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Developing Deep Understanding About Language In Undergraduate Pre-Service Teacher Programs Through The Application Of Knowledge, Lisl Fenwick, Sally Humphrey, Marie Quinn, Michele Endicott Nov 2013

Developing Deep Understanding About Language In Undergraduate Pre-Service Teacher Programs Through The Application Of Knowledge, Lisl Fenwick, Sally Humphrey, Marie Quinn, Michele Endicott

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The development of deep understanding of theoretical knowledge is an essential element of successful tertiary-programs that prepare individuals to enter professions. This study investigates the extent to which an emphasis on the application of knowledge within curriculum design, teaching strategies and assessment methods developed deep knowledge about language within the first year of a tertiary-based teacher education program in Australia. Concepts of application from literature on tertiary-based learning informed the design of curriculum, teaching strategies and assessment within a unit on linguistics for pre-service teachers. Questionnaires, provided to students at the end of the unit, and analysis of a final …

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The Curriculum For English Language Teacher Education In Australian And Vietnamese Universities, Minh Hue Nguyen Nov 2013

The Curriculum For English Language Teacher Education In Australian And Vietnamese Universities, Minh Hue Nguyen

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper examines the curricula for English language teacher education in two universities, one in Australia and the other in Vietnam. Specifically, it analyses the structures of the two curricula, compares and contrasts them, and examines how the development of the curricula was shaped by distinctive contextual factors. Sources of data include relevant literature, policy and curriculum documents, and interviews with curriculum developers from the two universities. Analysis of data revealed great variation across and within the two curricula in terms of structure and content. Findings also reveal specific contextual factors that influenced the development of the curricula. Although the …

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English Language Teacher Educators’ Pedagogical Knowledge Base: The Macro And Micro Categories, Shahab Moradkhani, Ramin Akbari, Reza Ghafar Samar, Gholam Reza Kiany Oct 2013

English Language Teacher Educators’ Pedagogical Knowledge Base: The Macro And Micro Categories, Shahab Moradkhani, Ramin Akbari, Reza Ghafar Samar, Gholam Reza Kiany

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The aim of this study was to determine the major categories of English language teacher educators’ pedagogical knowledge base. To this end, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 5 teachers, teacher educators, and university professors (15 participants in total). The results of data analysis indicated that teacher educators’ pedagogical knowledge encompasses eight macro categories; namely, knowledge of language and related disciplines, knowledge of ELT theories, skills, and techniques, knowledge of context and social relations, knowledge of class, time, and learning management, knowledge of research and professional development, knowledge of practicum, knowledge of teachers and their assessment, and knowledge of reflective and …

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Rethinking The Literacy Capabilities Of Pre-Service Primary Teachers In Testing Times, Eileen Honan, Beryl Exley, Lisa Kervin, Alyson Simpson, Muriel Wells Oct 2013

Rethinking The Literacy Capabilities Of Pre-Service Primary Teachers In Testing Times, Eileen Honan, Beryl Exley, Lisa Kervin, Alyson Simpson, Muriel Wells

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper demonstrates how teacher accreditation requirements can be responsibly aligned with a scholarly impetus to incorporate digital literacies to prepare pre-service teachers to meet changing educational needs and practices. The assessment initiatives introduced in the newly constructed four year undergraduate Bachelor of Education program at one Australian university are described and analysed in light of the debates surrounding pre-service primary teachers’ literacy capabilities. The findings and subsequent discussion have implications for all literacy teacher educators concerned about the impact of standardised assessment practices on the professional future of teachers.

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A Content Analysis Of Early Childhood Teachers’ Theoretical And Practical Experiences With Infants And Toddlers In Australian Teacher Education Programs, Susanne Garvis, Narelle Lemon, Donna Pendergast, Bonnie Yim Sep 2013

A Content Analysis Of Early Childhood Teachers’ Theoretical And Practical Experiences With Infants And Toddlers In Australian Teacher Education Programs, Susanne Garvis, Narelle Lemon, Donna Pendergast, Bonnie Yim

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In Australia, the growth in the provision of early childhood services for very young children aged birth to three years has placed increased demands on pre-service teachers as new policy stipulates the need for qualified early childhood teachers. While many teacher education programs offer early childhood courses, they have traditionally had a greater focus on kindergarten and the formal years of schooling. Less is known about the amount of time devoted to developing the specialist educational capacity for teaching and caring for infants and toddlers. This paper explores 55 Australian early childhood teacher undergraduate education programs to provide data regarding …

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Exploring The Effects Of Classroom Culture On Primary Pre-Service Teachers’ Professional Development, Taner Altun Sep 2013

Exploring The Effects Of Classroom Culture On Primary Pre-Service Teachers’ Professional Development, Taner Altun

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study aims to examine primary student teachers’ (PSTs) perceptions about the effects of pre-formed classroom culture on their professional development. In the study, a mixed method approach was used. The study group consisted of 4th year student teachers who attend a primary teacher education program leading to a B.Ed diploma at the Fatih Faculty of Education at Karadeniz Technical University. The data was collected during the spring semester of the 2011-2012 academic year, in which student teachers carried out their teaching practices in primary schools. The main data collection instruments included a preliminary questionnaire which was distributed to …

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The Fitzroy Valley Numeracy Project: Assessment Of Early Changes In Teachers’ Self-Reported Pedagogic Content Knowledge And Classroom Practice, Lorraine Jacob, Andrew Mcconney Sep 2013

The Fitzroy Valley Numeracy Project: Assessment Of Early Changes In Teachers’ Self-Reported Pedagogic Content Knowledge And Classroom Practice, Lorraine Jacob, Andrew Mcconney

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The Fitzroy Valley Numeracy Project (FVNP) was designed to improve numeracy outcomes for Indigenous students by developing a systematic, co-ordinated approach to teaching primary school mathematics. In this study, using early project data, we examine FVNP teachers’ self‑reported pedagogic content knowledge and classroom practice from initial and follow up questionnaires, as well as interviews from case study teachers. After the first FVNP year, teachers reported being better able to plan focused mathematics lessons and to monitor student learning. On the other hand, teachers also felt less able to make mathematics explicit to students and their confidence in providing engaging activities …

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Towards Internationalising The Curriculum: A Case Study Of Chinese Language Teacher Education Programs In China And Australia, Danping Wang, Robyn Moloney, Zhen Li Sep 2013

Towards Internationalising The Curriculum: A Case Study Of Chinese Language Teacher Education Programs In China And Australia, Danping Wang, Robyn Moloney, Zhen Li

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper presents a comparative curricular inquiry of teacher education programs of Chinese as a foreign language in China and Australia. While there is an increasing demand for qualified Chinese language teachers both within China and Western countries, pre-service teacher training is regarded as one of the major factors in impeding success in effective student learning. Using an interpretative approach, this paper captures voices from teacher educators and pre-service teachers through in-depth interviews to supplement curriculum document reviews. The results identify curriculum differences in educational aims and objectives, learning content, methods of delivery and assessment. The study suggests aspects of …

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The Responsive Reading Teacher, Gloria R. Latham Aug 2013

The Responsive Reading Teacher, Gloria R. Latham

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper describes the ways in which a literacy educator attempted to shift her own and pre-service teachers’ mindsets towards the needs of 21st Century literacy learners by employing a pedagogy of discomfort. The focus of the disruption was on contesting normative practices and content while developing and refining novice teachers’ skills in questioning, listening, noticing, and responding to children, as well as explicit teaching and assessing reading for learning in primary school settings.

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Impact Of Awareness Raising About Listening Micro-Skills On The Listening Comprehension Enhancement: An Exploration Of The Listening Micro-Skills In Efl Classes, Amir Rezaei, Fatimah Hashim Aug 2013

Impact Of Awareness Raising About Listening Micro-Skills On The Listening Comprehension Enhancement: An Exploration Of The Listening Micro-Skills In Efl Classes, Amir Rezaei, Fatimah Hashim

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

It is common practice in the classes that teachers focus on the outcome of listening rather than the listening process itself. Based on the interventionist view of language teaching, one of the ways proposed for teaching listening is to break it into smaller micro-skills and give learners awareness about them. But before giving awareness, it is important to identify the micro-skills that learners need mostly in performing listening tasks. This study was aimed at exploring the most frequently used listening micro-skills in EFL classes at lower levels. Also, an attempt was made to investigate the impact of awareness raising about …

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The Portfolio Effect: Enhancing Turkish Elt Student-Teachers’ Autonomy, Rana Yildirim Aug 2013

The Portfolio Effect: Enhancing Turkish Elt Student-Teachers’ Autonomy, Rana Yildirim

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article reports on the use of portfolios to develop ELT major student-teachers’ autonomy. The research was carried out for 14 weeks with twenty-one 3rd grade student-teachers in the English Language Teaching Department of Cukurova University, Adana, Turkey. To evaluate the impact of portfolios on fostering the participants’ autonomy, data were collected from an autonomy readiness questionnaire, semi-structured interviews with the student-teachers and three portfolio evidences: graded goal sheets, reflection reports, and cover letters. The findings revealed that the use of portfolios assisted the student-teachers in becoming autonomous in regard to their personal and professional development and that the student-teachers …

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Online Healthy Lifestyle Support In The Perinatal Period: What Do Women Want And Do They Use It?, Lydia A. Hearn, Margaret R. Miller, Anna Fletcher Jul 2013

Online Healthy Lifestyle Support In The Perinatal Period: What Do Women Want And Do They Use It?, Lydia A. Hearn, Margaret R. Miller, Anna Fletcher

Research outputs 2013

Unhealthy weight gain and retention during pregnancy and postpartum is detrimental to mother and child. Although various barriers limit the capacity for perinatal health care providers (PHCPs) to offer healthy lifestyle counselling, they could guide women to appropriate online resources. This paper presents a project designed to provide online information to promote healthy lifestyles in the perinatal period. Focus groups or interviews were held with 116 perinatal women and 76 PHCPs to determine what online information perinatal women and PHCPs want, in what form, and how best it should be presented. The results indicated that women wanted smartphone applications (apps) …

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Peer Mentoring: A Way Forward For Supporting Preservice Efl Teachers Psychosocially During The Practicum, Hoa Thi Mai Nguyen Jul 2013

Peer Mentoring: A Way Forward For Supporting Preservice Efl Teachers Psychosocially During The Practicum, Hoa Thi Mai Nguyen

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

During the past several years, the importance of practicum as a vital proportion of the preservice teacher education program has been increasingly emphasized. There have been a number of initiatives for supporting preservice teachers. Among these, peer based relationship is increasingly emerged as an innovative strategy to provide additional support to preservice teachers. This paper reports on part of a larger study which investigated the impact of peer mentoring in the context of Vietnam. Using mixed methods research design, the study investigated the impact of a peer mentoring model on the preservice teachers’ perceptions of their psychosocial support from their …

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Enriching The Professional Learning Of Early Years Teachers In Disadvantaged Contexts: The Impact Of Quality Resources And Quality Professional Learning, Elizabeth A. Warren, Jodie Miller Jul 2013

Enriching The Professional Learning Of Early Years Teachers In Disadvantaged Contexts: The Impact Of Quality Resources And Quality Professional Learning, Elizabeth A. Warren, Jodie Miller

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Studies indicate that very few teachers entering disadvantaged contexts feel prepared academically or professionally to teach effectively. This study focuses on the impact of a model for professional learning, the RoleM Professional Learning model (RPL), situated in a disadvantaged context over a three-year period. The participating teachers (n = 12) in this study taught in the first three years of school (Foundation to Year 2). To ascertain the effectiveness of RPL, teachers were interviewed three times a year and students’ pre and post-test scores were also considered. The results indicate that quality teaching is related to the establishment of quality …

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Career Development In Language Education Programs, Saad Fathy Shawer, Saad Ali Alkahtani Jun 2013

Career Development In Language Education Programs, Saad Fathy Shawer, Saad Ali Alkahtani

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study assesses the influence of a two-year language program evaluation on program directors and faculty career development. The study makes use of mixed-paradigms (positivism and qualitative interpretive), mixed-strategies (survey research and qualitative evaluation), one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and a post-hoc test of multiple comparisons (Scheffe). The findings indicate that imposed program evaluation experiences help faculty members advance their career skills in terms of course planning, classroom teaching, learning assessment, classroom research, and coping with career pressure. The findings also indicate significant improvement in program director academic and administrative career skills. Moreover, the findings did not show inter-program differences …

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The Effects Of Training On Pre-Service English Teachers’ Regulation Of Their Study Time, Aysegul Daloglu, Seniye Vural Jun 2013

The Effects Of Training On Pre-Service English Teachers’ Regulation Of Their Study Time, Aysegul Daloglu, Seniye Vural

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Based on Zimmerman et al.’s (1996) learning model, an intervention consisting of seven weekly training sessions to increase students’ awareness of and ability to plan and manage their study time was developed. Weekly journals, in which students reflected on their implementation of each phase of the learning model, were applied for students and the researchers to monitor and evaluate the training process. The results indicate that the training proved to be beneficial in that students reported a frequent use of a variety of strategies throughout the training process.

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Can We Use Grammar To Support Students’ Communication Skills?, Rebecca Blaxell May 2013

Can We Use Grammar To Support Students’ Communication Skills?, Rebecca Blaxell

eCULTURE

Communication skills consistently rank as one of the skills most desired by employers and is included in the graduate attributes at ECU. This paper looks to examine why sound grammatical skills are considered important and what role it plays in the development of communication skills. It looks at the role of grammar in the tertiary classroom and at possible ways that university educators can help support students’ understanding of the grammatical structures needed in the text types that are most closely associated with the workforce. Using Halliday’s interpretation of register, grammar can be considered in terms of the function needed …

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The Synchronised Development Of Academic And Employability Skills And Attributes At University, Rebecca Blaxell, Catherine Moore May 2013

The Synchronised Development Of Academic And Employability Skills And Attributes At University, Rebecca Blaxell, Catherine Moore

eCULTURE

In a competitive, culturally diverse and increasingly internationalised workplace students can no longer assume that possession of a tertiary degree will naturally lead to employment. There has been a shift in the mindset of employers, who now seek to employ graduates with “employability” skills and attributes in addition to traditional expertise within their discipline (DEST, 2002). At first glance this appears to have placed an additional burden on universities in preparing students to be active citizens and engaged leaders, both within their chosen field and broader society. This paper discusses the project we embarked upon to compare the skills and …

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In-Course Language Support: Working Towards Best Practice, Anne Harris, Joanna Ashton Apr 2013

In-Course Language Support: Working Towards Best Practice, Anne Harris, Joanna Ashton

eCULTURE

In Australian universities, student demographics over the past decade have changed markedly. The main shift is an increase in the number of students who have English as an additional language or are the first in their family to enter higher education. As student populations diversify, many universities are recognising that language and academic support programs require different emphases. For years, the fundamentals of learning support revolved around centrally run workshops and individual consultations but recently, a number of universities have moved towards contextualised in-course support. This paper looks at a similar shift. In 2010, learning support at Edith Cowan University …

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Literacy Coaching Roles In Diverse Contexts Of Teaching And Learning: New Ways Of Working, Lisa J. Van Leent, Beryl Exley Apr 2013

Literacy Coaching Roles In Diverse Contexts Of Teaching And Learning: New Ways Of Working, Lisa J. Van Leent, Beryl Exley

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

As the demands placed on the literacy coach have evolved, so too have the roles of these educational providers who are often responsible for working with school teams to turn around student performance on standardized literacy tests. One literacy coach based in a Queensland primary school recounts her experiences via open-ended interview over a two year period. We offer a theorisation of the newways of working as a literacy coach in a context of teaching and learning marked by diversity.

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Persons As Plants: Ecopsychology And The Return To The Dream Of Nature, Monica Gagliano Mar 2013

Persons As Plants: Ecopsychology And The Return To The Dream Of Nature, Monica Gagliano

Landscapes: the Journal of the International Centre for Landscape and Language

Abstract. In this article, I examine human-plant perceptions and interactions in terms of developing a new perspective on the perception and the actions of people towards plants. By combining my scientific understanding of the biological world and my own experiences working with plant shamans, storytellers and mystics from around the world, I engage with the idea that the hierarchical structure by which Western science defines the variety of life forms as ‘primitive’ or ‘more evolved’ is at the root of the current environmental crisis and I argue that the solution to it rests in a change of this very perspective.

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The Effects Of Problem-Based Learning On Metacognitive Awareness And Attitudes Toward Chemistry Of Prospective Teachers With Different Academic Backgrounds, Cemal Tosun, Erdal Senocak Mar 2013

The Effects Of Problem-Based Learning On Metacognitive Awareness And Attitudes Toward Chemistry Of Prospective Teachers With Different Academic Backgrounds, Cemal Tosun, Erdal Senocak

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The aim of this study was to reveal the effects of Problem-based Learning (PBL) on the metacognitive awareness and attitudes toward chemistry of teacher candidates with different academic backgrounds. The study was carried out on one group using both pre- and post-test experimental studies. The findings of the study were obtained through quantitative approaches. The sample of the study was 70 first-year undergraduate students at a state university in Turkey taking General Chemistry/General Chemistry-II classes. The study was implemented during the spring semester of the 2011-2012 academic years and for a period of 20 hours. Quantitative data was obtained using …

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Ensuring Student Success: Establishing A Community Of Practice For Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Preservice Teachers, Radha Iyer, Martin Reese Mar 2013

Ensuring Student Success: Establishing A Community Of Practice For Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Preservice Teachers, Radha Iyer, Martin Reese

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper discusses the primacy of communities of practice within learning contexts at university and during practicum for culturally and linguistically diverse preservice teachers. The study illustrates that learning occurs when there are adequate opportunities for participation and practice. Data from interviews with 28 culturally and linguistically diverse preservice teachers illustrate that tensions created by social, cultural differences impact upon modes of identification and dimensions of practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991; Wenger, 1998). The study concludes by reiterating the importance of establishing proactive communities of practice to ensure success in learning and practice for this group of preservice teachers.

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Learning To Teach English Language In The Practicum: What Challenges Do Non-Native Esl Student Teachers Face?, Zhengdong Gan Mar 2013

Learning To Teach English Language In The Practicum: What Challenges Do Non-Native Esl Student Teachers Face?, Zhengdong Gan

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study investigates the challenges sixteen non-native preservice ESL teachers in a Bachelor of Education (English Language) (BEdEL) programme from Hong Kong experienced in an eight-week teaching practicum. Qualitative data from semi-structured interviews and reflective journals were collected from all 16 participants to obtain a detailed description of the participants’ perceptions of their field-based practicum experiences. Results indicate that the preserviece teachers’ practicum was characterized by a reality shock due to difficulties in experimenting with pedagogical practices they were taught in the BEdEL programme, and a lack of sense of control in class. This reality shock could destabilize the already …

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Learning About The Effects Of Context On Teaching And Learning In Pre-Service Teacher Education, Lisl Fenwick, Maxine Cooper Mar 2013

Learning About The Effects Of Context On Teaching And Learning In Pre-Service Teacher Education, Lisl Fenwick, Maxine Cooper

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Preparing teachers to work effectively within increasingly diverse contexts is a key goal of teacher education programs. This study analyses the extent to which a semester unit within a teacher education course provided pre-service teachers with the understanding and practices required to teach in low socio-economic status (SES) contexts. The results suggest that a unit, which emphasises links between theory, historical perspectives and practice, can effectively provide pre-service teachers with the key understandings and skills associated with improving equity outcomes in education. However, when the ideas being presented conflict with pre-existing, strongly held ideas about the role of schooling, practices …

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Environmental And Social Sustainability Impacts Of Teaching And Research: Some Ideas, Rowena H. Scott Feb 2013

Environmental And Social Sustainability Impacts Of Teaching And Research: Some Ideas, Rowena H. Scott

eCULTURE

"One aim of Australia’s 2009 National Action Plan for Education for Sustainability is to equip all Australians with the awareness, knowledge, skills, values and motivation to live sustainably in order that future generations can meet their needs. Despite the efforts of ECU Green Office Program, their brief is not to address curriculum issues so consequently this paper aims to be a starting point for discussions that examine how we at Edith Cowan University teach and conduct research that considers their environmental, social, cultural and economic implications. This paper focuses on two main issues: how ECU units teach in environmentally sustainable …

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Waiting For Godot Or Sorting It Now?, E. A. Walker, J. L. Redmond, R. Morris, J. L. Ashton, J. L. Millsteed Feb 2013

Waiting For Godot Or Sorting It Now?, E. A. Walker, J. L. Redmond, R. Morris, J. L. Ashton, J. L. Millsteed

eCULTURE

"Postgraduate business education has become a very important financial stream for most tertiary institutions. However, what is becoming increasingly evident is that the assumption of good or even adequate academic competence, based on IELTS scores, is incorrect and that in reality many international students struggle to meet the academic standards and expectations of the overseas universities. This manifests itself in many ways; ultimately students fail units and have negative learning experiences. At best they reflect competencies of surface learners rather than those of deep learners. This paper reports on interim results of a pilot study that embedded an academic skills …

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Review Of Birdlife, John Charles Ryan Feb 2013

Review Of Birdlife, John Charles Ryan

Landscapes: the Journal of the International Centre for Landscape and Language

No abstract provided.

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On Landscape Criticism And Literary Criticism, Jorge D. Goldfarb Feb 2013

On Landscape Criticism And Literary Criticism, Jorge D. Goldfarb

Landscapes: the Journal of the International Centre for Landscape and Language

This article explores the adoption of notions and methods of literary criticism to the criticism of non-designed landscapes. As a position paper, it argues that attempts to organise and structure the vast multiplicity of landscape instances should follow the path laid by literary criticism when dealing with the multiplicity of literary works. The case is presented for the adoption of genre, as understood by contemporary literary critics, to serve as a categorisation tool for instances of non-designed landscapes. A distinction between primary and secondary, along the lines proposed by Bakhtin for speech genres, appears promising for organising the variety of …

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Botanic Field Aesthetics: A Methodology Of Embodied Research Into Indigenous Southwest Flora, John Ryan Feb 2013

Botanic Field Aesthetics: A Methodology Of Embodied Research Into Indigenous Southwest Flora, John Ryan

Landscapes: the Journal of the International Centre for Landscape and Language

This article describes two prongs of a larger research approach I have termed botanic field aesthetics‘, which begins with living plants in their biodiverse habitats to create embodied poetic representation. The methodology has been designed to materialise and poeticise research into indigenous flora. As components of a broader qualitative field approach, both poetic enquiry and gestural walking constitute specific engagements with plants. The use of poetry and walking aims to show the possibility of an embodied aesthetics of plants and a progression from a visual floral aesthetics to an corporeal floraesthesis, from ocular speculation to multi-sensory experience, and from a …

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