The power of rhythm and words : from little things big things grow

Primary literacy teacher educators need to re-conceptualise the ways in which they work together to model effective interdisciplinary practice. This paper reports on such practice in a team teaching unit for postgraduate students undertaking the Bachelor of Teaching (Primary/Secondary) at Deakin University, Melbourne. The interdisciplinary (Social Education, Language and Music) unit, a first in the Faculty of Education was conceptualised to challenge both lecturer and student (local and international) to 'rethink' their understandings of pedagogy, multi-literacies and teacher preparedness. For the purpose of this paper, the authors reflect on a particular team teaching experience whereby a text (song) was used to teach both the elements of music and literacy pedagogy. It opened up new possibilities for students to engage and participate with each discipline as well as how one area can inform and further deepen the understanding for learners of the other. For example, musical notation and score was used to explain and use the 4 resource model (Luke and Freebody, 1990). The authors contend that crossdisciplinary work cannot be reduced to simple cooperation among disciplines but that primary literacy teacher educators need to develop new conceptual frameworks for learning that will enhance their understandings of pedagogy and assist in preparing teachers in a challenging world.

Internationalising the curriculum : building intercultural understandings through music

This article reports of the power (influence) of music to develop intercultural understandings to better internationalise the curriculum. It argues that through internationalisation, we learn more about other people’s cultures hence, by providing an international/intercultural dimension into the teaching unit of ‘Discovering Music A’, tertiary students at Deakin University have opportunities to experience, investigate and participate in a different music and culture. Using the metaphor of the ‘talking drum’, this article reports through anecdotal notes, observations, journaling and student evaluation, how a different music, like that of Africa, communicates and promotes intercultural dialogue in a social and learning environment. The 2011 cohort included both international and local students from the Faculty of Arts and Education, Health and Business and Law, opening up a broad range of international dialogue in which all students in the cohort had a voice for expressing themselves about another culture and its music. I contend that the inclusion of a new and different music in the Bachelor of Education (Primary) curriculum and as an elective unit across all faculties provides a pathway for intercultural dialogue and understanding. As tertiary educators by internationalising the curriculum and through the process of reflection, observation and student feedback, we are able to make meaning around our practice and adapt our practice. I argue that units like Discovering Music A are an effective and useful dais to address cultural diversity and build intercultural relations and understandings in our tertiary courses.

Learning in networks of knowledge

 A conference on teaching and learning in tertiary education

Teaching quality and tutorial delivery : experience of a second year marketing unit

The higher education sector, the world over, is faced with the challenging task of servicing an increasingly diverse international student community in the globally competitive education market. The rising expectation of students of education outcomes, varied learning styles and orientations of the student population have brought in challenges such as providing a high quality educational environment with changes in curricula and pedagogy (Coldrake, 2001) to negotiate the cultural and linguistic diversity and the resulting expectations of students. The 'quality' of teaching and learning is high on the agenda among the key issues that had emerged from policy developments to meet these challenges.

Using the SPQ2F instrument (Biggs, 2003) and depth interviews, this paper investigates the study 3J'PToaches of students enrolled in a second year marketing unit in an Australian university focusing on the learning contexts in which learning occurs. The findings indicate that there are no significant differences in study approaches of students and that the study approaches differ according the learning context. The paper concludes that student perceptions on learning contexts assist in the development of teaching strategies that lead to quality outcomes, higher student satisfaction and providing universities a competitive edge in marketing its services to prospective students.

Just do it? Branding, fashion and globalisation. A teaching and learning unit in global citizenship for the middle years

Presents to teaching guide on global citizenship for the middle years in Australian schools. Position of young people in consumerism; Impact of advertising on young consumers; Attitudes of students toward global branding.

Students' evaluations of teaching quality and their unit online activity : an empirical investigation

This paper reports on an investigation of the relationship between students’ level of online activity in units in a business faculty and their evaluations of teaching quality in these units. The analysis was conducted using student evaluation data from 2004 to 2007 together with data for student online activity for one semester. We compare on-campus and off-campus students and undergraduate and postgraduate students. The results indicate that students’ evaluations of units have improved on all surveyed criteria during the five years. We also show that for some cohorts student online activity is associated with greater satisfaction with teaching. The paper concludes by considering the implications of these findings for further research and teaching practice.

Using quantitative and qualitative unit profiling for identifying the contribution of library resources to teaching quality

This paper presents the development and application of a new methodology incorporating both quantitative and qualitative profiling to help discern the characteristics of units of study that are the differentiators of student ratings of library resource quality. From the sub-set of those units with an ‘unremarkable’ rating for teaching quality, those units with the ‘extreme’ library resource quality ratings were selected for investigation. Examination of the handbook descriptions for those units suggests that units of study which explicitly incorporate student interaction with the wider literature and other information resources beyond those provided within the unit environment may lead students to engage with the library in deeper ways that highlight the value of library resources, and hence lead to higher mean ratings of library resource quality. This finding suggests potential areas for intervention to enhance student perceptions of the quality of library resources.

Validating a teaching survey which drives increased response rates in a unit survey

At Curtin University, student perceptions of teaching and learning are gathered and reported online through eVALUate, a system that includes separate unit and teaching surveys. This article reports the development and validation of one of those surveys, the eVALUate teaching survey, which was developed based on the research literature on excellent teaching and evaluation. Since its development in 2006, repeated statistical testing using progressively larger samples has shown that the survey is valid and reliable. Moreover, the way in which the teaching survey is deployed within eVALUate, appended to the unit survey, which provides crucial institutional data, has significantly increased university response rates. This validated instrument is used for self-reflection, professional development, and rewarding staff.

Evaluation of a filmed clinical scenario as a teaching resource for an introductory pharmacology unit for undergraduate health students: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Simulation is frequently being used as a learning and teaching resource for both undergraduate and postgraduate students, however reporting of the effectiveness of simulation particularly within the pharmacology context is scant. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate a filmed simulated pharmacological clinical scenario as a teaching resource in an undergraduate pharmacological unit. DESIGN: Pilot cross-sectional quantitative survey. SETTING: An Australian university. PARTICIPANTS: 32 undergraduate students completing a healthcare degree including nursing, midwifery, clinical science, health science, naturopathy, and osteopathy. METHODS: As a part of an undergraduate online pharmacology unit, students were required to watch a filmed simulated pharmacological clinical scenario. To evaluate student learning, a measurement instrument developed from Bloom's cognitive domains (knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation) was employed to assess pharmacological knowledge conceptualisation and knowledge application within the following fields: medication errors; medication adverse effects; medication interactions; and, general pharmacology. RESULTS: The majority of participants were enrolled in an undergraduate nursing or midwifery programme (72%). Results demonstrated that the majority of nursing and midwifery students (56.52%) found the teaching resource complementary or more useful compared to a lecture although less so compared to a tutorial. Students' self-assessment of learning according to Bloom's cognitive domains indicated that the filmed scenario was a valuable learning tool. Analysis of variance indicated that health science students reported higher levels of learning compared to midwifery and nursing. CONCLUSION: Students' self-report of the learning benefits of a filmed simulated clinical scenario as a teaching resource suggest enhanced critical thinking skills and knowledge conceptualisation regarding pharmacology, in addition to being useful and complementary to other teaching and learning methods.

Numeracy across the curriculum: recognising and responding to the demands and numeracy opportunities inherent in secondary teaching

The 1998 Report of the National Standards and Guidelines for Initial Teacher Education Project, 'Preparing a Profession' illustrates the emphasis being placed in Australia on the development of numeracy skills amongst not only primary but also secondary school pupils. This report demands that graduates of all initial teacher training courses should not only be numerate themselves, but should also understand the contribution of numeracy to education and daily life, and be able to identify and respond to pupils' numeracy learning needs. This report and its implementation in Victoria through the 'Guidelines for the Evaluation of Teacher Education Courses' led to the introduction in 1999 of a compulsory unit 'Numeracy across the curriculum' for all Deakin University students in the final year of their secondary teacher training course. This paper discusses the nature of the current emphasis on numeracy. It also describes the rationale, development and delivery of the first year of the 'Numeracy across the curriculum' unit, provides a brief evaluation from the perspective of staff and students, and discusses what impact such teacher education programs might have on secondary schools' approaches to numeracy.

Preparing pre-service teachers for rural teaching: a new approach

In Australia, recruitment of high quality teachers is seen as critical for the future of rural education provision. A national inquiry into rural and remote education conducted in 2000 by HREOC supported this claim stating that there is a crisis for rural schools attracting new teachers and blamed teacher education for not doing enough to equip beginning teachers with the skills and knowledge needed for teaching in rural and remote Australia. Although state governments provide financial incentives for potential graduates to embark on a rural practicum placement, this incentive does not appear sufficient. There is an urgent need in teacher education to consider  alternative ways to generate interest in a rural teaching career. This paper describes a pre-service initiative between the metropolitan Burwood campus of Deakin University and a Victorian rural school community. The initiative was designed to enable a cohort of 45 city-based student teachers studying a particular unit to better understand rural issues, pedagogy and ultimately to foster interest in country teaching.