Education Commons^™

Blended Spaces, Work-Based Learning And The Notion Of Constructive Alignment : Impacts On Student Engagement, Peter Reaburn, Nona Muldoon, Cheryl Bookallil

Peter Reaburn

A Unilateral Grading Contract To Improve Learning And Teaching, Peter Elbow

Peter Elbow

Contract grading has achieved some prominence in our field as a practice associated with critical pedagogy. In this context, we describe a hybrid grading contract where students earn a course grade of B based not on our evaluation of their writing quality but solely on their completion of the specified activities. The contract lists activities we’ve found most reliable in producing B-quality writing over fourteen weeks. Higher grades are awarded to students who produce exemplary portfolios. Thus we freely give students lots of evaluative feedback on their writing, but students can count on a course grade of B if they …

Professional Learning : Improving Learning For Teachers And Students, Marion Meiers

Marion Meiers (1941-2018)

No abstract provided.

Learning To Teach With Technologies What Pre-Service Teachers Say About Their Experiences, Kathryn Moyle

Professor Kathryn Moyle (consultant)

It is the intention of the Australian Government, that over the next five years, as a result of the Digital Education Revolution, all secondary schools in Australia will have achieved computer to student ratios of one-to-one. This investment in infrastructure brings with it many challenges. Two of these facing Australian educators are: In what ways can advantage be made of such a significant investment in schools’ infrastructure?; and What preparation do pre-service teachers require to enable them to meaningfully include technologies in their classroom activities? To provide some insights into these two questions, this paper draws on data collected from …

The Case Against League Tables, Glenn Rowley

Dr Glenn Rowley (retired)

Glenn Rowley explains why nationally comparable data about school performances should be reported to the public, but should not be used to create league tables.

The 2008 Graduate Pathways Survey : Graduates Education And Employment Outcomes Five Years After Completion Of A Bachelor Degree At An Australian University, Hamish Coates, Daniel Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards

This report presents findings from the first national study in Australia of bachelor degree graduates five years after degree completion. It details the design, development, implementation and outcomes of the Graduate Pathways Survey (GPS). Findings from the 2008 GPS are wide ranging. They must be read within the context of the project's methodology which is detailed in Appendix B, but it is clear that the findings have the capacity to shape university education and the development of Australia's economy and professional workforce. Findings from the 2008 Graduate Pathways Survey are of interest to a wide range of audiences. Potential university …

Questionnaire Construct Validation In The International Civic And Citizenship Education Study, Wolfram Schulz

Dr Wolfram Schulz

International studies tend to use student, teacher or school questionnaires for the collection of contextual data on student or teacher characteristics, background, activities and the school's learning environment. Furthermore, student measures of values, attitudes and behavioural intentions are also frequently viewed as important learning outcomes, in particular in the context of studies of civic and citizenship education. Data obtained from these instruments become frequently important predictors of student performance or are treated as learning outcome variables of interest. Therefore, the scaling of questionnaire items to obtain measures of students', teachers' and principals' perceptions and attitudes should ideally be subject of …

An International Perspective On Civic And Citizenship Education: Exploring The Learning Context For Lower Secondary Students, Wolfram Schulz, Julian Fraillon

Dr Wolfram Schulz

The purpose of the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) is to investigate, in a range of countries, the ways in which young people are prepared and consequently ready and able to undertake their roles as citizens. In pursuit of this purpose, the study will report on student achievement, student activities, value beliefs, behavioural intentions and attitudes related to civic and citizenship education. The collection of contextual data will help to explain variation in these outcome variables. This paper describes how the learning context for civic education is explored in the ICCS survey. It outlines the conceptual framework, the …

La Efectividad De Un Modelo Metodológico Mixto Para La Enseñanza-Aprendizaje De Español Como Le, Kerwin A. Livingstone, Anita A. Ferreira Cabrera

Kerwin A. Livingstone

El presente artículo propone proveer un modelo metodológico mixto para el desarrollo e implementación de un Módulo de Enseñanza para el español como lengua extranjera en la modalidad presencial. El objetivo principal es evidenciar cómo los principios metodológicos provenientes de los enfoques didácticos (“nfoque por tareas”y “prendizaje cooperativo” pueden ser aplicados de manera efectiva en el diseño de contextos presenciales. Para ello, se explora evidencia empírica acerca de la efectividad de la metodología mixta en la enseñanza-aprendizaje de español como lengua extranjera en dichos ambientes, en un estudio basado en un diseño experimental longitudinal con pre-est y post-est, sin grupo …

Signaling The Competencies Of High School Students To Employers, John H. Bishop

John H Bishop

[Excerpt] The fundamental cause of the low effort level of American students, parents, and voters in school elections is the absence of good signals of effort and accomplishment and the consequent lack of rewards for learning. In most other advanced countries mastery of the curriculum is assessed by examinations that are set and graded at the national or regional level. Grades on these exams signal the student's achievement to employers and colleges and influence the jobs that graduates get and the universities and programs to which they are admitted. Exam results also influence school reputations and in some countries the …

Are National Exit Examinations Important For Educational Efficiency?, John H. Bishop

John H Bishop

“This paper analyses effects of national or provincial exit examinations on education quality. On theoretical grounds, the paper argues that such examinations should increase high school achievement, particularly in examination subjects, and that teachers and students and parents and school administrators should focus more on academic achievement when making school-quality decisions. On the negative side, exit examinations may lead to a tendency to concentrate on learning facts, rather than understanding contexts.”

Secondary Education In The United States: What Can Others Learn From Our Mistakes?, John H. Bishop , Ferran Mane, Michael Bishop

John H Bishop

Secondary schools are the least successful component of the U.S. education system. Students learn considerably less than in other industrialized nations and dropout rates are significantly higher. This paper provides an explanation for this failure, describes the standards based reforms strategies that many states are implementing to attack these problems, and evaluates the success of these efforts.

Is The Test Score Decline Responsible For The Productivity Growth Decline?, John H. Bishop

John H Bishop

[Excerpt] The test score decline between 1967 and 1980 was large (about 1.25 grade-level equivalents) and historically unprecedented. New estimates of trend in academic achievement, of the effect of academic achievement on productivity and of trend in the quality of the work force are developed. They imply that if test scores had continued to grow after 1967 at the rate that prevailed in the previous quarter century, labor quality would now be 2.9 percent higher and 1987 GNP $86 billion higher.

High School Exit Examinations: When Do Learning Effects Generalize?, John H. Bishop

John H Bishop

This paper reviews international and domestic evidence on the effects of three types of high school exit exam systems: voluntary curriculum-based external exit exams, universal curriculum-based external exit exam systems and minimum competency tests that must be passed to receive a regular high school diploma. The nations and provinces that use Universal CBEEES (and typically teacher grades as well) to signal student achievement have significantly higher achievement levels and smaller differentials by family background than otherwise comparable jurisdictions that base high stakes decisions on voluntary college admissions tests and/or teacher grades. The introduction of Universal CBEEES in New York and …

The Role Of End-Of-Course Exams And Minimum Competency Exams In Standards-Based Reforms, John H. Bishop, Ferran Mane, Michael Bishop, Joan Moriarty

John H Bishop

[Excerpt] Educational reformers and most of the American public believe that most teachers ask too little of their pupils. These low expectations, they believe, result in watered down curricula and a tolerance of mediocre teaching and inappropriate student behavior. The result is that the prophecy of low achievement becomes self-fulfilling. Although research has shown that learning gains are substantially larger when students take more demanding courses2, only a minority of students enroll in these courses. There are several reasons for this. Guidance counselors in many schools allow only a select few into the most challenging courses. While most schools give …

Do Curriculum-Based External Exit Exam Systems Enhance Student Achievement?, John H. Bishop

John H Bishop

[Excerpt] It is claimed that 'curriculum-based external exit exam systems', CBEEES, based on world class content standards will improve teaching and learning of core subjects. What evidence is there for this claim? New York's Regents Exams are an example of such a system. Do New York students outperform students with similar socio-economic backgrounds from other states? Outside the United States such systems are the rule, not the exception. What impacts have such systems had on school policies, teaching and student learning?

The Effect Of Curriculum-Based Exit Exam Systems On Student Achievement, John H. Bishop

John H Bishop

[Excerpt] Two presidents, the National Governors Association and numerous blue ribbon panels have called for the development of state or national content standards for core subjects and examinations that assess the achievement of these standards. The Competitiveness Policy Council, for example, advocates that "external assessments be given to individual students at the secondary level and that the results should be a major but not exclusive factor qualifying for college and better jobs at better wages (1993, p. 30)." It is claimed that 'curriculum-based external exit exam systems', CBEEES, based on world class content standards will improve teaching and learning of …

Implementación De Un Modelo Metodológico Mixto Para La Enseñanza-Aprendizaje De Español Como Le, Kerwin A. Livingstone

Kerwin A. Livingstone

El presente estudio propone proveer un modelo metodológico mixto para el desarrollo e implementación de un Módulo de Enseñanza para el español como lengua extranjera en la modalidad presencial. El objetivo principal es evidenciar cómo los principios metodológicos provenientes de los enfoques didácticos (“enfoque por tareas” y “aprendizaje cooperativo”) pueden ser aplicados de manera efectiva en el diseño de contextos presenciales. Para ello, se explora evidencia empírica acerca de la efectividad de la metodología mixta en la enseñanza-aprendizaje de español como lengua extranjera en dichos ambientes, en un estudio basado en un diseño experimental longitudinal con pre-test y post-test, sin …

National Conversations: Listening To Students’ Views Of Learning With Technologies, Kathryn Moyle

Professor Kathryn Moyle (consultant)

The Digital Education Revolution is a key policy plank of the Rudd government. It is intended to develop students’ capabilities to learn with technologies. Little Australian research though, has focused upon the views and expectations of students about their learning that includes technologies. This paper draws on the findings from the 2008 research project, Listening to students and educators views of learning with technologies. This Australian national research project, funded by the Department for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) set out to listen to and analyse what Australian students in primary and secondary schools, in vocational education and training …

The Attractiveness Of The Australian Academic Profession : A Comparative Analysis, Hamish Coates, Ian Dobson, Daniel Edwards, Tim Friedman, Leo Goedegebuure, Lynn Meek

Dr Daniel Edwards

This briefing provides an analysis of challenges facing the sustainability and development of the academic workforce in Australia. It draws together insights from national statistics collections and a number of recent studies, sheds light on current characteristics of the academic profession, and identifies key problem areas. From a review of the evidence, we argue that now is the time for both policy action at the national and institutional level to address these problems, and for further research that can inform workforce planning and development in the years to come.

That's My Content. That's My Creativity. That's My Curriculum! Do You Want Copyright And Cataloguing With That?, Pru Mitchell

Pru Mitchell

That's My Content. That's My Creativity. That's My Curriculum! Do You Want Copyright And Cataloguing With That?, Pru Mitchell

Pru Mitchell

Raising Standards : A Shared Challenge, Geoff Masters

Prof Geoff Masters AO

Geoff Masters outlines his recommendations to improve literacy, numeracy and science learning in Queensland primary schools.

Supply, Demand And Approaches To Employment By People With Postgraduate Research Qualifications In Science And Mathematics: Literature Review And Data Analysis, Daniel Edwards, T Fred Smith

Dr Daniel Edwards

This report is the first in a project that investigates the demand for and supply of people with science and mathematics postgraduate qualifications in Australia. This report is divided into two main parts: a literature review and a data analysis. The report uses numerous national data sets to present a picture of the supply, demand and employment dynamics of postgraduates in the natural and physical sciences in Australia. The figures indicate an increasing number of postgraduates are completing studies in these fields. However, compared with other fields of education, supply in the natural and physical sciences is increasing at a …

Mathematical Thinking Of Young Children Through The Eyes Of Preschool Practitioners, Robert Hunting, Catherine Pearn

Catherine Pearn

This paper reports on interview responses to three questions seeking preschool practitioners' perceptions of mathematical thinking in very young children. Generally, the interviewees were found to have a good sense of mathematical concepts relevant to babies and toddlers, and they cited evidence of young children's mathematical development. It is concluded that this practical knowledge provides a strong foundation for further professional development. [Author abstract]

Pathways From School To Work., Phillip Mckenzie, Kylie Hillman

Dr Phillip McKenzie (retired)

Drawing on data from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth, this paper examines the main pathways by which young Australians move from school to work. It identifies which young people take which pathways, discusses the mapping of pathways to work using longitudinal data, and outlines some policy challenges.

Pathways For Youth In Australia., Phillip Mckenzie

Dr Phillip McKenzie (retired)

The concept of “pathways” has been a powerful organising idea in Australian education and training over the past 10 years. The imagery of the pathway, with its sense of order and structure, and linked education and training experiences that lead to employment, has had a significant impact on Australian policy. Two related trends have been affecting young people: a rapid decline in the number of fulltime jobs available to 15-19 year-olds; and increasing education participation rates among 15- 24 year-olds. In this environment policy makers have used the pathways concept in pursuing two major objectives: (1) to strengthen or even …

Key International Developments Affecting Australian Education And Training, Phillip Mckenzie

Dr Phillip McKenzie (retired)

Education and training in Australia are increasingly operating in an internationalised environment Overseas students are major sources of funds and enrolments, Australian institutions operate overseas and form a wide range of international partnerships, and holders of Australian qualifications work throughout the world. This paper discusses three sets of international developments and outlines their potential implications for Australian education and training: the development of bilateral Free Trade Agreements between Australia and individual countries in the Asia-Pacific region; the initiatives of groups of countries such as ASEAN and the East Asia Summit to strengthen educational cooperation on a multilateral basis; and, overshadowing …

Using Longitudinal Data For Research On Vet, Phillip Mckenzie

Dr Phillip McKenzie (retired)

Longitudinal studies can provide insights on young people’s transition from education to work that other forms of data cannot. The Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) program, which is managed jointly by ACER and the Commonwealth Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs (DETYA), has now accumulated more than 20 years of data that follow successive cohorts of young Australians as they move through education and training and into the labour market. The data are added to every year. This paper explores the potential of LSAY data for research on VET, and also some of the challenges that VET poses …

School Leadership And Learning : An Australian Overview, Phillip Mckenzie, Bill Mulford, Michelle Anderson

Dr Phillip McKenzie (retired)

This paper draws together findings from a recent major review of school leadership in Australia. In 2006, DEST commissioned an ACER team to prepare the Country Background Report as part of Australia's contribution to the OECD's international activity Improving School Leadership. Preparation of the report provided a timely opportunity to consult with key stakeholders and reflect on school leadership issues in Australia. The research confirms that leadership is important for student learning: academic achievement, academic self-concept and engagement in learning are shaped by teacher and school practices that are influenced by school leadership. Leaders contribute to student learning through their …