Computer,craft, complexity,change: explorations into science teacher knowledge

In this article we review the notion of teacher knowledge from four metaphorical standpoints – teacher knowledge as computer, as craft, as complexity and as change. We employ each of these metaphors to examine and analyse the work of one teacher of science. We draw implications from our analysis for teacher education, teacher development and the study of teaching.     

Knowing and learning about science in a preservice setting: A narrative study

This study employs narrative methods to give a holistic view of the experiences of five mature age preservice teachers in a semester unit of science education. The unit was designed to help teachers examine and make explicit their ideas about science and science teaching and consider ways in which they might put those ideas into practice. The pivotal theme, around which the teachers' experiences could be organised, was found to be learning science. The preservice teachers expressed a need for a supportive learning environment in which concepts were built gradually and introduced using concrete examples. Previous science experience was found to be a major influence on the attitudes the participants brought to the present course. A lack of previous experience or negative past experiences were a major cause of anxiety. Gender was also important as it had limited the science experiences available to some participants in the past and continued to influence the way they participated in classes during the semester. Specializations: primary science, science teacher education, primary school field experience. Specializations: formation of teachers' knowledge, leadership, teacher change, school reform.     

ADHD: The Untold Truths of the ADEP (Australian Deficit in Educational Policy)

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a disorder that predominantly results in behaviours associated with hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention that are frequently not conducive to successful learning and academic performance. Children who display these behaviours often require extra assistance, adjustments, and accommodations in the classroom in order to achieve their full potential. This article reviews Australian and New South Wales Discrimination, Disability and Education legislation, policy and procedures with respect to the education of students with ADHD. This review illustrates the need to standardise the definition of disability used throughout Australia, and to more firmly clarify an education provider’s responsibilities toward students with disabilities. With more clarity, students with ADHD will be provided with the additional educational and behaviour support they need in order to realise their full potential.     

Use and Perceptions of E-books by Academic Staff in Further Education

This article reports on a study of the awareness, perceptions and use of e-books by academic staff in Further Education (FE) colleges throughout Northern Ireland (NI). It is the first comprehensive study of e-book use by FE faculty in NI and fills a significant gap in the research literature on e-books in education, which has tended to focus on Higher Education and the university setting. Data was collected through an online survey which was distributed to FE faculty across NI. The findings show that although FE academic staff are receptive to e-books and welcome them as a resource, poor reading experience and lack of awareness of relevant titles have had an impact. In particular, the research found that 40% of academic staff, in post less than five years, had not used e-books. Greater availability of titles, promotion, and better integration within teaching and learning emerge as key requisites for effective service delivery and enhancement of e-books within FE, as does the need for better targeted instruction and training aimed at academic staff. Understanding patrons' views, awareness, needs, habits and expectations in relation to e-books is crucial to help direct collection content while budgets remain tight and physical space limited.     

Using machine-learning and visualisation to facilitate learner interpretation of source material

This paper describes an approach for supporting inquiry learning from source materials, realised and tested through a tool-kit. The approach is optimised for tasks that require a student to make interpretations across sets of resources, where opinions and justifications may be hard to articulate. We adopt a dialogue-based approach to learning whereby the student creates an external representation to reflect their current understanding of the task. This in turn prompts immediate feedback, designed to help the learner to see patterns or irregularities in their current perspective. Through the on-going feedback, the student is encouraged to make incremental changes to achieve a coherent outcome. In this approach, learners are encouraged to generate meaningful responses for themselves, rather than relying on feedback which explicitly provides an answer. This is aimed at prompting deeper processing and understanding of source materials in the context of the given learning goal.     

Collaborative classroom practice for inclusion: perspectives of classroom teachers and learning support/resource teachers

Collaborative practice is integral to effective inclusion. Within schools, teacher collaboration can foster communities of practice through a series of professional relationships that enhance the educational experience and learning outcomes of pupils with special educational needs (SEN). In Ireland, Learning Support Teachers (LSTs) and Resource Teachers (RTs) provide additional support to the increasing numbers of children with SEN in mainstream classrooms. Working alongside Classroom Teachers (CTs), this tripartite of teaching expertise represents an opportunity for whole-school and classroom-based approaches to successful collaborative, inclusive practice.

This article describes the perceptions and experiences of collaborative practice between primary CTs, RTs and LSTs in a cohort of primary schools in the West of Ireland. Using a mixed methods approach, the study sought to establish the nature and extent of collaboration amongst these teachers and to identify the benefits and barriers to implementation.

The findings suggest that whilst teachers are increasingly aware of the value of collaboration, its implementation is largely aspirational, with a series of challenges relating to time constraints, ad hoc planning and limited professional development opportunities most commonly identified as constraints to a consistent approach. The article considers the consequences of this shortfall and options for improved engagement between teachers are identified.