Developing the descriptions of landmark teaching styles : a spectrum inventory

Mosston & Ashworth‟s Spectrum of Teaching styles was first published in 1966 and is potentially the longest surviving model of teaching within the field of physical education. Its longevity and influence is surely testament to its value and influence. Many tools have also been developed through the years based on The Spectrum of Teaching Styles. In 2005 as part of a doctoral study, this tool was developed by the author, Dr Edwards and Dr Ashworth for researchers and teachers to identify which teaching styles were being utilised from The Spectrum when teaching physical education. It could also be utilised for self-assessment of the teaching styles and individual uses, or those who work with Physical Education Teacher Education courses. The development of this tool took approximately 4 months, numerous emails and meetings. This presentation will outline this process, along with the reasons why such a tool was developed and the differences between it and others like it.

Learning to program : from pear-shaped to pairs

The consistently high failure rate in Queensland University of Technology’s introductory programming subject reflects a similar dilemma facing other universities worldwide. Experiments were conducted to quantify the effectiveness of collaborative learning on introductory level programming students over a number of semesters, replicating previous studies in this area. A selection of workshops in the introductory programming subject required students to problem-solve and program in pairs, mimicking the eXtreme Programming concept of pair programming. The failure rate for the subject fell from what had been an average of 30% since 2003 (with a high of 41% in 2006), to just 5% for those students who worked consistently in pairs.

Presentations in English : find your voice as a presenter

With estimates of more than thirty million given each day, presentations have become an integral part of modern society. They can signify the difference between gaining or losing a job, or being successful or unsuccessful at university and a future career. Presentations in English, combining a 128-page book and DVD, is an innovative and complete course aimed specifically at non-native speakers of English.

Developing authentic achievement for disengaged young people using an electronic portfolio system

Credentials are a salient form of cultural capital and if a student’s learning and productions are not assessed, they are invisible in current social systems of education and employment. In this field, invisible equals non-existent. This paper arises from the context of an alternative education institution where conventional educational assessment techniques currently fail to recognise the creativity and skills of a cohort of marginalised young people. In order to facilitate a new assessment model an electronic portfolio system (EPS) is being developed and trialled to capture evidence of students’ learning and their productions. In so doing a dynamic system of arranging, exhibiting, exploiting and disseminating assessment data in the form of coherent, meaningful and valuable reports will be maintained. The paper investigates the notion of assessing development of creative thinking and skills through the means of a computerised system that operates in an area described as the efield. A model of the efield is delineated and is explained as a zone existing within the internet where free users exploit the cloud and cultivate social and cultural capital. Drawing largely on sociocultural theory and Bourdieu’s concepts of field, habitus and capitals, the article positions the efield as a potentially productive instrument in assessment for learning practices. An important aspect of the dynamics of this instrument is the recognition of teachers as learners. This is seen as an integral factor in the sociocultural approach to assessment for learning practices that will be deployed with the EPS. What actually takes place is argued to be assessment for learning as a field of exchange. The model produced in this research is aimed at delivering visibility and recognition through an engaging instrument that will enhance the prospects of marginalised young people and shift the paradigm for assessment in a creative world.

Will they know enough? Pre-service primary teachers' knowledge base for teaching intergrated social sciences

A significant issue in primary teacher education is developing a knowledge base which prepares teachers to teach in a range of subject areas. In Australia, the problem in primary social science education is compounded by the integrated nature of the key learning area of Studies of Society and Environment (SOSE). Recent debates on teaching integrated social sciences omit discussions on the knowledge base for teaching. In this paper, a case study approach is used to investigate primary pre-service teachers’ approaches to developing a knowledge base in designing a SOSE curriculum unit. Data from five teacher-educators who taught primary SOSE curriculum indicates that novice teachers’ subject content knowledge, as revealed through their curriculum planning, lacked a disciplinary basis. However, understanding of inquiry learning, which is fundamental to social science education, was much stronger. This paper identifies a gap in the scholarship on teaching integrated social science and illustrates the need to support and develop primary teachers’ disciplinary knowledge in teacher education.