AbstractsGlobalisation, responsibility and virtual schools
Volume 50
Number 2, 2nd
Quarter
2006;
Pages 140–154
Virtual schooling, in which teacher and student are separated by time and space, and whose interactions are mediated by technology, has changed traditional lines of responsibility in school education, and raises the need for new procedures. Under traditional distance education, based on the use of print and later broadcast materials, responsibility for students was shared between the home supervisor, usually a parent; the students themselves; the teacher, and the educational authority. Within virtual schools, IT providers also share some responsibility for student learning and behaviour. In the online environment communications between teachers and students are often delayed, teachers do not have direct control over student behaviour and student misunderstandings may take longer to identify and correct. Virtual teachers require greater expertise in software evaluation and online teaching strategies. There may also be tensions between the virtual teachers and their educational authorities in relation to what and how materials are presented. The IT industry has become the mediator of the virtual school by virtue of its products. Educational software should have been adequately tested and should produce the intended benefits. However, responsibility in the corporate sector and especially the global corporate sector can be difficult to apportion and the tension between profits and ethics can lead to the dissemination of poor quality educational products. The responsibility of the student in an online environment should increase with maturity. The home supervisor must accept most of the responsibility for the online education of younger students. In some cases, the parent or home supervisor may not effectively supervise their student, leading to missed deadlines and incomplete work. Many questions of responsibility in the online world remain unresolved. KLA Subject HeadingsVirtual schoolsInformation and Communications Technology (ICT) Educational accountability Distance education The info-smart learners toolkit: information literacy, intranets, and learning and teaching websites
Volume 20
Number 3, September 2006;
Pages 21–25
The ‘smart learner’ reflects on the learning process; applies thinking skills in planning, analysing, synthesising and communicating when learning; uses information sources on the basis of its value rather than its format; adapts ICT to their learning needs; and notes the context, origin and authority of source material. Teacher librarians should encourage other teachers to incorporate information literacy training into their lessons in a way that involves the school library. More able students have been shown to possess relatively strong information literacy skills, but have also been shown to benefit strongly from specific information literacy training. While information literacy skills are often blandly identified with lifelong learning, students should be taught that their information needs in the workforce will be met far more by communication with other employees than by access to print or electronic repositories. Much more research is needed as to how students actually learn information literacy skills. They should be asked about it, for example through a questionnaire at the end of a project or by keeping and submitting a diary or journal about their use of information. Teacher librarians should take a lead in turning school intranets into tools for smart learning. Teacher librarians may be involved with intranets as builders or managers, or by selecting or creating content. Intranets can be used to host student discussion forums within or across subject areas, and to encourage students to share knowledge with each other and with school staff. While intranets are sometimes used to show students’ work in art, creative writing or technology, they can also host samples of student work from which other students might learn. Key Learning AreasTechnologySubject HeadingsTeacher-LibrariansSchool libraries Websites Information literacy Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Science in school and society
Volume 52
Number 3, Spring 2006;
Pages 10–15
A series of focus groups have explored issues surrounding the teaching of science in Australian schools. The groups include representatives from industry, government and science organisations, as well as from the education community. Some groups noted a lack of awareness in the community about the potential business applications of scientific innovations, and sought ways to encourage a culture of technological innovation. Another concern was the difficulty of communicating complex scientific ideas to the community, particularly in view of the mass media’s tendency to highlight negative aspects of scientific development. The groups’ treatment of science contrasted sharply with its traditional treatment in school science education. The groups saw science as inherently interdisciplinary and deeply connected to technology, economics, and social and ethical concerns. They highlighted the need for science students to develop skills in personal communication, analysis and critical thinking. If students are not brought forward in this way then school projects, even around worthwhile ventures like environmental renewal, tend to become just ‘busy work’. Students need to learn the key concepts of evidence, validity and reliability. They need to know how to access and apply relevant knowledge. Authentic teaching around these issues cannot be taught didactically or through classroom simulation exercises, but must involve collaboration between teachers, students and working scientists. An example is the involvement of students at Stawell Secondary College in wine production in partnership with local producers. The Australian Governments’ ASISTM program is encouraging such partnerships. The social application of school science is being promoted in new curriculums such as the Science at Work component of VELS, in Science as Human Endeavour in the Key Learning AreasScienceSubject HeadingsEducational evaluationSchool partnerships Curriculum planning Science teaching Invest in school libraries to create 21st century learning communities
Volume 20
Number 3, September 2006;
Pages 17–20
School libraries have to demonstrate their value in order to justify the receipt of scarce funds within a school. Empirical evidence from the KLA Subject HeadingsTeacher-LibrariansSchool libraries The keys to competency
Volume 85
Number 16, 18 September 2006
KLA Subject HeadingsEducational evaluationNew Zealand Curriculum planning Assessment RRISK A sustainable intersectoral partnership
Volume 25
Number 2, 2nd
Quarter
2006;
Pages 17–24
RRisk (Reduce Risk Increase Student Knowledge), based in northern New South Wales, is a successful intersectoral school-based harm minimisation program for Years 10 and 11 students. It has been running for five years. The program aims to provide students with the skills to make informed decisions about the risks associated with alcohol, drugs, driving and celebrating and demonstrates statistical evidence of success. Attendance at RRISK's annual seminar has grown from eight to 24 schools, and most recently involved over 1,500 students and 80 teachers. Program partners include educational, law enforcement, road safety and licensing agencies and community and media organisations. A recent evaluation of RRISK has assessed the strengths of the intersectoral partnerships, its sustainability and identified principles applicable to similar projects. Data was collected using both face-to-face interviews and three validated checklists. Identified strengths included a strong procedural structure, shared and diverse responsibilities, the enthusiasm of key players, trust, preparedness to compromise, networking, self-evaluation and a strong 'grassroots' membership. The program was seen to be limited by time constraints, uncertain funding, undue reliance on specific individuals and concerns over the level of community advocacy for the program. A number of useful principles were identified. Intersectoral partnerships should be clearly focused on a single long-term goal shared by all partners and the wider community. Commitment from key stakeholder organisations should be endorsed by senior management. All partners must understand both the culture of the partnership and the key responsibilities of each member. Clear procedural processes and regular meetings should be established. KLA Subject HeadingsSchool and communitySchool leadership Risk taking Educational planning New South Wales (NSW) Behaviour management A teacher's attempts at change in a science classroom
Volume 52
Number 3, Spring 2006;
Pages 18–25
The efforts of a science teacher to revise his teaching practice were investigated by the author, who had previously supervised him during their involvement in the Science in Schools (SIS) project in Key Learning AreasScienceSubject HeadingsTeacher-student relationshipsVictoria Science teaching Who is the Victorian ICT for Women Network?
Volume 16
Number 3, August 2006;
Pages 14–16
VicICTforWomen is a network to support the entry, retention and progression of women in the ICT industry in Victoria. The network was developed in response to low female participation in ICT studies and careers, as well as low general participation in ICT careers in Victoria currently. For example 16% of ICT roles in Victoria are occupied by women, and females accounted for under 23% of ICT enrolments at Australian universities in 2003. The number of students entering VCE IT has decreased from 40,000 in 1998 to 25,000 in 2004, with significant decreases in female students in particular. Driven by the ICT industry, with input from government, business and education, the network has created the VicICTforWomen mentor program. The program aims to link those who are new to ICT with established professionals to share knowledge and promote networking opportunities. A core planning group investigated several existing mentor programs, and constructed a hybrid model and wrote templates to suit the needs of the network. Shaped largely by member suggestions, the program’s objectives included a need for meaningful one-to-one relationships over a set time period, clearly defined goals established early in the relationship, reliability of members, no cost for mentors and minimal cost for mentees. Mentors and mentees are given the opportunity to reflect on the process and give constructive feedback at the conclusion of each relationship. As students’ career decisions can be significantly influenced by making personal contact with a professional in the field, mentees are then required to attend an event promoting ICT careers to students. A round table luncheon of students and mentee ICT professionals was held, and could be successfully repeated with different schools and universities. KLA Subject HeadingsWomenVictoria Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Africa Citizenship through online communication
Volume 70
Number 3, April 2006;
Pages 144–146
Grade 4 students in Missouri are using their ICT skills to take part in online citizenship activity. In one class, for example, students follow local and national political campaigns using the Internet, and communicate with politicians on specific topics by email after class discussions. Monitored by teachers, they use discussion boards to discuss and research citizenship issues with other students worldwide. Online national surveys are used to teach about voting and polls. All drafts and versions of the students' online writing, plus assessment, are stored together for student, teacher and parent review. Students learn the rights and responsibilities associated with online communication. Soon primary students will be incorporating podcasts and webcasts into their class work. The initiative is part of the USA's National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-S) for students, which sets guidelines for the use of technology inside and outside the classroom. To implement this standard, teachers in Missouri can undertake professional development to become Enhancing Missouri's Instructional Networked Teaching Strategies (eMINTS) teachers. The eMINTS teachers locate and publicise appropriate aged-based resources on the eMINTS website. Key Learning AreasStudies of Society and EnvironmentSubject HeadingsUnited States of America (USA)Citizenship Primary education Internet Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Educational innovations Civics education 'Lier les langues' – linking languages: Connecting ICT, LOTE and the VELS curriculum for P–6
Volume 29
Number 1, June 2006;
Pages 8–12
A program implemented at Ruyton Girls' Junior School has combined LOTE, ICT and outcomes from a variety of VELS domains. The traditional LOTE allocation of two 40-minute periods was restructured into three 15-minute periods plus a single 40-minute period, which allowed student contact with the language over four days a week. The classes were conducted entirely in the target language – French – and French language ICT products were used to achieve a variety of interdiciplinary learning outcomes. The program enhanced the value of LOTE by linking it with the highly-valued ICT area and by creating a need for the students to understand and use the target language. Students were found to respond very positively to the program. The approach used in the program may have wider application in schools. One of the goals of the 1987 National Policy on Languages was that all Australians achieve bilingualism. Debate on methods has been ongoing and is still unresolved. Even after years of study, students currently show little progress in acquiring even basic communication skills in a second language. A recent investigation suggests this is a result of the fact that students are taught the same content over several Year levels, mainly in the form of single-item vocabulary learning. Key Learning AreasLanguagesSubject HeadingsPrimary educationLanguages other than English (LOTE) Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Issues, challenges and needs of student science teachers in using the Internet as a tool for teaching
Volume 15
Number 2, July 2006;
Pages 207–221
International studies have suggested not all pre-service teachers receive adequate ICT training. A recent KLA Subject HeadingsInternetScience teaching Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Leadership Teacher training Secondary education Boys learning languageSeptember 2006
A recent Australian study has investigated boys' experiences of language classes. It found that language classes often consist of traditional text and grammar-based teaching, with some topics covered several times across different year levels. This form of teaching may be particulary detrimental to boys and may explain why they fall behind more often. The poor behaviour of boys that is often seen in language lessons may be a response to having fallen behind. Boys have been found to be more easily bored than girls, if tasks are not enjoyable and interesting. A good teacher is one who is 'firm, friendly, fun, focused and fair'. Boys need a teacher who 'CARES', that is, is 'Connected with students, Actively involved in their learning, Relaxed and has a sense of fun, Enthusiastic and Strikes a balance between fun and discipline'. Boys often consider language learning to be unrelated to the rest of their lives. They need to be offered relevant content, purposeful activities in every lesson and progress indicators. These findings are supported by earlier research in other fields of boys' education. Boys enjoy lessons that are well-planned and paced, engage their attention, are collaborative and competitive, keep them active and which are rounded off and rewarding. Specific classroom strategies that help engage boys include keeping information simple and focused, different ways of memorising information, offering lists that sum up the lesson's content, offering visual means of learning and offering small, achievable challenges. Key Learning AreasLanguagesSubject HeadingsTeacher-student relationshipsLanguages other than English (LOTE) Boys' education Towards a science education for all: the role of ideas, evidence and argumentAustralian Council for Educational Research (ACER)
Science education has two competing goals – the need to educate future citizens about science so they can make informed decisions on science-related issues, and the need to provide the basic knowledge required for future scientists. The decline in the popularity of science among students may be due to an emphasis on the needs of the future scientist at the expense of the needs of the future citizen. Science education is seen to consist of four elements: the development of conceptual understanding, the development of critical thinking, an understanding of the range of methods whereby scientific knowledge is obtained, and an understanding of the achievements of science in our society. A classroom focus on the ideas, evidence and arguments of science, as opposed to the presentation of a body of factual knowledge to be accepted and believed, should improve students' conceptual understanding and critical thinking skills, develop their understanding of the nature of belief in science and generally improve the quality of the science experience for students. Key Learning AreasScienceSubject HeadingsLeadershipStudy methods Science teaching Science literacy School and community |