"What’s your science teacher like?": Using students to appraise teaching and teachers

The evaluations of teacher performance as carried out in most schools are brief, superficial affairs involving a few moments of classroom observation, followed by the completion of an evaluation report form which is read and signed by all interested parties, filed away and never referred to again. Such cursory processes do very little to promote the professional development of teachers, and yet the use of alternative schemes for appraising teaching or providing feedback to teachers is still not widespread in Australian schools. Students can play a role in providing feedback to teachers, yet whether this feedback is valid and welcomed is still a contested issue. Some published research shows that it can be a valid and valuable exercise. This paper reports some work-in-progress in which students in secondary science classes in Tasmania were interviewed, with some very insightful responses being provided. Broader issues associated with "Teacher Appraisal" are also discussed. Specializations: Science teacher education, teacher appraisal, classroom practice, environmental education.     

Teacher Attitudes Regarding Barriers to Meaningfully Implementing iPads in a Primary School Setting

The purpose of this study was to examine the barriers to implementing iPads in a primary school setting. The participants in this study included four subject specialist teachers and an ICT coordinator. To gather their views on the use of iPads as instructional tools in the classroom, semi-structured interviews were conducted and teachers' diaries were analyzed. The themes that emerged from the analysis of the teachers' diaries included the positive impact of iPad use in education, the potential disadvantages of iPad use in education, and technical issues. An issue that strongly emerged from the diaries was the need for more training on the features of an iPad and apps along with how to use them appropriately in lessons. It was also revealed that what was initially seen as major barriers to iPad use in lessons could be easily resolved with the presence of the correct knowledge and support.     

Choosing a University: A conjoint analysis of the impact of higher fees on students applying for university in 2012

Tertiary Education and Management - In the light of the forthcoming policy shift to full-cost fees for English undergraduates, this study examines the impact of fee changes on how students weigh up...     

Learning about research: exploring the learning and teaching/research relationship amongst educational practitioners studying in higher education

The paper examines aspects of the relationship between teaching and research in higher education in social science research methods, with particular reference to the subject area of Education. There are three main themes: reflections on how social science research methods should be (or are) taught; a review of current debates about the relationship between teaching and research, both in higher education and for school teachers; and finally, reporting how a group of educational practitioners (mainly school teachers) studying at Masters level experience learned about research methods. The paper is illustrated by qualitative data from a case study of student experiences of research methods teaching on a Masters degree in Education in a research-intensive UK university. It is suggested that studying the journey embarked upon by taught postgraduate students inexperienced in research is helpful in understanding how learning about research methods takes place, which in turn can assist future research methods teaching.     

Mediating Voices: Community Participation in the Design of E-Enabled Community Care Services

In the United Kingdom, information and communication technologies are being used to e-enable multiagency community services for children. Public policy advocates that practitioners as well as users should be involved in the shaping of services including the information systems used in their delivery. This article discusses how a group of social and computer scientists developed the social formation methodology to facilitate nonexpert community participation in the design of e-enabled community care services. The longitudinal study adapts qualitative methods to understand community welfare and to foster participation in the design of communication systems. By exploring the perspectives of welfare practitioners and families, the importance of situated and mediated conversations in community care is identified. The facilitative conversation approach of the study then brings these community perspectives, as well as ICT perspectives, into design processes of e-enabled services.     

An integrated assessment of the effects of Title I on school behavior,resources, and student achievement

We examine the effects of Title I on school behavior, resources, and academic performance using a rich set of school finance and student-level achievement data from one large urban school district using a regression discontinuity design. We find that Title I eligibility raises Federal revenues of schools by about $460 per student. This is partially offset by decreases in revenues from state categorical aid grants, so that the net increase to schools is about $360 per student. We find no impact on overall school-level test scores, but also no impact among the subgroups of students most likely to be affected by Title I. A novel finding is that schools appear to respond to the incentives embedded in the Title I allocation process by manipulating the fraction of their students signed up for free lunch to secure more Federal funds.     

Benefits of multisensory structured language instruction for at-risk foreign language learners: A comparison study of high school Spanish students

In this study, the benefits of multisensory structured language (MSL) instruction in Spanish were examined. Participants were students in high-school-level Spanish attending girls’ preparatory schools. Of the 55 participants, 39 qualified as at-risk for foreign language learning difficulties and 16 were deemed not-at-risk. The at-risk students were assigned to one of three conditions: (1) MSL—multisensory Spanish instruction in self-contained classrooms (n=14); (2) SC—traditional Spanish instruction provided in self-contained classrooms (n=11); and (3) NSC—traditional Spanish instruction in regular (not self-contained) Spanish classes (n=14). Not-at-risk students (n=16) received traditional Spanish instruction in regular classes similar to the instruction provided to the NSC group. All three at-risk groups made significant gains over time on some native language skills regardless of teaching method. The MSL group also made significant gains on a foreign language aptitude measure. The MSL group and the not-at-risk group made greater gains than the two other at-risk groups on foreign language aptitude and native language measures of reading comprehension, word recognition, and pseudoword reading. Although most at-risk learners achieved an “expected” level of foreign language proficiency after two years of instruction, significant group differences were found. On measures of oral and written foreign language proficiency, the MSL and not-at-risk groups scored significantly higher than the at-risk groups instructed using traditional methods. After two years of Spanish instruction, no differences in foreign language proficiency were found between the MSL group and the not-at-risk group.     

Religious beliefs in science classrooms

The question of the relationship between science and religion assumes importance for many secondary school students of science, especially but not exclusively for those in Christian schools. Science as presented in many school classrooms is not as objective and value free as it might seem on first examination, nor does it represent adequately the range of beliefs about science held by students and teachers. This paper reports part of a larger research study into beliefs about science and religion held by students, teachers and clergy in a Lutheran secondary school. Results indicate that participants in the study was the relationship between science and religious belief in ways unforeseen and unappreciated by traditional school science programs. The stories of selected participants are told and they frame a discussion of implications of the study for science teaching.     

Victim, perpetrator, family, and incident characteristics of infant and child homicide in the United States Air Force

OBJECTIVE: The present study describes factors related to fatal abuse in three age groups in the United States Air Force (USAF). METHOD: Records from 32 substantiated cases of fatal child abuse in the USAF were independently reviewed for 60 predefined factors. RESULTS: Males were over-represented in young child victims (between 1 year and 4 years of age) and child victims (between 4 years and 15 years of age) but not in infant victims (between 24 hours and 1 year of age). African-American infant victims and perpetrators were over-represented. Younger victims were more likely to have been previously physically abused by the perpetrator. Perpetrators were predominantly male and the biological fathers of the victims. Infant and young child perpetrators reported childhood abuse histories, while child perpetrators reported the highest frequency of mental health contact. Victims' families reported significant life stressors. Families of young child victims were more likely divorced, separated, or single. Incidents with infants and young children tended to occur without witnesses; incidents with child victims tended to have the victim's sibling(s) and/or mother present. Fatal incidents were more frequent on the weekend, in the home, and initiated by some family disturbance. CONCLUSIONS: Differences among groups in factors related to infant and child homicide across age groups may assist in the development of more tailored abuse prevention efforts and may also guide future investigations.