Bridging the gap for at-risk readers: reading theory into classroom practice. This project will merge theoretical and practical aspects of teaching reading through assimilating research with teachers' pedagogical knowledge and experiences to ensure sustainable, differentiated classroom reading interventions for all P-3 (preparatory year to year three) readers, particularly at-risk students.
Career change teachers: Addressing teacher shortages in Australia . Australia is facing a teacher shortage crisis. Consequently, there have been concerted efforts by governments to attract people into teaching from other sections of the workforce. However, career change teachers often do not stay longer than five years in the profession. There is little evidence on how their retention can be enhanced. This project aims to better understand the differing motivations and experiences of these teach ....Career change teachers: Addressing teacher shortages in Australia . Australia is facing a teacher shortage crisis. Consequently, there have been concerted efforts by governments to attract people into teaching from other sections of the workforce. However, career change teachers often do not stay longer than five years in the profession. There is little evidence on how their retention can be enhanced. This project aims to better understand the differing motivations and experiences of these teachers from diverse backgrounds, and to determine how they can be better prepared and supported through their early years of teaching. A clear benefit of this project will be the longer term success for career change teachers and their schools and will ensure young people are not disadvantaged by high teacher turnover. Read moreRead less
Learning for Teaching in Disadvantaged Schools. This project focuses on what and how primary school teachers learn about improving classroom practices from co-inquiry interventions. The effective diagnosis of student learning difficulties and the design of educational interventions based on such diagnosis is a core component of quality teaching. Yet many teachers have not acquired the knowledge and skills to undertake such learning diagnostic and design work. The project plans to engage practiti ....Learning for Teaching in Disadvantaged Schools. This project focuses on what and how primary school teachers learn about improving classroom practices from co-inquiry interventions. The effective diagnosis of student learning difficulties and the design of educational interventions based on such diagnosis is a core component of quality teaching. Yet many teachers have not acquired the knowledge and skills to undertake such learning diagnostic and design work. The project plans to engage practitioners in co-inquiry through collaborative analysis of professional learning conversations and classroom practices across disadvantaged public schools in urban and regional locations across Queensland. It aims to examine the sustainability of co-inquiry models to improve student learning.Read moreRead less
Investing in our disadvantaged youth: new school-wide approaches to understanding and improving school engagement and social connectedness. This project will be the first to test a model of social connectedness to explain the contribution of social exclusion to long-term disadvantage of youths. The outcomes will be a sustainable professional learning program for school staff nationally and internationally and a school-based approach to promote the healthy development of Australian youths.
School-wide approaches for developing social and emotional wellbeing: New understandings of positive identities, emotions and learning in adolescents. School disengagement, suspensions, and emotional problems among adolescents have increased steadily. The Australian Government’s strategic research priority of maximising social and economic participation, therefore, is an urgent need. In partnership with the Queensland Department of Education, Training and Employment, this project aims to test ho ....School-wide approaches for developing social and emotional wellbeing: New understandings of positive identities, emotions and learning in adolescents. School disengagement, suspensions, and emotional problems among adolescents have increased steadily. The Australian Government’s strategic research priority of maximising social and economic participation, therefore, is an urgent need. In partnership with the Queensland Department of Education, Training and Employment, this project aims to test how embedding social and emotional wellbeing into school-wide policies, classroom practices, and self and social strategies of students enhances learning, behavioural, and social outcomes. Implementing whole of school approaches to enhance social participation and wellbeing will build resilient youth and ultimately the social and academic capacity of Australia’s young people.Read moreRead less
Structural relations of loners' loneliness and antisocial behaviour in children and adolescents: building a conceptual model for effective intervention. This is the first research project to develop a conceptual model of loneliness and detached a-loneness to explain the contribution of loneliness to childhood and adolescent antisocial behaviour. The outcome will be a school-based web delivered program which will have a major impact on promoting the healthy development of young Australians.
Enhancing proportional reasoning, a fundamental but elusive cornerstone of numeracy, through educational technology applications. This project targets numeracy; a national education priority and global measure of education quality. This project will fill an identified research gap about the specific mathematics content to support rich numeracy practices, thus enhancing the professional capacity of teachers of all disciplines to attain this national goal. High numeracy increases work and life cho ....Enhancing proportional reasoning, a fundamental but elusive cornerstone of numeracy, through educational technology applications. This project targets numeracy; a national education priority and global measure of education quality. This project will fill an identified research gap about the specific mathematics content to support rich numeracy practices, thus enhancing the professional capacity of teachers of all disciplines to attain this national goal. High numeracy increases work and life choices, strengthening the social and economic fabric and global competitiveness of Australian society. High numeracy supports access to science, technology, engineering and mathematics; areas in which current enrolments are in decline. This project will define the essence of numeracy for the 21st century, support evidence-based policy decisions and influence classroom practice.Read moreRead less
School-wide approaches for developing social and emotional wellbeing: New understandings of positive identities, emotions and learning in adolescents. School disengagement, suspensions, and emotional problems among adolescents have increased steadily. The Australian Government’s strategic research priority of maximising social and economic participation, therefore, is an urgent need. In partnership with the Queensland Department of Education, Training and Employment, this project aims to test ho ....School-wide approaches for developing social and emotional wellbeing: New understandings of positive identities, emotions and learning in adolescents. School disengagement, suspensions, and emotional problems among adolescents have increased steadily. The Australian Government’s strategic research priority of maximising social and economic participation, therefore, is an urgent need. In partnership with the Queensland Department of Education, Training and Employment, this project aims to test how embedding social and emotional wellbeing into school-wide policies, classroom practices, and self and social strategies of students enhances learning, behavioural, and social outcomes. Implementing whole of school approaches to enhance social participation and wellbeing will build resilient youth and ultimately the social and academic capacity of Australia’s young people.Read moreRead less
Quality teaching work and reducing educational inequalities. This project aims to investigate school-based teaching policies and practices using innovative design-based research, to collaboratively develop quality teaching that meets complex, contextual student needs in high poverty communities. Teachers' work in primary schools in high poverty areas is increasingly driven by standards and testing demands. High levels of teacher anxiety and fatigue are apparent in such schools. This project will ....Quality teaching work and reducing educational inequalities. This project aims to investigate school-based teaching policies and practices using innovative design-based research, to collaboratively develop quality teaching that meets complex, contextual student needs in high poverty communities. Teachers' work in primary schools in high poverty areas is increasingly driven by standards and testing demands. High levels of teacher anxiety and fatigue are apparent in such schools. This project will study teaching work in six educationally disadvantaged contexts and identify the different pedagogic approaches that produce sustained increases in student learning. The project intends to develop a collaborative knowledge model that will enhance teacher professionalism and student learning attainment, with highly valuable benefits for the Australian community and economy.Read moreRead less
An investigation of school and teacher use of National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) for student learning improvement. This project will examine how schools and teachers use National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) outcomes to improve student learning, the main purpose of such testing programs. The project will include the first comprehensive and large-scale State and Territory survey of school practices.