Mathematics teacher education and technology

Various applications of electronic technology have contributed to the field of mathematics teacher education, but the array of tools now' available to teacher educators in developed countries can be somewhat daunting. In this chapter, the authors present an overview of some of these tools and the ways that they are being used. In addition, they address issues surrounding the development and applications of digital technology in teacher education programs in a number of countries. In particular, they present recent applications of videotapes, multimedia resources, internet-based communities, and tutorial conferencing facilities in pre-service and in-service education of mathematics teachers. As professionals who have used technology in teacher education, the authors blend their own insights into this review of technological tools and relevant issues.

Mutualism: a different agenda for environmental and science education

This paper discusses the history of the relationship between science education and environmental education in Australian and international contexts and argues that - given the on-going resistances to environmental education in schools, the static nature of science education practices, and declining student interest in studying traditional science subject - it is time to reconsider the relationship. If we are to achieve sustainable development, then science education must have a role in encouraging ecological thinking. However, the science education that can be an appropriate 'host' for environmental education is not necessarily that currently practised, but a reconceptualized form could well be what is needed. From a historical perspective this paper suggests that it might be time to reconsider science education's function as a 'host' for environmental education and try to imagine a more mutualistic relationship.

Public participation in an environmental dispute: implications for science education

The paper, which reports the findings of a case study of an environmental dispute, focuses on the role of the key players and the way in which they interacted with the underlying science. A model is proposed that lays out some of the dimensions of the complexity of public involvement, of the understandings of the science pertinent to such socio-scientific issues, and of the way knowledge of science is represented and disseminated in such issues. The analysis focuses on the value of local knowledge in framing and engaging with the issue, on the distinction between generative and evaluative engagement, and on the type of knowledge that proved central for engagement. The implications for science education and notions of scientific literacy are discussed.

Early childhood science education : do Australian publishing trends represent world publishing trends?

A literature search of both Australian early childhood journals and Australian science education journals provides a compelling picture of science education in Australian early childhood in the recent past and the previous 40 years. Whilst a previous review of the literature found that there were concerns over the early childhood educators' confidence in teaching science, particularly physical sciences, current research indicates that this problem is still prevalent. The historical perspective also found that there was a distinctive approach evolving in early childhood science education, however further research into the place of science in the cognitive domain of early childhood was required. The more recent literature search found that as an area of investigation, early childhood science is still a neglected research area and there is still much scope for the development of theories and analysis of early childhood science education. The literature search was undertaken scanning for titles which included science education and early childhood in several Australian early childhood journals and Australian science education journals, although it is acknowledged that some articles may have been sent to international journals.

Technology education, science and science education : exploring the relationship

In this paper the nature of technology education in relation to science and science education is explored. Ways forward are indicated for both technology and science in the curriculum so that the two areas can be mutually supportive. In the 1990s, when curriculum writers were attempting to provide technology a unique place in the curriculum, they tended to downplay the relationship between technology and science. One reason for this tendency derives from a perception that science is an academic and elitist discipline and technology is well served by emphasizing the distance between the two. The other reason is perhaps political, that science, by virtue of its status in the community, and the status of its special type of knowledge, would be in a position, if allowed, to subsume the new subject. There are philosophical and historical precedents that justify such a concern. In tracing the historical relationships between science and technology, in professional practice, in philosophical positioning, and in school curriculum, we inevitably need to deal with the politics of school subjects.

The position taken in this paper is that science and technology are different, both in their epistemological foundations, and in the nature of the professional communities and the concerns of individual practitioners within the two areas. In clarifying these differences the essential nature of technology and of science are illuminated. The paper also explores ways in which the two areas can benefit from each other’s existence in the curriculum, and ways of approaching teaching that both clarifies the special nature of each type of knowledge, and allows them to be mutually supportive. This may necessitate a reconstruction of the nature of school science.

Information communication technology in secondary science education in Sri Lanka

This study researched the instruction of pre-service science teachers in Sri Lanka in the use of information communication technologies. It examined the use of a framework called the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge model that was found to assist the pre-service teachers in the effective use of technologies in their teaching.

Text analytics visualisation of Course Experience Questionnaire student comment data in science and technology

A version of the Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) has been included in the Graduate Careers Council of Australia national survey of university graduates from 1993 onward. In addition to the quantitative response items noted above, the CEQ also includes an invitation to respondents to write open-ended comments on the best aspects (BA) of their university course experience and those aspects most needing improvement (NI).

Australasian partnership in a first-year engineering course: Deakin University and Wuhan University of Science and Technology

This paper presents the results of domestic Chinese undergraduate engineering course taught by international Australasian teaching staff. The project is a part of a teaching collaboration between Deakin University and Wuhan University of Science and Technology. The cohort of students from Wuhan was a freshman undergraduate engineering course in mechanical engineering. The particular subject was a freshman engineering-materials course taught in English. The course covered an introduction to material-science principles and practices. A survey was used for evaluating student perceptions. It is aimed that this study will help academics from Deakin University to better understand student experiences, and to identify the current challenges and barriers faced in student learning. Analysis of the survey has shown that 90% of students agreed that they were motivated to learn and achieve the learning goals through this collaborative program. Around 90% of students found that group-based practical activities were helpful in achieving learning goals. Overall, 90% of students strongly agreed they were satisfied with the method of teaching.

Dimensions of evidence, the public understanding of science and science education

This paper explores the nature and type of evidence employed by participants in an issue of public concern. By examining documents and interviewing members of the public involved in the debate, the way in which evidence was used in the arguments for and against the issue was determined. Three dimensions of evidence emerged from the data: formal scientific evidence based on the data; informal evidence (e.g. common sense, personal experience) and wider issues which impinge on the evidence (e.g. environmental or legal concerns). In this particular controversy, it was the questioning of the formal evidence by local scientists which became the 'magic bullet' but pertinent questioning by local nonscientists also framed the debate. The authors suggest that school science curricula should include practice in questioning and manipulating different sorts of real data in a variety of ways so that pupils are equipped and empowered to tackle contemporary issues of this kind.

A technology of study applied in marketing education and supported by self-determination theory

The aim of this study is to assess whether universities are meeting the needs of marketing students in their specific university function of providing knowledge and knowledge processes. This viewpoint is not meant to overlook the university role as a civilizing agent in a constant search for truth (McKenna 2001), but the focus for this study (based as it is in a Faculty of Business and Law) is toward graduates entering the corporate world. Therefore, graduates with suitable discipline knowledge and reasoning skills, in this context, must be able to meet the needs of the corporate marketing sector. Extending this backward to the role of the university, this study is by default seeking to establish if universities are meeting the needs of the corporate sector. A comparison is made between marketing classes using a specific technology of study called an autarchic system, and those classes not using this method. As part of this analysis the study investigates the application of self-determination theory and psychological needs satisfaction. The basic needs scale, comprising of two constructs; Control and Caring was adapted and used to evaluate students' perception of subjects using autarchic study system and those not utilising this methodology.