Using communities of practice to enhance interdisciplinary teaching: lessons from four Australian institutions

We report on the establishment of communities of practice at four Australian institutions and evaluate their effectiveness and durability as a means of building staff and institutional capacity for interdisciplinary teaching. A community of practice approach is a potentially valuable methodology for overcoming dynamics of fragmentation, isolation and competition within universities. The communities we established were anchored by a shared focus on the topic of climate change and they worked collaboratively to build relationships of trust and reciprocity between teachers in a wide range of disciplines. The aim of each community was to improve the teaching of climate change through enabling members to integrate diverse disciplinary perspectives, to teach collaboratively, to promote innovation through exchange and to demonstrate leadership within their institutions. The key factors that made our communities effective and durable are: (1) designation of two leadership roles, activator and facilitator, (2) provision for institutional autonomy in domesticating the model to fit local circumstances and (3) a pragmatic emphasis on opportunities for teaching innovation and leadership within existing administrative structures, teaching programs and workloads. We conclude that suitably designed and resourced communities of practice are a viable means of improving interdisciplinary teaching of complex problems by facilitating both staff development and institutional learning.     

Counselling refugee young people: an exploration of therapeutic approaches

This paper presents and discusses the key findings from a study that considered significant issues that affect refugees and asylum‐seekers, and explored beneficial counselling approaches relevant to this group. In‐depth narrative interviews were conducted with three counsellors and three specialist children’s support advisors. Data were analysed using the methods of comparative analysis and theme mapping from a grounded theory approach. The key findings reveal that counsellors do not work from a particular approach but adapt a variety of therapeutic methods to the needs of the child. In addition, they focus on the therapeutic relationship; take into account lack of safety and loss of home, traumatic experiences and impacts, and resilience of the child; stress that both short‐term and long‐term therapy is beneficial; and show a concern over lack of specialised training for counsellors and obstacles to accessing counselling. Understanding the needs of young refugees and asylum‐seekers in the United Kingdom and considering counsellors’ experiences and perspectives on approaches has highlighted implications for practice, which include the necessity for more counsellors to be culturally reflexive and open‐minded in working with this group. In addition, this study may influence the way in which higher education professionals can develop research on refugee children and incorporate relevant pastoral care across the curriculum to accommodate refugee children from a wide diversity of backgrounds and experiences.     

SCIENTIFIC IMAGES IN EDUCATIONAL BROADCASTING

The social role of education, and the particular influence of educational broadcasting, especially on scientific and technical subjects, are examined in this paper. The technology of broadcasting and well‐established traditions in schooling both encourage a consensus view of educational topics that in fact are by no means necessarily non‐controversial. The author asks whether educational broadcasting can serve the aim of pupil‐centred learning by promoting access and flexibility in education and relating to the student's perception of social reality. He concludes that at present it does not.     

Talent identification and women's soccer: An Australian experience

This study used a quasi-applied research model to identify and develop potentially talented female soccer players. Athletes aged 15–19 years with a background in team ball sports or athletics were targeted for recruitment using advertisements and promotions through various media. Interested athletes attended a 2-day programme of testing, which included assessment of anthropometric, physiological and skill attributes. A combination of factors was used in the final selection of 17 athletes to take part in a 12-month talent development programme. A pre-season programme of five training sessions per week was conducted for 2 months. This programme focused on enabling the players to acquire the necessary ball and game skills to perform competitively in a short time. The squad competed as a team in the reserve grade competition of an Australian state league. At the conclusion of the 25-game season, 10 players were selected for zone teams with two players progressing to state team selection within 6 months. The project demonstrates that it is possible to select potential female soccer players based on anthropometric, physiological and skill attributes.Selection procedures could be enhanced through the development of objective assessment tools that measure tactical and technical competence. Programmes such as this can offer an additional avenue of player recruitment in support of existing procedures.     

Talent identification and women's soccer: an Australian experience

This study used a quasi-applied research model to identify and develop potentially talented female soccer players. Athletes aged 15-19 years with a background in team ball sports or athletics were targeted for recruitment using advertisements and promotions through various media. Interested athletes attended a 2-day programme of testing, which included assessment of anthropometric, physiological and skill attributes. A combination of factors was used in the final selection of 17 athletes to take part in a 12-month talent development programme. A pre-season programme of five training sessions per week was conducted for 2 months. This programme focused on enabling the players to acquire the necessary ball and game skills to perform competitively in a short time. The squad competed as a team in the reserve grade competition of an Australian state league. At the conclusion of the 25-game season, 10 players were selected for zone teams with two players progressing to state team selection within 6 months. The project demonstrates that it is possible to select potential female soccer players based on anthropometric, physiological and skill attributes. Selection procedures could be enhanced through the development of objective assessment tools that measure tactical and technical competence. Programmes such as this can offer an additional avenue of player recruitment in support of existing procedures.     

Verbal and behavioral cues: creating an autonomy-supportive classroom

A teacher network was formed at an Australian university in order to better promote interdisciplinary student learning on the complex social-environmental problem of climate change. Rather than leaving it to students to piece together disciplinary responses, eight teaching academics collaborated on the task of exposing students to different types of knowledge in a way that was more than the summing of disciplinary parts. With a part-time network facilitator providing cohesion, network members were able to teach into each other's classes, and share material and student activities across a range of units that included business, zoology, marine science, geography and education. Participants reported that the most positive aspects of the project were the collegiality and support for teaching innovation provided by peers. However, participants also reported being time-poor and overworked. Maintaining the collaboration beyond the initial one year project proved difficult because without funding for the network facilitator, participants were unable to dedicate the time required to meet and collaborate on shared activities. In order to strengthen teacher collaboration in a university whose administrative structures are predominantly discipline-based, there is need for recognition of the benefits of interdisciplinary learning to be matched by recognition of the need for financial and other resources to support collaborative teaching initiatives.     

Designing theory

Educational technology research and development - Theoretical work is essential to the progress of any discipline. Theories, models, and frameworks are underdetermined representations of a...