The positioning of mathematics in an environmental thematic curriculum

With a crowded curriculum, many primary schools attempt to integrate their key learning areas. One primary school in a large regional city has taken this a step further. Using the ’environment’ as the overarching theme, the key learning areas are interwoven into the teaching of the environment. This has presented some issues when attempting to teach English and Mathematics. These issues and the way the school and teachers solve them are documented in this case-study.

Book review : In the shadow of Gallipoli: the hidden history of Australia in World War I

Review of: In the Shadow of Gallipoli: the hidden history of Australia in World War I, by Robert Bollard. (Sydney: New South Wales, 2013)

After Freud: the fateful history of psychoanalysis in exile

 This thesis reorients studies of the history of psychoanalysis away from the conventional interest in institutionalization, medicalization, and the history of the movement. With its emphasis on the “peculiar nature” of Freud’s discovery, my work uncovers the structural necessity of exile for the vocation of analyst as Freud conceived it.

History of marketing in India

Contemporary concepts and practices of marketing, and the ideologies which impel these, originate from the social and economic contexts of the West, particularly the United States and Europe (Ellis et al., 2011; Eckhardt et al., 2013). As a consequence of this Western dominance, the marketing discipline became permeated with values such as individualism and rationalism (Ellis et al., 2011). The Eurocentrism of much of marketing theory has resulted in knowledge pertinent to contexts such as India being overlooked (Varman and Saha, 2009; Varman and Sreekumar, 2015). In an early paper that appeared in the Journal of Marketing, Westfall and Boyd, Jr. (1960) suggested that marketing practices in India were not sufficiently ‘developed’, and called for a ‘modernization’ of marketing in India. In response to such criticism, marketing academics in India adopted theories and practices of marketing from the West, especially the US. Not surprisingly, these theories and practices were often far removed from the realities of the Indian economy and consumers (Varman et al., 2011). This is particularly ironic because India, like many other parts of the world, has a rich history of markets and marketing. There is clearly a need to bridge this gap in our knowledge and understanding about the rest of the world. This chapter on history of marketing in India addresses this lacuna in the discipline

How different is it really? – rural and urban primary students’ use of ICT in mathematics

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) offers the potential for changing mathematics education for both teachers and students. However, how ICT is used, and by whom, is critical to realizing this potential. This paper reports on an investigation of the use of ICT in the learning and teaching of mathematics in rural and urban primary schools in Victoria, Australia. Thirty-six teachers and almost 700 students were surveyed regarding their use of ICT for mathematics at home and at school, with a small number of selected teachers and students taking part in interviews. This paper focuses on students’ perceptions of ICT use. A comparison of rural and urban students’ responses shows little difference across most aspects of ICT use, and where there was a difference, the frequency of rural use almost always exceeded that in urban schools.

The dark ride : The history of the thematic ride as a unique model for new media and cinematic installation

This research examines the translation of the visual language of cinema into a spatial experience. An investigation into early moving images reveals the role that amusement parks played in exploring narratives using architectural spaces. The exegesis will address the history of entertainments, in particular the ‘dark ride’, which have an emphasis on narrative over and above effect.

Extensive field research was undertaken including historical sites across the east coast of the US, in search of new approaches to new media. Over twenty key popular entertainments were experienced first-hand, from Coney Island’s legendary ‘Spookarama’, to the earliest dark ride in operation, ‘The Old Mill’ at Kennywood in Pittsburgh.

A history of urban planning policy and heritage protection in Vientiane, Laos

This paper examines the tensions between modernisation and heritage protection in the Lao capital, Vientiane. Vientiane provides an interesting case study of the dilemmas facing small cities in developing countries as those countries try to manage the pressures that result from greater integration in regional and global processes of economic and cultural change. While modernisation appears to be winning out over heritage  protection, the paper concludes that they are not necessarily mutually exclusive, and that heritage protection in Vientiane is largely aimed at  reinforcing monumental and nation-building elements, emphasising the  development of a contemporary national capital of a modern nation state.

The history of distance education in Australia

This article presents a history of distance education in Australia. Australia's large distances and widely distributed population has meant that distance education has been an important part of its history. From the earliest provision of schooling by mail through a series of correspondence schools, both state and federal governments have provided a sound infrastructure to support distance education. Innovative uses of technologies to provide communication and interaction and ease the isolation of distance have also been a feature of Australia's distance education history. The impact of this history is particularly relevant as the Internet and information and communication technologies are changing this field and making distance educators of all institutions and sectors.