Performance government : activating and regulating the self-governing capacities of teachers and school leaders

This article analyses ‘performance government’ as an emergent form of rule in advanced liberal democracies. It discloses how teachers and school leaders in Australia are being governed by the practices of performance government which centre on the recently established Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) and are given direction by two major strategies implicit within the exercise of this form of power: activation and regulation. Through an ‘analytics of government’ of these practices, the article unravels the new configurations of corporatized expert and academic knowledge—and their attendant methods of application—by which the self-governing capacities of teachers and school leaders are being activated and regulated in ways that seek to optimize the performance of these professionals. The article concludes by outlining some of the dangers of performance government for the professional freedom of educators and school leaders.

The educational design ladder : creation of a multi-discipline design thinking program

As global industries change and technology advances, traditional education systems may no longer be able to supply companies with graduates possessing an appropriate mix of skills and experience. The recent increased interest in Design Thinking as an approach to innovation has resulted in its adoption by non-design trained professionals. This necessitates a new method of teaching Design Thinking related skills and processes. This research investigates what (content) and how (assessment and learning modes) Design Thinking is being taught from fifty-one (51) selected courses across twenty-eight (28) international universities. Their approaches differ, with some universities specifically investing in design schools and programs, while others embed Design Thinking holistically throughout the university. Business, engineering and design schools are all expanding their efforts to teach students how to innovate, often through multi-disciplinary classes. This paper presents ‘The Educational Design Ladder’ a resource model, which suggests a process for the organisation and structuring of units for a multi-disciplinary Design Thinking program. The intention is to provide 21st century graduates with the right combination of skills and experience to solve workplace design problems regardless of their core discipline.

Psycho-educational assessment of specific learning disabilities: Views and practices of Australian psychologists and guidance counsellors

This paper reports an investigation of the views and practices of 203 Australian psychologists and guidance counsellors with respect to psycho-educational assessment of students with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLDs). Results from an online survey indicated that practitioners draw upon a wide-range of theoretical perspectives when conceptualising and identifying SLDs, including both response to intervention and IQ – achievement discrepancy models. Intelligence tests (particularly the Wechsler scales) are commonly employed, with the main stated reasons for their use being ‘traditional’ perspectives (including IQ-achievement discrepancy-based definitions of SLDs), to exclude a diagnosis of intellectual disability, and to guide further assessment and intervention. In contrast participants reported using measures of academic achievement and tests of specific cognitive deficits known to predict SLDs (e.g., phonological awareness) relatively infrequently.

Making sense of inconsistencies in psycho-educational assessment: A case report

The case is presented of an 8-year-old young boy who was referred for psycho-educational assessment because of difficulties with writing. The paper provides an example of the way in which a case unfolds as further assessment data become available, and describes a number of challenging aspects of the assessment process. In this case, dilemmas arose when test results were inconsistent at different time points, and when the results were inconsistent with clinical observations. The case report illustrates the ways in which practitioners can collaborate to make sense of such discrepancies, with each contributing a slightly different perspective or set of skills that, in combination, assist to better understand a child’s difficulties.

A little learning is a dangerous thing: Factors influencing the increased identification of special educational needs from the perspective of education policymakers and school practitioners

This article considers the increased identification of special educational needs in Australia’s largest education system from the perspectives of senior public servants, regional directors, principals, school counsellors, classroom teachers, support class teachers, learning support teachers and teaching assistants (n = 30). While their perceptions of an increase generally align with the story told by official statistics, participants’ narratives reveal that school-based identification of special educational needs is neither art nor science. This research finds that rather than an objective indication of the number and nature of children with SEN, official statistics may be more appropriately viewed as a product of funding eligibility and the assumptions of the adults who teach, refer and assess children who experience difficulties in school and with learning.

Thinking about Law: Perspectives on the History, Philosophy and Sociology of Law

A comprehensive introduction to the study of law. It uses historical, sociological, economic and philosophical perspectives to explore the major legal debates in Australia today. The contributors examine: the position of Aborigines in the Australian legal system and the impact of the Mabo case; divisions of power in Australian society and law; the question of objectivity in law; the relationship and social change; judicial decision-making; and other issues.

Teacher and student readiness to use Facebook for learning in an adult vocational educational setting

The factors influencing both teacher and student readiness to use Facebook as part of their teaching and learning in a vocational educational institution were studied through a qualitative case study. Data included teacher and student questionnaire and focus group interviews. While it was found that the students demonstrated readiness and willingness to incorporate Facebook into their current learning, the teachers were more reluctant. Different perceptions around control of learning, time, and concerns around compartmentalisation of learning and social lives would need to be addressed before Facebook could be used as a formal learner engagement strategy.

The implications of educational and methodological background for the career success of Nobel Laureates : an investigation of major awards

Nobel laureates have achieved the highest recognition in academia, reaching the boundaries of human knowledge and understanding. Owing to past research, we have a good understanding of the career patterns behind their performance. Yet, we have only limited understanding of the factors driving their recognition with respect to major institutionalized scientific honours. We therefore look at the award life cycle achievements of the 1901–2000 Nobel laureates in physics, chemistry, and physiology or medicine. The results show that Nobelists with a theoretical orientation achieved more awards than laureates with an empirical orientation. Moreover, it seems their educational background shapes their future recognition. Researchers educated in Great Britain and the US tend to attract more awards than other Nobelists, although there are career pattern differences. Among those, laureates educated at Cambridge or Harvard are more successful in Chemistry, those from Columbia and Cambridge excel in Physics, while Columbia educated laureates dominate in Physiology or Medicine.

Knowledge work at the boundary : making a difference to educational disadvantage

This paper aims to contribute to the literature about boundary crossing and explicate how boundaries carry learning potential. We aim to do this by theorising the work of school-based researchers (SBRs) in a school–university partnership project aimed at addressing issues of educational disadvantage. We conceptualise the worlds of teaching and research as characterised by different types of knowledge work and ways of knowing, and by different interaction rituals and emotional investments for engaging with that knowledge. Yet we also contend that the practice boundary that separates also connects and intertwines, as people, objects and knowledge move back and forth across it and become transformed in the process. We suggest that the kind of transformative knowledge work discussed in this paper entails understanding the power and control relations involved in recontextualising knowledge as it moves across the research–practice gap. This process necessitates recognising and acknowledging the emotional investments, energies and interaction rituals attached to local, domain specific knowledge and ways of knowing. By discussing the work of school-based researchers we aim to show how processes of recontextualisation at the boundary between researcher and practitioner knowledge can hold the potential to make a difference to issues of seemingly entrenched educational disadvantage.

Think Sociology

Contents: 1. SOCIOLOGY: An Introduction to the Sociological Imagination. John Carl, Sarah Baker 2. SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY: An Introduction to the Theoretical Foundations of Sociology. John Carl, Sarah Baker 3. SOCIAL CLASS IN AUSTRALIA: Stratification in a Modern Society. John Carl, John Scott 4. RACE AND ETHNIC STRATIFICATION: Is it a Question of Colour? John Carl, John Scott 5. SEX AND GENDER: The Social Side of Sex. John Carl, Wendy Hillman 6. AGE AND AGEING: The Greying of Society. John Carl, Sarah Baker 7. CRIME AND THE LEGAL SYSTEM: How Do Societies Respond to Crime and Deviance? John Carl, John Scott 8. EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT: From the Classroom to the Workforce. John Carl, Sarah Baker and Brady Robards 9: MARRIAGE AND FAMILY: How Do Societies Perpetuate Themselves? John Carl, Wendy Hillman 10. THE BODY, HEALTH AND ILLNESS: A Weight on Australia’s Shoulder. John Carl, John Scott 11. GLOBALISATION: The Economy and Society. John Carl, Geoffrey Lawrence 12. CULTURE: A Framework for the Individual. John Carl, Sarah Baker and Brady Robards 13. RELIGION: Is Society Losing Faith? John Carl, Sarah Baker and Brady Robards 14. ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AND SOCIAL MOVEMENTS: How Do Societies Connect with Nature? John Carl, Geoffrey Lawrence 15. SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH: How Do We Learn about Society? John Carl, Wendy Hillman

Transnational preservice teachers in local education programs : a critical realist approach to narratives

This study explores how preservice teachers with non-Australian educational backgrounds and prerequisite qualifications make their way into and through a local teacher education program. It is informed by Margaret Archer's sociology of reflexivity to understand the interplay between these people's personal resources and institutional constraints and enablements. Data were collected from seven participants through narrative interviews. A narrative analysis identified big and small stories. Findings show that these preservice teachers purposefully exercise their agency as they invest in a common project for a variety of transnational goals. The outcome of that project emerges from the interaction between structure and agency.

The educational context and services of children with additional needs in their first years of school in Australia

In Australia, children with additional needs are now primarily educated in mainstream regular classes and schools. While discussion has focused on teacher attitudes, teacher preparation and professional development to support the academic progress of children with additional needs, there is limited research examining the educational contexts and services provided to such children in Australian schools. This descriptive paper examines the educational contexts of 563 Australian children with additional needs, in reference to 3600 of their typically developing peers. Data in relation to educational setting, retention, prevalence of additional needs, access to specialist services, learning support, and individual programming are reported.

Cuba’s internationalism : participant narratives and the role of Cuban universities in supporting educational aid

In this paper, I discuss Cuba’s educational aid to partner countries of the Global South. The paper draws on narratives of participant experiences to show how this aid is implemented, and following this, analyses what these narratives imply about Cuba’s philosophy of internationalist solidarity, and its organisation of aid. On one hand, accounts from Cuban educators give insight into the challenges of teaching overseas. On the other hand, accounts of professionals from developing countries in the Global South allow us to reflect on the lasting impact on their careers and mindsets of having studied in Cuban universities on scholarships from Cuba. I discuss how these narratives reveal the underlying role of the socially responsible university in Cuba, pointing to how universities support Cuban internationalism in its contribution to key development goals.