Improving classroom writing by enhancing reflexive decisions and practice. This project aims to contribute new evidence and deliver improvements in writing skills in Australian primary schools. The project will adopt a reflexive approach utilising the team's skills in writing development and pedagogy, reflexive practice and classroom ethnography, in order to build teachers' capacities and improve writing achievement in Australian schools. Expected outcomes include new writing pedagogies that mov ....Improving classroom writing by enhancing reflexive decisions and practice. This project aims to contribute new evidence and deliver improvements in writing skills in Australian primary schools. The project will adopt a reflexive approach utilising the team's skills in writing development and pedagogy, reflexive practice and classroom ethnography, in order to build teachers' capacities and improve writing achievement in Australian schools. Expected outcomes include new writing pedagogies that move beyond dependence-building strategies and target specific types of writers in context. This should provide significant benefits for teachers, enabling them to optimise classroom conditions, and enhance students' effective decision-making in writing to improve their achievement across all school subjects.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
Enhancing numeracy learning and teaching across the curriculum. Leaving school without an adequate level of numeracy has devastating consequences for young people's life chances. This project will implement a rich approach to numeracy across the curriculum in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 with the aim of improving students' numeracy learning outcomes and teachers' confidence with and understanding of numeracy.
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
Improving numeracy outcomes for young Indigenous children through the Patterns and Early Algebra Preschool (PEAP) professional development program. The study aims to improve mathematics outcomes for young Indigenous children and advance the pedagogical content knowledge of early childhood educators and working towards closing the gap in numeracy achievements for Indigenous children. The study will add to the research literature on early algebraic thinking and mathematical reasoning.
Investigating the efficacy, complexity and sustainability of teacher change. This project aims to investigate the path from professional development to changes in teaching practices and student achievement. As a randomised controlled trial, this study integrates sophisticated quantitative and qualitative methods, driving innovation in educational research. Expected outcomes include significant insights into how professional development can impact measurably in ways that benefit the ongoing renew ....Investigating the efficacy, complexity and sustainability of teacher change. This project aims to investigate the path from professional development to changes in teaching practices and student achievement. As a randomised controlled trial, this study integrates sophisticated quantitative and qualitative methods, driving innovation in educational research. Expected outcomes include significant insights into how professional development can impact measurably in ways that benefit the ongoing renewal of Australia's teachers to enhance student outcomes. This project will provide evidence to inform teacher development policy and practice in order to enhance student outcomes.Read moreRead less
Enabling students' critical mathematical thinking. The capacity to use mathematics critically is essential for making prudent decisions and forming balanced judgements about economic, health, environmental and other challenges facing society. Developing Critical Mathematical Thinking (CMT) in the classroom provides students with the necessary skills to address complex real-world problems. Fostering CMT, however, is difficult and teaching practices around its development are under-researched and ....Enabling students' critical mathematical thinking. The capacity to use mathematics critically is essential for making prudent decisions and forming balanced judgements about economic, health, environmental and other challenges facing society. Developing Critical Mathematical Thinking (CMT) in the classroom provides students with the necessary skills to address complex real-world problems. Fostering CMT, however, is difficult and teaching practices around its development are under-researched and under-theorised. This study aims to generate new insight into teaching practices that can promote or inhibit students' CMT development. To address this aim, we use an innovative video-based methodology that integrates researcher and teacher perspectives on students' CMT development.Read moreRead less
Transforming children's mathematical and scientific development: a longitudinal study. An innovative program promoting young children's mathematical and scientific reasoning will be evaluated from grades one to three This study will determine whether an intervention capitalising on children's natural capacity for learning impacts their general cognitive development and problem solving skills at an optimum age.
Advancing future primary teachers' engagement in science inquiry learning. Australia's challenges in regard to scientific literacy and growth of student enrolments in science need to be addressed at multiple levels, starting with the preparation of future primary teachers. Promoting children's early interest in inquiry-based science is essential, yet a challenge for many teachers. This project examines the complex and dynamic interplay of cognitive, metacognitive and emotional processes in futur ....Advancing future primary teachers' engagement in science inquiry learning. Australia's challenges in regard to scientific literacy and growth of student enrolments in science need to be addressed at multiple levels, starting with the preparation of future primary teachers. Promoting children's early interest in inquiry-based science is essential, yet a challenge for many teachers. This project examines the complex and dynamic interplay of cognitive, metacognitive and emotional processes in future primary teachers' engagement in collaborative inquiry-based science activities. A comprehensive intervention based on these insights aims to determine how scaffolding productive engagement can improve the quality of primary teachers' preparation for inquiry-based science.Read moreRead less
Eventful learning in quality pre-service science teacher education. The study aims to build a theory that explains quality in science teacher education by identifying successful learning-teaching events across programs of university science teacher education. This theory will guide wider application of eventful learning practices at university to enhance the successful entry of new teachers to the profession.