Teaching and learning history in primary schools : pedagogical shifts, complexities and opportunities

From 2011 the teaching and learning of History will be expanded into all primary schools (Kindergarten – Year 6) throughout Australia under a National Curriculum, including the formal preschool/kindergarten year. History as one of four core subjects will replace current studies of society and environment curriculum taught in primary schools across. The curriculum implementation process will involve a cultural and pedagogical shift as primary teachers make adjustments to the discipline of History. This article begins with an outline of the current curriculum context. An analysis of the New South Wales Human Society and Its Environment and the Australian Curriculum: History Draft Consultation documents follows. The findings indicate that the History Draft Consultation lacks clear guidance for teachers and has a number of shortcomings compared to the NSW HSIE syllabus. There are opportunities, however, for primary teachers because of the broad similarities of content knowledge in both documents and the embedded historical concepts in the NSW syllabus document.

Children and university architecture students working together : a pedagogical model of children’s participation in architectural design

Increasing efforts have been made to engage children in the design of the built environment, and several participatory models have been developed. The aim of this paper is to propose a pedagogical model for children's genuine participation in architectural design, developed in an architectural education context. According to this pedagogical model, children (primary school students) and youth (university architecture students) work in teams to develop the architectural design proposals. This model was developed through a joint educational project between Deakin University and Wales Street Primary School (both institutions are based in Victoria, Australia). In the four-week duration of the project, first year architecture students worked with Grade 3 and 4 primary school children to design a school playground. The final product of the project was a 1:20 scale model of a playground, which was installed and presented at the end of the fourth week. The project received positive feedback from all the participants, including children, architecture students, university lecturers, primary school teachers and architects. In addition, it achieved a high level of children's genuine participation. This model can be refined and applied in new situations, and potentially with other primary schools working with Deakin University.

Testing the effectiveness of mathematical games as a pedagogical tool for children's learning

In an effort to engage children in mathematics learning, many primary teachers use mathematical games and activities. Games have been employed for drill and practice, warm-up activities and rewards. The effectiveness of games as a pedagogical tool requires further examination if games are to be employed for the teaching of mathematical concepts. This paper reports research that compared the effectiveness of non-digital games with non-game but engaging activities as pedagogical tools for promoting mathematical learning. In the classrooms that played games, the effects of adding teacher-led whole class discussion was explored. The research was conducted with 10–12-year-old children in eight classrooms in three Australian primary schools, using differing instructional approaches to teach multiplication and division of decimals. A quasi-experimental design with pre-test, post-test and delayed post-test was employed, and the effects of the interventions were measured by the children’s written test performance. Test results indicated lesser gains in learning in game playing situations versus non-game activities and that teacher-led discussions during and following the game playing did not improve children’s learning. The finding that these games did not help children demonstrate a mathematical understanding of concepts under test conditions suggests that educators should carefully consider the application and appropriateness of games before employing them as a vehicle for introducing mathematical concepts.

An empirical case for introductory psychology tutorials in a large-class format

This study examined the effectiveness of an instructional format that Involved conducting introductory psychology tutorials in large conventional lecture theatres with over 100 students per class. We maximised the use of skilled tutors, sharing of student perspectives, and cooperative learning in delivering interactive, active learning activities, Students (N = 284) within each class were randomly assigned to smaller groups that were scaled within the same large class environment. Students reported positive perceptions of their learning experience at an end-of-semester survey. Moreover, they performed significantly better in a major assessment on the tutorial component than a previous cohort taught in conventional small tutorial classes. Our finding indicate that active learning techniques can be implemented just as effectively in a large class tutorial format. These findings have practical implications for designing cost effective yet pedagogically vigorous instructional formats for introductory psychology and other liberal arts courses.

Training postgraduate psychology students to deliver psychological services online

Information and communication technologies are increasingly being used to remotely deliver psychological services. This delivery method confers clear advantages to both client and therapist, including the accessibility of services by otherwise unserved populations and cost-effective treatment. Remote services can be delivered in a real-time or delayed manner, providing clients with a wealth of therapy options not previously available. The proliferation of these services has outstripped the development and implementation of all but the most rudimentary of regulatory frameworks, potentially exposing clients to substandard psychological services. Integrating mandatory training on the delivery of online psychological services into accredited postgraduate psychology courses would aid in addressing this issue. The purpose of this article is to outline issues of consideration in the development and implementation of such a training programme. An online etherapy training programme developed by Swinburne University's National eTherapy Centre will be used as an example throughout.

Pedagogical principles for the design of virtual learning spaces in higher education

This paper focuses on effective learning spaces in contemporary higher education. Drawing on empirical data from a qualitative study of international students’ experience of blended learning programs conducted in three computing courses in two Australian universities, a range of issues and challenges are reported. Three pedagogical principles are then presented that respond to these challenges: 1. Enabling learners – learning how to learn in virtual learning spaces; 2. Programming for flexible learning – learning how to manage virtual learning environments; and, 3. Transforming learning – learning how to capitalise on the affordances of new technologies. The pedagogical principles are presented together with examples of types of practices that they support.

Teaching international students in vocational education : new pedagogical approaches

Teaching International Students in Vocational Education: New pedagogical approaches is designed to support vocational education teachers in both addressing the distinctive learning characteristics of international students and preparing domestic students for global skills mobility in the ‘Asian Century’.

Well-grounded in theories about teaching and learning in vocational and international education, and supported by empirical data drawn from interviews with teachers and program managers, the book expounds several evidence-based, highly effective, pedagogical approaches within the context of competency-based training. These include:
- the intercultural approach
- the Ubuntu approach
- the language and vocational learning integration approach
- the perspective transformation approach
- the value-added approach
- work-based learning
- flexible and divergent pedagogy.

These approaches focus on developing the learner’s ability to consider the broader issues in an intercultural context, to capitalise on prior experience and to adapt vocational skills to workplace settings transnationally. The underpinning theory is brought to life with real-world exemplars, ‘Implications for Practice’, quotes and insights from teachers, as well as reflective questions throughout the book.

Towards a transpersonal psychology of Daoism

Daoism (Taoism) is a collection of Chinese philosophical beliefs and psychospiritual practices with a history of thousands of years, and a living community that stretches throughout East Asia. I will argue that Daoism and its corresponding texts such as those included in the Daozang provide a wealth of material regarding trans-egoic experiences (e.g., unitive absorption in the Dao), that may enhance Western psychologists’ understanding of transpersonal phenomena. Curiously, however, despite the obvious points of intersection between Daoism and transpersonal psychology (e.g., a mutual interest in phenomena typically referred to as altered states of consciousness), to date transpersonal psychologists have neglected to investigate Daoism. Indeed, the majority of published research concerning the relationships between Daoism and Western psychology has been undertaken from within the Jungian analytic and humanistic psychological movements. After reviewing this literature, I will formulate various proposals for future empirical studies that may interest transpersonal psychologists.

Obsessive compulsive disorder : integration of cognitive-behaviour therapy and clinical psychology care into the primary care context

In primary care, evidence-based psychological treatments for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), such as cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), have not been readily available. We aimed to develop models of care for OCD that account for barriers to access and can be integrated into general practice settings. Multiple methodologies and sources were utilised, including literature reviews, a reference group, focus groups, interviews and questionnaire responses from consumers, psychologists and/or GPs. It was found that there were similarities and some differences among stakeholders in attitudes and knowledge about OCD, and views about treatment and assessment in primary care. Three models of care for patients with OCD were developed and integrated into a treatment program operating through a division of general practice. Participating GPs preferred referral to a specialist clinic, irrespective of participation in an educational program about OCD. Based on these findings, it is suggested that effective integration of specialist CBT treatments for OCD into primary care is possible if the needs and views of all stakeholders are accounted for.