Education Commons^™

Lismore Communities For Children Initiative: Interim Evaluation Report, Sallie Newell, Anne Graham

Professor Anne Graham

This report aims to give an overview about the planning, development and implementation (as at May 2007) of the Lismore Communities for Children initiative, overall and in relation to each of its strategies. It also presents results from the relevant community-level and strategy-specific evaluation activities – as at May 2007. As this is only an Interim Evaluation Report and limited followup data have yet been collected, most results are presented simply and with minimal interpretation. However, all data will be explored and critiqued in more depth in the Final Evaluation Report.

Developing Technology Together, Together: Final Report On An Investigation Of The Metacognitive Influences On Teachers' Use Of Ict And The Implications For Teacher Professional Development. Lismore: Southern Cross University, Renata Phelps, Anne Graham

Professor Anne Graham

No abstract provided.

Goonellabah Transition Program 'Walking Together, Learning Together: Interim Evaluation Report, Sallie Newell, Anne Graham

Professor Anne Graham

Rationale & Background National and international evidence Extensive national and international research from many different fields has consistently demonstrated the critical importance of children's early life experiences and circumstances on their subsequent development and wellbeing throughout their lives. There is clear evidence that well-founded, well-implemented prevention and early intervention programs, starting early in life, can improve young children’s cognitive, social and emotional functioning. This results in a positive influence on their readiness to learn in the school setting and improves educational, social, emotional and health outcomes throughout their lives. Cost-effectiveness analyses have shown that such programs more than pay for …

Goonellabah Transition Program: 'Walking Together, Learning Together': Final Evaluation Report, Sallie Newell, Anne Graham

Professor Anne Graham

Extensive national and international research from many different fields has consistently demonstrated the critical importance of children's early life experiences and circumstances on their subsequent development and wellbeing throughout their lives. There is clear evidence that well-founded, well-implemented prevention and early intervention programs, starting early in life, can improve young children’s cognitive, social and emotional functioning. This results in a positive influence on their readiness to learn in the school setting and improves educational, social, emotional and health outcomes throughout their lives. Cost-effectiveness analyses have shown that such programs more than pay for themselves, by reducing the later need for …

Goonellabah Transition Program: Final Evaluation Plan, Sallie Newell, Kimberlii Austen-Baker, Anne Graham, Mary Ward

Professor Anne Graham

Program Rationale National and international evidence An extensive national and international body of literature has demonstrated that the early years of life have a substantial impact on a child’s social, emotional, physical and cognitive development and wellbeing throughout their life course. Similarly, it is clear that various aspects of a child’s environment, from socioeconomic factors (eg: poverty), through to community factors (eg: violence, social cohesion) and family factors (eg: parenting styles, intra-family conflict), all impact greatly on educational outcomes and are vital determinants of a child’s long-term health and wellbeing. There is clear evidence that well-founded and well-implemented universal and …

Developing Technology Together, Together: A Whole-School Metacognitive Approach To Ict Teacher Professional Development, Renata Phelps, Anne Graham

Professor Anne Graham

Professional development of teachers in information and communication technology (ICT) continues to be an urgent educational imperative. While many teachers are integrating ICT (with varying degrees of confidence and creativity), a significant number still remain hesitant, reluctant and daunted by the rapid rate of technological change. Far from being a simple process, ICT professional development necessitates not only personal and professional changes for individuals, but changes in school culture including institutional attitude and support for professional learning, reflection and professional discussion, readiness to embrace change, collegiality, trust and encouragement to take risks. Grounded in research about what influences teachers’ adoption …

Competency, Capability, Complexity And Computers: Exploring A New Model For Conceptualising End-User Computer Education, Renata Phelps, Stewart Hase, Allan Ellis

Dr Renata Phelps

Notions of competency have dominated the computer education literature, and have underpinned Competency-Based Training (CBT) in information technology at all levels of education and training. The emergence of counter-narratives underpinned by the capability movement, have as yet had minimal impact on practice in computer education. New discourses in educational theory and practice which are founded on non-linear approaches to learning and teaching provide added impetus to engage in the competency/capability debate, and re-examine our approaches to computer education. This paper explores complexity theories and demonstrates how complexity's pedagogical implications can lead to new models for understanding computer learning and teaching. …

Recipe Or Performing Art?: Challenging Conventions For Writing Action Research Theses, Kath Fisher, Renata Phelps

Dr Renata Phelps

This article explores the tensions and incongruities between conventional thesis presentation and the principles of action research. Through the experiences of the authors alternative approaches to thesis structure are proposed which are argued to be more congruent with the epistemological, methodological and ethical aspects of action research. Consistent with our arguments, the article is presented as a play. Act I considers the tensions facing research students wishing to write up their action research in the context of conventional thesis writing requirements; Act II consists of four ‘scenes’, each of which illustrates a key learning arising from our own stories: writing …

Developing Technology Together, Together: A Whole-School Metacognitive Approach To Ict Teacher Professional Development, Renata Phelps, Anne Graham

Dr Renata Phelps

Professional development of teachers in information and communication technology (ICT) continues to be an urgent educational imperative. While many teachers are integrating ICT (with varying degrees of confidence and creativity), a significant number still remain hesitant, reluctant and daunted by the rapid rate of technological change. Far from being a simple process, ICT professional development necessitates not only personal and professional changes for individuals, but changes in school culture including institutional attitude and support for professional learning, reflection and professional discussion, readiness to embrace change, collegiality, trust and encouragement to take risks. Grounded in research about what influences teachers’ adoption …

The Metacognitive Approach To Computer Education: Making Explicit The Learning Journey, Renata Phelps

Dr Renata Phelps

This paper presents a theoretical and practical exploration of a metacognitive approach to computer education, developed through a three-year action research project. It is argued that the approach contrasts significantly with often-employed directive and competency-based approaches to computer education and is more appropriate in addressing the longer-term learning needs of professionals such as teachers. The metacognitive approach focuses on beliefs, attitudes and learning strategies and assists learners to come to terms with the nature of technological change and their own ability to confront this change by embracing life-long computer learning. In this paper, the metacognitive approach is presented through a …

Developing Technology Together, Together: Final Report On An Investigation Of The Metacognitive Influences On Teachers' Use Of Ict And The Implications For Teacher Professional Development. Lismore: Southern Cross University, Renata Phelps, Anne Graham

Dr Renata Phelps

No abstract provided.

The Changing Landscape Of Family Law: Exploring The Promises And Possibilities For Children’S Participation In Australian Family Relationship Centres, Anne Graham, Robyn Margaret Fitzgerald, Renata Phelps

Dr Renata Phelps

No abstract provided.

Contact & Relocation: Focusing On The Children: Conference Report, Sallie Newell, Anne Graham, Judy Cashmore, Robyn Margaret Fitzgerald

Professor Anne Graham

The conference theme reflects a key aim of Southern Cross University’s Centre for Children & Young People (CCYP). The CCYP aims to improve child and youth focused practice, particularly in regional areas, through interdisciplinary research, education and advocacy. The CCYP undertakes its work in close collaboration with relevant agencies and organisations to help ensure its activities are underpinned by a capacity building approach that results in improved knowledge and skills for practitioners working with children, young people and families. The conference program has been structured to provide delegates with opportunities throughout the day to engage in discussion with the speakers …

The Changing Landscape Of Family Law: Exploring The Promises And Possibilities For Children’S Participation In Australian Family Relationship Centres, Anne Graham, Robyn Margaret Fitzgerald, Renata Phelps

Professor Anne Graham

No abstract provided.

Feeling Glad And Proud: Children In Rural Vietnam Have A Say About Learning, Renata Phelps, Nhung Ha Thi Tuyet

Dr Renata Phelps

This book is the result of a collaborative research project between ChildFund Australia and the Centre for Children and Young People, Southern Cross University, Australia. The research aimed to better understand:

1.Vietnamese children's views and experiences of learning and primary schooling in rural and remote communities (within the district of Na Ri, Bac Kan province);

2.how their views about learning and education might inform the development of future quality, basic education provided in a safe and stimulating environment; and

3.the ethical and methodological issues involved in undertaking culturally appropriate research in Vietnam that incorporates children's views and voices. The research …

Capability Versus Competency In Information Technology Education: Challenging The Learning Context For Lifelong Technological Literacy, Renata Phelps

Dr Renata Phelps

As Information Technology (IT) gains greater integration into the teaching and learning processes within all levels of education the capability of both teachers and students to embrace this ever-changing technology becomes essential. Traditional "training" approaches in relation to IT have tended to emphasise competency in specific computer skills. It is argued that a capability-based, rather than competency-based, approach to computer education may provide more significant and empowering learning outcomes for students. An action research project is reported which is investigating the effect of a metacognitive approach to learning and teaching on the self-efficacy and learning capability of students. Several cohorts …

The Pc Academy Debate: Questions Not Asked, Richard E. Redding, Robert Maranto, Frederick Hess

Richard E. Redding

This is the introductory chapter for the edited book, The Politically Correct University: Problems, Scope, and Reforms, which explores the culture of political correctness in higher education. We focus on the problem of liberal political orthodoxy in teaching and scholarship and seek to understand how diversity – of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation, but not of sociopolitical ideas – has become the dominant ideology in colleges and universities. The chapter provides an overview and commentary on the book’s four sections. The first section, Diagnosing the Problem, begins by providing the most current and comprehensive statistical analysis of the relative …

Forecasting University Enrolment And Completion Numbers For Victoria, Daniel Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards

This report is a culmination of the research and projection work previously completed for the Victorian Higher Education Expert Panel by ACER. The current report examines the components that will contribute to the higher education attainment numbers forecast for Victoria. Specifically, it looks at two main components; Victorian university graduates (with sub-components comprising domestic and international students) and university qualified people who obtained their degree outside of Australia. The estimates pertaining to Victorian university graduates have been converted into forecasts of commencement and completion numbers deemed necessary to meet the national attainment target by 2025. Detail about the Expert Panel …

International Students’ Engagement With Effective Educational Practices : A Cross-National Comparison, Daniel Edwards, Hamish Bennett Coates, Ali Radloff

Dr Daniel Edwards

International students in USA universities have higher levels of engagement with their institution when compared to international students enrolled in Australasian universities. ❚ The largest difference between USA and Australian international students was related to student and staff interactions. ❚ The growth in engagement with their institution between first and later year students among the international cohort is more prominent among those enrolled in USA than those in Australia or New Zealand. ❚ Among Australasian higher education students the international student group on average have higher levels of engagement than domestic students. ❚ When compared cross-nationally, the engagement score difference …

Manikins Across The Lifespan: Intertwining Scenarios With Hi-Fidelity Simulation To Teach Medical Students Clinical Skills, Patricia Johnson

Patricia Johnson

No abstract provided.

Interview: 2010-10-2, Lee Guetterman, Lowell Walters, Mike Cobb, Abigail Sattler

Mike A. Cobb

No abstract provided.

Critical Literacy Vs. Reading Programs: Schooling As A Form Of Control, Roberto E. Bahruth

Roberto E. Bahruth

In the United States, despite years of educational research demonstrating the ineffectiveness and harm caused by reading programs based upon a behaviorist paradigm, political mandates of state and federal programs insist upon their continued use. One might conclude that this insistence is born out of ignorance, however, it seems clear that the populations most harmed by these programs are the poor and minorities. Privileged class students are also harmed because of the "literalcy" (shallow "literacy") these programs produce. I discuss the politics of literacy and language programs in the United States and how they serve to oppress as they reproduce …

Private Interests Or Public Goods?: Dewey, Rugg, And Their Contemporary Allies On Corporate Involvement In Educational Reform Initiatives, Deron Boyles, Kathleen Abowitz

Deron R. Boyles

In some ways, John Dewey lived through a time similar to what we now experience: the rise of corporate power in a historical moment of unsurpassed national wealth and consumer materialism, and the accompanying substantial influence of business interests in the structure, politics, and agendas of public school systems. Dewey’s writings in the first three decades of this century mark a kind of “wisdom of the elders,” offered by a public intellectual who experienced, at least in some form, the kind of tumultuous relationships we are currently witnessing between the economy and education.

Intellectualism, Infiltration, And The Imaginary: The Challenge Of Conservative Think Tanks In Developing Coherent Democratic Community, Deron Boyles, Philip Kovacs

Deron R. Boyles

This paper extends the question “What should we be doing and what kinds of activities would we be engaged in during the time we take off to craft and assert ourselves as public intellectuals?” Kathleen Kesson and Jim Henderson provided us with historical background (and a delightful song parody) while Kent den Heyer challenges us to take two years off from the academy and engage in research that would better enable us to communicate with and influence those in positions of power. For the purpose of this paper, we wish to join with Kesson, Henderson, and den Heyer, if only …

Uncovering The Coverings: The Use Of Corporate-Sponsored Textbook Covers In Furthering Uncritical Consumerism, Deron R. Boyles

Deron R. Boyles

In this article, I explore the various kinds of book covers that exist to see if a metanarrative can be discerned. I also wish to question the degree to which the various covers indicate, inscribe, or otherwise represent cultural values that might be problematic. In a basic and general sense, my intent is to investigate what symbols are actually represented on the dust jackets. What meanings do they foreclose or 'cover' over? What messages might they send? This article highlights and describes a series of textbook covers, from over one hundred that have been provided to me by various students, …

Dewey's Epistemology: An Argument For Warranted Assertions, Knowing, And Meaningful Classroom Practice, Deron Boyles

Deron R. Boyles

In an effort to navigate the treacherous path between professionalism and social relevancy, this essay takes up an area of professional philosophy - epistemology - with the intention of reclaiming the integrative role John Dewey held for philosophy and classroom practice. Deron Boyles asserts that epistemology can and should represent an area of inquiry that is relevant and useful for philosophy of education, especially as it develops classroom practices that foster inquiry. He specifically seeks to revive Dewey’s conception of warranted assertibility in an effort to show the value of fallibilist epistemology in practical and social teaching and learning contexts. …

A Lesson Of Human Connection: 9/11, Film, Brotherhood, And Interpretation, Deron R. Boyles

Deron R. Boyles

Brothers Gedeon and Jules Naudet were within two blocks of the World Trade Center (WTC) on the morning of September 11, 2001 when terrorists flew hijacked planes into the WTC towers. Both brothers had cameras with them, as they were engaged in shooting a documentary film about firefighters at the time. As a result, they captured unique footage from the area, including the only images from inside Tower 1, where firefighters were trying to get a handle on the situation. The footage includes sounds of falling bodies and scenes of firefighters trying to escape from Tower 1 after Tower 2 …

Institutes, Foundations, And Think Tanks: Conservative Influences On U.S. Public Schools, Deron Boyles

Deron R. Boyles

While a complete analysis of the effects of conservative think tanks is beyond the scope of this article, we include the above passage as evidence of what, on a broad scale, the “idea brokers” have been working towards. While education is only one area where neoconservative think tanks seek to influence public policy, it has become the issue for many neoconservatives. In this article, we focus on four think tanks—The Manhattan Institute, The American Enterprise Institute, The Heritage Foundation, and The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation—and what they are doing to reshape public schools in ways more suitable to neoconservative and …

Politics Or Principles?: Joseph Kinmont Hart And The University Of Washington, 1910-1915, Deron Boyles

Deron R. Boyles

Joseph Kinmont Hart was a young professor of education during this time and played a role in the unrest at the university. Hart was a popular teacher, a sought-after speaker in the community, and an agitator for social change. His politics were in contrast to most of the Board of Regents and the state legislature and the battles he fought with his own colleagues ultimately led to his being fired with the rest of the department in 1915. Hart was among a number of people who questioned Suzzallo’s candidacy for the UW presidency. It was widely believed that Hart wrote …

Joseph Kinmont Hart And Vanderbilt University: The Rise And Fall Of A Department Of Education, 1930-1934, Deron Boyles

Deron R. Boyles

More cautionary positions are represented in the editorial comments of L.L. Thurstone and W.W. Charters. In 1930, Thurstone wrote in the Journal of Higher Education that academic freedom needed to be guarded. He broadly referred to cases when he argued for a defense of academic freedom by involving the “Association of University Professors” and having the organization effectively censure colleges and universities that encroached on academic freedom. Within his article, however, he noted that his “plan involves no violence in speech or action, and it does not challenge the legal right of the trustees of a university to decide matters …