Education Commons^™

Development Of A Mobile-Optimised Website To Support Students With Special Needs Transitioning From Primary To Secondary Settings, Dianne Chambers, Anne Coffey

Anne Coffey

With an increasing number of students with special needs being included in regular classroom environments, consideration of, and planning for, a smooth transition between different school settings is important for parents, classroom teachers and school administrators. The transition between primary and secondary school can be difficult for students with special needs, particularly in the areas of organisation and social interaction. Technology can be used to assist students to make this transition more effectively and may work to minimise any difficulties involved in the transition. In this article the authors describe transition considerations, and technology use for students with special needs …

Relationships: The Key To Successful Transition From Primary To Secondary School?, Anne Coffey

Anne Coffey

Although change can be considered an inevitable part of life, the process itself can be both challenging and confronting. This is no less the case than for early adolescents as they negotiate the transition from primary to secondary school. Whilst this transition can be considered a regular part of the formal school experience, it can represent a significant challenge to all who are involved including students, parents and teachers. As schools plan to support these stakeholders through the process an understanding of the issues faced by each group is important. Whilst transition may be fraught a focus on the relational …

Transitioning Year 7 Primary Students To Secondary Settings In Western Australian Catholic Schools: A Description Of The Process, Anne Coffey, Richard G. Berlach, Michael O'Neill

Anne Coffey

In 2009 the Catholic education system moved to a six plus six model, even though the public education system in Western Australia decided to remain with a seven year primary and five year secondary school structural arrangement. Prior to implementation, a great deal of planning was undertaken by the Catholic Education Office and individual schools to ensure the smooth transition of Year Seven students to a secondary school setting. This system-wide shift presented a one-time opportunity to investigate the planning arrangements of six Catholic secondary schools that agreed to participate in the study. This study reports the unique challenges experienced …

Managing The Move, Anne Coffey

Anne Coffey

In Western Australia, the compulsory years of education have typically been divided into seven years of primary school followed by five years of secondary school. This changed in the Catholic Education system in 2009 when it was decided that year seven students should be migrated to secondary schools. A good deal of thought and planning was invested in this enterprise in the year prior to the move being executed. This report examines how the move of year seven students to the secondary environment was managed by six Catholic schools, and investigates responses from students and parents during the transition year. …

Using Video To Develop Skills In Reflection In Teacher Education Students, Anne M. Coffey

Anne Coffey

Teacher education students confront the challenging task of acquiring a unique and complex set of skills during their courses. These skills are acquired through the study of education theory together with practical experience in the classroom. Perhaps one of the most important skills that students quickly need to develop is that of reflective practice. It is only through a critical and detailed analysis of their performance that strengths and weaknesses can be ascertained and addressed. Video has been used as a tool in teacher education for many years and provides a means by which a teaching episode can be captured …

Service-Learning: Promoting The Development Of The Graduate Professional Standards In Pre-Service Secondary Teachers, Shane D. Lavery, Anne Coffey

Anne Coffey

Service-learning has not been a common feature of tertiary courses and this is no less the case in initial teacher education programs. Where service-learning has been included the motivation has been to broaden the experience of students with respect to the development of their personal and professional skills. The National Professional Standards for Teachers, introduced in Australia in 2012, defines the range of competencies that pre-service teachers must demonstrate by graduation.

This research investigated two aspects of a service-learning program within a secondary teacher education course. The first was the extent to which a service-learning program could promote the development …

The L.E.A.D. Project: Leading Educational Achievement Through Dialogue 2010, Michael O'Neill, Anne Coffey, Shane D. Lavery, Jennifer Oaten, Lou Thompson

Anne Coffey

The L.E.A.D. Project: Leading Educational Achievement Through Dialogue 2010 is the report of the research team from the University of Notre Dame Australia funded by the Australian Government Quality Teacher Program. It is a multi-site case study which gathered data on high performing secondary schools in the Catholic system of Western Australia The data was gathered from 9 secondary schools in the Catholic system. All Principals and Deputy Principals (Curriculum) were interviewed for the study. Focus groups of Heads of Learning were interviewed, in total 32 Heads of Learning participated. Focus groups of teachers were interviewed, in total 38 teachers …

Service-Learning: A Valuable Means Of Preparing Pre-Service Teachers For A Teaching Practicum., Anne Coffey, Shane Lavery

Anne Coffey

Abstract The use of service-learning as a teaching methodology is in its infancy within Australian tertiary institutions. Parker et. al., (2009) noted that, until recently, community service-learning has been under-utilised within the Australian higher education system. Within teacher education programs, service-learning has been used primarily as a means of providing real-life experiences for pre-service teachers as well as developing their personal and professional skills. The research conducted in this study focused on ways involvement in a service-learning experience could contribute to the preparation of pre-service secondary teachers for their first teaching practicum. The participants included Bachelor of Education, Master of …