New publications

Funding arrangements in Australian schools are failing to get the best results for students, are complicated and lack transparency, according to a comprehensive report into school funding. The Review of Funding for Schooling was undertaken by a panel of eminent Australians chaired by David Gonski AC. It warns that new arrangements are needed to make sure that Australian children do not fall behind the rest of the world, and keep Australia competitive, after a decline in education standards in the past decade. New arrangements are also needed to stop the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students growing wider. Adapted from Australian Government statement.

Four of the world's five highest-performing systems are Hong Kong, Korea, Shanghai and Singapore, according to OECD's 2009 PISA assessments of students. In recent years, Australia and many OECD countries have substantially increased education expenditure, often with disappointing results. Grattan Institute's new report, Catching up: learning from the best school systems in East Asia, shows how studying the strengths of these systems can improve our children's lives. Success in these systems is not determined by culture – by Confucianism, rote learning, Tiger Mothers and so on – nor is it always the result of spending more money. Instead, these systems focus on the things that are known to matter in the classroom, including a relentless, practical focus on learning and the creation of a strong culture of teacher education, collaboration, mentoring, feedback and sustained professional development. Adapted from publisher's description, linked to the full report online.

The paper examines the information-seeking behaviour of people aged 18 and under, including the issues of how young people search for information online and evaluate information, and create content. A review of selected literature at the intersection of digital media, youth, and information quality – primarily works from library and information science, sociology, education, and selected ethnographic studies – reveals patterns in youth's information-seeking behaviour, but also highlights the importance of contextual and demographic factors both for search and evaluation. Looking at the phenomenon from an information-learning and educational perspective, the literature shows that youth develop competencies for personal goals that sometimes do not transfer to school, and are sometimes not appropriate for school. Thus far, educational initiatives to educate youth about search, evaluation, or creation have depended greatly on the local circumstances for their success or failure. Adapted from publisher's description.

Australian teacher educator, John Loughran, argues that teachers' knowledge of what they do is largely tacit and often misunderstood. Drawing on pedagogy research he outlines the crucial principles of teaching and learning, and shows how they are translated into practice, using real classroom examples. He emphasises that teaching procedures need to be part of an integrated approach, so that they are genuinely meaningful and result in learning. Throughout, he offers ways in which teachers can engage their students to create a real 'need to know', and a desire to become active learners. Adapted from publisher's description.

The Cambridge Handbook of Creativity is a scholarly handbook on creativity from leading psychologists, researchers and educators. This handbook is designed as an introduction to the field of creativity and as a reference and current source of important information. It covers such diverse topics as the brain, education, business, and world cultures. The first section, 'Basic Concepts', introduces readers to both the history of and key concepts in the field of creativity. The next section, 'Diverse Perspectives of Creativity', contains chapters on the many ways of approaching creativity. Several of these approaches, such as the functional, evolutionary, and neuroscientific approaches, have been invented or greatly reconceptualised in the last decade. The third section, 'Contemporary Debates', highlights ongoing topics that still inspire discussion. Finally, the editors summarise and discuss important concepts from the book and look to what lies ahead. Adapted from publisher's description.

This book is a compendium for managing classroom behaviour. A complete rework of the 2nd edition, it is based on the shared rights/responsibilities approach and interactional and respectful intervention. It covers different behaviour management and discipline practices, from establishing a class to specific discipline strategies. Adapted from publisher's description.