Education Commons^™

Online Learning Environments: What Early Childhood Teacher Education Students Say, Ann Heirdsfield, Julie Davis, Sandra Lennox, Sue Walker, Weihong Zhang

Sandra Lennox

As online environments gain an increasing presence in higher education for both on-campus students and distance learners, there is a need to examine how effective these environments are for student learning. Online environments require essentially different teaching and learning strategies from those used in the traditional face-to-face contexts (for on-campus students) or with print-based material (for distance learners). This article identifies early childhood teacher education students' perceptions of their learning experiences with the advent of an online learning environment. Perceptions of on-campus and distance learners are compared, and implications for teacher education staff interested in providing high quality learning environments …

Understanding First Year University Students: Personal Epistemology And Learning, Sue Walker, Joanne Brownlee, Sandra Lennox, Beryl Exley, Kerry Howells, Fiona Cocker

Sandra Lennox

Whilst participation in higher education has increased dramatically over the last two decades, many universities are only now beginning to pay more attention to the learning experiences of first year students. It is important for universities to understand how first year students conceive of learning and knowing in order to promote effective approaches to learning. Even though an extensive body of research demonstrates that beliefs about learning and knowing influence student approaches to learning and learning outcomes, there has been no Australian research that has investigated this critical learner characteristic across first year university students.

This paper reports on preliminary …

Philosophies And Pedagogies Of Mathematics, Boris Handal

Boris Handal

The paper discusses major philosophical stances on the nature of mathematics as held by foundationalists and quasi-empiricalism supporters. It is argued that the contrasting philosophical views between the two groups parallels in many respects the pedagogical debate between behaviourism and socio-constructivism. It is also argued that behaviourism has been influenced by foundationalist conceptions of mathematics while socio-constructivism has been influenced by quasi-empirical philosophies.

Academic Perceptions Amongst Educators Towards Elearning Tools In Dental Education, Boris Handal, Catherine Groenlund, Tania Gerzina

Boris Handal

This paper reports an explorative study about academic educators’ perceptions towards learning management systems (LMS) and eLearning tools as used in dental education. Fifty-five educators participated in an online survey which explored their views on eLearning tools within the context of their own professional training background and teaching needs. In general, educators felt that the eLearning LMS (also known as WebCT/Blackboard) was a tool that suited their teaching and learning needs in terms of flexibility, interactivity and accessibility despite a significant level of self-reported lack of competence in the technology. The paper describes current eLearning professional development initiatives in light …

If Only They Would Listen: The Lifeworld Of Academically Advanced Elementary Students, Katrina Eddles-Hirsch

Katrina Eddles-Hirsch

This study explored the lifeworld of six academically advanced elementary students in a school environment suited to their atypical needs. A phenomenological theoretical framework was used to discover the experiences of one female and one male from each of the year 4, 5, and 6 extension classes. The voices of the children themselves and their perspective of the benefits and disadvantages of attending a specialised school were heard through the phenomenological approach in this study. Differences between the genders rather than levels of giftedness were found to be the salient characteristics affecting the results of this study. Themes that emerged …

Home-School Partnership Within Mathematics Intervention, Marguerite Maher

Marguerite Maher

The Numeracy Project, as implemented in New Zealand, aims to enhance the numeracy achievement of all students and to foster parental involvement in their children's mathematics learning. This paper reports the findings of a study that took place at a high socioeconomic status primary school in New Zealand with teachers and parents of Years 1 and 2 students. Findings showed that teachers felt more confident in their ability to teach literacy than to teach numeracy. They also believed they were not fully meeting the needs of the lower achievers in mathematics. Partnership with parents in the teaching of reading was …

Teacher Education With Indigenous Ways Of Knowing, Being And Doing As A Key Pillar, Marguerite Maher

Marguerite Maher

This paper reports on a project known as the Growing Our Own Indigenous teacher education initiative. This project involves the provision of teacher education, in situ, to Indigenous assistant teachers in remote Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory, Australia. First, factors leading to the development of the project are provided. Second, the theoretical and conceptual frameworks for the project are explained. Third, the collaborative self-study methodology for the study is justified. Fourth, perceived successes are described: these include community engagement, cultural responsiveness in the programme, improved attendance of children at school, and the value of collaboration for lecturers. Fifth, challenges …

Information And Advocacy: Forgotten Components In The Strategies For Achieving Inclusive Education In South Africa?, Marguerite Maher

Marguerite Maher

Commitment to a single, inclusive education system has been the aspiration of reform in education in a democratic South Africa as articulated in White Paper 6: Special needs education: Building an inclusive education and training system (Department of Education 2001). This article reports findings from a qualitative study which took place in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), which ascertained participants’ evaluation of the extent to which the policy ideals of inclusive education, as articulated in White Paper 6 were being achieved. Findings revealed that there was evidence of inclusive education beginning to be implemented in KZN in that barriers to learning for many …

Making Inclusive Education Happen: The Impact Of Initial Teacher Education In Remote Aboriginal Communities, Marguerite Maher

Marguerite Maher

This paper discusses the Growing Our Own initial teacher education (ITE) pilot programme which allowed Indigenous assistant teachers in their own communities to study to become a teacher with the support of a non-Indigenous teacher. There are five sections in this paper, including: (1) the underpinning theory and philosophy of one Australian university's Inclusive Education paper in their ITE course; (2) how these principles informed the Growing Our Own pilot which has made ITE accessible to Indigenous Australians in remote Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory, Australia; (3) elements of the programme which have led to it becoming systemically sustainable; …

Using Wikis To Facilitate Communication For Rural, Remote, And At-Risk Practicum Students, Serena Davie, Richard G. Berlach

Serena Davie

The practicum experience is often highlighted as the core of any pre-service teacher education course. Unless effective communication mechanisms can be established to support students in off-campus locations, the practicum experience can be compromised if students feel isolated and abandoned when faced with difficulties. Such a scenario may be particularly relevant to students in remote placements or for those who have been identified as being at-risk. The main goal of this project was to determine whether a Wiki could be an effective tool for facilitating meaningful dialogue between the university, school-based personnel and students during the practicum. A Wiki was …

A Multi-Perspective Collaborative On Teacher Learning For Teachers Of Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Elizabeth A. West, Phyllis Jones, Dianne Chambers, Teresa Whitehurst

Dianne J Chambers

The purpose of this multi-perspective collaborative research activity was to analyze moments of teacher learning as perceived by a group of teachers who educate students with the label of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The researchers in this project acknowledge the value of hearing teachers’ perspectives on what works for them in their professional learning. This perspective is generated from surveys distributed to inservice teachers at three Universities (two located within the USA and one situated in Australia) and one Residential School (UK). Five overarching themes emerged at the analysis stage and relate to: practical experience, pre-service training, in-service training, mentoring …

Inclusivity Imperatives And The Australian National Curriculum, Richard G. Berlach, Dianne Chambers

Richard Berlach

With work currently being undertaken on formulating Australia's first national curriculum, now seems an opportune time to review the current state of play with regard to how well inclusivity is being represented in the developing documentation. An accurate understanding of “what is” is often the first step in preparing for “what may be” on a much broader scale. Accordingly, this essay addresses three matters, and does so by way of engaging in interpretive documentary analysis. First, the notion of inclusivity in education per se is introduced, and the concept itself defined. Second, an examination is undertaken of how the various …

The Cyclical Integration Model As A Way Of Managing Major Educational Change, Richard G. Berlach

Richard Berlach

Where minds meet, there lies the change vector. With regard to change management, however, minds regularly fail to meet in the crucial change space. They either unwittingly zip past each other, deliberately avoid one another, or worse still, collide with excruciating impact. This paper examines the interrelated role of government, the public service and professionals in successfully transitioning major change initiatives. It is argued that unless these agencies operate in synchrony, change negotiation is likely to be hampered. To this end, a model of “Cyclical Integration” is presented and supported by driving questions for each of the three agencies facilitating …

Upper Secondary School Religion And Life Course: Perceptions Of The Inaugural Cohort, Richard G. Berlach, Chris Hackett

Chris Hackett

In 2009, the course Religion and Life was made available to upper secondary students completing the Western Australian Certificate of Education. Across the State, nineteen Catholic schools offered the Stage Three version of this course, with the first cohort of students graduating in 2010. The purpose of this paper is to capture the perceptions of this inaugural cohort, both teachers and students, to determine whether the stated course outcomes had been achieved. Both quantitative and qualitative data were gathered for analysis. Findings indicated that even though the matter of resourcing requires further attention, overall, stakeholders were satisfied that the course …