Teaching and Learning Science, Mathematics and Technology in Integrated Middle School Contexts. Integration is proposed as a significant curriculum reform strategy for Australian schools at the beginning of the century, particularly for early adolescents. Despite the claimed advantages for integrating school subjects, there is an absence of substantive empirical research to show if and/or how students learn in integrated settings. The proposed study addresses this research gap directly, by exami ....Teaching and Learning Science, Mathematics and Technology in Integrated Middle School Contexts. Integration is proposed as a significant curriculum reform strategy for Australian schools at the beginning of the century, particularly for early adolescents. Despite the claimed advantages for integrating school subjects, there is an absence of substantive empirical research to show if and/or how students learn in integrated settings. The proposed study addresses this research gap directly, by examining the teaching context and the characteristics of student learning in integrated science, mathematics and technology classrooms. This project employs detailed and elaborated case studies of six middle school classrooms to develop sophisticated understandings about the connection between integrated pedagogy and student learning and motivation.Read moreRead less
Young people and arts practice: impact, evaluation, and the third space. Identifying a better way forward. This research reveals effective ways of developing young people's creative responses to unknown futures in fragile communities. Through this project, the impact and conditions enabling these responses will be better understood, strengthening enablers and minimising constraints on this work. This will allow for generation of a replicable model, effective evaluative tools and mapping diversit ....Young people and arts practice: impact, evaluation, and the third space. Identifying a better way forward. This research reveals effective ways of developing young people's creative responses to unknown futures in fragile communities. Through this project, the impact and conditions enabling these responses will be better understood, strengthening enablers and minimising constraints on this work. This will allow for generation of a replicable model, effective evaluative tools and mapping diversity of creative practices.Read moreRead less
Improving assessment in science through the use of students' perceptions. The aim of the project is to focus on students as the clients and generate information resulting in an improvement in the assessment of science at middle school level. It brings together three components of educational research not previously conceptualised in the one study: students' perceptions of assessment tasks, students' perceptions of teacher-student interactions, and students' attitudes towards science. The current ....Improving assessment in science through the use of students' perceptions. The aim of the project is to focus on students as the clients and generate information resulting in an improvement in the assessment of science at middle school level. It brings together three components of educational research not previously conceptualised in the one study: students' perceptions of assessment tasks, students' perceptions of teacher-student interactions, and students' attitudes towards science. The current international emphasis on outcomes-based education has focused attention on assessment as a crucial component in student learning and makes this research timely. Understanding the relationships among the three research components will lead to improvements in teaching and learning science.Read moreRead less
DEVELOPING CREATIVE THINKERS THROUGH THE ARTS - A longitudinal and comparative mapping of student learning in an innovative Arts programme. Recent curriculum reforms which integrate learning areas, increase community participation and emphasise learning rather than teaching were driven by industry's demand for school-leavers who demonstrate creative initiative. Monitoring student progress however relies on domain-specific outcome statements. This project monitors students? progress towards crea ....DEVELOPING CREATIVE THINKERS THROUGH THE ARTS - A longitudinal and comparative mapping of student learning in an innovative Arts programme. Recent curriculum reforms which integrate learning areas, increase community participation and emphasise learning rather than teaching were driven by industry's demand for school-leavers who demonstrate creative initiative. Monitoring student progress however relies on domain-specific outcome statements. This project monitors students? progress towards creative competencies as they are fostered by an integrated Arts programme. We will map how K-10 students in 120 AWESOME Festival project classes develop critically and creatively over three years. Complex innovative data-collecting requires the development of interactive evaluative software. Theoretical findings on arts learning and appropriate thinking skills will be presented in an academic book, Re-Thinking Thinking.
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Learning and Teaching Genetics in a Biotechnological World: A Multidimensional Investigation of Conceptual Change. The aim of this research is to investigate students' and experts' understandings of fundamental concepts of genetics. The aim also is to investigate teaching strategies that will develop appropriate concepts for living in a biotechnological world. This is significant because genetics is critical content knowledge for general scientific literacy. This is the first research to investi ....Learning and Teaching Genetics in a Biotechnological World: A Multidimensional Investigation of Conceptual Change. The aim of this research is to investigate students' and experts' understandings of fundamental concepts of genetics. The aim also is to investigate teaching strategies that will develop appropriate concepts for living in a biotechnological world. This is significant because genetics is critical content knowledge for general scientific literacy. This is the first research to investigate how children's theories of genetics develop and it brings together two successful theoretical approaches. The outcomes of this qualitative research will be detailed descriptions and interpretations of what children already know about genetics, what they should know, and effective teaching strategies for conceptual change.Read moreRead less
Using explanatory frameworks to enhance students' metacognitive capabilities in science. The success and continuation of science programs in secondary schools and universities is dependent on foundational improvements in teaching and learning. This proposal is designed to address this national concern by fostering potential science talent by encouraging more students to study and enjoy science in a meaningful way. Through the development of carefully analysed explanatory frameworks, science teac ....Using explanatory frameworks to enhance students' metacognitive capabilities in science. The success and continuation of science programs in secondary schools and universities is dependent on foundational improvements in teaching and learning. This proposal is designed to address this national concern by fostering potential science talent by encouraging more students to study and enjoy science in a meaningful way. Through the development of carefully analysed explanatory frameworks, science teachers and university lecturers will enable students to develop their metacognitive capabilities so that they are able to think logically about science concepts rather than memorise basic facts which are easily forgotten. Expected practical benefits are students who are better able to learn and communicate, especially in science.Read moreRead less
Digital Divas: Designing approaches to enthuse girls' interest in ICT studies and ICT careers. A strong information and communications technology (ICT) industry, a skilled ICT workforce and excellence in ICT research is vital to Australia's future. However, girls' interest in ICT, and the numbers of women entering the ICT workforce, are at record lows, while Industry skills are critically short. Digital Divas will pioneer a program to build girls' ICT skills and confidence, increasing their mot ....Digital Divas: Designing approaches to enthuse girls' interest in ICT studies and ICT careers. A strong information and communications technology (ICT) industry, a skilled ICT workforce and excellence in ICT research is vital to Australia's future. However, girls' interest in ICT, and the numbers of women entering the ICT workforce, are at record lows, while Industry skills are critically short. Digital Divas will pioneer a program to build girls' ICT skills and confidence, increasing their motivation to study ICT and enter the ICT workforce. The benefits of education will be maximised by addressing the gender digital divide evident in classrooms, universities and professions.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130100400
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Collective action and resistance to terrorism: construction of the Bali Peace Park as counter-terrorism. This project will explore how the Bali Peace Park functions as a mechanism for collective resistance to terrorism. It will explore how individuals and communities engage with the Peace Park as a form of counter terrorism. The project will contribute to an understanding of how governments and societies can counter the social impact of terrorism.
Soviet War Experiences, 1937-1950. This project aims to write a history of Soviet war experiences and chart the varieties of wartime experiences on Soviet held territories between the outbreak of the Second World War in Asia in 1937 and the end of the counter-insurgency in the western borderlands by 1950. Rather than extract one, allegedly 'typical' experience, this project aims to focus on the range, variety, and complexity of wartime experiences of ordinary (and some extraordinary) people livi ....Soviet War Experiences, 1937-1950. This project aims to write a history of Soviet war experiences and chart the varieties of wartime experiences on Soviet held territories between the outbreak of the Second World War in Asia in 1937 and the end of the counter-insurgency in the western borderlands by 1950. Rather than extract one, allegedly 'typical' experience, this project aims to focus on the range, variety, and complexity of wartime experiences of ordinary (and some extraordinary) people living, fighting, surviving, dying, or passing through the lands controlled, sometimes more, sometimes less, by Stalin and his political apparatus during the years of war in the 1930s and 1940s.Read moreRead less
Online violent extremist audiences in Australia and the United Kingdom. This project aims to develop an understanding of the role and influence of the internet on violent extremism. It plans to use mixed methods to investigate the ways in which online messages are received and interpreted and the contexts within which this occurs. It plans to apply an innovative research framework using media theories and concepts to the study of online violent extremism. The project aims to contribute to the de ....Online violent extremist audiences in Australia and the United Kingdom. This project aims to develop an understanding of the role and influence of the internet on violent extremism. It plans to use mixed methods to investigate the ways in which online messages are received and interpreted and the contexts within which this occurs. It plans to apply an innovative research framework using media theories and concepts to the study of online violent extremism. The project aims to contribute to the development of measures to counter violent extremism by addressing assumptions about the relationship between online violent extremist content and violent extremist behaviour; and developing understanding of how violent extremist messaging is received and interpreted.Read moreRead less