Engaging science students' hearts and minds: Researching science teachers' professional learning in the development of contemporary understandings of scientific literacy. This project will develop, support and value the work of science teachers in developing students' scientific literacy and share the subsequent knowledge gains in the educational community to positively advance quality teaching and learning in school science. Improving science teaching and learning hinges on offering new ways of ....Engaging science students' hearts and minds: Researching science teachers' professional learning in the development of contemporary understandings of scientific literacy. This project will develop, support and value the work of science teachers in developing students' scientific literacy and share the subsequent knowledge gains in the educational community to positively advance quality teaching and learning in school science. Improving science teaching and learning hinges on offering new ways of responding to the problems inherent in teaching science in the 21st century. By supporting and encouraging the creative and innovative ideas, concepts and approaches to quality science teaching and learning embedded in teachers' professional learning the development of the critical knowledge for challenging the status-quo will be advanced.Read moreRead less
Adolescent mental health and supportive classroom environments: investigating organizational supports as mediators to a sustainable reduction in aggressive classroom management. Making classrooms safe and supportive for all students enables young Australians to lead healthier and more productive lives through social inclusion and economic participation. Finding effective ways to reduce teachers' use of non-productive, aggressive strategies in interactions with challenging students offers importa ....Adolescent mental health and supportive classroom environments: investigating organizational supports as mediators to a sustainable reduction in aggressive classroom management. Making classrooms safe and supportive for all students enables young Australians to lead healthier and more productive lives through social inclusion and economic participation. Finding effective ways to reduce teachers' use of non-productive, aggressive strategies in interactions with challenging students offers important social and economic benefits to Australia. These include reductions in adolescent anxiety and depression, greater engagement in schooling, a reduction in student withdrawals and exclusions, increasing parent, community and international confidence in Australia's schools, and a reduction in the number of young teachers leaving the profession.Read moreRead less
Influences on students' learning goals and their capacity for self-regulation. There is an obvious connection between maximizing learning of young people and the nation's future. Currently many young people are missing opportunities for learning at school, and this not only reduces their own opportunities, thereby increasing their risk of long term dependence on government services, but also reduces overall social capital. The project will evaluate teaching strategies that have potential to enha ....Influences on students' learning goals and their capacity for self-regulation. There is an obvious connection between maximizing learning of young people and the nation's future. Currently many young people are missing opportunities for learning at school, and this not only reduces their own opportunities, thereby increasing their risk of long term dependence on government services, but also reduces overall social capital. The project will evaluate teaching strategies that have potential to enhance the participation of students in learning in the middle years.
The project will be of direct benefit to regional and rural communities since it is conducted in regional and rural schools with their particular challenges, including community pessimism, reduced vocational aspirations, and limited role models.
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Outcomes-focused Learning Environments, Affective Outcomes and Achievement Standards in Senior School Classes in Western Australia. Given the controversy in the media about outcomes-focused education and the acute lack of research into its implementation and effectiveness, this research is timely and useful. It could have far-reaching implications for educational systems about how to effectively create outcomes-focused learning environments and whether educational standards are being maintained. ....Outcomes-focused Learning Environments, Affective Outcomes and Achievement Standards in Senior School Classes in Western Australia. Given the controversy in the media about outcomes-focused education and the acute lack of research into its implementation and effectiveness, this research is timely and useful. It could have far-reaching implications for educational systems about how to effectively create outcomes-focused learning environments and whether educational standards are being maintained. It will provide information about how teachers can use action research, involving feedback from students, to guide the improvement of learning environments. Training opportunities will be provided for one Master's and two doctoral students.Read moreRead less
ENHANCING SCIENCE LEARNING THROUGH A FOCUS ON MULTIPLE AND MULTI-MODAL REPRESENTATIONS OF CONCEPTS. This project draws on recent theoretical accounts of multiple and multi-modal representations of science understandings to devise, trial and evaluate new approaches to teaching and learning science concepts. These approaches, catering for diverse learning pathways, focus on student understanding that representations of scientific knowledge are multi-modal and interconnected. The project is signifi ....ENHANCING SCIENCE LEARNING THROUGH A FOCUS ON MULTIPLE AND MULTI-MODAL REPRESENTATIONS OF CONCEPTS. This project draws on recent theoretical accounts of multiple and multi-modal representations of science understandings to devise, trial and evaluate new approaches to teaching and learning science concepts. These approaches, catering for diverse learning pathways, focus on student understanding that representations of scientific knowledge are multi-modal and interconnected. The project is significant in providing an innovative way to engage upper primary and junior secondary students in regional and rural Australian contexts in learning science, and is expected to promote more effective learning and more positive student attitudes to the subject.Read moreRead less
Examining the relationship between the documented curriculum, classroom tasks, and the learning of mathematics. There is an obvious connection between maximizing mathematics learning of young people and the nation's future. Currently many young people are missing opportunities for learning mathematics at school, and this not only reduces their own opportunities, but also increases their risk of long term dependence on government services. At the same time, mathematics is increasingly necessary f ....Examining the relationship between the documented curriculum, classroom tasks, and the learning of mathematics. There is an obvious connection between maximizing mathematics learning of young people and the nation's future. Currently many young people are missing opportunities for learning mathematics at school, and this not only reduces their own opportunities, but also increases their risk of long term dependence on government services. At the same time, mathematics is increasingly necessary for tertiary study in a range of fields, and the number of students choosing the highest level of mathematics is declining. The project will evaluate the types of tasks that teachers can use to engage all students in learning mathematics effectively, while preserving options for those students who may choose to specialise in tertiary mathematics study.Read moreRead less
Impact of Developmentally-based Qualitative Assessment Practices in English, Mathematics, and Science on School Policies, Classroom Instruction, and Teacher Knowledge. This project aims to investigate and analyse issues concerning qualitative assessment techniques that measure students? understandings in English, Mathematics and Science, Years 7 to 10, in Government Schools in NSW. The significance lies in the advice that will be provided to school systems, subject departments and teachers on h ....Impact of Developmentally-based Qualitative Assessment Practices in English, Mathematics, and Science on School Policies, Classroom Instruction, and Teacher Knowledge. This project aims to investigate and analyse issues concerning qualitative assessment techniques that measure students? understandings in English, Mathematics and Science, Years 7 to 10, in Government Schools in NSW. The significance lies in the advice that will be provided to school systems, subject departments and teachers on how assessment information can improve the learning environment for students. Expected outcomes include details on how to utilise qualitative and quantitative assessment practices; detailed longitudinal analyses of teacher growth and perceptions as a result of using theoretically-based assessment practices within the social context of NSW classrooms.Read moreRead less
Learning essential knowledge by design: Promoting and connecting mathematics and science in the middle years of schooling. In the international setting, Australia's scientific and technical competitiveness is under threat. In the US this similar threat has elicited responses that focus on new mathematics and science teachers and teacher professional learning. This project aligns with major national and state initiatives to develop curricula that promote essential learnings and standards without ....Learning essential knowledge by design: Promoting and connecting mathematics and science in the middle years of schooling. In the international setting, Australia's scientific and technical competitiveness is under threat. In the US this similar threat has elicited responses that focus on new mathematics and science teachers and teacher professional learning. This project aligns with major national and state initiatives to develop curricula that promote essential learnings and standards without losing sight of current educational approaches such as middle years of schooling. The project will explore research-based, integrated pedagogies, content and assessment to provide Australian teachers with new ways of engaging students with the mathematics and science curricula.Read moreRead less
Supporting personalised learning in secondary schools through the use of specific mathematics assessments that reveal thinking. This project will improve numeracy standards in secondary schools, by assisting teachers to personalise the teaching of each student. Through detailed research, the project will develop sophisticated assessments that clearly reveal students' mathematical thinking. On-line diagnosis will suggest teaching activities that can bring about desired conceptual changes. The eff ....Supporting personalised learning in secondary schools through the use of specific mathematics assessments that reveal thinking. This project will improve numeracy standards in secondary schools, by assisting teachers to personalise the teaching of each student. Through detailed research, the project will develop sophisticated assessments that clearly reveal students' mathematical thinking. On-line diagnosis will suggest teaching activities that can bring about desired conceptual changes. The effectiveness of the resources will be thoroughly tested, for impact on student achievement and the mathematics teaching skills of teachers, especially those working out-of-field. Rural schools will have equal access to these resources. Good numeracy provides the foundation for life-long learning, employment satisfaction and the economic competitiveness of Australia.Read moreRead less
Innovative Approaches to Shakespeare and Literature Research in Australian Universities and Secondary Schools. Barker College and the University of Sydney unite in a major research initiative to tackle pressing issues in Australian humanities education with the express purpose of promoting an innovation culture and economy (National Research Priority 3, Goal 5). The project executes groundbreaking research into the teaching and learning of Shakespeare and the literary-critical skills of school a ....Innovative Approaches to Shakespeare and Literature Research in Australian Universities and Secondary Schools. Barker College and the University of Sydney unite in a major research initiative to tackle pressing issues in Australian humanities education with the express purpose of promoting an innovation culture and economy (National Research Priority 3, Goal 5). The project executes groundbreaking research into the teaching and learning of Shakespeare and the literary-critical skills of school and university students. The core research partnership, website and conference together deliver a shared-knowledge approach to determining innovative and effective new models for teaching and learning in the humanities. The project seeks wide participation from, and delivers diverse pedagogical benefits to, all Australian schools and universities.Read moreRead less