Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160100830
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$365,071.00
Summary
Supporting children's early mathematics development. This project aims to investigate how implementation of cognitively demanding mathematics tasks in the early years may change number development and mathematics achievement. By focusing on children’s use of strategy, the project seeks to link classroom mathematics with underpinning cognitive processes. It also plans to use eye tracking technology to identify connections between explicit mathematics strategies and intuitive cognitive behaviours. ....Supporting children's early mathematics development. This project aims to investigate how implementation of cognitively demanding mathematics tasks in the early years may change number development and mathematics achievement. By focusing on children’s use of strategy, the project seeks to link classroom mathematics with underpinning cognitive processes. It also plans to use eye tracking technology to identify connections between explicit mathematics strategies and intuitive cognitive behaviours. It is expected this project will have important implications for teaching practice in the early years of school, by providing new understanding of how engaging in demanding tasks influences children’s flexible use of strategy and subsequent achievement. This would inform practitioners and policy-makers about the supports required to establish strong mathematics foundations in children.Read moreRead less
Improving numeracy outcomes for young Indigenous children through the Patterns and Early Algebra Preschool (PEAP) professional development program. The study aims to improve mathematics outcomes for young Indigenous children and advance the pedagogical content knowledge of early childhood educators and working towards closing the gap in numeracy achievements for Indigenous children. The study will add to the research literature on early algebraic thinking and mathematical reasoning.
Improving Regional Low SES Students' Learning and Wellbeing. This study aims to address the learning and wellbeing needs of over 7000 predominantly low socio-economic status students in regional Australia by researching the conditions that enable refinement and extension of a successful curricular and wellbeing program. The current low educational performance of this student cohort has significant negative effects on individual employment prospects and broader national productivity. Their under- ....Improving Regional Low SES Students' Learning and Wellbeing. This study aims to address the learning and wellbeing needs of over 7000 predominantly low socio-economic status students in regional Australia by researching the conditions that enable refinement and extension of a successful curricular and wellbeing program. The current low educational performance of this student cohort has significant negative effects on individual employment prospects and broader national productivity. Their under-achievement and disengagement from schooling also contribute to many antisocial, harmful short-and long-term outcomes for individuals, with significant health and other costs to the broader community. Outcomes from the project have the potential to improve these current outcomes and to be applicable to similar settings.Read moreRead less
Modelling with design: learning innovation across primary science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). This project aims to introduce a new approach to advancing mathematics learning and problem solving across grades four to six. This project expects to generate new knowledge by building on primary school students’ science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) competencies across several years. The project will establish critical foundations for advancing core mathematics ....Modelling with design: learning innovation across primary science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). This project aims to introduce a new approach to advancing mathematics learning and problem solving across grades four to six. This project expects to generate new knowledge by building on primary school students’ science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) competencies across several years. The project will establish critical foundations for advancing core mathematics content and multidisciplinary problem-solving knowledge. Expected outcomes include evidencebased findings and resources to inform ways to stimulate, sustain, and improve achievement across the STEM disciplines.Read moreRead less
Transforming children's mathematical and scientific development: a longitudinal study. An innovative program promoting young children's mathematical and scientific reasoning will be evaluated from grades one to three This study will determine whether an intervention capitalising on children's natural capacity for learning impacts their general cognitive development and problem solving skills at an optimum age.
Advancing future primary teachers' engagement in science inquiry learning. Australia's challenges in regard to scientific literacy and growth of student enrolments in science need to be addressed at multiple levels, starting with the preparation of future primary teachers. Promoting children's early interest in inquiry-based science is essential, yet a challenge for many teachers. This project examines the complex and dynamic interplay of cognitive, metacognitive and emotional processes in futur ....Advancing future primary teachers' engagement in science inquiry learning. Australia's challenges in regard to scientific literacy and growth of student enrolments in science need to be addressed at multiple levels, starting with the preparation of future primary teachers. Promoting children's early interest in inquiry-based science is essential, yet a challenge for many teachers. This project examines the complex and dynamic interplay of cognitive, metacognitive and emotional processes in future primary teachers' engagement in collaborative inquiry-based science activities. A comprehensive intervention based on these insights aims to determine how scaffolding productive engagement can improve the quality of primary teachers' preparation for inquiry-based science.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160101053
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$369,000.00
Summary
Engaging Science Students Emotionally by Fostering Positive Social Bonds. To address the problem of student disaffection with junior school science, this project aims to identify characteristics of interpersonal relationships or social bonds between teachers and students, and students and peers, that influence classroom learning and emotional engagement with science. Increasing engagement in the disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics is important for supporting Australia ....Engaging Science Students Emotionally by Fostering Positive Social Bonds. To address the problem of student disaffection with junior school science, this project aims to identify characteristics of interpersonal relationships or social bonds between teachers and students, and students and peers, that influence classroom learning and emotional engagement with science. Increasing engagement in the disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics is important for supporting Australia’s economic future. Facilitating positive social bonds in science classrooms is likely to improve student engagement. Outcomes from the study are expected to benefit educators, researchers, and policy-makers by identifying ways of fostering positive social bonds and facilitating engagement and learning in science.Read moreRead less
New play pedagogies for teaching and learning in the early years. Traditional play-based learning in early childhood education cannot account for new play: very young children's everyday play with technologies, digital media and popular culture. This project uses a recently developed web-mapping tool to create a pedagogical approach to new play. The pedagogical approach to new play comprises teaching practices and learning outcomes that capitalise on the educational potential of children's every ....New play pedagogies for teaching and learning in the early years. Traditional play-based learning in early childhood education cannot account for new play: very young children's everyday play with technologies, digital media and popular culture. This project uses a recently developed web-mapping tool to create a pedagogical approach to new play. The pedagogical approach to new play comprises teaching practices and learning outcomes that capitalise on the educational potential of children's everyday play with technologies, digital media and popular culture. It aims to enable teachers to work from a theorised and empirically validated perspective for connecting young children's everyday play with technologies, digital media and popular culture artefacts to their 21st century learning needs.Read moreRead less
Eventful learning in quality pre-service science teacher education. The study aims to build a theory that explains quality in science teacher education by identifying successful learning-teaching events across programs of university science teacher education. This theory will guide wider application of eventful learning practices at university to enhance the successful entry of new teachers to the profession.
Collaborative learning in Australia and China. This project aims to investigate aspects of learning for which “the social” is the most fundamental and useful level of explanation, modelling and instructional intervention. Interactive problem solving and learning are priorities in contemporary education, but have proven difficult to research. This project will use Australian and Chinese research facilities to investigate social interactions and classroom learning by strategically orchestrating co ....Collaborative learning in Australia and China. This project aims to investigate aspects of learning for which “the social” is the most fundamental and useful level of explanation, modelling and instructional intervention. Interactive problem solving and learning are priorities in contemporary education, but have proven difficult to research. This project will use Australian and Chinese research facilities to investigate social interactions and classroom learning by strategically orchestrating conditions for collaborative problem solving and knowledge construction by mathematics students in two very different cultures and pedagogical traditions. Outcomes from this project are expected to identify and optimise the function of social interaction in learning.Read moreRead less