Online professional learning for rural teachers of mathematics and science

Professional learning is crucial for the ongoing development of teachers and the improvement of student outcomes. Professional learning in mathematics and science education has the potential to address concerns about shortages in these areas and their impact on economic growth. However, attendance at face-to-face professional learning is problematic for many teachers located in rural areas. This study explores the utilisation of online professional learning in mathematics and science education by teachers in rural areas, and canvasses teachers’ requirements for this form of professional learning. An activity system, using cultural-historical activity theory, is developed for online professional learning for teachers of mathematics and/or science. Qualitative interpretive analysis of transcripts of 14 semi-structured individual interviews with three different groups of people suggests that teachers of mathematics/science require professional learning programs which are not only flexibly delivered but also provide professional learning content that has high utility value. By better understanding how teachers respond to the notion and practice of online professional learning, informed decisions can be made about how best to support teachers and thus build capacity in schools for success in mathematics and science.

The e-learning cycle and continuous improvement for e-entrepreneurs

The purpose of this paper is to explore the integration of learning, continuous improvement and innovation theories as a basis for enhancing the education of e-entrepreneurs. Conceptual development of emerging interdisciplinary literature is combined with example analysis to develop the Circle of E-learning uniquely augmented by hermeneutics, action research and the creative destruction cycle of innovation using applied examples of e-entrepreneurship. Four R's are discussed in the Circle of E-learning; Review, Revise, Reconstruct, and Reveal. Observations for each of the 4R's are made regarding continuous improvement of the education of e-entrepreneurs. Findings are that the procedural pivot points indicated by the 4R's can be helpful for administrators and educators to improve operations and outcomes in management and professional development situations.

Establishing school university partnerships to teach science – Does what worked for us work for you?

Concerns over the quality and amount of science teaching in Australian primary schools has led to a concentration of research on the methods of delivery of science education. There is a growing interest in both Australian and International contexts on building teacher knowledge and confidence to teach science, how science is taught at the primary school level and also how pre-service teachers are prepared to teach science. The Science Teacher Education Partnerships with Schools (STEPS) project is one response to these concerns. The STEPS project is a collaboration of five Australian universities that each independently set-up their own school-based partnership approaches with schools to deliver their science education programs. Each university aimed to provide pre-service teachers with the genuine experience of teaching science while being supported by university teaching staff. The project has drawn on feedback from pre-service teachers, teachers, principals and teacher educators involved at the five universities to examine the prevailing practices and led to the development of a set of tools and process, referred to as the Interpretive Framework (IF)(Hobbs et al. 2015). The IF describes how to create and maintain effective partnerships with schools, based on this research. This current paper reports on a survey conducted in 2014 which aimed to feedback from teacher educators across Australia to explore the extent to which school-based teaching opportunities in science for PSTs were in use across the country and to identify the range of approaches and theories driving their practices. Some respondents were followed up for interview and key factors were analysed and reported here. These data will be used to further refine the IF.

Academics’ opinions and practices of education for sustainable development : reflections on a nation-wide, mixed-methods, multidisciplinary study

The Routledge International Handbook of Higher Education for Sustainable Development gives a systematic and comprehensive overview of existing and upcoming research approaches for higher education for sustainable development.