The rhetoric and reality of good teaching: A case study across three faculties at the Queensland University of Technology

Universities now have a lot to say abouttertiary teaching. University policy, teachingunits, and promotion criteria have a veryspecific understanding of good teaching withinthe academy. This case study of QueenslandUniversity of Technology (QUT) found that goodteaching has two central features: it isnecessarily student centred, and it is`innovative, a characteristic that, at QUT atleast, is increasingly equated with the use oftechnology. This paper – based upon interviewswith twenty-four QUT academics across threefaculties (Education, Science, and Law), ananalysis of QUT's teaching and learningpolicies, and some additional historicalresearch – will suggest four things. First,that the concept of student centred learning,based on ideals of progressive education, isneither an historical inevitability northeoretically unproblematic. Second, thatirrespective of discipline, all lecturersespouse an underpinning `progressive' teachingphilosophy, even though, in practice, teachingstyle appears to be determined primarily bysubject-matter. Third, given that, in practice,the progressive model seems to suit somefaculties and subject areas better than others(i.e. Education, as opposed to Science and Law)this has significant professional implicationsfor the lecturers concerned. Finally, thatrather than promoting a `progressive' pedagogy,the use of technology in teaching actuallyappears to reinforce traditional teachingtechniques. Consequently, it is suggested thatmonolithic understandings of good teaching,when applied across the academy irrespective ofcontext, are often inappropriate, ineffectiveand inequitous, and that universities need tothink through their teaching policies andprogrammes more thoroughly.     

Discerning contextual complexities in STEM career pathways: insights from successful Latinas

Cultural Studies of Science Education - This paper introduces the concept of contextual mitigating factors (CMFs) as a theoretical construct to help understand how Latinas who demonstrated success...     

Latinas’ heritage language as a source of resiliency: impact on academic achievement in STEM fields

Cultural Studies of Science Education - This article highlights how the preservation of heritage languages is essential in the construction of three Georgia Latina participants’ cultural...     

Best Practices for Teaching Those Afraid in Water

The primary purpose of this study is to share what has been found to work well in professional practice based on a series of exploratory scholarly studies as well as information gathered informally from students and through specialized aquatic workshops, conferences and seminars. Research has shown that there is an existing population of at-risk swimmers, and, therefore, it is inevitable that many aquatic professionals will encounter individuals in need of a specialized approach to learning. The concept of systematic desensitization holds great promise and, when refined, can be introduced to educators to augment existing swimming instruction and eventually contribute to the extinction of preventable drowning.     

Holism, contextual variability, and the study of friendships in adolescent development

This study treated a key relationship in the developmental ecology of adolescence, friendships, as multidimensional and context specific. First, it examined 4 characteristics of friends (academic achievement, alcohol use, emotional distress, and extracurricular participation) as independent factors and as components in holistic friendship group profiles. Longitudinal analyses of 9,224 adolescents (ages 12-20) revealed that multiple characteristics of friends predicted adolescent behavioral problems, as did membership in the best adjusted group profile. Second, the study examined whether the associations between friendship factors and adolescent behavior varied as a function of the larger peer network and school context, finding that network centrality, school academic press, and intergenerational bonding in schools conditioned the role of friends' characteristics and group profiles in positive and negative ways.     

‘THOMAS’ Training: An early years intervention for children with an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD)

The ‘THOMAS’ course (The Hampshire Outline for Meeting the needs of under fives on the Autistic Spectrum) is a four‐day training programme to enhance the learning of young children with impairments in social understanding, communication and play by increasing the use of appropriate interventions. It has been supporting families and professionals in the early years settings for over five years and feedback has been exceptionally positive. This article reviews the extent to which training skills have been embedded in the long‐term. Results indicate that the training is still as effective a year on, with many techniques, including visual structure and behaviour management, seen as highly effective interventions. Furthermore, there is an indication that course participants may experience an increase in confidence that enables them to become more independent and generate their own solutions as skills and knowledge become embedded over time.     

选秀奇葩:一夜成名的背后

除了那些提不起精神和毫无耐心的人,对我们所有人而言,苏珊·波伊尔和保罗·帕兹的故事都是令人无限神往的。似乎是经过电视选秀节目《英国达人》的发掘,人们猛然发现,这两位工人阶级出身、地位低微、长相平平的人竟能唱出美妙的歌曲,令人刮目相看。人们的反应就如同在一辆因抛锚而被丢弃在路上的现代牌汽车上发现了大批宝藏。     

Investigating Parent and Professional Perspectives Concerning Special Education Services for Preschool Latino Children

Population changes in the US have created new challenges for service providers responsible for screening, determining eligibility, and providing appropriate educational services to young English Language Learners (ELLs). Six focus groups (two each) with administrators, teachers, and parents were conducted in two different locations to investigate the referral, diagnostic evaluation, and placement of prekindergarten Latino children who are ELLs and their families. The purpose of this study was to: (a) identify effective practices that differentiate between cultural/linguistic differences and learning differences; (b) identify the gaps in the current special education services; and (c) make recommendations to reduce the disproportionate representation of young ELL children based on these data. The results revealed a number of factors contributing to the disproportionality of young ELL children in special services such as: inconsistent screening and evaluation methods; insufficient numbers of bilingual professionals and trained interpreters; communication barriers and contradictory procedures that undermine meaningful partnerships with parents of ELLs; the need for professional development on the purposes and administration procedures of screening and evaluation tools; and a need for policy and regulation changes pertaining to ELL children such as the timing of screenings and evaluations.