AbstractsM-learning and the new students' thinking
Volume 9, November 2005;
Pages 74–78
Many of today’s students find ICT in school disappointing compared to their extracurricular experiences. They often possess more advanced skills than their teachers. However, schools can develop the curriculum, pedagogy and learning spaces to use ICT to re-engage students in ICT learning. Inquiry-based learning across a range of technologies will prepare students for life and work in the future, where unknown technologies will emerge. Pedagogy should be customised to today’s students, who are innovative and prefer group activity. It should provide multiple-entry points for learning and be tailored to the individual but involve collaborative tasks. Learning should be focused on students rather than technology, with students helping decide on activities. School leaders must be capable ICT managers, able ICT users, and knowledgeable about ICT teaching and learning strategies. Schools must also consider staff professional development. The Leading School’s Fund in Victoria, for example, is educating teachers in the emerging technologies of animation, 3D, video, storyboarding and modelling software. Schools can audit the ICT curriculum alongside the current essential learning standards to incorporate new digital literacy skills. Funding should be considered in line with plans. Schools must analyse and reconfigure learning spaces including libraries, classrooms, outdoor areas, and virtual learning environments enabled by the web, laptops, mobiles and PDAs. Infrastructure may need to be improved to cope with broadband and interactive content. Resources such as books, digital creation and concept mapping software should be reviewed and updated in terms of their ability to engage students in appropriate task-related activities. Key Learning AreasTechnologySubject HeadingsWebsitesTechnology Technology teaching Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Computers in society A story of improved literacy
Volume 85
Number 1, 6 February 2006
New Zealand’s Ministry of Education has appointed a range of resource teachers of literacy (RT:Lits) who work with a small group of students in a class alongside the usual classroom teacher. The specialist helps the classroom teacher deal with students' problems in reading and comprehension. This collaborative approach enables the specialist teacher to observe interactions between the students and the classroom teacher. The specialist and the classroom teacher can then discuss ways to meet the needs of the child. The specialist may model a new practice and the teacher has the opportunity to observe them and then trial the approach in following weeks. This approach derived from research by New Zealand’s Literacy Taskforce. Specialists also collaborate with other literacy professionals supporting schools, such as Reading Recovery teachers, School Support Services advisers, Literacy Project facilitators, school library advisers and Ministry of Education literacy development officers. Key Learning AreasEnglishMathematics Subject HeadingsProfessional developmentTeaching and learning New Zealand Numeracy Literacy Learning problems Technology turn-on in maths and science
Volume 85
Number 1, 6 February 2006
Project MOTIS (Mobile Technologies in the Sciences) is exploring ways to integrate hand-held technology into the teaching of maths and science in New Zealand. It was launched at four secondary schools early last year. The three-year project is part of the DigiOps (Digital Opportunities) partnership between schools, ICT firms and the Ministry of Education. The project manager of MOTIS, Andrew Tideswell, stood down from his role as a head of department in mathematics to lead the work. Direct involvement in classrooms has helped him to implement ongoing refinements to the project. MOTIS is being reviewed by Professor Stephen Arnold, a specialist in HHT based at the Australian Catholic University in Canberra. HHT includes devices such as data-logging probes and hand-held ‘laboratories’ that record and process information for later downloading. The first stage of Project MOTIS, in 2005, was designed to encourage teachers away from traditional teaching before a whole class towards an inquiry-based and problem-solving model of teaching. The second phase, 2006–07, will see the creation of an online HHT teaching resource base, which is to be made accessible to all maths and science college faculties in New Zealand. Key Learning AreasScienceMathematics Subject HeadingsMathematics teachingScience teaching Secondary education New Zealand Elearning Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Computer-based training The virtual library
Volume 63
Number 4, December 2005;
Pages 54–59
Increasing Internet usage challenges school libraries to respond to the changing information needs of teachers and students. Current academic literature shows that students frequently struggle with online research and too often settle for adequate, rather than high-quality, information. Students often struggle with online research due to limited vocabulary, limited discipline-based knowledge and unfamiliarity with using subject headings assigned within databases. A virtual school library has much to offer in guiding students’ choices, as librarians collaborate with teachers to provide online research instruments tailored to their school population. A virtual library begins with a user-friendly home page; the article presents ideas from a number of exemplary websites, including the author’s own school library home page. Many of these use a physical metaphor (such as an illustration of a ‘librarian’) to make users comfortable in the virtual environment. These same examples are used to illustrate the two primary functions of the virtual library: providing search options beyond mainstream commercial search engines, which may be targeted to specific age groups or subject areas, and indexing databases with quality content not available through the free Web. A virtual library may also act as a repository for resources which assist students to document their research findings appropriately, or as an instructional archive for teachers to share lessons, handouts and other materials. An email inquiry facility is another feature of a successful virtual library, as are ‘pathfinders’ (predetermined information pathways for given topics), which include keywords, research questions and direction to quality online and print resources. A blog may also be a useful addition, either as the foundation of the library website or as a forum for news and instruction. Equity is a driving force for modern school librarians, as they assume new roles in making an ever-expanding range of physical, informational and media resources readily available to their school populations. The article includes a list of resources for creating virtual libraries, including URLs for the six cited examples. KLA Subject HeadingsTeacher-LibrariansSchool libraries Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Information management Information literacy Elearning Computer-based training Tools for the mind
Volume 63
Number 4, December 2005;
Pages 46–53
In the 1990s, computers in schools were touted as ‘mind tools’ with almost limitless potential, but their actual impact on education is now being treated more cautiously. Budget cuts for technology training, shifting policy priorities and an absence of research evidence to support its effectiveness encourage reflection on the gap between intention and implementation for ICT in schools. Four key factors have prevented schools from capitalising fully on the considerable potential computers have to develop higher-order thinking skills. Professional development too often focuses on technology skills, rather than their connection to student learning. Education systems have not offered sufficient leadership or infrastructural support. Schools have not critically articulated links between computer use and improved student learning, and software applications have been employed indiscriminately without analysis of the differences in their educational value. Teachers favour visually-appealing, easy-to-use applications geared towards presentation, for example PowerPoint, over more complex applications such as spreadsheets and databases, which have greater potential to develop higher-order thinking skills. Over-emphasis on these ‘show-and-tell’ applications does not promote complex knowledge construction or deep conceptual learning. The Internet, too, is primarily used for intellectually passive knowledge gathering (part of a burgeoning ‘copy-and-paste’ culture), rather than questioning and evaluation. To realise their original intentions for computers in schools, educators must orientate professional development towards higher-order thinking skills over technological skills, and help teachers remain focused on curriculum, instruction and assessment, with technology positioned as an ‘invisible’ reinforcement to these three core themes. Teachers may develop their own technological competence, in concert with their students’, as technological ‘mind tools’ are applied. KLA Subject HeadingsEducational evaluationTeaching and learning Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Elearning Computer-based training Have state accountability and high stakes tests influenced student progression rates in high school?
Volume 24
Number 4, Winter 2006;
Pages 19–31
The author examines the relationship between the progression rates of high school students and high stakes exit exams in the USA. These completion rates are more important than general academic achievement in determining the future careers and social standing of disadvantaged students. Completion rates for each ethnic group have remained steady in most areas of the USA, often at low levels. To stimulate improvement in academic achievement, many States implemented accountability systems imposing rewards and sanctions on schools based on average student improvement in tests. The tests often took the form of high stakes exit tests. There is a danger that these tests will actually lower completion rates for low-achieving students. Research evaluating the impact of graduation requirements on students’ progression through school has produced mixed findings. Opponents of high stakes testing argue that they hinder progression through high school and graduation, because schools tend to hold down lower performing students for a year in grade 9 so that the school performs more favourably in exit tests for grades 10 and 11, and that students held back in this way often drop out of school. Schools also tend to invest resources into test preparation programs rather than encouraging students to be problem solvers and love learning. An analysis of student progression and graduation data has found that strong accountability regimes have not systematically raised student progression or completion rates as intended. Overall, strong accountability measures appear to have ‘a small but significant negative correlation with progression rates’. KLA Subject HeadingsSecondary educationRetention rates in schools Blacks United States of America (USA) Standards Socially disadvantaged Examinations Educational evaluation Education policy Assessment A balanced approach needed for students with learning difficulties
Number 14, Summer 2005;
Pages 11–13
The October 2005 Australian Education Review, titled ‘Balancing approaches: revisiting the educational psychology research on teaching students with learning difficulties’, examines methods for teaching basic skills to students with learning disabilities or difficulties. It describes a range of effective teaching methods for such students using meta-analysis, a research technique which aggregates findings across multiple studies. A combination of direct instruction (or explicit instruction) and strategy instruction produces the best learning outcomes for children with learning difficulties. Direct instruction is teacher-centred, comprising scripted presentation and small portions of essential knowledge which are taught, revisited and integrated incrementally into a total scheme. Strategy instruction teaches students strategies that they can adopt during self-directed learning. It is often associated with constructivist models, but its advocates ‘do not assume that students with learning difficulties will independently discover effective learning strategies’. Strategy instruction has three elements. Cognitive strategies take forms such as underlining or note-taking while reading. Metacognitive strategies include planning and self-monitoring. Self-regulatory strategies cover students’ ‘self-generated thoughts, feelings and actions’ focused on learning goals. The best results for students with learning difficulties are achieved through a careful integration of direct instruction and strategy instruction, in which specific methods used at any one time take account of circumstances such as age, ability and the type of learning required in a given lesson. Teacher training KLA Subject HeadingsTeaching and learningPrimary education Learning problems Learning ability Educational planning Educational evaluation Education policy Digitally savvy? Teachers match it with their studentsDecember 2005;
Pages 28–29
The Australian and New Zealand Governments have commissioned a range of learning objects, or interactive digital resources, to support curriculum subjects. These have been developed by the Le@rning Federation (TLF) and are available free of charge to schools. The objects have improved student learning outcomes and test results, and are appealing to today’s technology-savvy students. Teachers have found that the objects increase student engagement, especially among those with behavioural problems or who lack motivation to learn. Students can direct and set the pace of their own learning through scaffolded tasks in each resource, and are provided with feedback on their progress. They can repeat the operations they have difficulty with, and skip those which they already understand. They can also experiment with variables. For example, in the Optics and Prisms object students can manipulate the amount of light entering a prism. Teachers have found the interactive visuals useful in conveying difficult concepts, such as decimals and fractions. To arrange access to the objects and resources, click 'contact liaison officer', under the heading 'Access arrangements and technical requirements' on the home page of TLF website. Key Learning AreasTechnologySubject HeadingsTechnologyTechnology teaching Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Electronic publishing Elearning ICT and education expenditure review
Number 4, 2005;
Pages 40–41
ICT in schools is costly and yet research indicates that, in general, it has not enhanced teaching or learning. Schools need to keep close track of ICT spending, which often evades scrutiny due to the mystique surrounding information technology. Schools should implement detailed annual reviews of their ICT budgets. Reviews should be incorporated into the normal school budgetary and development process. Day-to-day accounting should automatically categorise ICT expenditure for ready analysis. Costs for education and administration should be kept distinct where possible. Reviews should also allow for depreciation and replacement costs. Direct ICT expenditure on hardware and software should be analysed alongside indirect expenditure such as ICT teacher training, maintenance, or specialised buildings and furniture. Ideally, an ICT expenditure review will be conducted in conjunction with a school-based evaluation of the impact of ICT on enhanced teaching and learning, keeping in mind that key performance indicators for ICT and education may change with shifting school priorities. Schools should be aware that changes in ICT expenditure will affect the interests of parties both in and outside the school, and that these interests may influence the advice about technology that schools receive. It is important that schools obtain an independent assessment of their ICT spending and an independent comparison with spending by similar schools. KLA Subject HeadingsInformation and Communications Technology (ICT)Schools finance Digital communication for all students
Volume 9, November 2005;
Pages 82–85
Digital communication tools offer a means to engage students and provide an avenue of expression for those who find writing difficult. However, many students struggle to use digital communication such as email, instant messaging and multimedia to communicate effectively outside their peer group. Skills in conceptualising, producing, delivering and receiving digital communications are in demand by many businesses, in technology or otherwise. Effective digital communication involves audience awareness, selecting an appropriate medium, and creating and testing a digital message. Students in non-technology courses often need digital communication skills: for example, journalism students must write for and publish on the web. Digital communication skills should be taught from primary school and integrated throughout the current curriculum. Skills in digital literacy, inventive thinking, effective communication, critical analysis and professional design can be taught through different communication scenarios. For example, students could analyse their favourite media messages for persuasive techniques and then create their own animated movies in Flash. A science process may be easily demonstrated through multimedia animation and narration, rather than traditional writing. One career and technology subject involved students employing career techniques such as interviewing, peer review and team collaboration along with digital skills to create a website for a client or organisation. KLA Subject HeadingsMultimedia systemsComputer-based training Websites Technology Technology teaching Electronic publishing Elearning Information and Communications Technology (ICT) International aid relationships
Volume 30
Number 2, June 2005;
Pages 18–21
Sydney’s Presbyterian Ladies College has established ongoing partnerships with two schools in East Timor, a Sri Lankan orphanage and a twin school in Vietnam. The author draws on his experience in this work to offer suggestions to other schools considering similar involvement overseas. Schools can respond most effectively to humanitarian need by establishing long-term partnerships with institutions in affected areas, rather than through short-term fundraising efforts. Partnership activities can involve students and teachers in exchanges, working parties overseas, organising development projects, curriculum and program integration, and teacher professional development. Australian students can be taught about the issues underlying poverty, and develop tolerance as well as decision-making and problem-solving skills. Reliable advice on political stability and potential conflict must be sought from experienced colleagues, in-country contacts and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. A staff member should inspect areas planned for student visits prior to the event. Students must be supported during confronting intercultural experiences when in other countries. Issues may involve religion, gender and differing concepts of modesty. Cultural issues must also be addressed for overseas teachers who visit Australian partner schools. Volunteer programs are sometimes viewed as unreliable or exploitive in other countries. To prevent donated goods from being halted by in-country port clearance or other delivery problems, it is wise to establish links with in-country charities or personnel, and have a representative personally deliver funds. Establishing a Tax Deductible International Aid Fund through the Australian Tax Office is recommended for attracting donations. KLA Subject HeadingsInternational studentsInternational relations International education Asia Sociology Socially disadvantaged Social justice Social life and customs Finding 'my place'December 2005;
Pages 26–27
The new Finding my Place program in Western Australia has improved retention for 15–19 year olds at risk of leaving school. All participants from pilot workshops at the Ruth Faulkner Library in Belmont have pursued further education or traineeships. The program has since been expanded to over 150 libraries across the State and has just won the Australian Library and Information Association 2004 National Excellence Award. Libraries have driven the program’s success, offering a non-threatening environment and a readily accessible, low-cost service. Participants grow to see the library as a place to find assistance and return to use resources after the course. The program involves workshops on confidence building, problem solving, training and career guidance, and goal-setting techniques. Fifteen participants are referred for each program. A pressure-free approach is maintained, with participants volunteering to take part in art, music, improvisational and dance activities. Advice about dress and presentation is provided by local designers. Self-assessment and later optional surveys and interviews with youth workers are used to assess student achievement. Two further pilot programs targeting student retention among Indigenous youth and senior primary school students are also underway at the Ruth Faulkner Library. For further information, contact Yvonne Herft at the WA Department of Education on (08) 9264 4800. KLA Subject HeadingsInformation literacyLibraries Retention rates in schools Western Australia (WA) Careers in schools: a national overviewNovember 2005;
Pages 15–19
The article provides an overview of the approach taken by each State and Territory to careers education in schools. Careers education programs include work experience placements, optional and compulsory curriculum-based programs, individual learning plans and web-based activities. In most States and Territories career education in schools is not mandated and has developed in an ad-hoc manner. Government initiatives such as myfuture and VET help students manage their career prospects and gain workplace experience. These programs encourage students to become self-reliant in managing their future careers; however, a career education program to teach ‘the basics’ is also necessary. VET programs do not replace careers education programs, ‘yet for the last 10 years all levels of government have implied that they do’. Careers education teachers have limited time to run quality programs. Advisors often work part-time, cover a number of schools and are required to undertake classroom teaching and/or coordinate VET programs. Many advisors also manage work experience placements, which have been made more time consuming due to recent risk management legislation. KLA Subject HeadingsVET (Vocational Education and Training)Career education There are no Conferences available in this issue. |