Student attitudes to blogs: a case study of reflective and collaborative learning

The aim of this study is to evaluate the capacity of an e-learning tool (blog) to facilitate reflection among students as part of collaborative group learning. The paper provides insights into student attitudes towards blogs as an interactive and reflective learning tool. Additionally, the study highlights the differences between domestic and international student attitudes towards reflection as part of collaborative learning in groups. The results indicate that international students consistently viewed the use of e-learning tools more positively than domestic students. For educators, the results provide direction in terms of enhancements to assessment tasks incorporating e-learning, including the professional development of staff to address the rapidly changing learning environment.     

The Law,Ethics and Body Donation: A Tale of Two Bequeathal Programs

Historically, legislature has been utilized to facilitate appropriate use of cadavers in the anatomical sciences. However, cadaver acquisition and use have also been guided by ethically appropriate and morally acceptable principles. Various global and regional frameworks of “ethical practice” guide body donation, including the use of unclaimed bodies by institutions. These frameworks are responsive to, and reciprocal with the various ethical, moral and legal factors that influence the development of body donation programs. This reciprocity supports the notion that anatomists and anatomical societies have a responsibility to advocate for legal reform when required. In this study, two body bequest programs from geopolitically and socially disparate countries are used as cases to contrast existing legal and governance frameworks for body donation and to examine whether anatomists can direct the acquisition of ethically donated cadavers. The study includes an Australian donor program that has exclusively accepted bequests since its inception, and a South African program that has recently transitioned to a bequest system. Elements such as consent by next-of-kin and Inspector of Anatomy, use of unclaimed bodies and ethics committee approval amongst others, are compared. It is acknowledged that legal frameworks for cadaver acquisition generally deliver broad guidance on acceptable utilization of bodies for the anatomical sciences. However, professional discretion is of importance in adapting to societal needs and values. Thus, while anatomists have been able to progress toward more ethical practice than that which is required by the law, they must continue to do so as societal values evolve.     

Early Years Educators in Finland and England: Issues of professionality Educateurs Pre´scolaires en Finlande et en Angleterre: Questions de professionnalite´ Los Educadores de Menores en Finlandia e Inglaterra: Temas de profesionalidad

This paper endeavours to make a contribution to the debate concerning early years practitioners' identity as a professional group and does so through the use of data from semi-structured interviews conducted in England and Finland with early years teachers. During these interviews, early years teachers working in Finland expressed different understandings of their professional role than early years teachers working in England. It is suggested that the educators working in Finland had adopted understandings of professionality that were based more closely on notions of complexity and democracy. In contrast, responses made by early years educators working in England indicated a more limited conception of professionality. In the paper the evidence is analysed and suggestions made about why these distinctions have occurred and suggests that extensions to professionality for early years teachers in both countries to include 'criticality' need to occur. Cet article tente d'apporter une contribution au débat concernant l'identité des éducateurs préscolaires en tant que groupe professionnel, par le biais de données recueillies lors d'entretiens semi-structurés avec des enseignants préscolaires en Finlande et en Angleterre. Pendant ces entretiens, les éducateurs préscolaires travaillant en Finlande ont exprimé une compréhension différente de leur rôle professionnel de ceux qui travaillent en Angleterre. Il est suggéré que les éducateurs travaillant en Finlande ont développé une compréhension de la professionnalité basée davantage sur des notions de complexité et de démocratie. Au contraire, les réponses des éducateurs préscolaires travaillant en Angleterre ont dénoté une conception plus limitée de la professionnalité. L'article analyse les résultats et présente des suggestions sur les raisons de ces différences, et suggère qu'il devrait se produire des extensions à la professionnalité des enseignants préscolaires dans les deux pays pour lui faire comprendre la 'criticalité'. Este artículo espera hacer una aportación al debate relacionado con la identidad de los profesionales de edades jóvenes como un grupo profesional y lo hace con el uso de datos obtenidos en entrevistas semiestructuradas realizadas en Inglaterra y en Finlandia con profesores de menores. Durante estas entrevistas, los profesores de menores que trabajan en Finlandia expresaron diferentes interpretaciones de su papel profesional que aquellas expresadas por profesores de menores que trabajan en Inglaterra. Se sugiere que los educadores que trabajan en Finlandia han adoptado interpretaciones de profesionalidad basadas más estrechamente en nociones de complejidad y democracia. Por el contrario, las respuestas aportadas por educadores de menores que trabajan en Inglaterra indican un concepto de profesionalidad más limitado. En el artículo se analiza la evidencia y se presentan sugerencias sobre el por qué han ocurrido estas distinciones y sugiere que deben producirse extensiones a esa profesionalidad para profesores de menores de ambos países a fin de que incluyan 'criticalidad'.     

Teaching young children: perceived satisfaction and stress

This paper explores how early years teachers feel about their work. Responses to an open-ended questionnaire indicated that teachers found working with young children both satisfying and rewarding. However, they felt they were being impeded by external factors, such as educational change and current curriculum initiatives, which caused them stress. More specifically, teachers expressed frustration in implementing policies that they felt were contrary to their own pedagogical understandings and professional values. It is concluded that teachers need to be more actively involved with consultation processes that affect their work.     

Accounting for Variation in Science and Mathematics Achievement: A Multilevel Analysis of Australian Data Third International Mathematics and Science Study (Timss)

One of the most consistent themes evident in the literature dealing with rural education is that of rural disadvantage. Much research and literature indicates that students from rural schools receive an education that is inferior to that of students from larger urban or suburban schools. Of the matrix of factors reported to lead to that disadvantage, geographical isolation and the extent to which it restricts access is reported to result in rural schools not having the same standard of resource allocation as urban schools where access is not a problem. This study addresses the issue of resource availability in rural and urban Australian schools and includes the variables: students' attitudes towards science and mathematics and career aspirations of these students. The analysis includes socioeconomic status and gender of these students and investigates how these variables relate to student achievement. Do students in rural schools have the same educational opportunity as students in urban schools? In this study a multilevel model is used which takes into account the classroom level variance in student achievement as well as individual variance and school level variance.     

MAXIMIZING LEARNING EFFICIENCY IN LATER ADULTHOOD: A COGNITIVE PROBLEM‐SOLVING APPROACH

An age‐related decline in performance is typically observed in research on tasks that rely on cognitive processing. However, such declines must not be accepted as indisputable evidence that the learning efficiency of older adults is necessarily impaired. Cognitive factors such as a production deficiency in long‐term memory and/or a retrieval deficiency do operate to depress the performance of older adults. However, a number of noncognitive factors such as functional and pathological sensory deficits, psychomotor slowing, poor physical and mental health, and insufficient or excessively high motivation also mitigate against optimal performance in the aged. The learning efficiency of the aged may be improved through the use of teaching and learning techniques designed to compensate for the negative effects of both detrimental cognitive and noncognitive factors.     

Collaborative research for assessment for learning

This paper reports on a collaborative research study between three secondary teachers and two university researchers, initiated by the teachers, into the practice and impacts of assessment for learning in science, geography and history classes. The research provides insights into how teachers and researchers can collaborate to develop a research and practice agenda. The study illustrates the need for a dynamic interconnection between the personal, micro or school-related level and the macro or policy level factors. The findings highlight the importance of external support, shared teacher knowledge and beliefs, professional experimentation, and shared reflection on student responses to classroom innovations.