Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354538
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$30,000.00
Summary
Enabling Sciences Education (EnSE) Research Network. The Network aims to ensure the long-term ability of Australians to excel in scientific and technological innovation at all levels of community activity. This will be achieved by establishing significant and ambitious research agendas for improving the teaching and learning of Mathematics, Science and Technology in primary, secondary and tertiary education sectors. Of significance will be the productive synergies flowing from uniting, across ....Enabling Sciences Education (EnSE) Research Network. The Network aims to ensure the long-term ability of Australians to excel in scientific and technological innovation at all levels of community activity. This will be achieved by establishing significant and ambitious research agendas for improving the teaching and learning of Mathematics, Science and Technology in primary, secondary and tertiary education sectors. Of significance will be the productive synergies flowing from uniting, across the three disciplines, Australia's most outstanding, experienced and dedicated researchers with new and mid-career colleagues. Expected outcomes include a diverse but cohesive and collaborative research community that provides international leadership in helping students achieve their full potential. Read moreRead less
Investigating standards-driven reform in assessment in the middle years of schooling. This project addresses the Australian Government's call for standards-referenced reporting of student achievement. Its focus on standards, teacher judgement, and inclusion ensures that the project is responsive to the diversity of student cohorts, including those in rural and remote areas. Reliable teacher judgement and clear reporting are vital in ensuring timely interventions for students at educational risk ....Investigating standards-driven reform in assessment in the middle years of schooling. This project addresses the Australian Government's call for standards-referenced reporting of student achievement. Its focus on standards, teacher judgement, and inclusion ensures that the project is responsive to the diversity of student cohorts, including those in rural and remote areas. Reliable teacher judgement and clear reporting are vital in ensuring timely interventions for students at educational risk and for accelerated provision for high performing students. This project is significant as it will provide a large-scale evidential base of how teachers judge and moderate quality. Australia's social well being and economic international competitiveness hinge on maximising outcomes for all students.
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ENHANCING SCIENCE LEARNING THROUGH A FOCUS ON MULTIPLE AND MULTI-MODAL REPRESENTATIONS OF CONCEPTS. This project draws on recent theoretical accounts of multiple and multi-modal representations of science understandings to devise, trial and evaluate new approaches to teaching and learning science concepts. These approaches, catering for diverse learning pathways, focus on student understanding that representations of scientific knowledge are multi-modal and interconnected. The project is signifi ....ENHANCING SCIENCE LEARNING THROUGH A FOCUS ON MULTIPLE AND MULTI-MODAL REPRESENTATIONS OF CONCEPTS. This project draws on recent theoretical accounts of multiple and multi-modal representations of science understandings to devise, trial and evaluate new approaches to teaching and learning science concepts. These approaches, catering for diverse learning pathways, focus on student understanding that representations of scientific knowledge are multi-modal and interconnected. The project is significant in providing an innovative way to engage upper primary and junior secondary students in regional and rural Australian contexts in learning science, and is expected to promote more effective learning and more positive student attitudes to the subject.Read moreRead less
Schooling the nation in an age of globalization: National curriculum, accountabilities and their effects. The research will contribute to the development of Australia's human capital through the enhancement of knowledge concerning the policy settings necessary at national and state systemic levels for achieving higher quality and more equitable student outcomes. The research will advance understandings of how education federalism can best be utilized to achieve such outcomes. Analyses of NAPLAN ....Schooling the nation in an age of globalization: National curriculum, accountabilities and their effects. The research will contribute to the development of Australia's human capital through the enhancement of knowledge concerning the policy settings necessary at national and state systemic levels for achieving higher quality and more equitable student outcomes. The research will advance understandings of how education federalism can best be utilized to achieve such outcomes. Analyses of NAPLAN and PISA data will also provide policy and practice relevant knowledge for systems and for schools. The project will strengthen Australia's research capacity in education policy studies and its reputation in the academic field, and contribute to improved research-based policy making in education.
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Scaffolding numeracy in the middle years: an investigation of a new assessment-guided approach to teaching mathematics using authentic assessment tasks. The project will investigate the efficacy of a new assessment-guided approach to improving student numeracy outcomes in Years 4 to 8. The project adds to existing knowledge through the development of a learning and assessment framework for multiplicative thinking and rational number in a form and language accessible to teachers. The project is i ....Scaffolding numeracy in the middle years: an investigation of a new assessment-guided approach to teaching mathematics using authentic assessment tasks. The project will investigate the efficacy of a new assessment-guided approach to improving student numeracy outcomes in Years 4 to 8. The project adds to existing knowledge through the development of a learning and assessment framework for multiplicative thinking and rational number in a form and language accessible to teachers. The project is innovative in that it will develop and use authentic assessment tasks, as opposed to written tests or individual interviews, to identify learner's needs in terms of the framework and inform subsequent teaching. This represents a significant contribution to the Commonwealth's goal of improving numeracy outcomes for all.Read moreRead less
Enabling schooling success: Psycho-social drivers & impact of Positive Behaviour for Learning intervention on behaviour, well-being, academic engagement & achievement. Reducing behavioural & emotional difficulties in schools is vital given their pervasiveness & long-term consequences for academic failure, mental health & anti-social behaviour. Consistent with National Research Priorities to promote proactive health & wellbeing effective research-based positive behaviour for learning intervention ....Enabling schooling success: Psycho-social drivers & impact of Positive Behaviour for Learning intervention on behaviour, well-being, academic engagement & achievement. Reducing behavioural & emotional difficulties in schools is vital given their pervasiveness & long-term consequences for academic failure, mental health & anti-social behaviour. Consistent with National Research Priorities to promote proactive health & wellbeing effective research-based positive behaviour for learning interventions will yield important educational & socio-economic benefits by enriching learning, psychosocial adjustment, schooling success & life potential of young Australians. Research outcomes have the potential to seed success by generating new solutions to strengthen schooling; enable students to reach potential; build capacity at individual & community levels & contribute to national socio-economic wellbeing.Read moreRead less
Smart Education Partnerships: Testing a Research Collaboration Model To Build Literacy Innovations in Low Socio Economic Schools. The social and economic benefits of success at school are felt at individual, local and the national levels. Literacy is a significant factor in school success. This project will build and test a model of school improvement that will develop increased capacity for effective literacy teaching, and will address significant issues of equity in the provision of high q ....Smart Education Partnerships: Testing a Research Collaboration Model To Build Literacy Innovations in Low Socio Economic Schools. The social and economic benefits of success at school are felt at individual, local and the national levels. Literacy is a significant factor in school success. This project will build and test a model of school improvement that will develop increased capacity for effective literacy teaching, and will address significant issues of equity in the provision of high quality schooling for Australian students from diverse cultural, linguistic and/or socioeconomic backgrounds. The project has both local benefit, addressing needs in some of Queensland's most challenged schools, and will inform policy for school change in many of Australia's socially disadvantaged communities.Read moreRead less
Researching Collective Argumentation in Mathematics and Science Classrooms. The project will provide evidence-based pedagogical strategies for the reform of classroom teaching and learning in the crucial areas of mathematics and science. We will develop a form of pedagogy (Collective Argumentation) that enables students to be confident in deploying mathematical and scientific knowledge and skills in relation to the economic and social choices that they make in everyday contexts. Collective Argum ....Researching Collective Argumentation in Mathematics and Science Classrooms. The project will provide evidence-based pedagogical strategies for the reform of classroom teaching and learning in the crucial areas of mathematics and science. We will develop a form of pedagogy (Collective Argumentation) that enables students to be confident in deploying mathematical and scientific knowledge and skills in relation to the economic and social choices that they make in everyday contexts. Collective Argumentation can induct students into 'habits of mind and social practices' necessary for building an innovative learning community. This project will enable us to extend this innovative approach and to further develop its effectiveness.Read moreRead less
Promoting Mathematical Development through Model-Eliciting Case Studies. Rapid changes in the way mathematics is being used in the workplace means that workers now require diverse profiles of mathematical and scientific abililites, the development of which has to begin in the school years. Building on our existing democratic access to powerful mathematics that will enable all students to develop the conceptual tools needed for success beyond school. Working with teachers and graduate students, ....Promoting Mathematical Development through Model-Eliciting Case Studies. Rapid changes in the way mathematics is being used in the workplace means that workers now require diverse profiles of mathematical and scientific abililites, the development of which has to begin in the school years. Building on our existing democratic access to powerful mathematics that will enable all students to develop the conceptual tools needed for success beyond school. Working with teachers and graduate students, we will implement semester-long sequences of model-eliciting activities (authentic case studies) that will develop students' higher-order mathematical understandings and abilities, especially those whose outstanding abilities in complex real-world situations often go undetected in the classroom.Read moreRead less
Young Australians and their identification with Australia: Implications for schooling and school success. Aims
*Identify adolescents' conceptions of and commitment to Australian national identity (ANI) and compare gender, regional and ethnic variations.
*Examine images of Australia promoted in schools (subject curricula, celebrations, special events, extra-curricula activities).
*Explore relationships between adolescents' ANI, academic achievement, personal aspirations, personal and social de ....Young Australians and their identification with Australia: Implications for schooling and school success. Aims
*Identify adolescents' conceptions of and commitment to Australian national identity (ANI) and compare gender, regional and ethnic variations.
*Examine images of Australia promoted in schools (subject curricula, celebrations, special events, extra-curricula activities).
*Explore relationships between adolescents' ANI, academic achievement, personal aspirations, personal and social development.
Significance
*Locates ANI within contect of adolescent training and development.
*Timely research given the current 'clever country' push.
Expected Outcomes
*Development of a reliable and valid measure of ANI.
*Assisting educators, and relevant political and social agencies in development of curricula and national policy, heedful of adolescents' conceptions of ANI.Read moreRead less