International Testing in Geography: comparing students' achievements within and between countries

Interest in international testing in geography has been growing since the early 1990s. This paper outlines one project in this area, “InterGeo”, and the problems inherent with such testing. The main findings are that instruments used in international testing in geography may lack validity as they are not embedded in the geography curriculum and experiences that they are endeavouring to test. Furthermore, experience in international testing from other, ‘core’ curriculum areas, notably mathematics and science, provide valuable insights to a number of practical and technical issues which cannot be ignored. This paper argues that despite shortcomings and difficulties further development of international assessment in geography may prove worthwhile. However, the purpose and use of InterGeo, in a future manifestation, needs careful definition. The publication of the International Charter on Geographical Education (IGU, 1992) may be of significant help in fulfilling this task as the InterGeo project develops.     

School‐based Senior‐school Curriculum Studies for Preservice Teachers

Preservice teachers usually place very high value on those parts of their courses which are based in schools. We extended the school‐based component of the Graduate Diploma of Teaching (Secondary) course at Central Queensland University to include curriculum studies in Year 11 and 12 subjects. Questionnaires were administered to participants to explore their perceptions and reactions to this extension of school‐based studies. The findings suggest that school‐based development of the senior curriculum has significant advantages for school students, teachers and student teachers. However, the data also suggest that there is need for a professional‐development programme for teachers acting as mentors to preservice teachers.     

Windows,Bridges and Mirrors: Building Culturally Responsive Early Childhood Classrooms through the Integration of Literacy and the Arts

This article investigates how instructors can utilize the integration of early literacy skills and the arts to cultivate the appreciation and celebration of cultures in early childhood classrooms. The theoretical framework is developed through three personal accounts establishing a rationale for the importance of a viable home to school connection for young children. Finally, the suggested activities support the transference of theory into classroom practice.     

Lost in transition: supporting Key Stage 2/3 English trainees during secondary placement

Key Stage 2/3 trainees undertake their second school placement in secondary schools having completed a placement in a primary school in the first year of their training. While trainees will have been prepared at their higher education institution, the experience itself can be daunting for reasons other than the fact that this is their first secondary placement. These reasons are discussed in this article, and focuses on how a lesson-planning document was developed at one institution to support English trainees through this placement. The aim of this article is to raise awareness in partnership schools of the specific needs of Key Stage 2/3 English trainees.     

Distributed leadership of school curriculum change: an integrative approach

Since its inception in 1999, the distributed leadership framework of Spillane, Halverson, and Diamond [2004. “Towards a Theory of Leadership Practice: A Distributed Perspective.” Journal of Curriculum Studies 36 (1): 3–34. doi:10.1080/0022027032000106726] has supported research into leadership and change in schools. Whilst the conceptual integrity of the framework is sound, research based upon its premises has attracted some criticism. The research has had a narrowed focus which has not generally reflected the inseparability of the elements of the framework and the situation within which leadership is enacted. In addition, it often fails to account for the complexity of critical elements of the environment such as micropolitics. This position paper proposes a reconfiguration of the distributed leadership framework as a research framework in response to this critique. The paper asserts that this new perspective that is presented is able to respond to the critique through an integrated approach that encompasses situation, social distribution and task enactment and which supports an integrated approach to research methodology. This adapted framework has the potential to more fully support research design that is actuality holistic and embedded in the context.