Realistic uses of AUSSAT for distance education in Western Australian primary and secondary schools

The Australian Federal Government's decision, in May 1982, to implement a domestic satellite system (AUSSAT) has stimulated educators in Australia to consider the use of emerging communications technologies. Of these, satellite technology has the potential to provide an unparalleled delivery mechanism for education. Schools of the Air, in particular, have been cited as a major beneficiary of this technology.

Despite popular opinion, the viability of delivering education to Schools of the Air (SOTA) and Distance Education Centre (DEC) students by satellite is questionable, because of the small number and particular circumstances of the students involved. Similarly, District High Schools (DHS) contain large numbers of students who suffer similar geographic educational disadvantages; these students could benefit from satellite‐delivered education. Additionally, improved professional development for rural based‐teachers would be possible.     

Introducing Real-Time AVHRR-APT Satellite Imagery in the Classroom Environment

A low-cost (US$350) satellite receiving station was assembled and operated within a classroom environment in Gainesville (Florida) on October 2001 for acquiring satellite data directly from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) satellites. The simplicity of the satellite signal makes this source of real-time satellite data readily accessible to the K-16 educational community. The educational strategy of this program sought to achieve pedagogical effectiveness within the sciences, mathematics, and technology through the cultivation of applied, critical, and analytical skills. The applied hands-on laboratory and lecture experiences aimed at enabling students to visualize and integrate the various concepts presented in the classroom. The characteristics of the satellite data provide students and educators with live visible and infrared images that allow for the visualization and exploration of dynamic scientific concepts, making the AHVRR-APT system a suitable educational tool for complementing the K-16 curricula. This educational experience relied on inexpensive radio equipment for accessing satellite data through the exploration of modern space technology. When compared to Internet-based sources of AVHRR data, the virtual nature of Internet portals cannot provide students with a live satellite data acquisition experience, such as that available through a classroom-based AVHRR-APT satellite receiving station.     

Mathematical enculturation from the students’ perspective: shifts in problem-solving beliefs and behaviour during the bachelor programme

This study investigates the changes in mathematical problem-solving beliefs and behaviour of mathematics students during the years after entering university. Novice bachelor students fill in a questionnaire about their problem-solving beliefs and behaviour. At the end of their bachelor programme, as experienced bachelor students, they again fill in the questionnaire. As an educational exercise in academic reflection, they have to explain their individual shifts in beliefs, if any. Significant shifts for the group as a whole are reported, such as the growth of attention to metacognitive aspects in problem-solving or the growth of the belief that problem-solving is not only routine but has many productive aspects. On the one hand, the changes in beliefs and behaviour are mostly towards their teachers’ beliefs and behaviour, which were measured using the same questionnaire. On the other hand, students show aspects of the development of an individual problem-solving style. The students explain the shifts mainly by the specific nature of the mathematics problems encountered at university compared to secondary school mathematics problems. This study was carried out in the theoretical framework of learning as enculturation. Apparently, secondary mathematics education does not quite succeed in showing an authentic image of the culture of mathematics concerning problem-solving. This aspect partly explains the low number of students choosing to study mathematics.

《课程标准》理念下立体几何教学内容与教学方式的变革

《普通高中数学课程标准(实验)》理念下的立体几何教学内容,从形式到结构都较以往的大纲要求有较大的改动:变化的核心是理念的变化,几何教育价值观的变化,而最突出的变化就是由逻辑推理到合情推理与逻辑推理并重。据此,教师在教学策略上要依据《课程标准》的新理念去积极适应这种变化,充分利用"观察""思考""探究"等教学过程展开学习活动,把空间观念的建立和空间想象能力的培养放到突出的位置,要试图使学生经历观察、实验、猜想、证明等数学活动,发展合情推理和初步的演绎推理能力。     

Personality development and the college experience

Studies of freshman-senior data on undergraduates show that, despite major differences among institutions and students, the direction of net change was basically the same in several diverse colleges. Institutional freshmen means spanned a wide range, yet students became more autonomous, more aware, more integrated, more aesthetically sensitive, more tolerant, more liberal in religious views, and less concerned about material possessions. Although all students tended to change in the same direction at all colleges, they did not become more similar; diversity increased for the total group and, more often than not, diversity increased within each college.When sub-groups of similar students were examined within institutions, different patterns of change appeared, and were systematically related to such factors as college climate, student characteristics, teaching practices and study activities, and student-faculty relationships. Thus, differential change occurred as a function of institutional fit. When there is a close fit change proceeds along lines indicated by cultural and genetic forces and is consistent among diverse colleges. Where there is a misfit — students who have not developed to the general level at which a college operates, or whose development has gone beyond the operating level of a college — significant changes occur which are strongly associated with varied college characteristics and educational practices.The research reported here was supported by NIMH Grant #MH14780-05     

The impact of scienceware and foundations on students' attitudes towards science and science classes

In this paper, we describe changes in students' ideas about science classes, attitudes about science, and motivations for studying science, in a classroom designed to support projectbased science learing. Using a survey designed to provide a measure of students' attitudes towards science classes and science, we have compared students enrolled in a traditional high school biology course, with students enrolled in an integrated, project-based science course called Foundations I. Survey responses were analyzed to look at differences between and within two groups of students over the course of one school year. In general, the results of this study suggest that providing students with opportunities to collect and analyze their own data in science classes results in a change in students' ideas about science classrooms. Foundations I students' increased tendency to agree with statements about using information, drawing conclusions, and thinking about problems, implies a change in their understanding of what it means to do science in school. These students, in contrast to students in the traditional Biology course, no longer describe their science experience as one of memorization, textbook reading, and test taking. Instead they see science class as a place in which they can collect data, draw conclusions, and formulate and solve problems.     

The Role of Education in Restructuring Socialism: the Tanzanian case

Summary Tanzanian educators recognize the need to ally education more clearly to economic development, for they see in a revitalized economy the impetus for the growth of social services. The shortcomings in the educational system which must help accomplish this are clear. They realize that the ‘education for self‐reliance'policies have only slightly altered the nation's economy and have done little to create the ‘new’ socialist person. Teachers, their students, and parents do not yet possess the attitudes necessary to promote cooperation and service; and the majority of students do not attain the knowledge and skills necessary for an economy to prosper.

The nation's educational bureaucracy must also be committed to dramatic change. To date, only cosmetic changes have occurred in the way schools are administered. While leadership at the top has been sincere, regional and local educational leaders often only pay lip service.

Revolutionary change in Tanzanian education could come quickly through coercion and force. However, that is not the Tanzanian way and the chosen path. Instead, change is to be accomplished through the democratic process of enlightenment and dedication. This takes time. The major question is whether Tanzania still has the time.     

大变化和小变化——中职数学教学改革探索

中职学校的数学教材现在做了一个大的变身,除基础模块外增加了职业模块和拓展模块,这样既体现了专业特征,又能为学生今后的继续学习提供必要的知识铺垫,满足了学生不同方面的需求。中职学校的数学老师应当将这种大变与自身教育理念、教育方法的小变相结合,让学生真正在课堂上获取更多的知识,并培养学生分析解决问题的能力。     

A “model” proposal for reform in teacher training

The present paper uses as a point of departure two of Benton and Hoyt's (1990) survey items concerning undergraduate teaching and their finding that Holmes Group and Division 15 members favored more sweeping changes in teacher education whereas TESCSU members favored more incremental changes. It: (a) suggests that reform is unlikely to succeed without change in the behavior of those who teach prospective teachers; (b) suggests ways in which educational psychologists can improve the effectiveness of teachers and teacher training; and (c) questions whether moving teacher training to the graduate level will in fact improve such education.     

Impact of cutback planning and management on the poor and minorities in New York City: The case of public education

It is argued that the plight of the dependent-poor is likely to get worse as New York City's fiscal crisis is transformed into a service crisis. Considerable emphasis is given to describing the politics of school closings. The school closure issue has profound implications for any attempts to improve the educational lot of urban schools due to the potential relationship between white flight and school closings. The common tendency to close small and old school facilities located in areas where densities are higher (which minimizes transportation costs) results in schools being closed that are predominantly attended by poor and minority students. Policymakers should be able to learn a great deal about cutback management and planning in general through a better understanding of retrenchment policies which school districts throughout the nation have adopted.Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning, Washington, D.C., October, 1981.     

Double-Loop Diversity: Applying Adult Learning Theory to the Cultivation of Diverse Educational Climates in Higher Education

Most U.S. higher education institutions have implemented initiatives to increase campus diversity. The intended outcome is to reduce educational inequities among underrepresented populations. Such initiatives have come under fire, however, for serving as a superficial solution to educational inequities. Here I propose the application of an action-knowledge conceptual framework to explore why money and policy change are not enough to create campus environments where multi-culturalism enhances student learning. Argyris' (1985) notion of double-loop learning recognizes the necessity for actionable knowledge to be instilled in practitioners in order for diversity initiatives to truly achieve desired outcomes and have lasting effects.     

Educator perceptions of children who present with social,emotional and behavioural difficulties: a literature review with implications for recent educational policy in England and internationally

In support of their recommendations, recent policy pronouncements in England on behaviour (DFE (Department for Education). 2010 DFE (Department for Education) 2010. The Importance of Teaching – The Schools White Paper. London: TSO. [Google Scholar]. The Importance of Teaching – The Schools White Paper. London: TSO) and on reform of special educational needs and disabilities make reference, respectively, to educator perceptions of poor behaviour by children and to practitioner views about social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD). The evidence base for this analysis appears absent (DFE 2010) or is at best unclearly articulated (DFE (Department for Education). 2012 DFE (Department for Education) 2012. Support and Aspiration: A New Approach to Special Educational Needs and Disability – Progress and Next Steps. London: DFE. [Google Scholar]. Support and Aspiration: A New Approach to Special Educational Needs and Disability – Progress and Next Steps. London: Department for Education). In response, this article offers a timely brief review of research, published since 2000, exploring educator perceptions of children who present with SEBD. Research included does not offer clear support to the views expressed by recent policy in England, although it does, in varied ways, suggest the need for positive change in educational practice which affects children who present with SEBD, with particular emphasis upon the need for enacting educational inclusion. Articles included in this literature review are also, briefly, analysed in terms of their: methodological features; theoretical basis, particularly applications of the theory of planned behaviour; broad disciplinary affiliations; and also underpinning rationale. Recommendations for future research and implications for international policy on this topic are outlined: particularly the role of research in persuading practitioners and policy-makers away from deep-rooted but simplistic conceptualisations about this highly varied population of children.     

Computers and school reform

Part of the vision of school reform is to reconstruct schools as learning communities in which students and teachers pursue topics of interest. Computers can provide powerful tools for students in learning communities where inquiry, data gathering, interpretation, thinking, and judgment take place. Changing beliefs in educational goals and great support for teachers will be necessary if we are to realize the potential of computers in restructured classrooms. The greatest possibilities exist in new Professional Development Schools, where university faculty join school teachers in joint efforts to restructure learning environments. New evaluation procedures are also needed if competencies associated with information retrieval and use are to be assessed.     

Utilizing Federal Funds for Experiential Education: The Job Location and Development Program

The way in which the government defines financial need does not always account for the individual decisions families make when sending a student to college. Many students who do not qualify for federal financial aid must still pay for part of their educational expenses, and need a part-time job in order to do so. The Job Location and Development (JLD) program was designed to help these students find the employment they need, to pick up where federal work study leaves off. Since 1979, the MU Career Center and the Office of Student Financial Aid at the University of Missouri–Columbia have together operated a JLD program on campus that, since its inception, has helped more than 25,000 students find employment while in school. Those employment opportunities serve to not only assist students in funding their education, but also to provide students the opportunity to learn about themselves—their strengths and weaknesses, their career interests, perhaps what major they ought to choose—as well as valuable skills they can use after graduation.     

A WAY WITH WORDS: A Unique Approach to Literacy and Career Development

This article describes a unique collaboration between the Career Center at the University of Missouri–Columbia, Columbia Public Schools and the community. A WAY WITH WORDS is an America Reads community literacy program that has enriched the educational experience of graduate, undergraduate and K–5 students since 1996. Teams of undergraduate volunteers led by graduate students in Counseling Psychology and Educational Leadership (ELPA) tutor local children in an effort to increase literacy. The teams interact and communicate with children, parents, teachers and principals as they serve during school and in after-school programs that they co create with school administrators and community members. Tremendous opportunities exist for learning about socio-economically and increasing ethnically diverse communities. During a biweekly seminar, team leaders lead career exploration activities that focus on mentoring, multicultural issues and team building. The program seeks to cultivate civic responsibility as an aspect of career development through communication, relatedness and reflection.     

Predatory schools and student non-lives: a discourse analysis of the Safe Schools Coalition Australia controversy

This article addresses the controversy surrounding the Safe Schools Coalition Australia. Certain politicians and media commentators have accused the initiative of harming the students it ostensibly aims to benefit. Those accusations have, in turn, been labelled ‘homophobic’ by supporters of the Coalition. This article suggests that the term homophobic does not adequately describe or explain the visceral hostility of anti-Safe Schools discourses. Drawing on discourse analysis, I demonstrate how Safe Schools has been represented by its critics as being a sexual predator, while students have been represented as innocent, asexual, and requiring protection by their parents. These parents are the ones who can and should regulate their child’s access to sexual knowledge – and who can and should oppose Safe Schools. I conclude by arguing that the Safe Schools controversy is useful in that it provides an opportunity to recognise gender and sexually diverse student lives as being ‘lives’; and to consider how programmes such as Safe Schools can help create safer educational environments for these and other disadvantaged students.     

The issues seminar: Changing a large urban school system

Summary This paper describes one urban school system's attempt to become more manageable, responsive, and productive. We have tried to delineate how the seminars are modifying the system, and, in turn, being modified by the system.The Issues Seminar is an elusive item. In theory it allows decision makers to act proactively, to utilize data, and to operate in a synergetic mode. In practice it is an intervention which allows participants to exchange attitudes and perceptions, demands that bureaucrats be accountable, and fosters leader ship at all levels.The criterion for effectiveness of a structural intervention, such as the Seminars, should be the same as that for any educational innovation, practice, or policy-i.e., Does it facilitate student achievement? To that end, we must defer. Wedon't know. What wedo know is that (1) decision-makers do have access to data, atitudes, and perceptions from all levels, (2) members at all hierarchical levels are gaining an understanding of how the system works (and, of equal importance, how it doesn't work), (3) problems of minor importance yet great annoyance are being rectified, and (4) people are beginning to feel a psychic investment in the system. If those outcomes will ultimately have a positive, effect on the students, then the seminar will have been successful. We are optimistic.Roger H. Perry is Assistant Professor of Urban Administration and Policy-making at Washington University.Thomas R. Hoerr is a principal in the University City, Missouri School System.Doris W. Randolph is Coordinator of the St. Louis Public Schools Issues Seminars and a doctoral student in educational administration at Washington University.     

Singapore’s educational policy through the prism of student voice: recasting students as co-agents of educational change and ‘disrupting’ the status quo?

This paper examines the implementation of Singapore’s landmark policy, ‘Thinking Schools, learning Nation’ (TSLN), in developing ‘thinking students’ through the prism of student voice. In the context of twenty-first century education and the growing importance of student voice in education, this paper argues that the time might be right to ‘disrupt’ Singapore’s education status quo and incorporate meaningful student voice in education policies. Instead of perceiving students as mere subjects of educational policy enactment, and seeing policy as something that is done to them, it should be reconceptualised as something which is done with them; importantly, students should be recast as key co-agents of educational change, consistent with TSLN’s reconceptualization of learners as ‘thinking students’. Basing its arguments on findings from a qualitative case study of students’ perceptions and schooling experiences of critical thinking in TSLN, this paper considers the case for the inclusion of significant student voice in Singapore’s educational policy reforms. It fills gaps in research on student voices in Singapore’s educational reforms and TSLN’s research from students’ perspective. The paper suggests that the inclusion of student voice in educational reform might be the next landmark step in ‘disrupting’ its educational landscape after the ‘big bang’ of TSLN.     

The becoming place: A study of educational change in a small college

One of the more astonishing characteristics of educational research is the relative lack of social organizational analyses of higher educational institutions. There is even a greater gap in the literature with regard to thechange process associated with a given university or college. The present study is an examination of one college's attempt to change from a traditional white female finishing college to a larger biracial and coeducational college committed to experimental and innovative educational programs. Two ideal types of educational social organizations are utilized as explicit aids for the specification of the educational change process observed for the Becoming Place during the time period 1969 to 1975. The major findings, which are based on several data sources, can be summarized as follows. (1) Even when a proposed educational change is characterized by ideals of maximum involvement in the decision making process for all members of a college community, resistance to the change can be very substantial. (2) Ironically, little or no involvement by the faculty, students, and alumni in the initial decision to innovate was a major factor for the resistance to educational social change. The research is concluded with a consideration of the findings in terms of possible implications for the future of small colleges.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the annual meeting of the Southern Sociological Society, Knoxville, TN, April 1980.