The Young Learners' Project: Identifying personalised teaching strategies for early literacy in children in preschool and the first year of school. High quality learning experiences coupled with personalised, evidence-based adult support in the preschool years shape children's life-long attitudes and motivation for learning, and form the basis of strong outcomes in adulthood. Of particular importance is the development of literacy. Not all children, however, have such experiences and some need ....The Young Learners' Project: Identifying personalised teaching strategies for early literacy in children in preschool and the first year of school. High quality learning experiences coupled with personalised, evidence-based adult support in the preschool years shape children's life-long attitudes and motivation for learning, and form the basis of strong outcomes in adulthood. Of particular importance is the development of literacy. Not all children, however, have such experiences and some need extra support from their families and teachers. From this study knowledge will be gained that will assist teachers and parents to support children before beginning school so that they are prepared for formal literacy learning. This will lead to greater prospects of financial and social benefits in adulthood. Read moreRead less
Maximising the benefits of diversity in university through cross-cultural interaction. Australia is unique among Western nations because of its proximity to Asia and its ability to attract large numbers of international students to its universities. This issue is extremely important as numerous Asian countries (China and India, in particular) have become increasingly dominant players in global markets. This research will contribute to enhancing Australia's capacity to understand and effectively ....Maximising the benefits of diversity in university through cross-cultural interaction. Australia is unique among Western nations because of its proximity to Asia and its ability to attract large numbers of international students to its universities. This issue is extremely important as numerous Asian countries (China and India, in particular) have become increasingly dominant players in global markets. This research will contribute to enhancing Australia's capacity to understand and effectively engage with diverse others through a greater understanding of other cultures and societies. The insights gained from this research will allow us to better prepare our university graduates with the skills necessary to benefit from this diversity. Read moreRead less
Transforming the technologies and modalities of learning: The case of the New Life Sciences in secondary schooling. This project aims to provide theoretical and analytic frameworks for understanding changing intellectual, technological and communicational parameters of contemporary education, but it also aims to make these frameworks accessible enough to become part of the conceptual repertoire of professional practitioners and flexible enough to allow practitioners to maintain currency in evolv ....Transforming the technologies and modalities of learning: The case of the New Life Sciences in secondary schooling. This project aims to provide theoretical and analytic frameworks for understanding changing intellectual, technological and communicational parameters of contemporary education, but it also aims to make these frameworks accessible enough to become part of the conceptual repertoire of professional practitioners and flexible enough to allow practitioners to maintain currency in evolving fields of knowledge in the NLS. As the NLS, and education in this field are both expanding export industries, this study will offer Australian practitioners and authorities evidence and ideas for the growth of the NLS in schools, thereby supporting the maintenance of Australia's prominence in the region as a high-quality, current education provider.Read moreRead less
International Research Network on Learning Environments of the Future. This project represents a unique opportunity to participate in a productive, multidisciplinary international network that is developing powerful learning environments of the future- where distributed, electronically mediated, collaborative communities will become the norm. Special opportunities will be provided for doctoral students and postdocs to work with renowned researchers at the Knowledge Media Research Centre (Germany ....International Research Network on Learning Environments of the Future. This project represents a unique opportunity to participate in a productive, multidisciplinary international network that is developing powerful learning environments of the future- where distributed, electronically mediated, collaborative communities will become the norm. Special opportunities will be provided for doctoral students and postdocs to work with renowned researchers at the Knowledge Media Research Centre (Germany) and the Learning Sciences Laboratory (Singapore). The development of an undergraduate virtual international learning community will also lay groundwork for future collaborations among the participating countries. The project will chart research directions that will influence future educational settings worldwide.
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The role of representation in learning science. School science is a core area for the future prosperity and health of Australia. Poor student attitudes to science and low involvement in post compulsory science are of national concern. This project, by taking a fresh perspective on key learning issues in middle years science, when student attitudes and future plans are being forged, has the potential to lay the groundwork for more successful learning, increased retention into post compulsory scie ....The role of representation in learning science. School science is a core area for the future prosperity and health of Australia. Poor student attitudes to science and low involvement in post compulsory science are of national concern. This project, by taking a fresh perspective on key learning issues in middle years science, when student attitudes and future plans are being forged, has the potential to lay the groundwork for more successful learning, increased retention into post compulsory science, and enhanced public science literacy. By focusing on effective and innovative pedagogies and assessment strategies the project has the capacity to enhance science students' capacity for innovation, potentially laying the groundwork for increased productivity in the longer term. Read moreRead less
Effects of training teachers in communication skills during cooperative learning on classroom discourse, social inclusion, and learning among middle-year students. Helping children work together, communicate effectively, and think constructively are critically important if children are to engage in learning, develop self-efficacy as learners, and respect for the unique contributions of others to their learning experiences. Teachers play a key role in creating leaning environments that are conduc ....Effects of training teachers in communication skills during cooperative learning on classroom discourse, social inclusion, and learning among middle-year students. Helping children work together, communicate effectively, and think constructively are critically important if children are to engage in learning, develop self-efficacy as learners, and respect for the unique contributions of others to their learning experiences. Teachers play a key role in creating leaning environments that are conducive to learning, responsive to children's needs, and supportive of their endeavours. This project will help teachers enhance children's strategic and metacognitive thinking and learning through the promotion of interactions and relationships that are inclusive of all children regardless of their diverse learning needs and social and ethnic identities.Read moreRead less
Comparative effectiveness of two strategic and meta-cognitive questioning approaches on children's explanatory behaviour, problem-solving, and learning during cooperative, inquiry-based learning. Teaching children to ask and answer questions is critically important if they are to engage effectively in reasoned argumentation, a cornerstone of inquiry-based learning. Unfortunately, in many schools, students are not consistently taught to pose and answer questions that challenge others' perspective ....Comparative effectiveness of two strategic and meta-cognitive questioning approaches on children's explanatory behaviour, problem-solving, and learning during cooperative, inquiry-based learning. Teaching children to ask and answer questions is critically important if they are to engage effectively in reasoned argumentation, a cornerstone of inquiry-based learning. Unfortunately, in many schools, students are not consistently taught to pose and answer questions that challenge others' perspectives, understandings, and learning, nor are they taught to simultaneously monitor, regulate, and evaluate their own thinking and learning. This project builds on the benefits widely attributed to promoting higher-level thinking by helping teachers to enhance students' use of strategic and metacognitive questioning and the development of explanatory discourse during inquiry-based learning.
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Internationalisation of higher education:Sociocultural dynamics of group learning. A better understanding of the challenges created by social and cultural diversity in the context of internationalisation of higher education will lead to educational and social benefits. The research will provide a conceptual basis for the development of innovative teaching practices, which address these challenges and capitalise on diversity to enrich the learning of both international and local students. It dire ....Internationalisation of higher education:Sociocultural dynamics of group learning. A better understanding of the challenges created by social and cultural diversity in the context of internationalisation of higher education will lead to educational and social benefits. The research will provide a conceptual basis for the development of innovative teaching practices, which address these challenges and capitalise on diversity to enrich the learning of both international and local students. It directly addresses the national research priority of enhancing Australia's capacity to interpret and engage with its regional and global environment, through greater reciprocal understanding of the interface of diverse cultures and societies.Read moreRead less
The effects of teacher and student dialogues during cooperative learning on students' discourse, problem-solving, and learning. Teaching students to dialogue effectively together is critically important if they are to think and reason constructively and develop new understandings and learning. While cooperative learning experiences provide students with opportunities to interact with others, research clearly indicates that discourse can be enhanced when students are taught how to dialogue togeth ....The effects of teacher and student dialogues during cooperative learning on students' discourse, problem-solving, and learning. Teaching students to dialogue effectively together is critically important if they are to think and reason constructively and develop new understandings and learning. While cooperative learning experiences provide students with opportunities to interact with others, research clearly indicates that discourse can be enhanced when students are taught how to dialogue together so they learn to seek and answer thought provoking questions to construct new understandings and learning. This project builds on the benefits widely attributed to cooperative learning by helping teachers to enhance students' strategic and metacognitive thinking and facilitative communication patterns.
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Productive co-regulation of learning at university: A situative approach. Fostering graduates' capacity to learn productively from and with professional peers is of educational and economic significance for professional education and for the workplace. The research will establish how learning from clinical cases in interactions with a group of peers at university can be enhanced, with direct benefits for conceptual understanding and professional practice. Social benefits are also expected from b ....Productive co-regulation of learning at university: A situative approach. Fostering graduates' capacity to learn productively from and with professional peers is of educational and economic significance for professional education and for the workplace. The research will establish how learning from clinical cases in interactions with a group of peers at university can be enhanced, with direct benefits for conceptual understanding and professional practice. Social benefits are also expected from broadening individual approaches to study to include preparation for the social nature of work. Read moreRead less