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Implentation Of A School-Based Science Programme : A Case Study, Adrianne Kinnear

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper tells the story of the first two years of a science programme which was planned and implemented by the staff of a local primary school. The programme formed the core of a submission for government funding as a school-based innovation. The study describes the degree to which the submission's aims were achieved and attempts to analyse the factors contributing to the project's outcomes.

A Typology Of Teaching For Use In Teacher Education, Lewis Wilson

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Often when educators 'talk about teaching', they mention 'the nature of the child' and the expectations the child brings to the learning situation. Student teachers also bring expectations to learning situations in College. Though teacher educators inculcate respect in their students for pupil expectancies in school they can ignore the anticipations and concerns of their student teachers. A particular expectancy of many student teachers is that, while at College, they will be taught 'how to teach'. One can justifiably ignore this expectancy to a degree because ultimately each student teacher should develop his or her own style of teaching. To …

Alternative Teacher Education Programmes, Leonard H. King

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In trying to determine how and why alternative teacher programmes evolved, a number of critical questions come to mind. For instance what is meant by the concept of alternative? What are some reasons for the existence of alternative programmes? For the purposes of this paper, an alternative teacher education programme will be viewed as the provision of a programme option to the regular programme, that is, another complete programme in a teacher education institution which is fundamentally different.

Beginning Teachers : A Review Of Research, David Battersby

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

During the 1940's and early 1950's a small number of studies of beginning teachers were completed. However, in the late 1950's, particularly in Britain and the United States, the joint problem of teacher shortages and the high drop-out rate of young teachers gave rise to a new wave of studies on beginning teachers. In the last two decades, the recognition of this need has resulted in reports of over 250 studies and a plethora of literature about the beginning teacher. In categorising this material, a broad distinction has emerged between the theory-based research and literature and that which is orientated …

The Delphi Technique : An Application Of The Delphi Technique As A Method Of Obtaining Staff Opinions On Issues Relating To Teaching Practice At Nedlands College Of Advanced Education, M. Kaplan

Research outputs pre 2011

As one approach to gathering information required in compiling a report on Teaching Practice, Supervision Advice and Assessment (Published as Research Committee Report Number 12), use was made of the Delphi Technique. (Kaplan, 1980).

Space precluded providing details of this technique in Report Number 12 but since the technique is not often used, it was decided to provide information on its application in the study in this separate report.

Migrant Experience Workshop : Resource Folder, Sandy Hopkins, Rob Mykytiuk

Research outputs pre 2011

The Migration Experience Workshop was conducted in response to Recommendation i4 of the Galbally Report, namely that

"Professionals, including those studying and those currently in practices in areas with large migrant clienteles, should receive assistance in obtaining or upgrading language skills and understanding cultural differences".

The workshop focussed on the latter part of the Recommendation largely through an experiential approach based on simulated experiences, media presentations, and direct input from immigrant clientele as well as those professionally involved with them. The over whelming response from course participants made it abundantly clear that the process of migration and settlement experience is …

The Teachers Of The English Teachers : The Influence Of The School, The Community And The Training Institution, D. M. Murison

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

At the moment, teacher educators are being forced to contemplate their contribution to the making of a good teacher more seriously than before. Those who feel most vulnerable are the method teachers, since the failures of students in their first year of teaching are most often attributed to the method teacher. I will take English teachers as my example partly because that is my area of immediate concern, partly because so many teachers trained in other areas find themselves teaching English at some stage, and partly because in most states English is a compulsory study up to the end of …

A Hypothesis : (Lebanese) Migrants With High Educational/Professional Qualifications Sense More Discrimination By Australians Than Other Lebanese Groups, A. W. Ata

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The hypothesis forms part of a thesis entitled, 'The Lebanese Community in Melbourne' which was completed in January 1979 and submitted to the University of Melbourne. The Lebanese minority in Australia is perhaps one of very few national minorities which have not been studied in any form: as yet, no reseach has been carried out in a systematic and methodical manner. The thesis is thus intended to examine the structure of the Lebanese community as an autonomous ethnic group, the distinctive features which make it different from other ethnic groups, and the extent of its acculturation in Australian society. In …

A Communicating Styles Survey Of Primary School Teachers In North Queensland, Brian Noad, Ken Stafford

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study has focused on identifying inservice primary school teachers' communicating styles. An underlying assumption is that no one style can be considered good or bad; and, no style is preferred as more right than another. However, if clusters of primary school teachers' communicating styles can be identified it could provide empirical data on the ways teachers transmit and receive information. Such data might be useful to teacher educators for designing and implementing inservice programs based on the ways teachers transmit and receive information. Hence, the effectiveness of inservice education efforts might be improved because they could be related to …

Application For A Change Agent Strategy In Dissemination Of An Australian Innovation, Barry J. Fraser, David L. Smith

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Several excellent reviews of the general education change and innovation literature exist and this literature indicates that a widely adopted strategy for planned development and dissemination of curriculum innovations has been the Research, Development and Diffusion (RD&D) model. This empirical-rational strategy involves the initial development of teacher-proof curriculum packages followed by mass dissemination which assumes that teachers' adaptation and translation problems have been largely anticipated and accommodated. The RD&D strategy, however, has recently provoked increasing skepticism because teachers and schools often have failed to adopt new curriculum materials, to implement them in ways envisaged by the developers, or to continue …

Attitudes Towards Migrants And Needs In Teacher Training : Some Research Findings, R. W. Sealey

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The area of immigrant education has become a major source of interest, concern, comment, and research in recent years. This interest has its origins in the concern felt and views expressed at various conferences that many pupils in our schools are in need of an educational approach which will take cognisance of their linguistic and cultural differences.

Nutrition And The Primary School Child, Andrew P. Hills

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

With a greater range of foodstuffs available today, it is necessary to educate children in choosing the correct foods to eat, and why they should eat them in preference to others. The concept of nutrition is related closely to the growth and well being of the child and subsequently should be an important part of a child's primary school education.

Mature Aged Students In Teacher Education, Roger B. King, Bruce T. Haynes

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Mature age students in Teacher Education (21 and over on first enrollment) differ notably in what they look for in their course from the younger students. Analysis of a survey of third year Diploma of Teaching students’ ratings of the relevance of units for teaching showed that students over 25 years of age rated the Education and Educational Psychology units significantly more relevant to teaching than did the younger students. The older students also rated Language Arts units and a Remedial and Special Education Unit as significantly more relevant and Art Education units , Physical Education units and Science Education …

Work Experience And Trainee Teachers, Roger B. King, Bruce T, Haynes

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

An educational policy problem currently receiving some scrutiny is the advisabi lity of school teachers being persons with experience of work and life situations outside of educational institutions (See Williams, 1979, Vol. 1, p.99 and The Schools Commission, 1979). Proposals on this matter include enrolment of more mature age students in teacher training; requiring teacher trainee students to have significant work experience prior to or during their period of training; providing teachers with seminars and other interactive opportunities for improving their knowledge of industry, the world of work and the wider society; and providing opportunities for secondment of teachers to …

Training Teachers To Plan, Philip Deschamp, David Tripp

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

As part of an attempt to understand why teachers use particular approaches to planning, this study addressed the question of how primary teachers are taught to plan by training institutions in Western Australia. The main reason for conducting this survey was the assumption that, although teachers' planning is influenced by other factors (such as the particular requirements ofthe schools in which they teach, what they believe to be their role as teachers, and the characteristics of the particular students) a major influence, especially if they are new to teaching, is how they were taught to plan during their initial training.

Teacher Denigration : Societal Expectation, Or Par For The Course?, D. M. Cavanagh

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Once the classroom door is closed the teacher is in charge, though reminiscent of power tripping, is a popular assertion fraught with misconceptions of some magnitude. This paper attempts to explore such an assertion in the hope that once the content of the assertion is identified the training and education of the teacher would be more efficient and effective.

Qualitative Evaluation Concepts And Cases In Curriculum Criticism / Willis, G., Ed., Mccutchan, Berkely, 1978, I. Kerr

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In the introduction to the book Qualitative Evaluation the editor, George Willis, provides a careful analysis of the nature, potential and limitations of qualitative evaluation. The format of the book is such that the initial readings elaborate on aspects of his analysis. Then follows the case studies which chronicle a large variety of educational situations, the reports of which further elucidate one's understanding of qualitative techniques. The final chapters of the book are designed to synthesize the facets of qualitative evaluation presented in the case studies and to give some perspective to the functions of criticism in the field of …

Pecuniary Implications Of The Proposal For Extending The Teacher Education Programme In Universities, Ross J. Harrold

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The proposal by Fielding, Cavanagh and Widdowson is that universities should replace the present four-year pre-service teacher training (both end-on and concurrent) with a four-phase scheme requiring five years for the completion of the three pre-service phases. The first phase comprises three years' study towards a relevant undergraduate degree. The second is one year's internship in a school, under the tutelage of a 'master teacher'. In the third phase, the student returns to his Alma Mater to complete one year's study of the fundamental aspects of educational knowledge. The trainee becomes a fully certified teacher at the completion of this …

Report To The Academic Council Of Nedlands College From The Ad Hoc Committee On Aboriginal Education, Aboriginal Education Committee

Research outputs pre 2011

The following expanded brief originating from the above recommendation was given to the committee:- "Many graduates returning to College on ex-students' day as well as students on practice reported that they had found difficulties in handling classes that contained Aboriginal and part Aboriginal students, and suggested that the College should do more to prepare students in this area. A conference on Aboriginal Education held at Mount Lawley College in 1977 made recommendations on the place of Aboriginal Education in initial teaching training.

The Academic Council of this College decided to form an ad hoc committee to advise the Courses Committee …

Success And Failure In Tertiary Education, With Reference To School Attended : A Re-Examination, E. P. Otto

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The first part of this paper reviews the research evidence accumulated to date which bears on the question, "How useful is information about a student's secondary school for an assessment of his likelihood of succeeding in tertiary studies?" Knowledge of whether a student entering university or college comes from a State, Catholic or other Private school appears to be useful to personnel making admissions decisions. The differing academic performance of students from these three types of schools is largely, unrelated to faculty choice, tertiary entrance qualifications, aptitude and intelligence. The way a student approaches his University or college work seems …

Mathematics Education, English Technological Universities And Variety Of Entry Into The Teaching Profession, A. G. Shannon

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The purpose of this paper is to raise the issue of genuine variety of entry into the teaching profession in Australia. The author's interest in mathematics and technological institutions has been used to focus the discussion on specific features, but his experience as a member of the Course Assessment Committee of the NSW Board of Teacher Education has made him aware of wider implications beyond the features peculiar to mathematics. Mathematics education itself is a term which can include the teaching of mathematics, studies about the learning of mathematics, and the preparation of mathematics teachers. The various aspects of mathematics …

A Comparison Of The School Societal Interface In Three Countries, John Croft

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Recently there has been a growing interest in improving the connection between school and society in general, and schools with their communities in particular. This concern comes from many sources. Employees criticise teachers as being ignorant of the world of work, and blame teachers for helping to create high school leaver unemployment by generating unrealistically high expectations in high school students. Parents too, are demanding that schools become more accountable to them in terms of the skills taught to their children. Social reformers are advocating that school teachers take more account of the ethnic sickness of the local population, and …

Student Teacher Performance Related To Cognitive Style, Brian Noad

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Research conducted in the field of cognitive style suggests there are certain learning styles which can be identified, defined and measured. However, the literature points out that a neglected aspect of research is an exploration of relationships between students' cognitive styles and performance. The goal of this study was to explore whether the cognitive style manner of reasoning scales were jointly and differentially, related to student teachers' academic performance. The sample consisted of 40 primary school student teachers enrolled in the second year of the Diploma in Teaching course at the Townsville College of Advanced Education, Townsville, Queensland. Data was …

Epistemic Authority, Rationality And The Fallacy Of Educational Democracy, John H. Chambers

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In any rational authority system, authority must be closely connected to point, purpose and function. The situation of authority in colleges and universities provides a special case of such point, purpose and function. The present paper tries to show the quite special features of the epistemic (knowledge) authority of academics that provide rational justification for their being in many positions of social authority in their institutions. To do this, (1) the particular aspects of the point, purpose and function of such epistemic authorities will be demonstrated, (2) the logical necessity of academic disciplines for rational endeavour will be pointed out, …

The Mass Media And Language Development, Michael Willie

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The mass media have penetrated so deeply in our Society that it is important to examine the types and nature of the influence the mass media exert on individuals in society. This essay will involve discussionn of the linguistic type in relation to education.

Australia In The 1970'S : A Fertile Context For Educational Experimentation And Innovation, J. D. Bambach

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The 1970s have provided a social, political and economic climate which has been conducive, in many ways, to educational reform. Social and technological changes have helped to foster attitudes which are tolerant of and sometimes encouraging towards progressive ideas and experimentation in education. Public interest in and concern, accentuated by the mass media, for what schooling is or is not doing had been reflected in political policies and government initiatives. There have been signs of a greater desire by parents, and to some extent students, to participate in policy-making in schools. In general, teachers have also shown in the 1970s …

The Role Of Language In The Assimilation Of Lebanese Immigrants In Australia., A. W. Ata

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Most research surveys in recent years have revealed that problems of language permeate every aspect of life of migrant communities. Migrants who have attained a reasonable command of English are likely to be better adjusted and therefore more easily accepted by the host society and less vulnerable to exploitation than are other members of their community; circumstances which obviously make for easier assimilation. A methodological study was set up to investigate degrees in acquiring the varying standards of knowledge of English among Lebanese migrants, attempts made to learn English after immigration, the language spoken at home, the insistence of parents …

Physical Attractiveness - A Source Of Teacher Bias?, M. W. Boyce

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

A person's physical appearance is his personal characteristic most obvious and most accessible to others in social interaction. Despite some social psychologists apparent disinterest in investigating physical attractiveness as an antecedent of liking, there has been a developing body of research which suggests that physical attractiveness is an important social cue used by others as a basis for social evaluation. If, as there appears, there is a physical attractiveness stereotype, it seems plausible to suggest that a child's personal characteristics may influence the way in which an adult evaluates his behaviour. There have been several studies that have looked at …

Study Behaviour And Tertiary Academic Achievement, E. P. Otto

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Sufficient time and effort expended in study have been shown to be essential pre-requisites to satisfactory examination performance at tertiary level. This paper presents the results of an investigation into the relationship between academic achievement and the variables of student attitudes toward study, effort expended in studying, the availability of a study room and scholarship status. All these variables were significantly related to examination performance during various years of the courses studied. The effects of the study variables operated differentially for males and females in the sample.

Barriers And Resistance To Innovation, R. I. Nisbet, J. M. Collins

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The paper examines some of the theoretical and empirical literature on the acceptance or rejection of innovation in school settings. A number of innovations models are examined and comment made upon their application. A comment is made on a case study of the diffusion of a particular innovation in social science teaching in Queensland schools.