The identity of civics in teacher education

This essay proposes that a precondition for considering how teacher education can address issues of citizenship requires clarification of the identity of a civically active teacher and the purposes of teacher education. I argue for the development of critically conscious teachers, and examine how the construction and pedagogies of teacher education can support this goal. Drawing on selected examples of current practices in teacher education programs in Australia, it is argued that the aim of teacher education is to re-orientate pedagogies inside the tertiary classroom, and reposition the pedagogies of teacher education beyond the tertiary classroom to generate the transformative learning experiences needed to develop critically conscious teachers who can nurture citizens of the future.

The manifestation of varieties of blended learning pedagogy (BLP) : interplay between academic, institutional and global pedagogy

Despite the increased recognition of the potential use of online technologies to deliver flexible and student-centered learning environments in higher education, there are numerous critiques that its usage does not transform the daily practices of teaching and learning. This paper draws on some of the findings from three case studies that explored the manifestation of blended learning pedagogies (BLP). Six academics teaching at three different higher education contexts at two different countries, namely Australia and Malaysia were interviewed. The study aimed to interrogate the different manifestation of BLP at the different contexts of higher education, highlighting the complex interplay between the users (academics), technology and the specific socio-cultural contexts. Focusing on the academic identities that are shaped and reshaped within its socio-cultural context, this study demonstrated the complexity and fluidity of the manifestation of the different varieties of BLP. It contributes to further understanding the ways in which online technologies are used in teaching and learning within context of global knowledge economy that emphasizes flexibility and active co-production of knowledge.

Reshaping dominant stories : a poststructuralist approach to online role play

Online role play is an increasingly popular teaching/learning technique in higher education (Wills & McDougall 2009) but there has been little research into ways a poststructuralist approach may be supported in this format. This paper describes two very different means of incorporating a poststructuralist approach into role plays in higher education to problematise dominant assumptions in the language and content of the subject matter. The first method was a series of interventions in a face-to-face role play in which medical students practised consultations with adolescent school students. The consultations were interrupted repeatedly with activities designed to interrogate assumptions and the school students acted as coaches to improve the medical students' technique. Although this role play was performed face-to-face, some of its activities may be redeveloped to suit an online role-playing format. The second method was a feature of an online role play involving Middle-East politics and journalism students, in which daily online newspapers provided a reflecting and distorting mirror to the political events simulated by the politics students. Indications of ways in which the two methods produced changes in understanding were gathered using a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods: questionnaires, focus groups, interviews, participant observation and analysis of online discussions and artefacts.

Story as a vehicle for learning in online role play : a case study

In online role plays, students are asked to engage with a story that serves as a metaphor for real-life experience as they learn and develop skills. However, practitioners rarely examine the characteristics and management of this story as factors in the students' engagement in and learning from the activity. In this paper I present findings from a recent case study which examines these factors in an online role play that has been named as an exemplar and has been run for 19 years in Australian and international universities to teach Middle East politics and journalism. Online role plays are increasingly popular in tertiary education, in forms ranging from simple text-based role plays to virtual learning environment activities and e-simulations. The role play I studied required students to communicate in role via simulated email messages and draw on real-life resources and daily simulated online newspaper publications produced by the journalism students rather than rely on information or automated interactions built into an interface. This relatively simple format enabled me to observe clearly the impact of the technique's basic design elements. I studied both the story elements of plot, character and setting and the non-story elements of assessment, group work and online format. The data collection methods include analysis of student emails in the role play, a questionnaire, a focus group, interviews and the journal I kept as a participant-observer in the role play. In evaluating the qualities and impact of story elements I drew upon established aesthetic principles for drama and poststructuralist drama education.

Journalism education 'down under' : a tale of two paradigms

Journalism studies is currently undergoing one of the periodic renovations that is characteristic of an active and diverse community of scholars. This paper examines aspects of this renewal debate among journalism scholars by focusing on the situation in Australia and New Zealand. It argues that the debate ‘‘Down Under’’ mirrors global differences on the issues of ‘‘theory’’ and ‘‘practice’’ in journalism education and that an understanding of the key fault lines in this context can provide useful insights into the wider arguments. In Australia and New Zealand a key area of discussion is around attitudes towards the concept of professionalism in the practice, training and scholarship of journalism. These tensions are apparent in both the news media and in the academy. The contradictory positions of those who favour greater industry involvement in curriculum matters, including accreditation of courses, and those who are less sanguine about the normative influence of industry on critical scholarship are explored in relation to differing attitudes to professionalism and the political economy of news production. The paper concludes that rather than pegging the debate to an unstable definition of professionalism, journalism educators should instead focus more on journalism scholarship founded on a political economy approach.

Evaluating the feasibility, effectiveness and acceptability of an active play intervention for disadvantaged preschool children : a pilot study

Australian children from disadvantaged families are at increased risk of delays in acquiring fundamental movement skills, with physical inactivity and increased risk of the potential consequences of obesity. The aims of this pilot study were to: 1) assess the fundamental movement skills of disadvantaged children; 2) evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of adapting an existing parenting and child development program to incorporate additional weekly play activities (the intervention); and 3) examine the acceptability of the intervention. Children aged 1.5-5 years were assessed pre-intervention (n = 26) and postintervention (n = 16) over a period of 22 weeks using the gross motor component of the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales - 2nd Edition (PDMS-2) (Folio & Fewell, 2000). Parents completed a demographic and environmental survey and those implementing the intervention were interviewed to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention. Pre-intervention the children from disadvantaged families had locomotion, object manipulation and Gross Motor Quotient (GMQ) scores significantly below the norm-referenced standards of the PDMS-2 (p < 0.05). The intervention was associated with improvements in the locomotion (8.35 to 9.5; p = 0.009), and object manipulation (8.6 to 9.6; p = 0.04) subtest scores and the GMQ scores (92.6 to 99.3; p < 0.01). The intervention was deemed feasible and acceptable by those implementing the program. Low levels of physical activity in disadvantaged communities may be related to delayed acquisition of fundamental movement skills in childhood. This pilot study raises the possibility of correcting this deficit in early childhood, and improving the potential for all children to lead an active life.

Student use of an assessed online discussion space

The dataset contains quantitative information concerning university students' usage of online discussion areas and the impact of the students' participation on their final results.

The data includes the following categories of information:
• student age (whole years at the end of semester);
• student gender (male or female);
• student normal mode of study (on-campus or off-campus);
• student course of study (BTech, BE or other);
• student prior general academic performance (measured at Deakin University by the weighted average mark [WAM]);
• the total number of discussion messages read (or at least opened) by the student;
• the total number of new/initial discussion postings made by the student;
• the total number of follow-up/reply discussion postings made by the student; and
• the final unit mark obtained by the student.

Gen Y and their 'backpacks of hidden treasures'

This paper reports on part of a teacher/researcher’s PhD action research study conducted in an Australian public high school, investigating the use of online social networking as a classroom learning environment where students were encouraged to find and use their hidden treasures. It examines student reactions and online activity whilst they are interacting with a range of Web 2.0 and social media tools. The study may inform the rising generation of higher education learners and their course developers and explores the move from passive to active learning through Gen Y’s engagement with online social media. It looks at a range of innovative practices that were made possible through using a Ning online social network as a classroom environment whilst encouraging Gen Y to take more responsibility for learning. It also looks at the pedagogical implications that come with the use of social media as they challenge traditional models of ‘instructional order’. This study primarily adopts a social constructivist approach to teaching with the focus being on learning, rather than teaching. The study found that having such a flexible curriculum environment encouraged Gen Y to share their ‘hidden treasures’ and, hence, informal classroom learning became more visible and more readily documented. Gen Y students appreciated the opportunities to publish and to gain feedback from more than their teacher alone. Students, in some cases, could be seen to be engaged in their own cycle of learning where they valued the opinion of their peers which, in turn, helped them to improve their work.

Engaging and effective asynchronous online discussion forums

Discussion is usually considered a powerful tool for the development of pedagogical skills such as critical thinking, collaboration and reflection. In the last few years, an online asynchronous discussion forum has become an integral part of teaching and learning in tertiary education. However, there are considerable challenges involved in designing discussion forum for learning and teaching arrangements that can support desired learning outcomes. The study analysed the factors that affect the level of the student participation in the online discussion forums with emphases on some of the critical issues that should be taken into account when designing online discussions forums that can support desired learning outcomes. We show that the course instructor roles and level of participations in the discussion forum particularly determines the overall level of discussion among the learning communities.

Online learning environment : taxonomy of asynchronous online discussion forums

Due to its perceived benefits, asynchronous discussion forums have become progressively popular in higher education. The ultimate goal of developing an asynchronous discussion forum is to create an online learning environment that will achieve high levels of learning. This paper reviews the exiting literature and develops taxonomy of the asynchronous discussion forums with the aims of increasing the understanding and awareness of various types of asynchronous discussion forums. The taxonomy will help increase the online course designers' ability to design more effective learning experiences for student success and satisfaction. It will also help researchers to understand the features of the various asynchronous discussion forums.

Effects of blended online learning on students performance in vocational mathematics

This presentation reports on a study conducted at the Victoria University TAFE where a mathematics module was offered to students in an on campus delivery setting.

The spiral of learning : 4 R’s of education

The purpose of this paper is to explore the integration of learning, continuous improvement theories and reflective evaluation for enhancing management education. Conceptual development is combined with the outcomes of a pilot focus group as an example of reflective evaluation. The Spiral of Learning concept is uniquely augmented through hermeneutics, action research and the Deming cycle. Four R’s are identified in the Spiral of Learning: Review, Revise, Reconstruct and Reveal. Recommendations for each of the 4 R’s are made to assist continuous improvement of management education. For instance, emerging suites of social software appropriately chosen, timed and applied can assist student learning. Direct human connection in some form is recommended for learners when information is delivered online. The concepts and resultant recommendations inform practice through prioritization of online applications and development of appropriate checks and balances by academics and administrators.

Empowering teachers through a professional learning program that focused on a representation intensive pedagogical approach

A representation-intensive pedagogical approach challenges students to generate and negotiate the representations (text, graphs, models, diagrams) that constitute the discursive practices of science, rather than focusing on the text-based, definitional versions of concepts. It thus represents a more active view of knowledge than traditional structural approaches. Previous research conducted on a small scale with a few topics and teachers, successfully demonstrated enhanced outcomes for students, in terms of sustained engagement with ideas, and quality learning, and for teachers enhanced pedagogical knowledge, and epistemological understanding. This paper explores the efficacy of embedding a representations-intensive pedagogical approach into a state-wide professional learning program that was delivered to secondary science teachers in Victoria, Australian, in 2010/2011. The professional learning program involved participating teachers undertaking two successive days of professional development, then completing a small classroom-based project in their schools before returning for the third day of professional development. The program was supported by on online drupal website. In determining the impact of the professional learning program on the teachers’ practice data was collected in the form of program participant surveys, presentations of the teachers’ classroom-based projects, focus group interviews and phone interviews.