BET on Top Hat: challenges to improve language proficiency

Within the business context, communication and interaction tends to be considerably rooted in the use of English (as lingua franca), as well as in ICT use. Thus, professionals have to be able to speak the English language, resorting to specific, internationally recognised terminology and be proficient in the use of manifold ICT tools. In fact, the tendency is for the great majority of higher education (HE) students to own mobile devices (laptops, smartphones and/or tablets) and use them to access information and communicate/interact with content and other people. Bearing this in mind, a teaching and learning strategy was designed, in which m-learning (i.e. learning in which the delivery platform is a mobile device) was used to approach Business English Terminology (BET). The strategy was labelled as ‘BET on Top Hat’, once the selected application was Top Hat (https://tophat.com/) and the idea was for students to face it as if it were a game/challenge. In this scenario, the main goals of this exploratory study were to find evidence as to: i) the utility of m-learning activities for learning BET and ii) if and how m-learning activities can generate intrinsic motivation in students to learn BET. Participants (n=23) were enrolled in English II, a curricular unit of the 1st cycle degree in Retail Management offered at Águeda School of Technology and Management – University of Aveiro (2014/15 edition). The data gathered included the students’ results in quizzes and their answers to a short final evaluation questionnaire regarding their experience with BET on Top Hat. Consequently, data were treated and analysed resorting to descriptive statistical analysis, and, when considered pertinent, the teacher’s observation notes were also considered. The results unveil that, on the one hand, the strategy had a clear positive impact on the students’ intrinsic motivation and, on the other hand, the students’ performance as to BET use tended to improve over time.

Biliteracy effects on phonological awareness, oral language proficiency and reading skills in Taiwanese Mandarin-English bilingual children

The present study examined the effect of learning to read a heritage language on Taiwanese Mandarin-English bilingual children’s Chinese and English phonological awareness, Chinese and English oral language proficiency, and English reading skills. Participants were 40 Taiwanese Mandarin-English bilingual children and 20 English monolingual children in the U.S. Based on their performance on a Chinese character reading test, the bilingual participants were divided into two groups: the Chinese Beginning Reader and Chinese Nonreader groups. A single child categorized as a Chinese Advanced Reader also participated. Children received phonological awareness tasks, produced oral narrative samples from a wordless picture book, and took standardized English reading subtests. The bilingual participants received measures in both English and Chinese, whereas English monolingual children received only English measures. Additional demographic information was collected from a language background survey filled out by parents. Results of two MANOVAs indicated that the Chinese Beginning Reader group outperformed the Chinese Nonreader and English Monolingual groups on some phonological awareness measures and the English nonword reading test. In an oral narrative production task in English, the English Monolingual group produced a greater total number of words (TNW) and more different words (NDW) than the Chinese Nonreader group. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to determine whether bilingual children’s Chinese character reading ability would still account for a unique amount of variance in certain outcome variables, independent of nonverbal IQ and other potential demographic or performance variables and to clarify the direction of causality for bilingual children’s performance in the three domains. These results suggested that learning to read in a heritage language directly or indirectly enhances bilingual children’s ability in phonological awareness and certain English reading skills. It also appears that greater oral language proficiency in Chinese promotes early reading in the heritage language. Advanced heritage reading may produce even larger gains. Practical implications of learning a heritage language in the U.S. are discussed.

Heritage Language Maintenance and Biliteracy Development for Immigrants' Children: A Study of Chinese Immigrants' Family Language Policy and Biliteracy Practices

This study reports on research that examines the family language policy (FLP) and biliteracy practices of middle-class Chinese immigrant families in a metropolitan area in the southwest of the U.S. by exploring language practices pattern among family members, language and literacy environment at home, parents’ language management, parents’ language attitudes and ideologies, and biliteracy practices. In this study, I employed mixed methods, including survey and interviews, to investigate Chinese immigrant parents’ FLP, biliteracy practices, their life stories, and their experience of raising and nurturing children in an English-dominant society. Survey questionnaires were distributed to 55 Chinese immigrant parents and interviews were conducted with five families, including mothers and children. One finding from this study is that the language practices pattern at home shows the trend of language shift among the Chinese immigrants’ children. Children prefer speaking English with parents, siblings, and peers, and home literacy environment for children manifests an English-dominant trend. Chinese immigrant parents’ language attitudes and ideologies are largely influenced by English-only ideology. The priority for learning English surpasses the importance of Chinese learning, which is demonstrated by the English-dominant home literacy practices and an English-dominant language policy. Parents invest more in English literacy activities and materials for children, and very few parents implement Chinese-only policy for their children. A second finding from this study is that a multitude of factors from different sources shape and influence Chinese immigrants’ FLP and biliteracy practices. The factors consist of family-related factors, social factors, linguistic factors, and individual factors. A third finding from this study is that a wide variety of strategies are adopted by Chinese immigrant families, which have raised quite balanced bilingual children, to help children maintain Chinese heritage language (HL) and develop both English and Chinese literacy. The close examination and comparison of different families with English monolingual children, with children who have limited knowledge of HL, and with quite balanced bilingual children, this study discovers that immigrant parents, especially mothers, play a fundamental and irreplaceable role in their children’s HL maintenance and biliteracy development and it recommends to immigrant parents in how to implement the findings of this study to nurture their children to become bilingual and biliterate. Due to the limited number and restricted area and group of participant sampling, the results of this study may not be generalized to other groups in different contexts.

The experience of teaching statistics to non-specialist students in Saudi universities

Undoubtedly, statistics has become one of the most important subjects in the modern world, where its applications are ubiquitous. The importance of statistics is not limited to statisticians, but also impacts upon non-statisticians who have to use statistics within their own disciplines. Several studies have indicated that most of the academic departments around the world have realized the importance of statistics to non-specialist students. Therefore, the number of students enrolled in statistics courses has vastly increased, coming from a variety of disciplines. Consequently, research within the scope of statistics education has been able to develop throughout the last few years. One important issue is how statistics is best taught to, and learned by, non-specialist students. This issue is controlled by several factors that affect the learning and teaching of statistics to non-specialist students, such as the use of technology, the role of the English language (especially for those whose first language is not English), the effectiveness of statistics teachers and their approach towards teaching statistics courses, students’ motivation to learn statistics and the relevance of statistics courses to the main subjects of non-specialist students. Several studies, focused on aspects of learning and teaching statistics, have been conducted in different countries around the world, particularly in Western countries. Conversely, the situation in Arab countries, especially in Saudi Arabia, is different; here, there is very little research in this scope, and what there is does not meet the needs of those countries towards the development of learning and teaching statistics to non-specialist students. This research was instituted in order to develop the field of statistics education. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to generate new insights into this subject by investigating how statistics courses are currently taught to non-specialist students in Saudi universities. Hence, this study will contribute towards filling the knowledge gap that exists in Saudi Arabia. This study used multiple data collection approaches, including questionnaire surveys from 1053 non-specialist students who had completed at least one statistics course in different colleges of the universities in Saudi Arabia. These surveys were followed up with qualitative data collected via semi-structured interviews with 16 teachers of statistics from colleges within all six universities where statistics is taught to non-specialist students in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Region. The data from questionnaires included several types, so different techniques were used in analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to identify the demographic characteristics of the participants. The chi-square test was used to determine associations between variables. Based on the main issues that are raised from literature review, the questions (items scales) were grouped and five key groups of questions were obtained which are: 1) Effectiveness of Teachers; 2) English Language; 3) Relevance of Course; 4) Student Engagement; 5) Using Technology. Exploratory data analysis was used to explore these issues in more detail. Furthermore, with the existence of clustering in the data (students within departments within colleges, within universities), multilevel generalized linear models for dichotomous analysis have been used to clarify the effects of clustering at those levels. Factor analysis was conducted confirming the dimension reduction of variables (items scales). The data from teachers’ interviews were analysed on an individual basis. The responses were assigned to one of the eight themes that emerged from within the data: 1) the lack of students’ motivation to learn statistics; 2) students' participation; 3) students’ assessment; 4) the effective use of technology; 5) the level of previous mathematical and statistical skills of non-specialist students; 6) the English language ability of non-specialist students; 7) the need for extra time for teaching and learning statistics; and 8) the role of administrators. All the data from students and teachers indicated that the situation of learning and teaching statistics to non-specialist students in Saudi universities needs to be improved in order to meet the needs of those students. The findings of this study suggested a weakness in the use of statistical software applications in these courses. This study showed that there is lack of application of technology such as statistical software programs in these courses, which would allow non-specialist students to consolidate their knowledge. The results also indicated that English language is considered one of the main challenges in learning and teaching statistics, particularly in institutions where English is not used as the main language. Moreover, the weakness of mathematical skills of students is considered another major challenge. Additionally, the results indicated that there was a need to tailor statistics courses to the needs of non-specialist students based on their main subjects. The findings indicate that statistics teachers need to choose appropriate methods when teaching statistics courses.

Geography, History and Natural Sciences: an interdisciplinary teaching approach with GIS

Geographic Information System (GIS) is a technology that deals with location to support better representations and decision making. It has a long tradition in several planning areas, such as urbanism, environment, riskiness, transportation, archeology or tourism. In academics context higher education has followed that evolution. Despite of their potentialities in education, GIS technologies at the elementary and secondary have been underused. Empowering graduates to learn with GIS and to manipulate spatial data can effectively facilitate the teaching of critical thinking. Likewise it has been recognized that GIS tools can be incorporated as an interdisciplinary pedagogical tool. Nevertheless more practical examples on how GIS tools can enhance teaching and learning process, namely to promote interdisciplinary approaches. The proposed paper presents some results obtained from the project “Each thing in its place: the science in time and space”. This project results from the effort of three professors of Geography, History and Natural Sciences in the context of Didactics of World Knowledge curricular unit to enhance interdisciplinarity through Geographic Information Technologies (GIT). Implemented during the last three years this action-research project developed the research practice using GIS to create an interdisciplinary attitude in the future primary education teachers. More than teaching GIS the authors were focused on teaching with GIS to create an integrated vision where spatial data representation linked the space, the time and natural sciences. Accumulated experience reveals that those technologies can motivate students to learn and facilitating teacher’s interdisciplinary work.

A critical and interpretative investigation of the ethical dimension of policies about school digital technologies

This thesis examines digital technologies policies designed for Australian schools and the ways they are understood and interpreted by students, school staff, teachers, principals and policy writers. This study explores the ways these research participant groups interpret and understand the ‘ethical dimension’ of schools’ digital technologies policies for teaching and learning. In this thesis the ethical dimension is considered to be a dynamic concept which encompasses various elements including; decisions, actions, values, issues, debates, education, discourses, and notions of right and wrong, in relation to ethics and uses of digital technologies in schools. In this study policy is taken to mean not only written texts but discursive processes, policy documents including national declarations, strategic plans and ‘acceptable use’ policies to guide the use of digital technologies in schools. The research is situated in the context of changes that have occurred in Australia and internationally over the last decade that have seen a greater focus on the access to and use of digital technologies in schools. In Australian school education, the attention placed on digital technologies in schools has seen the release of policies at the national, state, territory, education office and school levels, to guide their use. Prominent among these policies has been the Digital Education Revolution policy, launched in 2007 and concluded in 2013. This research aims to answers the question: What does an investigation reveal about understandings of the ethical dimension of digital technologies policies and their implementation in school education? The objective of this research is to examine the ethical dimension of digital technologies policies and to interpret and understand the responses of the research participants to the issues, silences, discourses and language, which characterise this dimension. In doing so, it is intended that the research can allow the participants to have a voice that, may be different to the official discourses located in digital technologies policies. The thesis takes a critical and interpretative approach to policies and examines the role of digital technologies policies as discourse. Interpretative theory is utilised as it provides a conceptual lens from which to interpret different perspectives and the implications of these in the construction of meaning in relation to schools’ digital technologies policies. Critical theory is used in tandem with interpretative theory as it represents a conceptual basis from which to critique and question underlying assumptions and discourses that are associated with the ethical dimension of schools’ digital technologies policies. The research methods used are semi-structured interviews and policy document analysis. Policies from the national, state, territory, education office and school level were analysed and contribute to understanding the way the ethical dimension of digital technologies policies is represented as a discourse. Students, school staff, teachers, principals and policy writers participated in research interviews and their views and perspectives were canvassed in relation to the ethical use of digital technologies and the policies that are designed to regulate their use. The thesis presents an argument that the ethical dimension of schools’ digital technologies policies and use is an under-researched area, and there are gaps in understanding and knowledge in the literature which remain to be addressed. It is envisaged that the thesis can make a meaningful contribution to understand the ways in which schools’ digital technologies policies are understood in school contexts. It is also envisaged that the findings from the research can inform policy development by analysing the voices and views of those in schools. The findings of the policy analysis revealed that there is little attention given to the ethical dimension in digital technologies at the national level. A discourse of compliance and control pervades digital technologies policies from the state, education office and school levels, which reduces ethical considerations to technical, legal and regulatory requirements. The discourse is largely instrumentalist and neglects the educative dimension of digital technologies which has the capacity to engender their ethical use. The findings from the interview conversations revealed that students, school staff and teachers perceive digital technologies policies to be difficult to understand, and not relevant to their situation and needs. They also expressed a desire to have greater consultation and participation in the formation and enactment of digital technologies policies, and they believe they are marginalised from these processes in their schools. Arising from the analysis of the policies and interview conversations, an argument is presented that in the light of the prominent role played by digital technologies and their potential for enhancing all aspects of school education, more research is required to provide a more holistic and richer understanding of the policies that are constructed to control and mediate their use.

Intelligibility and accentedness in conversations amongst international students in Australia

Despite the prevalence of English conversations being held by Non Native Speakers (NNS), little research has investigated accent, the most salient aspect of pronunciation, in English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) interactions. The aim of this study is to investigate two facets of accentedness: the intelligibility of accented speech for Non-Native Listeners (NNL) and the impact that language attitude has on the judgment of accentedness. While accentedness has been shown to be both independent of intelligibility and extremely salient to Native Listeners (NL) (Derwing 2008; Nelson, 2008), there is a significant gap in our understanding of how accented English speech is judged by NNL (Derwing & Munro 1997; 2009; Munro & Derwing 1995; 1999; 2010; Munro 2007). It is hypothesised that there is a dependency between the intelligibility scores of foreign accented speech and accentedness judgment in ELF contexts. Moreover, it is believed that the judgment of accentedness is influenced by attitudes held by the NNL. The intelligibility of accented speech will be investigated by measuring the accuracy of transcribed audio samples. Judgment of accentedness will be measured using a Likert scale and journal entries. Attitudes towards accentedness will, firstly, be quantified using a survey that rates language attitudes on a Likert scale, followed by a semi-structured interview that will elicit attitudes towards accentedness. The results of this study will have implications for the teaching and learning of pronunciation, listening skills, and curriculum design. Furthermore, the findings may allude to fundamental differences in how NNL and Native Listeners (NL) perceive second language (L2) speech; thus, such inferences may lead to a shift in Second Language Acquisition (SLA) perspectives.

Constructive alignment and the research skills development framework: Using theory to practically align graduate attributes, learning experiences, and assessment tasks in undergraduate midwifery

Midwifery educators have to provide students with stimulating curricula that teach academic and vocational content, as well as transferable skills. The Research Skills Development (RSD) framework provides a conceptual model that allows educators to explicitly scaffold the development of their students’ research skills. This paper aims to demonstrate the effective use of the RSD framework and constructive alignment theory to redesign a second-year Midwifery assessment task.The assessment task was changed into a scenario-based question to better reflect the unit learning objectives and expected graduate attributes. Students were provided with extra time in class to explore the assessment task in a peer environment. Following the return of their assessments, students were asked to complete a questionnaire to evaluate the effectiveness of the assessment redesign. We show that using a constructively aligned scenario-based assessment task in a second year unit more successfully articulated the expected graduate attributes of midwives. Qualitative and quantitative feedback suggested that students and staff appreciated a more clinically- relevant assessment task. This paper demonstrates that the use of the RSD framework to constructively aligngraduate attributes, learning experiences, and assessment tasks allows for the transformation of undergraduate assessment into a learning experience relevant to clinical practice.

Does student engagement improve when 1:1 device technologies are used and adapted to cater for individual learning styles during online delivery of engineering courses?

BACKGROUND OR CONTEXT: A developing international engineering industry is dependent on competition and innovation, creating a market for highly skilled graduates from respected overseas and Australian Engineering universities. The delivery of engineering teaching and learning via blended faceto-face, problem based, research focused and online collaborative learning will continue to be the foundation of future engineering education, however, it will be those institutions who can reshape its learning spaces within a culture of innovation using 1:1 devices that will continue to attract the brightest minds. Investing in educational research that explores the preferred learning styles of learners and matching this to specifically designed 1:1 personalized web applications may be the ‘value add’ to improve student engagement. In this paper, a survey of Australian engineering education is presented and contrasted against a backdrop of internationally recognised educational pedagogy to demonstrate how engineering teaching and learning has changed over time. This paper draws on research and identifies a gap where a necessity to question the validity of 1:1 devices as the next step in the evolution of engineering education needs to be undertaken. How will teaching and learning look using 1:1 devices and will it drive student demand into engineering higher
education courses. Will this lead to improving professional standards within a dynamic engineering education context? How will current and future teaching and learning be influenced by constructivism using 1:1 device technologies? How will the engineering industry benefit from higher education investment in individualised engineering education
using 1:1 devices for teaching and learning?
PURPOSE OR GOAL: To review the current academic thinking around the topic of 1:1 devices within higher education engineering teaching and learning context in Australia. To identify any gaps in the current understandings and use of 1:1 devices within engineering courses in Australia. To generate discussion and better understanding about how the use of 1:1 devices may hinder and/or improve teaching and learning and student engagement.
APPROACH: A review covering the development of engineering education in Australia and a broader international review of engineering teaching methodology. To identify the extent of research into the use and effectiveness of online strategies within engineering education utilising 1:1 devices for teaching and learning. i.e. “Students must feel that they are part of a learning community and derive motivation to engage in the study material from the lecturer.’ (Lloyd et al., 2001) It is proposed to add to the current body of understandings and explore the effectiveness of a constructiveness teaching approach using course material specifically designed to cater for individual learning styles and delivered via the use of 1:1 devices in the classroom. It is anticipated the research will contrast current engineering teaching and learning practices and identify factors that will facilitate a greater understanding about student connectedness and engagement with the teaching and learning experience; where a constructiveness environment is supported with the use of 1:1 devices. Also, it is anticipated that the constructed learning environment will foster a culture of innovation and students will be empowered to take control of their own learning and be encouraged to contribute back to the discussion initiated by the lecture and/or course material with the aid of 1:1 device technologies. A gap has been identified in the academic literature that show there is a need to understand the relationship between engineering teaching, learning, students engagement and the use of 1:1 devices.
DISCUSSION: A review covering the development of engineering education in Australia and a broader international review of engineering teaching methodology. To identify the extent of research into the use and effectiveness of online strategies within engineering education utilising 1:1 devices for teaching and learning. i.e. “Students must feel that they are part of a learning community and derive motivation to engage in the study material from the lecturer.’ (Lloyd et al., 2001) It is proposed to add to the current body of understandings and explore the effectiveness of a constructiveness teaching approach using course material specifically designed to cater for individual learning styles and delivered via the use of 1:1 devices in the classroom.
ANTICIPATED OUTCOMES: It is anticipated the research will contrast current engineering teaching and learning practices and identify factors that will facilitate a greater understanding about student connectedness and engagement with the teaching and learning experience; where a constructiveness environment is supported with the use of 1:1 devices. Also, it is anticipated that the constructed learning environment will foster a culture of innovation and students will be empowered to take control of their own learning and be encouraged to contribute back to the discussion initiated by the lecture and/or course material with the aid of 1:1 device technologies. A gap has been identified in the academic literature that show there is a need to understand the relationship between engineering teaching, learning, students engagement and the use of 1:1 devices.
RECOMMENDATIONS/IMPLICATIONS/CONCLUSION: A gap exists in the current research about the effectiveness and use of 1:1 devices in engineering education; therefore, it is necessary to undertake further research in the area. It is proposed to hypothesize and conduct field research to identify any shortcomings and possible benefits for engineering educators and learners within a constructivist-teaching
context that explores the relationship between the use of personalized 1:1 devices for teaching and learning, adapting for individual learning styles, and identification and application of appropriate teaching and learning strategies within a constructiveness engineering course approach. Research is required to clarify the following research questions;
• What education teaching and learning strategies best facilitate the use of 1:1 devices for online teaching and learning?
• Does student engagement improve when 1:1 device technologies are used and adapted to cater for individual learning styles during online delivery of engineering courses?
• What are the factors within a university engineering faculty that may hinder and/or support the use of 1:1 devices for online teaching and learning?
• To what extent do 1:1 devices assist engineering educators and students to foster a culture of innovation? The study results will offer engineering educators and students an opportunity to reflect on
their current teaching and learning practice, and contextualise the use of 1:1 devices as a tool to improve student engagement. It is expected the learning benefits will outweigh the implementation costs and derive a unique learning experience that will empower engineering educators and students to inspire a culture of innovation.

A review of the game-centred approaches to teaching and coaching literature since 2006

Background: In 2006, Oslin and Mitchell published a review of the game-centred approaches (GCAs) to teaching and coaching literature highlighting a number of core concepts thought to provide justification for the use of GCAs including (a) its potential to enhance participant motivation, (b) potential for tactical transfer, and (c) development of decision-making skills and effective decision-makers. Oslin and Mitchell also suggested recommendations for future GCA research.Purpose: The purpose of this paper was threefold: (a) to present a review of Anglophone research into GCAs building on the previous review of Oslin and Mitchell published in 2006; (b) to identify new trends in research since 2006; and (c) to investigate the extent to which the initial suggestions and future research directions suggested by Oslin and Mitchell have been addressed.Data collection: GCA literature since 2006 was searched systematically using a three-phase approach. Phase 1 included initial searches of the EBSCO database using terms associated with GCAs and their acronyms (e.g. TGfU (teaching games for understanding), GS (Game Sense), etc.). Phase 2 expanded the search adopting more generic terms from keywords located in the recent literature (e.g. teaching games, tactical development, game performance, etc.). Multiple searches through the EBSCO database were conducted, whereby key terms were cross-referenced until a saturation point was reached. Phase 3 involved removing those publications that were not empirical, peer reviewed, intervention studies or published in English.Findings: Forty-four studies on GCA implementation were identified and the methodological and substantive nature of these studies was examined. The review noted two positive trends: (a) the expansion of research which included the growth of research on GCAs in Europe and Southeast Asia and (b) an increased amount of research in the affective domain. The review found, however, that a number of key challenges remain within GCA research, which include (a) the need for improved articulation of GCA verification procedures; (b) further assessment of tactical awareness development; (c) extended inquiry about GCAs in coaching contexts; (d) more research into ‘newer’ GCAs (i.e. PP (play practice), IGCM (invasion game competence model) and TDLM (tactical decision learning model)); (e) use of longitudinal research designs; (f) inadequate length of GCA induction and training for teachers and coaches, and (g) examination of GCAs in terms of fitness and special populations.Conclusions: GCA pedagogies are of significant importance as they have the potential to promote change within current adult-centric cultures of youth sport and encourage engagement in physical activity over the life course. To meet these needs, it is recommended that GCA research undergo continued expansion with the use of research designs and data collection techniques that aid the examination of different philosophical understandings of GCAs (e.g. ethnographic, phenomenological and psycho-phenomenological). These are paramount to the exploration of ‘who the individual is’ and ‘how the learner is motivated to continue to participate’ and further permit the in-depth, contextual and ecological analysis of GCA interventions that Oslin and Mitchell recommended in their previous review.

Gender issues in elementary mathematics teaching materials: a comparative study between China and Australia

International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) cross-national studies (FIMS, SIMS and TIMSS) show that gender differences in mathematical achievements and attitudes have decreased considerably over thirty years (Hanna, 2000), however, mathematics is still historically stereotyped as a male domain with crucial evidence supporting this belief (Forgasz, Leder, & Kloosterman, 2009). Previous research showed that gender differences in mathematics participation,performance and achievement existed widely in the majority of English speaking countries, specifically favouring boys (Forgasz, 1992; Hyde, Fennema, & Lamon, 1990; Tiedemann, 2000). Hyde, Lindberg, Linn, Ellis and Williams (2008) pointed out that the stereotype that females lack mathematical ability persists and is widely held by parents and teachers.Mathematics teaching materials play an important role in mathematics teaching and learning. The contents within mathematical teaching materials are rational, and deliver both explicit and implicit information. The explicit information refers to mathematics knowledge that students can learn from textbooks, while the latter one, also named as hidden curriculum, contains social and cultural messages. Hidden curriculum is a side effect of education. It has deep and long-term influences on students’ construction of math-gender stereotype that impact their future mathematicallearning (Zhang & Zhou, 2008). Therefore, this study will investigate Chinese andAustralian elementary mathematics teaching materials to explore the messages of gender equity and inequity delivered through hidden curriculum including names, images and problem-solving contexts. Based on the findings, practical implications concerning the promotion of equitable gender environments within elementary mathematics teaching materials from a cross-cultural perspective will be discussed.

Responding to the widening participation agenda through improved access to and within 3D virtual learning environments

The Australian Government's widening participation agenda - also referred to as the social inclusion agenda - considers equity through the triple focus of access, participation and outcomes. These foci are catalysts for re-examining teaching and learning approaches in formal education. This article considers this national refocus and the possibilities for addressing access and equity issues through and within threedimensional virtual learning environments (3DVLEs). The findings of an Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC)-funded project that investigated the potential of an accessible 3DVLE for increasing access and participation of students with disabilities are reported, and strategies for improving outcomes (i.e. retention, success and completion) proposed. The article also highlights some of the remaining challenges with regard to the goal of improving outcomes for under-represented learner groups. The final section of the article identifies areas for further research.

Representing and learning in science

In this book we argue for an approach to representational work in school science learning and teaching that engages participants, is epistemologically sound, aligns with knowledge-building practices in the discipline, and draws on extensive classroom study. We review in this chapter current research agendas around student representational work in science learning, including the assumptions, rationale and research practices of these agendas. We do this (a) to clarify precisely what we see as the diversity of current mainstream thinking and practices around representational activity, and (b) to articulate what is distinctive about our own contribution, noting the traditions, influences and prior research we draw on. We begin by noting the current dominant role of image generation and analysis in much contemporary science, and its implications for science in schools.

Quality teaching in Australian and German primary science classrooms: characterising difference to help identify quality

This chapter reports on results of an international research project across Australia, Taiwan and Germany, titled: Exploring quality primary education in different cultures: A cross-national study of teaching and learning in primary science classrooms (EQUALPRIME).1 Its aim is to explore through video capture the practice of expert teachers of science in Taiwan, Germany and Australia. This chapter explores the pedagogical practices in two cases – fi rstly a Grade 4 Australian school with a specialist science teacher, Bob (pseudonym), and secondly, a mixed-age (Grade 4–6) German classroom being co-taught by a pair of teachers, Mr Arnold and Mrs Lennard. In both cases the students were studying the topic of force. The project is not determining what quality teaching is in any essentialised sense; this could be contentious in that quality practice might be considered to varywithin classrooms from the same country, let alone across countries and across cultures. Rather, given cases in which quality teaching is reported to be occurring, the project aims to describe these examples and identify features of quality science teaching practices as judged by peers in varied cultural settings. Data from these two cases in which quality teaching of science occurs, are used to address the research question: What can quality teaching and learning look like in a science classroom?

Intensive mode learning and threshold concepts

Intensive mode teaching and learning refers to educational activities that occur on fewer days, and longer each day, than a “traditional” unit or module in the discipline. In traditional education, a full-time student would study between four and eight subjects or units per term or per semester at school, TAFE or university. Hence each subject or unit is effectively part-time study, taking up between 10% and 25% of the study hours available in each week. By way of contrast, an intensive mode subject might take between 30% and 100% of the available study hours. Examples include field trips and study tours, during which students devote 100% of the available hours to a single subject. In chemistry, the University of New England and Central Queensland University offer course by distance education, but students are expected to attend compulsory residential schools. During these residential schools, the students participate in chemistry laboratories and tutorials, all day, every day for up to one week.