One tune, three dances : using a traumatic stress framework to understand trauma survivors as networked news sources

Newman and Nelson (2012) describe three ‘dances’ to explain the vacillating psychological states of trauma survivors: the dance of approach and avoidance; the dance of fragmentation and integration; and the dance of resilience and vulnerability. The first pair of seemingly opposite responses describes how survivors at times cope by ‘approaching’ the trauma, for example by gathering information about what happened; whilst at other times, the same person will cope by ‘avoiding’ the trauma by engaging in activities which distract them from the memory of the trauma or having to deal with the consequences of it. The ‘dance’ of fragmentation and integration describes the opposing individual or group experiences encountered after traumas or disasters. Individuals may experience fragmentation, or emotional disconnection, from the trauma as an adaptive means of survival. The ‘dance’ of resilience and vulnerability refers to an individual’s ability to ‘process’ trauma and return to a resilient state in which they re-learn to trust people and the world around them and ‘bounce back’ to a state of being resilient again. This paper will illustrate how an understanding of the three dances can be used to enable survivors of child sexual assault to engage with the media to tell their stories. I will give current examples from six months of journalism research, collaboration and writing of a series of news stories and features which broke an exclusive story simultaneously in The Australian and The Times in London during 2013.

Investigative journalism in a socially networked world

This article explores how investigative journalists can join the network society by moving online, collaborating with other reporters and media outlets across regions and across national borders, yet publishing in newspapers which arguably remain the central stage of the public sphere (Carson, 2013). A better understanding of the potential of social media and web-based communications for undertaking journalistic investigations can lead to the adoption of a global perspective, enriching local, regional and national stories (Berglez, 2013). The research and collaboration for a transnational story published simultaneously in The Australian and collaboration in London in 2013 may provide insights into the potential for the use of social media platforms and web-based communications for finding stories, collaborating and following stories into the social media to find leads to follow-up stories. This article questions whether the synergies between mainstream media and social media platforms may yield potentially high impact stories for major masthead newspapers and thus contribute to their sustainability. Connectivity with news sources has always been an important resource for journalists. Online networks may have the potential to expand the range of voices that can be heard and the issues that can be covered.

Attracting and retaining specialist teachers and non-teaching professionals in Queensland secondary schools : a report to the Queensland Department of Education and Training

This report provides the Queensland Department of Education and Training (DET) with independent evidence based data to enable the identification of barriers and enablers to effective attraction and retention of suitably qualified people to specialist teaching and non‐teaching roles in Queensland secondary schools. The scope of this report is to consider the strategic imperatives, trends, and drivers as they apply to the recruitment and retention of specialised teachers and non‐teaching professionals. The research was specifically designed to inform DET on innovative and novel strategies to recruit and retain staff within Education Queensland in areas specifically identified as at risk of experiencing shortages in the near future. Those areas considered to be at risk of experiencing shortages included: • Teaching principals • Specialist teachers in mathematics, science, industrial technology and design, and special education • Non‐teaching professional roles, such as speech pathologists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and registered nurses providing services in schools to students with special needs.

Why Not the Best Schools?

Why Not the Best Schools is drawn from a major research project undertaken by Brain Caldwell and Jessica Harris involving studies of successful schools in six countries (Finland, Wales, Australia, USA, China, England). It compares a total of 30 schools and examines the conditions necessary for schools anywhere to improve and attain high standards for students.

Why not the best schools? The Australia Report

"The Australia Report is part of a set of six country reports that support Why not the best schools? It contains seven case studies of successful schools in Australia and examines the reasons for their success. Through interviews with principals, other school leaders and analysis of school reports, the reports examine how these schools achieved transformation and success by actively developing and building strength in four kinds of capital: intellectual, social, financial and spiritual ? and aligning them to their mission through outstanding governance. Why Not the Best Schools?: The Australia Report is part of a set of six country reports that support Why Not the Best Schools? by Brian Caldwell and Jessica Harris (ACER Press 2008). Why Not the Best Schools? draws on the findings of the International Project to Frame the Transformation of Schools conducted in Australia, China, England, Finland."--Libraries Australia

Conditions for Successful Reforms : Characteristics of the Organisation and Culture in Chinese Schools in a Global Context

Reforms to the basic education system in China have reflected an increasing awareness of and openness to new ideas from the global education sphere. Many of the concepts involved in the development and implementation of these reforms, including adopting holistic perspectives of student development; decentralising school governance to facilitate local decision-making to address local needs; and, an increased focus on practical, lifelong learning for all involved in schools, have been promoted in research and policies throughout the world. While working within this global context, the system of schooling in China has retained a unique character that is quite different from education in the West. Drawing on an international project on school transformation, this chapter aims to examine how five secondary schools in Chongqing, a municipality in Southwestern China, have harnessed and aligned their resources to provide effective school governance following the curriculum reforms. Furthermore, the chapter will examine the similarities and differences between the organisational structures and cultures of these schools in China and successful schools in Australia, England, Finland, Wales and the United States.

Why not the best schools? What we have learned from outstanding schools around the world

Why not the Best Schools? offers a ten-point, ten-year plan for an education revolution that will result in the transformation of Australia’s schools. Expectations have been raised in Australia and comparable countries for an ‘education revolution’ that will secure success for all students in all settings. Such a revolution must ensure the alignment of educational outcomes, the skills required for a strong economy, and the needs of a harmonious society. Why not the Best Schools? goes beyond system characteristics to provide an in-depth account of how transformation occurs in schools. Fifty indicators are provided to help shape strategies for policy makers and practitioners in schools and school systems. Guidelines for leadership and governance ensure a future-focus for those who are determined to ensure that all students will succeed in the twentieth-first century. This book draws on a five-year study culminating in the International Project to Frame the Transformation of Schools conducted in Australia, China, England, Finland, the United States and Wales. The findings are consistent with the McKinsey & Company report on the world’s best performing school systems and those arising from OECD’s PISA.

Why not the best schools? [The series]

"Expectations have been raised in Australia and comparable countries for an 'education revolution' that will secure success for all students in all settings. Such a revolution must ensure the alignment of educational outcomes, the skills required for a strong economy, and the needs of a harmonious society. Why not the Best Schools? offers a ten-point, ten-year plan for an education revolution that will result in the transformation of Australia's schools. Why not the Best Schools? goes beyond system characteristics to provide an in-depth account of how transformation occurs in schools. Fifty indicators are provided to help shape strategies for policy makers and practitioners in schools and school systems. Guidelines for leadership and governance ensure a future-focus for those who are determined to ensure that all students will succeed in the twentieth-first century. This book draws on a five-year study culminating in the International Project to Frame the Transformation of Schools conducted in Australia, China, England, Finland, the United States and Wales. The findings are consistent with the McKinsey & Company report on the world's best performing school systems and those arising from OECD's PISA."--publisher website

Literature review: Student centred schools make the difference

Student-centred schools focus on designing learning experiences that recognise and respond to the individual needs of each of their students. They encourage all members of their school community to be active learners, working to enhance the educational opportunities available at their school. This literature review seeks to address and explore the hypothesis that studentcentred schools make the difference. The review commences by defining the concept of student-centred schooling and the various learning and educational theories that underpin related research. The authors present a model comprising six core elements of learning environments that student-centred schools demonstrate, with a focus on leadership. They also link their findings to the five professional practices in AITSL’s Australian Professional Standard for Principals to illustrate how these leadership practices drive and sustain studentcentred schools. Drawing from Viviane Robinson’s work on the dimensions of student-centred school leadership, together with several further dimensions identified through an environmental scan of literature, the authors consider how and in what ways student-centred schools make the difference.

Experimenting with the future of journalism : social capital as a desideratum for networked journalism research

The aim of this article is to position social capital as a theoretical framework for investigating online communities, specifically pro-am operations. It will review pertinent literature on social capital and the future of journalism in this context, and detail how the broader field of Sociology and this dynamic field of Journalism converge to produce a unique opportunity for pro-am research. Currently, much concern has been expressed regarding the future of journalism institutions in society, and while journalism itself is seen as a cornerstone of democracy, the form of structures that facilitate such practice has been questioned. Compounding this problem is a lack of research that produces data suitable for meta-analysis. For example, case-study data of start-up operations in this volatile field do not provide sufficient grounds for conclusions that could result in evidence-based policy. In response to these dynamics, this article will propose experimentation as a method of research for pro-am start-ups.

Cyber security of networked critical infrastructures [Guest Editorial]

A new era of cyber warfare has appeared on the horizon with the discovery and detection of Stuxnet. Allegedly planned, designed, and created by the United States and Israel, Stuxnet is considered the first known cyber weapon to attack an adversary state. Stuxnet's discovery put a lot of attention on the outdated and obsolete security of critical infrastructure. It became very apparent that electronic devices that are used to control and operate critical infrastructure like programmable logic controllers (PLCs) or supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems lack very basic security and protection measures. Part of that is due to the fact that when these devices were designed, the idea of exposing them to the Internet was not in mind. However, now with this exposure, these devices and systems are considered easy prey to adversaries.

Reflections from early career graduates of the exceptional teachers for disadvantaged schools project

This paper aims to explore the experiences of newly qualified teachers and their supervising principals who work in schools situated in various high-poverty areas of Queensland, Australia. It is informed by data collected in the context of an Australian teacher education program, Exceptional Teachers for Disadvantaged Schools (ETDS). Now in its third year, this program was designed to prepare highly skilled pre-service teachers to work in schools that have large numbers of students from disadvantaged or low socio-economic status (SES) backgrounds. Addressing the oft-stated need to prepare high-quality teachers for low SES schools, high-achieving undergraduate education students were invited to participate in two years of specialised curriculum to prepare them for the schools that need them the most, which are also the schools that are often difficult to staff. Pre-service teachers in this program do all their teaching practicum placements in challenging or complex schools. In 2011, some of this cohort did their practicum teaching in schools with large numbers of Indigenous students and several went on to teach in remote communities after graduation. These graduates and the leaders of the schools they work in are the primary informants for this paper.

An efficient and effective localization method for networked disjoint top-view cameras

Disjoint top-view networked cameras are among the most commonly utilized networks in many applications. One of the open questions for these cameras' study is the computation of extrinsic parameters (positions and orientations), named extrinsic calibration or localization of cameras. Current approaches either rely on strict assumptions of the object motion for accurate results or fail to provide results of high accuracy without the requirement of the object motion. To address these shortcomings, we present a location-constrained maximum a posteriori (LMAP) approach by applying known locations in the surveillance area, some of which would be passed by the object opportunistically. The LMAP approach formulates the problem as a joint inference of the extrinsic parameters and object trajectory based on the cameras' observations and the known locations. In addition, a new task-oriented evaluation metric, named MABR (the Maximum value of All image points' Back-projected localization errors' L2 norms Relative to the area of field of view), is presented to assess the quality of the calibration results in an indoor object tracking context. Finally, results herein demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed method over the state-of-the-art algorithm based on the presented MABR and classical evaluation metric in simulations and real experiments.

Primary schools and the delivery of relationships and sexuality education : the experience of Queensland teachers

Primary school provides an appropriate opportunity for children to commence comprehensive relationships and sexuality education (RSE), yet many primary school teachers avoid teaching this subject area. In the absence of teacher confidence and competence, schools have often relied on health promotion professionals, external agencies and/or one-off issue related presentations rather than cohesive, systematic and meaningful health education. This study examines the implementation of a ten-lesson pilot RSE unit of work and accompanying assessment task in two primary schools in South-East Queensland, Australia. Drawing predominantly from qualitative data, this research explores the experiences of primary school teachers as they engage with RSE curriculum resources and content delivery. The results show that the provision of a high quality RSE curriculum resource grounded in contemporary educational principles and practices enables teachers to feel more confident to deliver RSE and minimises potential barriers such as parental objections and fear of mishandling sensitive content.