New publications

Strategic Teacher comprises '20 of the most reliable and flexible strategies', which teachers and researchers have created, revised, tweaked, and recast over the last 50 years, and organised them into four distinct styles of instruction: a Mastery style that emphasises the development of student memory; an Understanding style that seeks to expand students' capacities to reason and explain; a Self-Expressive style that stimulates and nourishes students' imaginations and creativity; and an Interpersonal style that helps students find meaning in the relationships they forge as partners and team members, united in the act of learning. Adapted from Introduction. See also table of contents and related details from the publisher.

This report documents the educational costs which 58 low-income families in Victoria experienced in sending their children to primary or secondary school during 2007. Findings indicate that some children from poor families miss out on the basics needed for a standard school education because they can’t afford camps, sporting events, home computers and even school lunches. See also article in the Herald Sun 30 July 2009 and original media release June 2008 from the Brotherhood of St Laurence.

This text seeks to provide new perspectives regarding the sources of student motivation and how motivation can be promoted. The author argues that currently prevalent reward–punishment paradigms diminish teachers' ability to understand and encourage students' motivation; teachers and schools should instead conceive of motivation as internally based, and structure curriculums and classrooms accordingly. Topics include eliminating fear and coercion from the classroom; building positive relationships with students; teaching students to conduct self-evaluations; and creating realistic expectations and relevant lesson plans. Adapted from publisher's description.

This report draws on observations of English classrooms from 122 primary and 120 secondary schools in Britain. English provision was good or outstanding in half of the schools in both sectors, but was better in primary than secondary schools. Gaps between boys' and girls' achievement remain, as well as those related to socioeconomic status. Schools where principals valued English and provided support and leadership to subject coordinators performed best. Where vision was unclear and approaches undirected, achievement was lower. Lower achieving students needed more opportunities to catch up; they also felt that English was not relevant to their lives outside the classroom, and that classes did not take into account their use of developing technologies. Lesson planning needs to be clear but not too directed; teaching of writing standards needs improvement; dynamic and productive curriculums encourage improved learning outcomes. The full report is available online.

Over one million K–12 students in the USA are taking an online or blended learning class over the 2007–2008 academic year. The results of 99 research studies into online or blended learning are reviewed in this report. On average, students enrolled in online classes performed better than their peers in traditional classrooms; students in blended classrooms performed better than those in online-only classroom contexts. Greater achievement was facilitated by more time spent on task, opportunities for learners to control their interactions with media; opportunities for learner reflection, and individualised rather than group guidance. The full report is available online.

Schools can work together with other cultural and educational providers to develop close relationships and opportunities for personal development. These opportunities are designed to bridge social and racial divides and improve students' personal and educational outcomes. The text includes British case studies of cultural partnerships, ideas for integrating and developing partnerships, and ways of evaluating the impact of these collaborative partnerships. The full report is available online.