Metacognitive influences on teachers’ use of information and communication technology (ICT) and the implications for teacher professional development. Professional development (PD) of teachers in information and communication technology (ICT) is an urgent educational imperative, presenting significant financial and strategic challenges internationally. Many teachers experience computer anxiety and reluctance in ICT use. This research will progress understanding of metacognitive influences on tea ....Metacognitive influences on teachers’ use of information and communication technology (ICT) and the implications for teacher professional development. Professional development (PD) of teachers in information and communication technology (ICT) is an urgent educational imperative, presenting significant financial and strategic challenges internationally. Many teachers experience computer anxiety and reluctance in ICT use. This research will progress understanding of metacognitive influences on teachers? use of ICT and determine whether metacognitive theories can inform development of a peer-mentored model of teacher PD which will promote ICT capability and life-long learning for teachers. The research will test the effectiveness of the metacognitive approach in promoting whole-school change in the integration of ICT in learning and teaching.Read moreRead less
Sustainable mathematics education capacity building: Empowering Indigenous teacher aides to enhance rural and remote Indigenous students' numeracy outcomes. Rural/remote Indigenous students perform well below other students in statewide numeracy tests. Because teachers are generally non-Indigenous, inexperienced and stay for less than two years and Indigenous teacher aides have little training in teaching mathematics, schools do not the capacity to affect this outcome. This project will work wit ....Sustainable mathematics education capacity building: Empowering Indigenous teacher aides to enhance rural and remote Indigenous students' numeracy outcomes. Rural/remote Indigenous students perform well below other students in statewide numeracy tests. Because teachers are generally non-Indigenous, inexperienced and stay for less than two years and Indigenous teacher aides have little training in teaching mathematics, schools do not the capacity to affect this outcome. This project will work with eight schools to improve and sustain Years 1-7 mathematics outcomes by enhancing aides' tutoring effectiveness through culturally appropriate mathematics and mathematics pedagogy knowledge. The aim is to develop principles for a professional learning program that can be used with Indigenous aides across Australia to improve Indigenous students' mathematics and therefore employment/life chances.Read moreRead less
Creating Culturally Respectful Primary Schools: Enhancing Relationships through Strategic Professional Learning. A critical issue facing Australian school communities is how to best support teachers to build sustainable whole school approaches to respecting cultural diversity in times of increasing tension about Australia's multiculturalism. This project will investigate an innovative professional learning program to build teacher capacity to help children to think about and respond to differenc ....Creating Culturally Respectful Primary Schools: Enhancing Relationships through Strategic Professional Learning. A critical issue facing Australian school communities is how to best support teachers to build sustainable whole school approaches to respecting cultural diversity in times of increasing tension about Australia's multiculturalism. This project will investigate an innovative professional learning program to build teacher capacity to help children to think about and respond to differences constructively and to creatively problem solve ways to meet diverse needs. Outcomes will include policy and practice recommendations for the national education sector policy about how primary schools can contribute to wider social cohesion through the development of inclusive and culturally respectful school communities.Read moreRead less
Feedback literacy for effective learning at university and beyond. This project aims to develop frameworks and strategies that help learners make the most of feedback across their studies and into their working lives. Using behaviour change techniques from the health and social sciences, the project expects to develop ways to support students and graduates to seek out and use feedback, and to manage their emotions throughout the feedback process. Expected outcomes of this project include evidenc ....Feedback literacy for effective learning at university and beyond. This project aims to develop frameworks and strategies that help learners make the most of feedback across their studies and into their working lives. Using behaviour change techniques from the health and social sciences, the project expects to develop ways to support students and graduates to seek out and use feedback, and to manage their emotions throughout the feedback process. Expected outcomes of this project include evidence-informed strategies that individuals and institutions can use to develop life-long capabilities to make the most of feedback. This should provide significant benefits across all sectors of Australian society, where productivity, learning and wellbeing depend on healthy and effective engagement with feedback.Read moreRead less
Learning by Design: Creating pedagogical frameworks for knowledge building in the 21st century. Our aim is to facilitate and support a generational change of teachers precipitated by the departure of the baby-boomers. The research will investigate the ways in which 'middle-years' teachers design, record and enact their curriculum, searching for evidence of a relationship between pedagogical choices and learner outcomes. From these investigations, and drawing on the theory of Multiliteracies, a t ....Learning by Design: Creating pedagogical frameworks for knowledge building in the 21st century. Our aim is to facilitate and support a generational change of teachers precipitated by the departure of the baby-boomers. The research will investigate the ways in which 'middle-years' teachers design, record and enact their curriculum, searching for evidence of a relationship between pedagogical choices and learner outcomes. From these investigations, and drawing on the theory of Multiliteracies, a tool will be developed to prompt more mindful and context-appropriate pedagogical choices, while encouraging teachers to document and share their practices. This will result in a body of rigorous and shareable knowledge and know-how, potentially improving opportunities and educational outcomes for all Australian students.Read moreRead less
Improving middle years mathematics and science: The role of subject cultures in school and teacher change. Student disengagement with mathematics and science in the middle years of schooling, and the low retention rates into these areas in upper years, is of national concern. This project investigates the role of mathematics and science knowledge, and school subject cultures, in mediating change processes in the middle years. It builds on a highly successful change model developed for science te ....Improving middle years mathematics and science: The role of subject cultures in school and teacher change. Student disengagement with mathematics and science in the middle years of schooling, and the low retention rates into these areas in upper years, is of national concern. This project investigates the role of mathematics and science knowledge, and school subject cultures, in mediating change processes in the middle years. It builds on a highly successful change model developed for science teaching and learning in Victoria to investigate how generic conceptions of teacher pedagogy
and school change intersect with subject matter knowledge and traditions in the closely related areas of mathematics and science. The findings will inform future school change projects.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120100086
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Teachers' learning in complex times: theorising teacher professional development practices under globalised policy conditions. This project investigates the effects of national standardised testing on the professional development practices of teachers in rural and urban schools in varied Socio-Economic Status communities in Australia. The project will indicate whether and how such testing influences teachers' learning, and subsequent student learning, in these different types of settings.
Indigenous Teachers: Understanding their Professional Pathways and Career Experiences. There is an urgent need to understand the nature of the professional experience of Indigenous teachers in Australian schools. This project will produce significant new knowledge about the career experiences of former and current Indigenous educators, about the prior life experience of Indigenous teachers beginning their careers in NSW and Victorian schools, and in-depth case studies of their first three years ....Indigenous Teachers: Understanding their Professional Pathways and Career Experiences. There is an urgent need to understand the nature of the professional experience of Indigenous teachers in Australian schools. This project will produce significant new knowledge about the career experiences of former and current Indigenous educators, about the prior life experience of Indigenous teachers beginning their careers in NSW and Victorian schools, and in-depth case studies of their first three years as teachers. It will provide vital information for state and federal education and teacher education policy formation, contribute to social theory with regard to institutional racism, 'whiteness' and Australian education and advance methodologies for research about Indigenous issues.
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Enhancing Wellbeing and Learning in Middle Years Classrooms. Meaningful engagement in schooling promotes academic learning, social emotional wellbeing and healthy futures for young people. Achieving the positive engagement of all adolescent students in schooling is a significant educational challenge for Australia. This research project recognises that strong, caring and positive teacher-student relationships are critical to student engagement in Middle Years classrooms. The project will inve ....Enhancing Wellbeing and Learning in Middle Years Classrooms. Meaningful engagement in schooling promotes academic learning, social emotional wellbeing and healthy futures for young people. Achieving the positive engagement of all adolescent students in schooling is a significant educational challenge for Australia. This research project recognises that strong, caring and positive teacher-student relationships are critical to student engagement in Middle Years classrooms. The project will investigate the application of an evidence based framework of strategies and a professional learning model to support teachers in the promotion of positive learning relationships. The project will trial measures that could increase teacher capacity to promote learning and wellbeing through positive relationships.Read moreRead less
Strengthening Standards of Teaching through Linking Standards and Teacher Learning: The Development of Professional Standards for Teaching School Geography. This research project will advance the Commonwealth Government's social and economic agenda by addressing the national strategy to raise the quality of teachers and the status of teaching. In seeking to improve the practice of geography teaching in schools, it will also address, albeit indirectly, the national research priority of achieving ....Strengthening Standards of Teaching through Linking Standards and Teacher Learning: The Development of Professional Standards for Teaching School Geography. This research project will advance the Commonwealth Government's social and economic agenda by addressing the national strategy to raise the quality of teachers and the status of teaching. In seeking to improve the practice of geography teaching in schools, it will also address, albeit indirectly, the national research priority of achieving an environmentally sustainable Australia. Teaching standards and associated professional learning resources that can enable improvement of this practice are an important tool for teachers in both metropolitan and rural settings, Australia-wide. This project addresses a significant need to contribute to the development of ways of bridging the gap between teaching standards and teacher learning.Read moreRead less