Education Commons^™

The Development Of A Single Scale For Mapping Progress In Mathematical Competence, Ross Turner, Gayl O'Connor

Ross Turner

The authors’ intention is to develop a progress map that describes increasing mathematical competence. The main purpose of this chapter is to describe the means by which the research team has been able to use the data from a longitudinal testing program to build and refine a picture of growth in mathematical competence. In this chapter, conceptualisation of the underlying variable to be measured in developing a mathematical progress map is considered, and approaches to its development are discussed. The approach adopted is described and the results of the application of that methodology to the data generated through this research …

State Differences In Achievement Among Secondary School Students In Australia, Gary Marks, John Cresswell

Dr John Cresswell

A number of recent national studies of student achievement in secondary school have reported differences between the Australian states and territories. State differences are often viewed as insubstantial or as simply reflecting sociodemographic factors, or differences between the states in the grades or ages of the students sampled. In this article, the authors show that state differences are larger than generally assumed and cannot be attributed to socioeconomic and demographic factors. Generally, student achievement in reading, mathematics and science are higher in New South Wales than the other states, once demographic and grade differences are taken into account. Of concern, …

Putting Achievement Growth In Context: Modeling Individual Growth In Literacy And Numeracy, Siek Toon Khoo, Marion Meiers

Marion Meiers

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of The Access To Excellence Initiative In Victorian Government Secondary Schools, Marion Meiers, Adrian Beavis, Lawrence Ingvarson

Marion Meiers

Report prepared for the Department of Education and Training, Victoria.

Pathways Through Tafe: Entry, Progress And Outcomes, Julie Mcmillan, Sheldon Rothman

Dr Sheldon Rothman

No abstract provided.

Transition To Further Education: The First-Year Experience, Julie Mcmillan, Kylie Hillman

Kylie Hillman

Look at tertiary study in terms of academic failure and attrition, and research clearly identifies the first year of study at university or TAFE as the year of highest risk. Put otherwise, completion of the first year is 'more than half the battle' when it comes to the completion of a degree or diploma. Since that's the case, it's worth developing a fuller understanding of young people's experiences and perceptions of their first year of tertiary study, particularly to understand why people change their course of study, why they discontinue their studies and how they develop as lifelong learners, which …

An Evaluation Of The Schools For Innovation And Excellence Initiative In Victorian Government Schools, Lawrence Ingvarson, Siek-Toon Khoo, Adrian Beavis, Marion Meiers

Dr Siek Toon Khoo

Report prepared for the Office of Teaching and Learning, Department of Education and Training, Victoria

Leadership In Catholic Schools : Development Framework And Standards Of Practice, Elizabeth Kleinhenz, Lawrence Ingvarson

Dr Elizabeth Kleinhenz

This study emphasises the connections between the work of leaders and the core functions of schooling. It draws these connections in the context of the values and beliefs of the Catholic Church and the mission of Catholic schools in their communities. The Framework has been developed with two main purposes in mind. The first is to guide the professional learning and development of aspiring leaders and to encourage teachers to consider movement into leadership positions. The second is to unite Catholic schools around a vision of agreed leadership practices for leaders – 'the standards' – and to provide a foundation …

Change, Competition And Specialisation: The Demise Of The Comprehensive Secondary School And Its Implication, Daniel Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards

No abstract provided.

Australian Skills For The 21st Century, Gerald White

Dr Gerald K. White

An overview of the changes which are occurring in Australia and the work that has been undertaken related to ICT in the VET sector. Also to be discussed are the skills in ICT that will be needed for Australia to be successful in a global society.

Learning Environment Design For Learners And Teachers, Gerald White

Dr Gerald K. White

This paper proposes that for elearning to be taken up widely by teachers and learners, a broadly purposed or designed elearning environment of essential educational elements needs to be available. It suggests that the work of preparing online learning programs involves seven different elements which can be organised into seven distinct digital online services layers. Further, from research conducted into educational usage of the internet in the Global Gateways (2003) report, there would appear to be four different types of educational users of Web services to be taken into account when constructing educational online environments.

Assessing Student Learning Outcomes In The Library Information Commons, Lori Critz, Robert Fernekes, Sonya Shepherd

Sonya S. Gaither

No abstract provided.

If You Build It They Will Come, But Are They Learning? The Role Of Library Information Commons In Assessing Student Learning Outcomes, Robert Fernekes, Lori Critz, Sonya Shepherd

Sonya S. Gaither

No abstract provided.

Repurposing Learning Objects As Assessment Instruments, S Atkins, Gayl O'Connor

Gayl O'Connor

No abstract provided.

Political Efficacy And Expected Participation Among Lower And Upper Secondary Students. A Comparative Analysis With Data From The Iea Civic Education Study., Wolfram Schulz

Dr Wolfram Schulz

The process of political socialisation of adolescents includes more than the acquisition of knowledge about society, citizenship and the political system. In a democracy, citizens are expected to participate actively in the political process. Active participation, however, requires citizens to believe in their own ability to influence the course of politics, in other words, to feel politically efficacious. Therefore, enhancing control beliefs and the willingness to act politically could be viewed as important areas of civic and citizenship education. This paper examines changes in levels and relationships regarding efficacy and expected participation using data from students at different stages of …

Putting Achievement Growth In Context: Modeling Individual Growth In Literacy And Numeracy, Siek Toon Khoo, Marion Meiers

Dr Siek Toon Khoo

No abstract provided.

What's In A Name? Why We Can't Learn With Mobile Phones, Elizabeth Hartnell-Young

Dr Elizabeth Hartnell-Young

A team from the University of Melbourne is exploring the potential of mobile camera phones to support learning in schools and TAFE colleges. This article discusses some of the findings of the study.

Are There National Patterns Of Teaching? Evidence From The Timss 1999 Video Study, Karen Givvin, James Hiebert, Jennifer Jacobs, Hilary Hollingsworth, Ronald Gallimore

Dr Hilary Hollingsworth

Why do teachers today teach as they do, and why has teaching evolved in the way that it has evolved? In order to improve teaching, it is important to understand why teaching looks the way that it now does and how its general form can be explained. One way to address this question is at the classroom level. In this article we build on ethnographic research by using the 1999 Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) video archives. Here we consider two possible explanations for the general patterns that have developed in school teaching. One explanation is that there …

Transition To Further Education: The First-Year Experience, Julie Mcmillan, Kylie Hillman

Julie McMillan

Look at tertiary study in terms of academic failure and attrition, and research clearly identifies the first year of study at university or TAFE as the year of highest risk. Put otherwise, completion of the first year is 'more than half the battle' when it comes to the completion of a degree or diploma. Since that's the case, it's worth developing a fuller understanding of young people's experiences and perceptions of their first year of tertiary study, particularly to understand why people change their course of study, why they discontinue their studies and how they develop as lifelong learners, which …

Using Assessment For Learning (Formative Assessment) In Science And Resources For Learning – Mining Sear (Science Education Assessment Resource), Gayl O'Connor

Gayl O'Connor

No abstract provided.

Designing Assessment Tasks For Deep Thinking, Gabrielle Matters

Dr Gabrielle Matters

I want to present some ideas about how a valid and reliable process for assessing deep thinking is not a function of the assessment regime (such as external or internal, standardised or teacher-devised), but is actually a product of the successful application of certain design criteria and the interplay of three essential elements. The argument I present rests on one simple belief that I hold: the capacity to design good assessment tasks is a vital part of an extensive professional repertoire and, as such, demands space and time, ritual and respect. (Teacher–assessors should not let anybody tell them that designing …

Are Learning Technologies Making A Difference? A Longitudinal Perspective Of Attitudes, Katherine Dix

Dr Katherine Dix

Mathematics Self-Efficacy And Student Expectations. Results From Pisa 2003., Wolfram Schulz

Dr Wolfram Schulz

Student performance is generally viewed as the main criterion variable when analysing equity in the outcomes of education. However, there is evidence that even with increasing equity in achievement, inequity in other important learning outcomes might still prevail. Self-beliefs like mathematics self-efficacy, i.e. students’ judgements of their own ability to solve tasks in mathematics, are often viewed as crucial learning outcomes, which affect the process of learning and are an important predictor of educational career choices. The second survey of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA 2003) provides data on self-related cognitions, motivations, learning behaviours and student performance in …

Growth Mixture Modelling: An Application In The Evaluation Of A Randomized Prevention Trial, Siek Khoo, J Cheong

Dr Siek Toon Khoo

No abstract provided.

Association Between Three Levels Of The Algebra Curriculum In Ten Countries In Timss 1999, Alla Routitsky, Susan Zammit

Dr Alla Routitsky

No abstract provided.

Factors Influencing Reading Achievement In Germany And Spain : Evidence From Pisa 2000, Petra Lietz, Dieter Kotte, Maria Lopez

Dr Petra Lietz

This article examines the factors fostering and inhibiting student achievement in Germany and Spain at the 15-year-old level in the OECD Programme on International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2000. Both countries performed significantly below the OECD average not only in Reading but also in Mathematics and Science on this occasion. Since the two countries are similar in average levels of student achievement, it is of interest to consider whether similar patterns exist in the ways in which factors operate to influence student achievement in these two countries. Preliminary analyses were carried out with PLSPATH and subsequent two-level models were analysed …

Child Protection Data In Australia: Current Issues And Future Improvements., S Kelly, Julie Kos

Dr Julie Kos

No abstract provided.

Private Information And Market Movements: New Evidence From The Wednesday Closings Of 1968, Thomas Berry

Thomas D Berry

No abstract provided.

Lesson Study : A Professional Learning Model That Actually Makes A Difference, Hilary Hollingsworth, Delwyn Oliver

Dr Hilary Hollingsworth

Over the past year, a group of mathematics teachers from one Victorian school engaged in a process of professional learning called Lesson Study. In bi-weekly meetings that focused on the development of a single exemplary lesson, they questioned, pondered, discussed, debated, explored, and examined mathematics, and the teaching and learning of mathematics. This paper describes the process and the outcomes of what these teachers consider to be the most powerful professional learning they have experienced.

Teachers' New Roles In School-Based Communities Of Practice, Elizabeth Hartnell-Young

Dr Elizabeth Hartnell-Young

School classrooms can be conceptualised as bounded communities of practice made up of teachers and students working together to learn and build knowledge. The widespread use of information and communication technologies enables these communities to create knowledge, cross boundaries and build up intellectual capital. This paper, based on a qualitative study of thirty-two teachers in Victorian state schools, offers a model of four teachers’ roles that reflects the current situation, and suggests ways in which these roles might be developed to enhance knowledge building. It argues that safe, knowledgeable communities within boundaries, together with active boundary-crossing, can provide the conditions …