AbstractsUsing peer ranking to enhance student writing
Volume 41
Number 3, May 2006;
Pages 255–258
In a typical writing assignment in physics, students prepare a written response to a conceptual question. Students will get more out of such assignments if they are encouraged to critically examine their responses. Peer evaluation is one way to stimulate critical reflection. Reading their peers’ responses gives students a better understanding of what good and poor thinking and writing looks like, encouraging them to make improvements to their own work. It can also increase their confidence if they see that others in the class have similar ideas to their own. Even students who have answered the question correctly are forced to reflect on their thinking when appraising and explaining an incorrect answer. Different types of peer evaluation include peer rating, ranking or reviewing. Peer rating, where students assign scores to each others’ answers, is simplest, but students often allocate the same score to all their peers without reflecting meaningfully on the quality of their answers. Peer reviewing, where students write detailed critiques of each other’s work, stimulates the deepest reflection, but is very time-consuming for students and teachers. Peer ranking is an effective middle option, where students are given three to six sample answers from the class, which they rank in order of quality. This is easier to implement using assignments focused on one main concept than with multifaceted responses. Having students submit answers electronically facilitates sorting and sharing. Teachers may choose to set up four ‘bins’ using WebAssign, with a different level of quality in each one. They can then give students at least one response from each bin, ensuring that each student is ranking answers that span a range of quality. Teachers may supplement student work with their own model responses, if an appropriate range of concepts or quality is not produced. Students’ rankings can be assessed by comparing them with the teachers’ own initial rankings. Class discussion of the criteria students used to make their rankings can further enhance reflection and provide students with a sense of ownership over the ranking process. Key Learning AreasScienceSubject HeadingsPhysicsScience teaching Global learning
Volume 193
Number 3, March 2006;
Pages 27–28
The changes facing today’s students are more significant than any faced by previous generations. Students today are immersed in a rapidly changing, globally connected world, and require a much higher level of global competence than ever before if they are to make informed choices in all aspects of social, political and economic life. Many state curricula and academic standards in the Key Learning AreasStudies of Society and EnvironmentSubject HeadingsGlobalisationHistory United States of America (USA) Mind and body
Volume 193
Number 3, March 2006;
Pages 30–33
While academic and physical education were once thought to be separate domains, the demarcation between mind and body is now being called into question. Although childhood obesity is soaring in the Key Learning AreasHealth and Physical EducationSubject HeadingsPhysical FitnessPhysical education Health Learning ability Filling the void left by the demise of technical schools14 August 2006
Some politicians have supported a return to a system of separate technical schools, in response to KLA Subject HeadingsEconomic trendsVET (Vocational Education and Training) Transitions in schooling The relationship between classroom environment and the learning style preferences of gifted middle school students and the impact on levels of performance
Volume 50
Number 2, Spring 2006;
Pages 104–118
A study of 80 gifted middle school students in KLA Subject HeadingsGifted and talented (GAT) childrenPsychology of learning Learning ability Bullying and the gifted: victims, perpetrators, prevalence, and effects
Volume 50
Number 2, Autumn 2006;
Pages 148–168
A KLA Subject HeadingsGifted and talented (GAT) childrenBullying New spaces for learning: developing the ecology of out-of-school education
Number 35, 2006;
Pages 1–37
Non-formal education refers to education that takes place outside a formal school setting. As a sector, non-formal education is difficult to define, and it often bears resemblance to formal education settings. It nonetheless provides important opportunities to address deficits in, or otherwise supplement, formal education, especially for students disadvantaged in or disengaged from formal schooling. Types of non-formal education can be loosely grouped into four categories: experimental and innovative learning sites; programs aimed at social inclusion; the arts/community sphere; or vocational programs. The arts are a key area for non-formal education because of their unique ability to engage ‘at risk’ students in creative education experiences. The Champions of Change and Third Space initiatives provide further information in this area. Non-formal education institutions may derive their funding from very different sources. In some countries, the public good aspect of out-of-school programs attracts significant state funding. However, there are drawbacks to the provision of state financial support to non-formal education, as it may bring with it the government standards that seek to homogenise formal schooling, and may compromise the diversity and flexibility that are the mainstays of non-formal education programs. For example, the Fifth Dimension program, established using philanthropic university funding, found itself deviating from its intended open-ended structure towards a service delivery model as it received an increasing proportion of government funding. There is nevertheless a strong case to be made for governments to support non-formal education programs as part of the emphasis on building social capital currently prevalent in Western policy-making. A case study of London’s WAC Performing Arts and Media College suggests some key elements of a successful non-formal education institution: charismatic, entrepreneurial leadership; qualified staff; a flexible funding structure; diverse activities and age groups; clear pedagogy; the ability for the institution as a whole to add value to its individual projects; and good relationships with related institutions. These success factors should inform any future government investment in the non-formal education sector. Policy makers must perform a kind of ‘sleight of hand’ in order to support this multifarious but important sector, while enabling it to retain its distinctiveness from formal schooling. KLA Subject HeadingsEducation and stateEducation finance Toward inclusion of special education students in general education
Volume 27
Number 2, March 2006;
Pages 77–94
A KLA Subject HeadingsSpecial educationInclusive education Disabled Learning problems Comparing characteristics of high-incidence disability groups: a descriptive review
Volume 27
Number 2, March 2006;
Pages 95–104
More than 70 per cent of students with disabilities fall into one of three high-incidence disability groups: emotional-behavioural disorders (EBD), learning disabilities (LD), and mild intellectual disabilities (MID). In the late 1970s, it was proposed that students in these three groups actually have more similarities than differences in their educational needs and challenges. The difficulties associated with classifying students into one of these groups further suggested that the distinction between the three may be artificial or unnecessary. Since then, more than 150 studies have made comparisons between these three disability groups. A review of these studies was conducted to determine whether research evidence supports the view that students in the three categories of high-incidence disabilities are more alike than different. Studies were grouped according to the variable on which they made comparisons: intelligence (IQ), academic achievement, social skills, behaviour, functional skills, or other types of comparison. Most studies reviewed indicated significant differences between the three disability groups in IQ, academic skills, and behaviour. As might be expected, students classified as MID tended to have lower IQs than EBD or LD students. Little difference was found in IQ between students in the EBD and LD groups. Students with MID also tended to demonstrate lower levels of academic achievement, but showed strengths compared to LD students in reading, and compared to EBD students in social skills and behaviour. The recent trend towards strength-based assessment for students with high-incidence disabilities is supported by these findings. Students with EBD demonstrated significantly more behavioural problems than either of the other two categories. Educators should be prepared to provide additional support in problem areas for each of these three high-incidence disability groups. Although the research supports the retention of the three distinct classifications, individualised, task-based assessment and instruction continue to be the best educational practices for all students with high-incidence disabilities. KLA Subject HeadingsSpecial educationDisabled Behavioural problems Learning problems United States of America (USA) Leadership for a new millenium
Number 38, June 2006
Traditionally leadership in school education was seen to reside in the Director-Generals of education systems and their senior officers. The number of head office positions has diminished and leadership is now more often seen to reside in local school principals. This trend has coincided with great changes within and around schooling, such as privatisation of services, the growth of ICT, globalisation of schooling, and close examination of school effectiveness along with growing recognition of the strategic national importance of education. There has been considerable study of the nature of leadership and management. Government moves to improve school leadership have concentrated on instrumental aspects of the principal's role, using corporate management models, but there has been a widespread reaction against this approach, and a demand for ‘leaders of substance’. The bulk of the paper describes three key figures who offer alternative models of leadership. Bill Walker studied educational administration in the USA in the 1950s. This period of time was a turning point as the teaching of education moved from a technocratic, experienced-based approach that was ‘relatively theory-free, weak on research’ and led by ex-system administrators, towards a heavily theory-laden approach that dominated for the next two decades. Bill Walker established a path-breaking course in educational administration at the UNE in Australia that was theory based, inquiry driven and strong on research. The US thinker Robert Greenleaf promoted the concept of leader as servant, which can be used to challenge the instrumentalism that currently dominates educational thinking. Joseph Jaworski, another US-based expert on leadership, emphasises the spirituality of leadership, promoting the view of leader as ‘leading from soul’. KLA Subject HeadingsLeadershipSchool principals School administration Schools Educational planning Educational evaluation Educational administration Education policy Education philosophy Education management Education aims and objectives A whole school approach to assessing personal and interdisciplinary learning
Volume 4
Number 1, 2006;
Pages 10–17
The new VELS curriculum in KLA Subject HeadingsAssessmentVictoria Curriculum planning Computers in society Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Economic trends Literacy and learning with multimodal texts: classroom glimpses
Volume 4
Number 1, 2006;
Pages 43–49
It is widely acknowledged that the advent of new electronic media and multimodal texts has changed the nature of literacy, but the implications of the change have not yet been worked through in teaching. In 2004 a study of Catholic schools in KLA Subject HeadingsMultimedia systemsEducational evaluation English language teaching Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Literacy Costs and benefits of electronic portfolios in teacher education: student voices
Volume 22
Number 3, Spring 2006;
Pages 99–108
The benefits and drawback of electronic portfolios (EPs) for pre-service teachers have been investigated in a recent study in the USA. The benefits identified by the pre-service teachers included the opportunities to reflect provided by the technology, better access to and organisation of documents, development of their technology skills, and an improved understanding of teaching standards. Disadvantages were identified in terms of access to and reliability of the technology and the time and effort expended on the preparation of EPs. The balance between the benefits and costs depended on the perceived clarity of purpose for using EPs, the system functionality available to the students, the possible over-use of 'reflection', and whether or not the students perceived they had received thoughtful feedback on their EPs from faculty. Graduate students found the possession of an EP was of little relevance to a potential employer. KLA Subject HeadingsInformation and Communications Technology (ICT)Elearning Educational evaluation Teacher training Really learning with ICT?August 2006;
Pages 6–9
In many cases teachers are not involved in the development of ICT for schools. However, technology developed with teachers’ input is more likely to be relevant to schools and is also more likely to be taken up by teachers themselves. The Le@rning Federation draws on feedback from teachers and students in the development and evaluation of digital curriculum content, and it applies the user-centred design principles provided by the International Standards Organisation. TLF creates learning objects, which are stand-alone, multimedia learning activities. In this work it is supported by focus groups consisting of teachers who are subject experts and who have been recognised as exemplary by teaching colleagues. They also have expertise in technology, not in the ‘box and wires’ sense but in terms of applying ICT to teaching. Issues covered by the focus groups include the ability of the digital material to engage students, quality of content, accessibility and useability, all in relation to the learning environment and the characteristics and needs of learners. Within selected schools, TLF resources receive further testing by classroom teachers who are likely to be typical of the final end-users of the products. Feedback from field trials indicates that the learning objects are relevant to the teachers’ curriculum frameworks and allow for a range of learning activities, differentiated by students’ cognitive abilities and by interest levels. Field reviews have also found major variation within a particular school in the level of use of learning objects, and the extent to which they are integrated into learning programs. Teachers are welcome to provide further feedback on their ‘hot topics’ through an online survey. KLA Subject HeadingsEducational evaluationTeaching and learning Multimedia systems Elearning Computer-based training Electronic publishing Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Bringing assessment literacy to the local school: a decade of reform initiatives in Illinois
Volume 11
Number 1, June 2006;
Pages 39–55
A report drawing on a decade of studies by Illinois State University researchers examined four reform initiatives that attempted to connect assessment to curriculum, instruction and school improvement. The initiatives were the 1985–1990 School Improvement Plan and Learner Assessment Plan that mandated accountability measures, the 1991–1995 Quality Review process that ensured local compliance, the 1996–2000 Quality Assurance and Improvement Process that attempted to reverse the pressures of accountability with an alternative development approach, and the 2000–2004 Standards-Aligned Classroom Initiative that continued this approach by specifically focusing on classroom and assessment literacy. This last initiative, which yielded early success, is now seen as under threat of redefinition as a quick fix for failing schools. It was found that teachers' lack of skills in assessment of literacy limited the effectiveness of policy, and that building a local capacity for effective assessment is a long-term, collaborative endeavour, not a quickly engineered external solution. KLA Subject HeadingsEducational evaluationEducational accountability United States of America (USA) Transitions in schooling Assessment From the written to the enacted curricula: the intermediary role of middle school mathematics teachers in shaping students' opportunity to learn
Volume 106
Number 4, April 2006;
Pages 191–201
In the Key Learning AreasMathematicsSubject HeadingsUnited States of America (USA)Middle schooling Mathematics teaching There are no Conferences available in this issue. |