Is this a meaningful learning experience? Interactive critical self-inquiry as investigation

What conditions enable educators to engage in meaningful learning experiences with peers and beginning practitioners? This article documents a self-study on our actions-in-practice in a peer mentoring project. The investigation involved an iterative process to improve our knowledge as teacher educators, reflective practitioners, and researchers. Data sets included: video-stimulated reflections; audiotaped reflexive dialogue; individual and shared reflective writings. Data analyzed through the iterative process revealed competing tensions that were not addressed by the triad, leading to a less than meaningful learning experience. We sought to name the dilemmas and document how they impeded meaningful learning; identifying tensions proved useful in data interpretation. The research led us to focus on the tension between collegiality and criticality. Managing this tension requires being authentic with and accepting of the other and working with cognitive dissonances. Collegiality and criticality together promote reflexivity and increase growth, leading to new professional knowledge.

Tensions in home–school partnerships : the different perspectives of teachers and parents of students with learning barriers

This paper presents the findings of a qualitative study of learning partnerships between teachers and parents of students with learning barriers. The aim was to investigate the beliefs and understandings of parents and teacher participants around roles in partnerships, so as to identify operational processes that support effective collaboration. The study was based on the premise that home–school partnerships have been established as a positive influence on the education of students with learning barriers but tensions exist within these partnerships in practice. In the study it was posited that some tensions stemmed from differences in role understandings between parent and teacher. Data revealed key themes emerging from the case studies. Findings indicated that parents and teachers believed that involvement and partnerships are integral to supporting the learning of students with learning barriers. However, differences emerged as to how teachers and parents constructed and interpreted involvement and operational processes supporting partnerships, and the significance each group placed on different aspects of collaboration between parent and teacher.

Testing the effectiveness of mathematical games as a pedagogical tool for children's learning

In an effort to engage children in mathematics learning, many primary teachers use mathematical games and activities. Games have been employed for drill and practice, warm-up activities and rewards. The effectiveness of games as a pedagogical tool requires further examination if games are to be employed for the teaching of mathematical concepts. This paper reports research that compared the effectiveness of non-digital games with non-game but engaging activities as pedagogical tools for promoting mathematical learning. In the classrooms that played games, the effects of adding teacher-led whole class discussion was explored. The research was conducted with 10–12-year-old children in eight classrooms in three Australian primary schools, using differing instructional approaches to teach multiplication and division of decimals. A quasi-experimental design with pre-test, post-test and delayed post-test was employed, and the effects of the interventions were measured by the children’s written test performance. Test results indicated lesser gains in learning in game playing situations versus non-game activities and that teacher-led discussions during and following the game playing did not improve children’s learning. The finding that these games did not help children demonstrate a mathematical understanding of concepts under test conditions suggests that educators should carefully consider the application and appropriateness of games before employing them as a vehicle for introducing mathematical concepts.

BHP Billiton science teacher awards

The prestigious BHP Billiton Science Teacher Awards are awarded annually to one teacher from each state of Australia. The awards recognise and value the time and effort that teachers give to the profession and to students conducting scientific research projects. This paper examines the Science Award scheme to identify the characteristics common to these innovative teachers in science. The data is drawn from interviews with seven award-winning teachers plus the judges of the scheme. The data indicated that quality teaching was evident in their practice - valuing students’ ownership of their work, doing authentic science investigations and showcasing their work.

Primary science specialist learning program – report of delivery

The Primary Science Specialist (PrimSS) Professional Learning Program consisted of a fifteen day program, of which Deakin delivered 5 days of pedagogy and content in science education, followed by 3 days of leading change in schools and developing other teachers' capacities. Delivered in several phases, it was possible to provide teachers with ideas and models for them to trial within their schools and to report back to the group, during the program.

The simple yet complex development of social and participatory media for classroom learning : building a hybrid learning environment through action research

This paper reports on part of a teacher/researcher’s PhD action research study. It explains the complexity of features that social media brings to the teaching and learning process while discussing the simplicity and power of its use. Through the action research cycle, learning programs were designed to take advantage of the unique communicative methods offered by social media and web 2.0 whilst maintaining the value of face-to-face learning. Students used social media spaces such as blogs, groups and discussion forums as well as developing their own profiles and avatars to communicate online by making friends, leaving comments and uploading content which included publishing, peer reviewing and self assessment. The author argues that, by designing learning that valued and combined the attributes of social media, Web 2.0 and face-to-face teaching she was able to produce a more student-centred approach; hence, developing a ‘Hybrid’ learning environment which supported many 21st Century skills.

The teacher’s role in promoting online peer group learning

Teachers have a major responsibility to engage students online for successful learning in online distance education programs. Identifying key aspects of the teachers’ role is important. The study reported in this paper investigated an online course for paramedic students. Data were collected from the teachers and students and their online interactions were observed. The study has shown that students’ message posting is likely to be related to the cognitive demand and accessibility of discussion tasks that staff design and the quality of teacher facilitation of discussion.

Learning leadership is in your hands : toward a scholarship of teaching in practical legal training

This article seeks to promote discussion about scholarship of teaching in Australian postgraduate pre-admission practical legal training (PLT). This is germane to perceptions of the quality of accreditation of young Australian lawyers practicing in a globalised profession. The article gives a definition and outlines the prerequisites for scholarship of teaching. The present position of teacher engagement with scholarship of teaching in Australian PLT is considered, together with the historical and organisational epistemological approaches to professional practical training. Problems of validity, measurement, performativity, and engagement in teaching scholarship are discussed. Possible methodological approaches, including Schön’s conception of action research, together with other methodologies, technologies, and practical considerations, are considered. These discussion points are directed toward future exploration of PLT teachers’ engagement with, and leadership in, the scholarship of teaching in PLT.

Online peer mentoring with pre-service teachers : a learning experience

In 2010, 34 pre-service teachers at Deakin University were invited to use Web 2.0 technologies to support practicum in rural and regional schools. Students in their final year of the Bachelor of Education Primary course were given access to an online forum, a ‗ning‘, to facilitate development of mentoring relationships within a community of peers. Access to the ning was presented as an optional extra available only to students undertaking their professional experience in rural and regional settings. Based on the work of Le Cornu (2005), mentoring was framed as a collaborative and collegial arrangement through which participants could hone the interpersonal and critical reflection skills crucial to practicum. A ning was selected as it: 1) allowed the creation of a closed, protected social network with customised options, and 2) requires little technological skills and investment of time from participants in terms of setting up a profile and participating in the online community. These features seemed to make it an ideal platform for pre-service teachers to analyse and reflect on professional experience. However, the small pre-service cohort did not choose to access the site. This unexpected outcome seems to challenge contemporary discourses about the current generation‘s attitudes to web based technology. It also highlights the importance of coupling use of template-based online tools, such as the ning, with awareness of Bourdieu‘s (1977) social capital to ensure uptake. In capturing the learnings from the project and systematically reviewing relevant literature, this paper provides a set of recommendations for conceptualising and engaging pre-service teachers in the use of online forums.

Sharing ownership in multicultural music : a hands-on approach in teacher education in South Africa

South Africa prides itself in a rich and colorful array of the Arts where music plays a significant role in social regeneration, unity and reconciliation. Little research has been undertaken in teacher education courses in South Africa regarding the inclusion of African music within multicultural music practice. Using the theoretical frameworks of understanding multiculturalism, I report on the teaching and learning of multicultural music at Pretoria University. My narrative highlights what I had learned and reports on the interview data with the tertiary music educator in October 2010. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, two themes are discussed: the need for multicultural music and the inclusion of students as indigenous culture bearers. Lessons learnt at Pretoria University can be replicated elsewhere in Australia where the sharing of ownership in multicultural music as a hands-on approach is viewed positively, promoting understanding and respect in a shared space and place.

Evaluation of delivery of the switched on secondary science professional learning (SOSSPL) program

The Switched On Secondary Science Professional Learning (SOSSPL) program consisted of three days professional learning. Days 1 and 2 were undertaken consecutively, with Day 3 following a break of several weeks. The break allowed sufficient time for teachers to undertake a small classroom-based project within one of the topics teachers will be teaching at the time. The program was designed to build teacher capacity to improve learning outcomes in secondary science.

Evaluation of delivery of the switched on secondary science professional learning (SOSSPL) program (2011-12)

The Switched On Secondary Science Professional Learning (SOSSPL) program consisted of three days professional learning for Victorian DEECD secondary science teachers. Days 1 and 2 were undertaken consecutively, with Day 3 following a break of several weeks. The break allowed sufficient time for teachers to undertake a small classroom-based project within one of the topics they were teaching at the time. The program was designed to build teacher capacity to improve student learning outcomes in secondary science.

The program supported teachers to plan and implement classroom sequences that focused on student construction and interpretation of different representations of the science concepts and processes that are described by the Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS): Science and the Science Continuum P-10. The Deakin University team in collaboration with the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) produced curriculum resources for the program that encapsulated a representational focus to the teaching and learning of science. The program explored and linked to core DEECD resources such as the e5 Instructional Model and the Science Continuum P-10.
The SOSSPL program was delivered in all Victorian DEECD regions in 2010-11 and was evaluated (Hubber et al, 2011). The program was delivered again in all Victorian DEECD regions in 2011-12. The evaluation of the 2011-12 program is reported here with some comparisons made to the findings from the previously delivered program.
This evaluation of the SOSSPL program involved an online survey, daily workshop evaluations, focus group and presentations data of the participating teachers’ classroom-based projects. The aim of the evaluation was to make a judgement about the effectiveness of the SOSSPL program in terms of building teacher capacity to improve student learning outcomes in secondary science.

The (mis)identification of ineffective classroom teaching practice : critical interrogations of classroom teacher effectiveness research

This paper critiques specific forms of classroom teacher effectiveness research. In doing so, the paper suggests that education policy-making deems and employs teacher effectiveness research as a promising and capable contrivance for the identification of ineffective classroom teaching practice. The paper engages with this policy debate by using a specific policy example from the Australian state of Victoria, the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) Blueprint for Government Schools (2003/2008). Moreover, the attention given to “teacher effectiveness” as the means by which school systems aim to reverse student under-achievement positions classroom teachers as the controlling authority over educational outcomes. Indeed, teacher effectiveness is the defining quality of a policy-making debate that at its core dispenses with broader considerations of possible influence thought to substantially affect the learning outcomes of public school students.

The class/teacher effects distortion : a critique of purely positivist teacher effectiveness research and inquiry

The current educational context, with its emphasis upon outcomes and accountability, explicitly centralizes the work and role of the classroom teacher in the learning process. This paper argues that the teacher effectiveness debate increasingly represents an intensified incursion into the classroom in the belief that social and educational disadvantage may be overcome if improvements to the effectiveness of teachers and classroom instruction and practice occur. 

Classroom teacher effectiveness research: a conceptual critique

Teacher effectiveness research now informs the rationale of much Australian education policy aimed at redressing student under-achievement. The approach draws a ‘straight line’ between teacher practice and student outcomes, ‘controlling’ for and ultimately dismissive of other possible influences. The paper calls into question this conception of teaching–learning relations, particularly the extent to which teaching practice can be reasonably quantified and improvements in students’ academic achievement can be solely attributed to and/or sole responsibility placed on the pedagogic strategies employed by teachers. Drawing on the theoretical resources of Foucault and Bourdieu, the paper argues further that teacher effectiveness research is flawed in both means and ends. It concludes that in its ranking of student and teacher performance, such research actually works against the purposes of education; specifically, authentic teaching and learning.