AbstractsFormative research: bridging the research-policy gap in African education
Volume 23
Number 2, June 2005;
Pages 11–12
Formative research is a research methodology, employed in the policy-making process, which allows for various inputs, or feedback, by stakeholders and constituencies at several stages of the policy-making and research cycle. The Association for the Development of Education in Africa is promoting this research policy-making model as one way for African Ministries of Education to implement educational research in complex and rapidly changing political, economic and social environments. Benefits of the model for these kinds of policy-making settings include its capacity to encourage dialogue among stakeholders, its propensity for consensus building, its responsiveness, and its ability to provide continuous, research-based feedback into the decision-making process. KLA Subject HeadingsEducation researchEducation policy Africa How mathematics teachers’ own learning experiences with ICT affects their classroom practice
Volume 21
Number 1, Spring 2005;
Pages 14–16
Crisan describes the experiences of secondary mathematics teachers with ICT applications during a two-year study which sought to gauge whether experiences with ICT influenced teachers’ use of it in their classroom practices. The study concluded that teachers’ experiences with ICT did play an important role in their decision to assimilate it into their pedagogical practices, and, more importantly, the kinds of experiences they had dictated how they implemented it in their classrooms. All the study’s participants found that knowledge of various ICT applications allowed them to know what was available to students regarding the capacities of the software. Some found that the visual basis of particular applications made them realise a dimension in mathematics teaching which was absent in their own learning and training, while others found the links made by the applications between different fields of mathematics beneficial. These personal experiences with ICT over the period of the study allowed the participants to develop their own pedagogical ideas for using ICT applications in the mathematics classroom, an experience which, Crisan asserts, was more powerful than simply adopting the abstract ideas of others, as is the case in some professional development programs. Key Learning AreasMathematicsSubject HeadingsInformation and Communications Technology (ICT)Mathematics teaching Mathematics Pedagogy Professional development Teacher training Teaching and learning Getting started with open-ended assessment
Volume 11
Number 8, April 2005;
Pages 413–419
Open-ended assessment involves providing students with problems that are solvable using many different procedures, and which have more than one correct or acceptable answer. In mathematics, open-ended assessment can allow for a deeper, conceptual understanding of mathematical problems, and a clearer demonstration of students’ understandings of those problems and their solutions. The authors recount and critique a trial in which open-assessment strategies were implemented in a middle primary mathematics class. At first, students resisted having to declare their procedural steps and demonstrate how they reach particular solutions. Once their reluctance was overcome, however, they were able to reflect on their strategies, and they became confident in sharing and offering explanations for their work. This process allowed their work and mathematical thinking to become more visible, which allowed them to be used for formative assessment purposes in which students' conceptual understanding could be improved or modified by instructional intervention. The article reminds teachers to ensure that their open assessment items are neither too ‘closed’ nor too ambiguous, by providing too much or too little information respectively. It also refers them to a database of open assessment items at www.heinemann.com/math (registration fee required). KLA Subject HeadingsMathematics teachingMathematics Assessment Pedagogy Teaching and learning Teaching without telling: computational fluency and understanding through invention
Volume 11
Number 8, April 2005;
Pages 404–412
Heuser describes a mathematics teaching project, involving lower primary mathematics classes, in which he allowed students to develop their own methods of mathematical computation as opposed to learning standard algorithms for addition and subtraction though ‘parrot math’, the conventional manner of simply following and memorising established mathematical procedures. Students were given the opportunity to construct their own procedures in a practical ‘hands-on’ fashion, with the teacher assisting them to refine their strategies as they progressed. The project consisted of thirty one-hour lessons, each structured to include practical activities, problem solving and reflection. Heuser found that allowing students to reflect on their strategies gave them the opportunity to consolidate their learning, to learn from others and to gain a deeper understanding of mathematics. He also discovered that introducing students to established mathematical algorithms once they had created their own procedures gave then a better understanding of the former. Key Learning AreasMathematicsSubject HeadingsMathematics teachingMathematics Pedagogy Teaching and learning Providing meaningful fieldwork for preservice mathematics teachers
Volume 98
Number 9, May 2005;
Pages 604–609
Part of any successful teacher preparation course is the capacity to instil in graduate teachers the propensity to reflect on their classroom practice. While all preservice teacher courses consist of a school placement or fieldwork component, they do not ensure that preservice teachers are equipped with the skills to make discerning and insightful observations of other teachers' classroom practice, nor do they afford them the opportunity to reflect, along with the teacher, on a lesson's effectiveness. However, a preservice program for mathematics teachers at Queens College, New York, in collaboration with a secondary school, is able to provide student teachers with the opportunity to assess a mathematics lesson on a weekly basis over a period of ten weeks, and to have pre-lesson and post-lesson meetings with the teacher to discuss their views of the lesson. Student teachers are able to see the educational theory they have learned in practice, as they gradually assimilate the hallmarks of good teaching practice through their observation of the lessons. In the pre-lesson session, they discover the aims of the lesson, and some of the problems and misconceptions that the teacher anticipates will arise. In post-lesson reflection, they are able to raise questions about the lesson, and have the teacher point out some of the aspects of the lesson that they may have ignored or misunderstood. This article outlines the advantages of this kind of experience for preservice teachers' preparation, and describes an example of one such experience. Key Learning AreasMathematicsSubject HeadingsTeacher trainingMathematics Mathematics teaching Teacher teams step up to leadership
Volume 26
Number 3, Summer 2005;
Pages 54–59
Distributed leadership offers educators at all levels an opportunity to participate in school decision-making processes, and to take responsibility for aspects of school life. Developing teachers to share leadership of schools can be an important part of their professional development, and can favourably dispose them towards school reform. The authors describe a distributed leadership model in place at a primary school in the United States, where all teachers are expected to take responsibility for various aspects of school life by belonging to, or leading, staff teams which have specific responsibility for certain areas, such as curriculum, timetabling or the budget. Staff can choose to undertake leadership training to assist them to become team leaders, as well as to help them operate within a consensus decision-making environment. The school's leaders are always mindful of leadership opportunities for staff, and, in addition to permanent teams, ad hoc committees are formed for particular, short-term purposes. Teachers from this primary school have extended their capabilities by taking leadership roles in system-wide initiatives. KLA Subject HeadingsLeadershipProfessional development Changing the world, one student at a time
Volume 26
Number 3, Summer 2005;
Pages 38–42
This article is a transcript of an interview between the author and Dennis Littky, the director of The Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center (The Met) in Providence, Rhode Island. Littky is also the co-author of The Big Picture, Education is Everyone's Business (link to book review), a work in which he sets out his philosophy of education, a philosophy which is also at the heart of the educational approaches at the The Met. The Met is a network of six public schools which provide an individualised curriculum for their students. At the centre of their educational approach is the intention to make the education relevant and immediate to students’ interests and needs, and to have teachers who have an enthusiasm for learning, even in areas outside their training. At The Met, students spend part of their week working with mentors in job placements in the community, and the rest of the time working in groups with other students, but on their individual projects. Regular meetings between teachers and mentors allow for the coordination of students' interests and learning. Teachers are expected to lead groups of fifteen students, and to regularly reflect on their practice and learning through writing and 'professional conversations' – methods which encourage continuous learning and responses to change. Ninety-eight per cent of students from the The Met continue to tertiary education and training. KLA Subject HeadingsSchoolsEducation aims and objectives Education philosophy Education School culture School and community Cadres help to create confidence
Volume 26
Number 3, Summer 2005;
Pages 44–49
Developing objective and subjective efficacy in teachers makes them more effective in their teaching practices, and it also instils leadership dispositions which make them effective promoters of change within schools. A professional development project in Alberta, Canada, used a literacy initiative to create a group of teacher leaders who would, in time, take responsibility for training other teachers to become effective literacy teachers, and who would generally be able to lead change in schools. While most of the teachers who volunteered for the training saw themselves as competent teachers who wanted to further their professional competence through literacy training, many did not see themselves as having the ability to lead reforms in schools. The professional development initiative thus set about equipping teachers with the skills to lead research-based investigative and inquiry research in cooperative and collegial ways. The authors describe the various stages of the professional development project, and how the participating teachers were able to achieve professional competency (objective efficacy), and feel as if they could lead change in their schools (subjective efficacy). KLA Subject HeadingsProfessional developmentTeacher training Leadership Out of school hours careSchool Post: Journal of the South Australian Association of State School Organisations
2nd
Quarter
2005;
Pages 24–25
Out of school hours care (OSHC) is the fastest growing type of child care over the past decade. The allocation and distribution of Child Care Benefit places for OSHC is administered by the Australian Government Department of Family and Community Services. Where OSHC occurs on school premises ‘the school/governing council is the legal operator’ and employer of the OHSC staff, and it must ensure that it complies with Australian and State legislation. Within South Australia, the Department of Education and Children’s Services sets out administrative instructions and guidelines for the school/governing council. The council must ensure OHSC standards are met, make school facilities and resources available, establish an OHSC committee, and ensure that it reports regularly to the council. All OHSC employees must have clearly documented conditions of employment. The benefits of the school being the operator of OSHC include local governance and local management of staff working on school premises, policy consistency across different school sites, and clear accountability and management systems. KLA Subject HeadingsSouth AustraliaSchools School councils School and community Education management Education policy Duty of care Children Child care centres Administration Reflections on ability grouping in mathematics
Volume 30
Number 1, 16 February 2005;
Pages 60–64
The article covers the opinions of four practitioners in maths teaching. In ‘The case for’, Steve Thornton argues that grouping students by ability would place them alongside students most likely to share their academic and career goals, and so introduce them to the reality of life beyond school, where people tend to group according to ‘common interests and pursuits’. By contrast, ‘streaming by age is unique to the school system’. Since students learn maths at different rates, grouping them by ability level helps to provide equal opportunities. Teaching currently emphasises cooperative learning and open-ended inquiry. These approaches require high-level communication between students which is enhanced by ability grouping. Research indicates that like-ability grouping leads on average to higher student achievement, and makes students of all ability levels more positive about the subject matter taught. In ‘The case against’, Chris Coombs cites ‘overwhelming evidence’ that ability grouping retards progress of middle- and lower-achieving students, and limits peer interactions and friendship choices. Classes of higher-achieving students tend to be taken by the teachers best qualified or motivated to teach in the subject. Achievements by students in the lower-ability grouping tend to be ‘devalued by the group setting’. In a response to the debate, Bon Dengate cites research suggesting that only the most able maths students should be grouped by ability. In another response, Bob Aus supports ability grouping in maths as a means to give all students a sense of achievement rather than being ‘lost in a class’. Key Learning AreasMathematicsSubject HeadingsMathematics teachingAbility grouping in education Primary ConnectionsAutumn 2005;
Page 9
A new scientific literacy program is currently being trialled across Australia. Primary Connections aims to 'create innovative curriculum and professional learning resources that will enhance teacher confidence and competence for science teaching'. The trial involves 50 schools and 104 teachers, who are evaluating eight units from the program prior to nation-wide rollout in 2006. The units cover issues such as constructivism, cooperative group learning, inquiry-based learning and assessment. The program has been developed by the Australian Academy of Science in partnership with the Australian Government Department of Education, Science and Training. Key Learning AreasScienceSubject HeadingsScience teachingLiteracy Sorry wrong number1 August 2005
Recent research has found that 19 per cent of children aged between 6 and 13 own a mobile phone. They use mobile phones mainly to call parents or family members, text message friends, and play games. The phones have created new problems for schools, including phone theft and cyber bullying. The Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) has received many requests from school principals for copies of its Acceptable Use Policy for Mobile Phones in Schools. Experts suggest that the phones should not be allowed to disrupt school activities, and that in terms of student safety, mobile phones should not be used as a substitute for adult supervision. KLA Subject HeadingsCommunicationInformation and Communications Technology (ICT) Technology Primary education Duty of care Safety Children Textbook fight not as simple as it seems in Japan7 August 2005
Since the end of World War II, there have been frequent disputes in Japan over the presentation of the country's wartime record in school history textbooks. Textbook descriptions of the Pacific War and Japan's invasion of China have been subject to to government 'screening' and a number of court rulings. The changing emphasis of textboks also reflects swings in the public mood, and political pressure from countries previously invaded by Japan. Criticism of Japan's wartime aggression increased during the 1990s, when the government first admitted the existence of 'comfort women' from conquered countries, forced to work in Japanese army brothels. In 2001, the Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform published a 'revisionist' textbook that has rallied support for a more 'patriotic' approach to Japanese history. Key Learning AreasStudies of Society and EnvironmentSubject HeadingsCensorshipChina War Women Japan Nationalism Korea (South Korea) International relations History Education policy Asia Discipline problems and physical restraint of students
Volume 4
Number 2, June 2005;
Pages 3–4
Under Tasmanian law, even minor restraint of children by teachers, such as physically removing a misbehaving child from a classroom, can be deemed as ‘assault’. ‘Assault’ is defined as touching another person without consent, other than as reasonably necessary in everyday life. Current policy of the Tasmanian Department of Education states that ‘in the event of threatened or actual violence and when all efforts at de-escalation have failed, a principal or teacher may attempt to restrain a student,’ to avoid ‘significant harm’. Disciplinary action must be documented and injury must be avoided. Teachers within a school environment are argued to have parental responsibilities under common law. In this light, teachers may be entitled ‘to use, by way of correction, any force towards a child in his or her care that is reasonable in the circumstances’. However, the child ‘must be old enough to appreciate the nature of the correction,’ and must not experience or be likely to suffer physical or psychological harm. Using force that is ‘reasonable in the circumstances’ to remove a student who is refusing to leave a classroom may also be acceptable under the Abatement of Nuisance/Trespass, or on the principal’s direction under the Tasmanian Criminal Code. The Tasmanian Department of Education should provide clear definitions and direction on whether the removal of a student under the circumstances outlined, and where not designed as a punishment, is legally acceptable. KLA Subject HeadingsBehaviour managementClassroom management Positioning sexuality education research on the Gold Coast of QueenslandThe paper outlines a research project that investigated sexuality education of primary school students in Queensland's Gold Coast. The project involved a review of academic literature and system policy, interviews and group discussion with stakeholders, and observation of children. The paper makes recommendations regarding the nature of school programs and further research in this area. Sexuality education in primary schools should emphasise empowerment, social and cultural awareness, and sexual and human rights. It should impart skills in communication and decision making through methods such as discussion groups and role plays. Existing programs often emphasise dangers rather than pleasures of sexuality, and produce poor body image, especially among girls. School policy sometimes unduly restricts discussion of controversial topics such as homosexuality, masturbation and abortion. Teachers often limit what they teach for fear of charges of promoting sexual activity among children. Australia has no national body to lead sexuality education, unlike SIECUS in the USA, which offers the following guidelines: sexuality education should be part of overall health education; quality programs should be available in all schools, regardless of location; parents and teachers should be involved in developing their school’s program; programs should be inclusive of all types of children. In Queensland, sexuality education is part of the HPE Syllabus but school administrators choose how and when to implement it, and are not required to report on or evaluate programs. Sex education programs should be discussed in teacher education courses. Successful sex education research in schools has involved a range of factors. Researchers need to build a relationship with the school community, and familiarise parents and school staff with the project before it starts. The project should provide for participants’ consent and confidentiality, and should include a reporting process for suspected abuse. Children should ‘set the agenda’ to help elicit information from them and reduce researcher bias. Children should be observed in context of the playground and classroom, as well as being interviewed. Researchers should be skilled in a range of academic or professional disciplines. Findings should be disseminated effectively to all stakeholders. KLA Subject HeadingsGirls' educationTeacher-student relationships Teaching and learning Teacher training Sex education School and community Queensland Homosexuality Gay and lesbian issues Educational planning Educational evaluation Education research Education policy Curriculum planning Children Child development Body image |