UNDERSTANDING ESSAY RATING AS A SOCIALLY MEDIATED ACTIVITY: THE CASE OF A HIGH-STAKES ENGLISH TEST IN CHINA

Thesis (Ph.D, Education) -- Queen's University, 2016-09-22 22:05:24.246

Accelerating mathematics learners : what counts?

This article elaborates on my statements quoted in The Age October 2014 article 'More students take on VCE mathematics subject early'. (http://theage.com.au/victoria/more-students-take-on-vce-subjects-early-20141024-11b4rv.html). This article was about accelerating mathematics students by allowing them to take year 11 Mathematics subjects in year 10, and year 12 Mathematics subjects in year 11. My statements were 'Although 'taking on Year 12 subjects early could help students prepare for the workload once they reach their final year ... based on my research and teaching experience, you don't take on early those subjects that are going to be key to your university studies' because 'going early means you are going to rely much more heavily on learning things faster.

The perils of change leadership

Professor Karen Starr, Foundation Chair, School Development and Leadership at Deakin University, presents findings of research on how Principals experience resistance to change in their schools.

The risks in risk management

Professor Karen Starr, Foundation Chair, School Development and Leadership at Deakin University, recently spoke with Principals about risk management in schools. She argues for more open dialogue in schools to expose the full range of risks they face.

Establishing school university partnerships to teach science – Does what worked for us work for you?

Concerns over the quality and amount of science teaching in Australian primary schools has led to a concentration of research on the methods of delivery of science education. There is a growing interest in both Australian and International contexts on building teacher knowledge and confidence to teach science, how science is taught at the primary school level and also how pre-service teachers are prepared to teach science. The Science Teacher Education Partnerships with Schools (STEPS) project is one response to these concerns. The STEPS project is a collaboration of five Australian universities that each independently set-up their own school-based partnership approaches with schools to deliver their science education programs. Each university aimed to provide pre-service teachers with the genuine experience of teaching science while being supported by university teaching staff. The project has drawn on feedback from pre-service teachers, teachers, principals and teacher educators involved at the five universities to examine the prevailing practices and led to the development of a set of tools and process, referred to as the Interpretive Framework (IF)(Hobbs et al. 2015). The IF describes how to create and maintain effective partnerships with schools, based on this research. This current paper reports on a survey conducted in 2014 which aimed to feedback from teacher educators across Australia to explore the extent to which school-based teaching opportunities in science for PSTs were in use across the country and to identify the range of approaches and theories driving their practices. Some respondents were followed up for interview and key factors were analysed and reported here. These data will be used to further refine the IF.

Issues of Indigenous representation: white advocacy and the complexities of ethical leadership

This paper explores the tensions and complexities for two principals as they work towards equity and improved social and educational outcomes for their Indigenous students. Drawing on Foucault’s fourfold ethical frame and poststructuralist notions of the subject, this paper presents the different ways the white female principals of Indigenous schools are formed as subjects. We illustrate how the multiplicities of their subject formation are influenced by the historicity and contextual factors of the schools and communities. These factors play a significant part in how these principals work as advocates and differently experience and negotiate the tensions around representation of and for Indigenous schools and communities. In realising equity goals for Indigenous students, the paper draws on Foucault’s work to illustrate the imperative of school leaders’ cognisance of, and capacity to work with, these factors.

MySchool:whose school? an Australian investigation of the mediatization of educational policy

In investigating how three Australian newspapers and six school principals interacted with a significant policy initiative, namely the MySchool website, this research argues against homogenous views of both print-media and mediatization. It further argues that while press reporting on education policy is often an opportunity for newspapers to present newspaper-specific views of what policy ought to be, mediatization is not a one-way process. Rather, it is a dynamic one, defined and shaped by struggle and contestation, through which the press may also be subject to change. The research further suggests that strong school leaders play a crucial role in enabling schools to resist mediatized efforts to alter their practice and autonomy.

Three dimensional printing as a way to create an engaging and meaningful context for learning

Three-dimensional (3D) printers are now commonplace in both primary and secondary schools within Australia. As with most new technologies they present a range of challenges to users in terms of technical problems and support, and how to integrate their use into the curriculum in a meaningful way. This research reports on data from a small number of Victorian primary schools from urban and regional areas. A case study methodology has been used to examine how each setting has approached the use of these printers and includes a review of the literature concerning the uptake of new technologies by non-experts. Data include interview transcripts from teachers, principals and technicians and photographic artefacts of 3D printed objects. Teachers reflected on their reasoning behind lesson plans and their aspirations for future use of 3D printers in the classroom. Some of the issues identified were teacher confidence, time to ‘play’ with and become familiar with 3D printers; and technical challenges that arose such as the time taken to print an object and clogging of printer extruders (heads). Recommendations are made concerning possible ways forward.

Moçambique: educação e VIH/SIDA: as perspectivas dos professores e directores face ao VIH/SIDA na realidade ecolar

Esta dissertação centra-se na análise da perspectiva dos directores/ professores de Educação Cívica e Moral da 6ª e 7ª das Escolas Primárias e Completas (EPCs) na realidade do VIHISIDA nessas mesmas escolas, considerando as representações que estes actores têm face a esta patologia. Este estudo visa apreender a construção da resposta ao fenómeno no quotidiano escolar. Pretende, igualmente, avaliar as representações dos actores face às intervenções e hipóteses de melhoria da resposta dada. E, ainda, chamar a atenção da sociedade, do ministério e da escola, para a necessidade de se ouvir as diversidades que caracterizam as escolas na resposta ao VIH/SIDA. O trabalho de campo foi realizado nas EPCs do Distrito de Quelimane e Nicoadala, com base em entrevistas semi-estruturadas realizadas aos Directores e aos professores da província da Zambézia. Foi igualmente feita recolha documental e bibliográfica, tendo-se recorrido ao apoio de teorias pertinentes ao estudo. Face à investigação realizada, podemos concluir que, apesar do envolvimento dos actores locais no processo de prevenção do VIH/SIDA, existem carências e lacunas a nível da respectiva formação pedagógica e epidemiológica, a nível das condições de trabalho e no que diz respeito às fracas articulações entre o Ministério da Educação e o Ministério da Saúde. ABSTRACT: This dissertation focuses on the perspectives of the principals/teachers of civic and moral education of the 6th and 7th classes o EPC’s on the reality on HIV/AIDS in schools, considering the representation that they have on this pathology. This study aims to understand the construction of responses to the phenomenon in the everyday life. It also aims to take a closer look at the representations of the actors on the interventions and the possibilities of improving the daily responses of the EPC's. Another aspect that was considered was of the society, the ministry and schools on the relevance of listening and nuances of schools in response to HIVIAIDS. Based on the fieldwork in the districts of Quelimane and Nicoadala, semi-structured interviews with school principals/ teachers were carried out as well as the collection of documents, bibliographies and the support of pertinent theories. According to this research we can conclude that besides the local actors' involvements in the prevention process of HIVIAIDS, there are lacks and needs on teaching training and on epidemics, on working conditions and a weak dialogue between Education and Health Ministries.