Spinning a Web (Case) Around Professional Standards: Capturing the Complexity of Science Teaching

This study examines the intersection of two key reform ideas in science teacher education – professional teaching standards and the use of case methods. In this article, we track the historical development of what can be called second wave teaching standards and describe how those standards can be exemplified through multimedia web cases of science teaching. We describe a web case development project in which a group of experienced secondary science teachers work together over several months to video their own classes, and assemble video and audio commentaries of their lessons based on a set of science teaching standards. We conclude that the project was a rich professional development experience for those involved. Further, as the teaching standards movement gathers momentum in Australia and elsewhere, we contend that high quality multimedia cases linked to a standards framework show considerable promise as a vehicle to assist science teachers to reflect on their practice.     

Teachers' computer anxiety: implications for professional development

Changes in society's expectations mean that school teachers need to be able to use computers in education with minimal anxiety. Some 350 primary and secondary school teachers completed a questionnaire that identified sources of computer anxiety and provided teachers with the opportunity to suggest solutions. The teachers were very supportive of the use of computers in education, but reported moderately low levels of computer competence. A number of suggestions for the reduction of computer anxiety are made, based on teachers' first-hand accounts, and an analysis of trends in the quantitative data. The implications of these suggestions for teachers' professional development are explored     

What’s the problem with ‘policy alignment’? The complexities of national reform in Australia’s federal system

ABSTRACT

This article problematises contemporary debates in favour of ‘policy alignment’ by considering the complexities emerging from attempts to forge greater alignment of policies and processes across state schooling systems in the Australian federation. We begin by articulating our conceptual approach to policy alignment, after which we examine Australian and international debates relating to alignment in schooling policy. We then consider how policy actors are engaging with debates and challenges relating to alignment, drawing upon interviews with senior bureaucrats in Australian state education departments and agencies. Our findings suggest policy actors see misalignment as a problem but do not necessarily see alignment as the solution. This raises complex questions about the logic and value of pursuing alignment in federations.     

Teaching Ecosystem Management and Sustainability

At first glance, a refuge proposed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) appeared to be an effective approach for protecting the habitat of migratory waterfowl. Under careful scrutiny, the proposal was predicated on false assumptions about development pressure and affected landowners exhibited a lifestyle reflecting environmental values. Residents promoted wildlife and utilized renewable resources on their land; they practiced ecological sustainability through private stewardship. Ecological sustainability is a long‐term strategy based on deep ecology and bioregionalism. Technological sustainability is a short‐term strategy based, on centralized bureaucracies, high technologies and economic markets. USFWS engages technological sustainability through acquisition and ecosystem management. While technological sustainability is urgently needed where habitat is disappearing rapidly, it can preempt ecological sustainability elsewhere, as illustrated in this case study. Environmental educators should teach concepts of ecosystem management and sustainability carefully. Private stewardship for ecological sustainability is not part of the anti‐environmental ‘wise use’ movement.     

Learning in interactive science centres

The potential of informal sources of science learning to supplement and interact with formal classroom science is receiving increasing recognition and attention in the research literature. In this study, a phenomenographic approach was used to determine changes in levels of understanding of 27 grade 7 primary school children as a result of a visit to an interactive science centre. The results showed that most students did change their levels of understanding of aspects of the concept “sound”. The study also provides information which will be of assistance to teachers on the levels of understanding displayed by students on this concept. Specializations: informal science learning, science curriculum Specializations: science education, science teacher education, conceptual change, learning environments.     

The Historical Experience of Liberal Studies for Vocational Learners in Further Education

This paper revisits the liberal studies movement – an important if under-researched episode in the history of education. It examines the lived experience of a set of former vocational students, the great majority of whom eventually went on to teach in further and higher vocational education. All participants had undertaken a course of liberal studies alongside a programme of work-related learning at an English college of further education at some point between the mid-1960s and the late-1980s. The paper presents two key findings: first, whilst participants’ experiences were varied and uneven, most seemed quite agnostic about liberal studies in their youth; second, the great majority of those who took part in the research were substantially more positive about their learning in retrospect.     

Quality Review in Distance Learning: Policy and Practice in Five Countries

This paper is a contribution to knowledge sharing in the field of distance learning. It presents and discusses the findings of a study on the quality review of distance learning in a sample of five countries. The study was commissioned by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation’s (CHEA) International Commission in order to understand better the nature of existing arrangements and their potential impact in the context of growth in electronically supported learning and the import and export of education world-wide.     

Fraction interventions for struggling elementary math learners: A review of the literature

Understanding fractions has been a pervasively difficult skill for struggling math learners, yet it is essential for success in secondary level mathematics skills. The present systematic review examined the evidence base of fraction interventions for elementary level students identified as struggling math learners. Twelve studies met inclusion criteria and were reviewed for (a) instructional focus (b) instructional components, and (c) effectiveness of the intervention on fraction performance. The majority of studies had a primary instructional focus on conceptual knowledge of fraction learning. Results of the study also indicated that all interventions included multiple evidence‐based instructional components (e.g., concrete and visual representations, range and sequence of examples, etc.). These multicomponent interventions improved performance on a variety of proximal fraction outcome measures. Intervention effects were mixed for generalized outcome measures and minimal for distal outcome measures. Limitations, implications for practice, and future research directions are discussed.