What teachers do with the official curriculum: A quantitative study of factors influencing the curriculum-in-use. The Federal Government has declared 'the education revolution' as a key focus of reform. In response to public debate, it has called for a National Curriculum and a policy focus on teacher quality. This project is the first large-scale state survey of teacher engagement with and use of official curriculum documents. It will document how teacher expertise and preparation, systemic and ....What teachers do with the official curriculum: A quantitative study of factors influencing the curriculum-in-use. The Federal Government has declared 'the education revolution' as a key focus of reform. In response to public debate, it has called for a National Curriculum and a policy focus on teacher quality. This project is the first large-scale state survey of teacher engagement with and use of official curriculum documents. It will document how teacher expertise and preparation, systemic and professional support influence how teachers interpret and use the curriculum. The project will provide a new evidence-base for state and national policy reform in: curriculum, teacher education, and professional development. Read moreRead less
New media voices in the Australian values debate. Long standing policy debates about Australian values have been reinvigorated in the context of a global war on terror. The Federal Government has identified Australian values as being central to the nation's security. Cultures are defined by their values, and media systems are the means by which they produce and propagate value systems. Safeguarding Australia means having coherent ways to teach identifiable, desirable, and relevant values. This p ....New media voices in the Australian values debate. Long standing policy debates about Australian values have been reinvigorated in the context of a global war on terror. The Federal Government has identified Australian values as being central to the nation's security. Cultures are defined by their values, and media systems are the means by which they produce and propagate value systems. Safeguarding Australia means having coherent ways to teach identifiable, desirable, and relevant values. This project investigates Australian values in education by identifying which institutions and traditions most influence Australian youth and how these influences are played out in new media forums such as YouTube and MySpace.Read moreRead less
The VCE: Social Access and Transition Effectiveness. Education authorities in Australia face difficulties in reforming school programs to make them both equitable and effective in terms of learning experiences and outcomes. This project examines the extent to which young people from different family backgrounds access different "locations" within the curriculum, the quality of their instructional experience, and the post-school destinations connected with the places they held in the curriculum. ....The VCE: Social Access and Transition Effectiveness. Education authorities in Australia face difficulties in reforming school programs to make them both equitable and effective in terms of learning experiences and outcomes. This project examines the extent to which young people from different family backgrounds access different "locations" within the curriculum, the quality of their instructional experience, and the post-school destinations connected with the places they held in the curriculum. The broad objective is to make the curriculum much more transparent with respect to its underlying social patterns and processes, and thus to make it more accessible to the remedial action of both teachers and curriculum and assessment authorities.Read moreRead less
The International Classroom Research Collaboration. The International Centre for Classroom Research at the University of Melbourne is the hub of an international network of classroom researchers. Australian coordination of this major international research network ensures that the priorities and initiatives, characteristic of contemporary Australian education (eg problem-based learning, authentic assessment, and working mathematically) can be anticipated and accommodated in the research agenda o ....The International Classroom Research Collaboration. The International Centre for Classroom Research at the University of Melbourne is the hub of an international network of classroom researchers. Australian coordination of this major international research network ensures that the priorities and initiatives, characteristic of contemporary Australian education (eg problem-based learning, authentic assessment, and working mathematically) can be anticipated and accommodated in the research agenda of the International Classroom Research Collaboration. Connections with state departments of education, state and national professional associations, and Australian schools and school systems, ensure that the findings of this international collaboration will be communicated efficiently to schools and classroom practitioners in Australia.Read moreRead less
School knowledge, working knowledge and the knowing subject: a review of state curriculum policies 1975-2005. Schooling is a central institution for forming the knowledge, workers and citizens of Australia's future, and this is a period of widespread curriculum change. This project's systematic review of state differences is an important resource for moves in a 'nationally consistent' direction. The project charts what is and is not being taken up in relation to new vocational agendas and new co ....School knowledge, working knowledge and the knowing subject: a review of state curriculum policies 1975-2005. Schooling is a central institution for forming the knowledge, workers and citizens of Australia's future, and this is a period of widespread curriculum change. This project's systematic review of state differences is an important resource for moves in a 'nationally consistent' direction. The project charts what is and is not being taken up in relation to new vocational agendas and new conceptions of knowledge. It provides a fresh perspective on Australian curriculum emphases, competing agendas, issues to be addressed and makes possible a more realistic appraisal of the conditions in which innovation and reform need to be developed.Read moreRead less
Scaffolding numeracy in the middle years: an investigation of a new assessment-guided approach to teaching mathematics using authentic assessment tasks. The project will investigate the efficacy of a new assessment-guided approach to improving student numeracy outcomes in Years 4 to 8. The project adds to existing knowledge through the development of a learning and assessment framework for multiplicative thinking and rational number in a form and language accessible to teachers. The project is i ....Scaffolding numeracy in the middle years: an investigation of a new assessment-guided approach to teaching mathematics using authentic assessment tasks. The project will investigate the efficacy of a new assessment-guided approach to improving student numeracy outcomes in Years 4 to 8. The project adds to existing knowledge through the development of a learning and assessment framework for multiplicative thinking and rational number in a form and language accessible to teachers. The project is innovative in that it will develop and use authentic assessment tasks, as opposed to written tests or individual interviews, to identify learner's needs in terms of the framework and inform subsequent teaching. This represents a significant contribution to the Commonwealth's goal of improving numeracy outcomes for all.Read moreRead less
Mandated literacy assessment and the reorganisation of teachers' work. The study will inform practitioners, teacher educators and educational policy-makers about the ways that teachers' work is being changed by the introduction of mandated standardised assessment and reporting processes. The research will provide insights into the ways in which teachers need to adapt standardised processes and policies to account for the varied student and community populations they serve. This is significant fo ....Mandated literacy assessment and the reorganisation of teachers' work. The study will inform practitioners, teacher educators and educational policy-makers about the ways that teachers' work is being changed by the introduction of mandated standardised assessment and reporting processes. The research will provide insights into the ways in which teachers need to adapt standardised processes and policies to account for the varied student and community populations they serve. This is significant for educational policy as recent international studies of students' literacy performance suggest Australia is lagging in terms of equity for low SES students. Read moreRead less
Developing portfolio assessment in Mathematics and English: Insider and outsider perspectives on the implementation of professional teaching standards. In previous parallel SPIRT projects the national subject associations in Mathematics and English/Literacy developed professional standards for excellence in teaching. This research project, with the Victorian Institute of Teaching, will study both the preparation of portfolio items by groups of 'outsider' teachers who played no part in the develo ....Developing portfolio assessment in Mathematics and English: Insider and outsider perspectives on the implementation of professional teaching standards. In previous parallel SPIRT projects the national subject associations in Mathematics and English/Literacy developed professional standards for excellence in teaching. This research project, with the Victorian Institute of Teaching, will study both the preparation of portfolio items by groups of 'outsider' teachers who played no part in the development of the Standards, together with the evaluation of their portfolios by groups of 'insider' assessors from the respective subject associations who helped develop the Standards. Data from this project will contribute to validating the Standards, to clarifying the issues of subject-specific/generic professional standards, and to improving quality in teachers' professional development.Read moreRead less
Disciplinarity, knowledge and schooling: Analysing and improving integrated, cumulative learning in classrooms. For Australia to enhance its educational and professional standing, it needs growing levels of intellectual expertise and flexibility among school graduates, who now operate in workplaces that are rapidly evolving intellectually and technologically. This project will contribute to research, debate, and practice, by focusing on sustained integrated knowledge-building, but it also aims t ....Disciplinarity, knowledge and schooling: Analysing and improving integrated, cumulative learning in classrooms. For Australia to enhance its educational and professional standing, it needs growing levels of intellectual expertise and flexibility among school graduates, who now operate in workplaces that are rapidly evolving intellectually and technologically. This project will contribute to research, debate, and practice, by focusing on sustained integrated knowledge-building, but it also aims to offer practitioners and authorities an enhanced, locally-grown evidence for educational decisions, practice, and policy. While the motivations for the project are theoretical, professional, and methodological, they arise from a recognition of the economic and cultural importance of intellectually strong citizens in an increasingly demanding global setting.Read moreRead less
Digital Learning and Print Literacy: A design experiment for the reform of low socio-economic, culturally diverse schools. The Federal Government has declared the Education Revolution as a key national priority for reform. It has called for a policy focus on the introduction of digital technologies into the school lives of students and a renewed focus on equity in traditional print literacy. This project will provide a new evidence base and training site for teacher and student development in pr ....Digital Learning and Print Literacy: A design experiment for the reform of low socio-economic, culturally diverse schools. The Federal Government has declared the Education Revolution as a key national priority for reform. It has called for a policy focus on the introduction of digital technologies into the school lives of students and a renewed focus on equity in traditional print literacy. This project will provide a new evidence base and training site for teacher and student development in print literacy and technology with a focus on low socio-economic school development.Read moreRead less