this research was to examine students’ perceptions of playground safety influences on physical activity during school breaks from the perspectives of the ‘users’ of school playgrounds. Data collection consisted of seven focus groups (4 primary school & 3 secondary school) conducted across four schools (2 primary & 2 secondary). During this study, the focus …

Should Educators Be ‘Wrapping School Playgrounds In Cotton Wool’ To Encourage Physical Activity? Exploring Primary And Secondary Students’ Voices From The School Playground, Brendon P. Hyndman, Amanda Telford

Dr Brendon P Hyndman

Physical activity in school playgrounds has changed considerably over recent decades to reflect a climate of ‘surplus safety’. A growing culture of surplus safety can be attributed to a desire of parents and teachers responsible for children to protect school students from danger. The aim of this research was to examine students’ perceptions of playground safety influences on physical activity during school breaks from the perspectives of the ‘users’ of school playgrounds. Data collection consisted of seven focus groups (4 primary school & 3 secondary school) conducted across four schools (2 primary & 2 secondary). During this study, the focus …

Service-Learning: A Valuable Means Of Preparing Pre-Service Teachers For A Teaching Practicum., Anne Coffey, Shane Lavery

Shane D Lavery

Abstract The use of service-learning as a teaching methodology is in its infancy within Australian tertiary institutions. Parker et. al., (2009) noted that, until recently, community service-learning has been under-utilised within the Australian higher education system. Within teacher education programs, service-learning has been used primarily as a means of providing real-life experiences for pre-service teachers as well as developing their personal and professional skills. The research conducted in this study focused on ways involvement in a service-learning experience could contribute to the preparation of pre-service secondary teachers for their first teaching practicum. The participants included Bachelor of Education, Master of …

Time For Teaching To Establish Its Own Professional Certification Authority, Lawrence C. Ingvarson

Dr Lawrence Ingvarson (Consultant)

The British Prime Minister David Cameron recently announced that his government would be supporting a proposal from the teaching profession to establish its own, teacher-led College of Teaching, fully independent of government. The announcement followed the release of a ‘Blueprint’ for an independent professional body developed by a broad cross-section of the education community, with professional certification as its core, unique function. The Blueprint provided the government with clear evidence of leadership at the level of the profession. This article argues that the teaching profession in Australia should work toward establishing its own blueprint for an Australian College of Teaching …

Improving Consistency In Teacher Judgements : An Investigation For The Department Of Education, Victoria, Marion Meiers, Clare Ozolins, Phillip Mckenzie

Clare Ozolins

The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) was commissioned by the Department of Education in Victoria to undertake an investigation of current best-practice approaches to ensuring consistency of teacher judgements against P-10 state-wide standards. The investigation encompassed national and international approaches that had been implemented or were under development. A key objective of the investigation was that the approaches identified should be based on current information, research and best practice, and that they should be supportive of the continued development of a learning and assessment culture in Victorian schools. The report of the investigation was required to provide key baseline …

Learning To Teach A Foreign Language: Identity Negotiation And Conceptualizations Of Pedagogical Progress, Jason Martel

Jason Martel

No abstract provided.

We, The Students And Teachers: Teaching Democratically In The History And Social Studies Classroom, Robert Maloy, Irene Laroche

Robert W. Maloy

We, the Students and Teachers shows history and social studies educators how to make school classrooms into democratic spaces for teaching and learning. The book offers practical strategies and lesson ideas for transforming democratic theory into instructional practice. It stresses the importance of students and teachers working together to create community and change. The book serves as an essential text for history and social studies teaching methods courses as well as professional development and inservice programs for history and social studies teachers at all grade levels

Institute Of Industrial Arts Technology Education Journal, Vol. 2, No. 1, David Ellis

David Ellis

America, Lauren Gatti

Lauren Gatti

Reflections On The Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group Report, Lawrence C. Ingvarson

Dr Lawrence Ingvarson (Consultant)

Examining The Influence Of Internships On Teacher Recruitment, Tim Howard, Deborah Gober, Kimberly Shaw, Cindy Ticknor

thoward@ColumbusState.edu

The Columbus Region Academy of Future Teachers of STEM (CRAFT-STEM) is a Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program awarded by the National Science Foundation to Columbus State University (grant 1136356). The program incorporates summer internships to recruit academically strong students into secondary STEM teaching programs and increase participation by underrepresented groups. We look at results from student surveys and course enrollments to examine the influence of the internship program on decisions about going into teaching.