Annotated bibliography of research in the teaching of English

Twice a year, in the May and November issues, RTE publishes a selected bibliography of recent research in the teaching of English and related fields. Most of the studies appeared during the six-month period preceding the compilation of the bibliography (July through December 2001 for the present bibliography), but some studies that appeared earlier are occasionally included. The listing is selective; we make no attempt to include all research and research-related articles that appeared in the period under review. Comments on the bibliography and suggestions about items for inclusion may be directed to the bibliography editors. We encourage you to send your suggestions to djbrown@ucok.edu, cathxx@deakin.edu.au, kalman@data.net.mx, stinsona@uwwvax.uww.edu, or melissa.whiting@usm.edu. You may also submit comments or recommend publications through the Annotated Bibliography page of RTE's World Wide Web site at http://www.ncte.org/rte/.

Researching effective teaching and learning in science : The science in schools research project

In 2000 a consortium headed by Deakin University was funded by the Victorian Department of Education, Employment and Training to develop a model of effective teaching and learning for science in schools from P-10. Initially working with 27 study schools, the Project has continued in 2001 with 126 participating schools. This paper will discuss the model for school and classroom change that we have been developing, with a particular focus on the change strategies being used by the research team and in the participating schools. Central to the model has been the appointment in each school of a SiS (Science in Schools) coordinator with time release and additional funding for resources. The Coordinator has used strategies including mapping each participating teacher against the eight components of effective teaching and learning (the SiS components); student preferences surveying; auditing of curriculum, resources and school policy; and team planning of priorities, actions, implementation and monitoring strategies. The emphasis has been on school ownership of the change process and the school leadership has been identified as central to its success. As well as focusing on actions in schools the paper will also discuss the research process from the research team's perspective.

(E)Research, (e)learning, (e)teaching in (e)ntrapment

In this paper I reflect on three research projects emerging from my on online learning and teaching.

The data used in this paper is current and the media is low-tech and accessible. This paper is not about the hardware and software of technology. Rather, it is about a teacher educator's struggle to try to make sense of online pedagogy at a time when academics seem to be constantly exhorted to take their courses online. This paper draws on data from the following projects:

1. My involvement in the development and teaching of the 'Education Studies Major Online Project'. I have been teaching undergraduate students doing their first year education studies program with the option of:

•  Not attending university-based lectures or tutorials and doing all their work online;
•  Attending face-to-face lectures and tutorials, and
•  A mixture of face-to-face and online.

2. The Research in Computers in Education (RICE) group which started in 1995.

3. The Good Learning on the World Wide Web (GLOW) Project with a secondary college in which undergraduate teacher education students tutor year 9/10 students from the college.

4. Two Masters in Education units with particular reference to the compulsory online discussion component.

5. The Faculty Research Group project entitled 'The social and pedagogical implications of new learning technologies for learners and teachers'.

Action research in higher education : the advancement of university learning and teaching

This thesis aims to contribute to the improvement and advancement of university learning, teaching, and staff development; to integrate educational theory and the practice of university teaching; and to contribute to the establishment of a new, emerging paradigm in higher education. The strategy towards achieving these aims comprises (1) an alternative research methodology in the interpretive, non-positivist paradigm; (2) an integrated framework drawing on a variety of previously unrelated theories to form an alternative model of university education; and (3) reference to the dialectical relationship between educational theory and teaching practice and their integration through action research in higher education. The thesis is not so much a critique of the traditional paradigm and of existing functionalist-structuralist approaches to higher education, but more a development and clarification of an alternative, dialectical, human action approach to higher education. The original contribution of this thesis to the theory and practice of higher education lies in the development (1) of an alternative model of university education based on an integration of previously unrelated domains of theory; (2) of a theoretical model of professional development as action research (the CRASP Model: Critical attitude, Research into teaching, Accountability, Self-evaluation, Professionalism); and (3) of action research projects in higher education. Action research is research by the university teachers themselves into their teaching practice, i.e. into problems of the curriculum and student learning. The case studies included in and appended to this thesis show that in one educational setting at least it was possible to improve and advance university learning and teaching through action research. The evidence for this advancement is provided in a number of previously published case studies compiled in the Appendix.

Advanced virtual engineering educational program for engineering research and teaching excellence

In this paper, an advanced virtual engineering educational program developed at University of South Australia for both on-campus and off-shore students will be studied. This extensive training program is based on a comprehensive online tutorial and comprises both face-to-face and online learning. The program provides a tailored evaluation format to ensure that all postgraduate students, including course work and research students, will have appropriate exposure to updated learning skills and research resources. Although the internet (WWW) is the primary resource being used in this educational program, other resources such as video conference, video taping, and face-to-face lecturing have also played a role in promoting engineering teaching and research excellence. The feedback from students in recent years has been very encouraging, showing increased information literacy skills and improved researching abilities. As off campus class numbers have increased, further development of the program to meet their requirement has been a priority.

An advanced virtual engineering educational program for engineering research and teaching excellence.

In this paper, an advanced virtual program in engineering education developed at the University of South Australia for both on-campus and offshore students is described. This extensive training program is based on a comprehensive online tutorial and comprises both face-to-face and online learning. The program provides a tailored evaluation format to ensure that all postgraduate students, including those doing coursework and research, will have appropriate exposure to updated learning skills and research resources. Although the internet is the primary resource used in this educational program, other resources, such as videoconferencing, video-taping and face-to-face lecturing, have also played a role in promoting engineering teaching and research excellence. The feedback from students in recent years has been very encouraging, and students have shown increased information literacy skills and improved researching abilities. As off-campus class numbers have increased, further development of the program to meet their requirements has been a priority.

Book review : Teaching secondary school mathematics : research and practice for the 21st century

Book review of Teaching Secondary School Mathematics : Research and Practice for the 21st Century by Merrilyn Goos, Gloria Stillman & Colleen Vale

The research-teaching nexus : what do national teaching awards tells us?

This article addresses two questions that are part of a broader debate about the relationship between teaching and research: are outstanding university teachers engaged in research and are they disseminating their teaching expertise to other university teachers? We address these questions through an analysis of the research and publications of the 2005 winners of the competitive, national awards for university teaching in Australia. The analysis indicates that outstanding university teachers are active researchers, but are unlikely to publish about their teaching or improving teaching practice in universities. The findings have policy implications for the separation of teaching and research within and between universities, and raise questions about the contribution of teaching awards to the wider improvement of university teaching. As such, the article issues a caution to policy makers and university administrators against making pre‐emptive decisions about the relationship between teaching and research based on questionable assumptions.

Using action research to improve the quality of teaching in basic education in remote schools in PNG.

This paper discusses the use of action research with teachers in remote primary schools in PNG to provide sustainable professional learning to help improve the quality of schooling. It arises from an ADRA research project being undertaken by the authors. The paper describes the project’s research design and its implementation to investigate the introduction, implementation and feasibility of teachers using action research to solve their own problems related to providing basic education in remote communities. If successful, action research may prove to be an effective approach to sustaining professional learning communities in locations where traditional approaches and means of professional development are difficult or impossible to sustain.

The paper describes the research team’s approach to identifying and engaging schools in remote districts of Western and East Sepik provinces, surveying teachers in those districts about their professional learning needs and circumstances, identifying schools to trial action research, and to undertake the fieldwork to implement action research and to study its implementation. The teachers’ experiences with using action research are presented in the context of their particular research topics chosen for their school. To date, the findings suggest that teachers can use action research to help them improve the quality of the education they provide for children. However, the initiation and sustainability of such an action research approach is influenced by the capacities and commitment of head teachers and standards officers, in particular, valuing and understanding reflective practice and action research for professional learning in school communities.

Teaching secondary school mathematics : research and practice for the 21st century

For the last decade or so, educational policy makers and researchers in many countries have been calling for significant changes to the way mathematics is taught in secondary schools. Australian mathematics curriculum documents now promote learning goals that go beyond mastery of a pre-determined body of knowledge and procedures - the traditional emphasis on facts, skills, formulae - to include mathematical reasoning and problem solving, communication, and real world applications. There is also pressure to move away from over-reliance on teacher-centred practices such as exposition and individual seatwork, towards activities that promote learners' involvement in constructing, applying, and evaluating mathematical ideas. Further impetus for reform comes from research recommending that if learners are to develop mathematically powerful forms of thinking and habits of mind, then classrooms should immerse them in the authentic practices of the discipline by supporting a culture of collaboration and sense-making. Teaching Secondary School Mathematics - incorporates recent developments in research and practice and applications to teaching mathematics in Australian secondary schools. Covering such areas as curriculum, pedagogy and assessment; teaching mathematical content; equity and diversity in the classroom; and professional and community engagement, it is an invaluable resource for all practising and pre-service mathematics teachers.

Promoting accomplished science teaching through pedagogical research

In this paper we will examine Shulman’s notion of signature pedagogies for its usefulness extended to school science, to analyse a representation-intensive pedagogy that lays claim to bringing school science closer to the knowledge building practices of science itself. Two case studies of teaching and learning will be presented based on research in primary and secondary schools that involved working closely with teachers to develop and validate the pedagogy. Video images of classrooms, interviews with students and teachers, and documentation of students’ work, were used to construct insights into the teaching and learning process. It is argued that Shulman’s notion of professional practice as involving apprenticeships of knowledge, practice and identity provides a useful lens through which to view this innovation. Shulman’s characterisation of signature pedagogy is used to identify key features of the approach.