Educating the Adolescent: An historical study of curriculum, counselling and citizenship in Australia 1930s -70s. This project is a history of the education of Australian adolescents during the mid-twentieth century (1930s-70s). It investigates international and Australian practices and debates concerning how best to prepare adolescents for citizenship; and examines changing ideas about the 'good student', and the role of school curriculum and counselling services in shaping student values and w ....Educating the Adolescent: An historical study of curriculum, counselling and citizenship in Australia 1930s -70s. This project is a history of the education of Australian adolescents during the mid-twentieth century (1930s-70s). It investigates international and Australian practices and debates concerning how best to prepare adolescents for citizenship; and examines changing ideas about the 'good student', and the role of school curriculum and counselling services in shaping student values and wellbeing. Combining documentary and oral history research, it provides historical perspectives on these topical issues, which will benefit policy, teacher education and teaching practice. It will create an oral history archive for, and deepen community and professional knowledge of, an important period of Australian educational history. Read moreRead less
Vocational studies in school - does it matter if I'm a girl and if I'm poor? The growth of VET in Schools has been associated with government policy to promote an innovation culture and economy, to increase secondary retention, and to strengthen transition from school to tertiary study, training and work. This study seeks to examine the effectiveness of VETiS, from a gender and SES perspective, in strengthening participation, fostering student engagement and facilitating effective transition. It ....Vocational studies in school - does it matter if I'm a girl and if I'm poor? The growth of VET in Schools has been associated with government policy to promote an innovation culture and economy, to increase secondary retention, and to strengthen transition from school to tertiary study, training and work. This study seeks to examine the effectiveness of VETiS, from a gender and SES perspective, in strengthening participation, fostering student engagement and facilitating effective transition. It does so by analysing national VETiS data, followed up by a longitudinal study of students in 12 schools (small, large, single sex, co-educational, metropolitan and non-metropolitan). It uniquely combines a system-wide perspective with a detailed and qualitative school-level view.Read moreRead less
Academic Curriculum and School Setting : How school subjects live different lives in different schools. What is it about some schools that enables success to occur even in the most unlikely settings? This project will investigate differences in how the senior school subjects of mathematics, English and chemistry are 'delivered' in particular settings, despite curricula that are centrally determined and examined. It will explore the impact of factors such as school organisation, teaching and asse ....Academic Curriculum and School Setting : How school subjects live different lives in different schools. What is it about some schools that enables success to occur even in the most unlikely settings? This project will investigate differences in how the senior school subjects of mathematics, English and chemistry are 'delivered' in particular settings, despite curricula that are centrally determined and examined. It will explore the impact of factors such as school organisation, teaching and assessment methods, teaching resources and student background characteristics on students' experience of, and success in, these subjects. This project will identify the changes in curricula, school organisation and teaching needed for more students to successfully complete their senior secondary education.Read moreRead less
School knowledge, working knowledge and the knowing subject: a review of state curriculum policies 1975-2005. Schooling is a central institution for forming the knowledge, workers and citizens of Australia's future, and this is a period of widespread curriculum change. This project's systematic review of state differences is an important resource for moves in a 'nationally consistent' direction. The project charts what is and is not being taken up in relation to new vocational agendas and new co ....School knowledge, working knowledge and the knowing subject: a review of state curriculum policies 1975-2005. Schooling is a central institution for forming the knowledge, workers and citizens of Australia's future, and this is a period of widespread curriculum change. This project's systematic review of state differences is an important resource for moves in a 'nationally consistent' direction. The project charts what is and is not being taken up in relation to new vocational agendas and new conceptions of knowledge. It provides a fresh perspective on Australian curriculum emphases, competing agendas, issues to be addressed and makes possible a more realistic appraisal of the conditions in which innovation and reform need to be developed.Read moreRead less
Globalisation and Teacher Movements into and out of multicultural Australia. Education underpins a cohesive and successful society, but today education is increasingly globalised. This project explores the 'brain circulation' of Australian teaching professionals. It will produce a comprehensive national picture of the dynamics (personal and institutional) underlying the movement of teachers into and out of Australia, with a focus on regional and rural areas as well as the cities. It will result ....Globalisation and Teacher Movements into and out of multicultural Australia. Education underpins a cohesive and successful society, but today education is increasingly globalised. This project explores the 'brain circulation' of Australian teaching professionals. It will produce a comprehensive national picture of the dynamics (personal and institutional) underlying the movement of teachers into and out of Australia, with a focus on regional and rural areas as well as the cities. It will result in a refining of Australia's policies and procedures in order to better attract and retain immigrant teachers and to regain emigrant teachers. Read moreRead less
Vocational Education and Training in Schools: Cultural Resistance and the Academic Tradition. This study seeks to relate how well different models of VET in Schools delivery (in different settings) work towards achieving the objectives of improved participation, more effective transitions and engagement of reluctant learners. It also seeks to assess how effectively the different ways of delivering VET are meeting governments' objectives to build Australia's skills base and provide young people w ....Vocational Education and Training in Schools: Cultural Resistance and the Academic Tradition. This study seeks to relate how well different models of VET in Schools delivery (in different settings) work towards achieving the objectives of improved participation, more effective transitions and engagement of reluctant learners. It also seeks to assess how effectively the different ways of delivering VET are meeting governments' objectives to build Australia's skills base and provide young people with effective pathways. This study will provide education and training systems with valuable data on the effectiveness of this major policy innovation for different student groups. It will do so by analysing three major school leaver data-bases, followed up by qualitative studies in 12 schools in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.Read moreRead less
The VCE: Social Access and Transition Effectiveness. Education authorities in Australia face difficulties in reforming school programs to make them both equitable and effective in terms of learning experiences and outcomes. This project examines the extent to which young people from different family backgrounds access different "locations" within the curriculum, the quality of their instructional experience, and the post-school destinations connected with the places they held in the curriculum. ....The VCE: Social Access and Transition Effectiveness. Education authorities in Australia face difficulties in reforming school programs to make them both equitable and effective in terms of learning experiences and outcomes. This project examines the extent to which young people from different family backgrounds access different "locations" within the curriculum, the quality of their instructional experience, and the post-school destinations connected with the places they held in the curriculum. The broad objective is to make the curriculum much more transparent with respect to its underlying social patterns and processes, and thus to make it more accessible to the remedial action of both teachers and curriculum and assessment authorities.Read moreRead less
Education Investment in Australian Schooling: Serving Public Purposes. The public purposes of schooling are central to the social and economic health of Australian society, since they provide a basis for realising the goals and aspirations of that society. This project will use the insights and current practices of many school communities to establish how the purposes of schooling are currently understood and enacted. This clarification will be used as the basis for (a) a reassessment and refine ....Education Investment in Australian Schooling: Serving Public Purposes. The public purposes of schooling are central to the social and economic health of Australian society, since they provide a basis for realising the goals and aspirations of that society. This project will use the insights and current practices of many school communities to establish how the purposes of schooling are currently understood and enacted. This clarification will be used as the basis for (a) a reassessment and refinement of such policy statements as the National Goals of Schooling; (b) professional development activities and resources and sharing of good practice; and (c) the development of instruments for assessing the achievement of public purposes.
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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
Addressing the teacher exodus: Enhancing early career teacher resilience and retention in changing times. This research will produce new knowledge, strategies, models and recommendations that will help to keep early career teachers in the profession in regional, rural and remote areas. In doing so it will address the problem of teacher shortage that is currently threatening the nation's educational, economic and social outcomes. The research outcomes will have particular credibility at the natio ....Addressing the teacher exodus: Enhancing early career teacher resilience and retention in changing times. This research will produce new knowledge, strategies, models and recommendations that will help to keep early career teachers in the profession in regional, rural and remote areas. In doing so it will address the problem of teacher shortage that is currently threatening the nation's educational, economic and social outcomes. The research outcomes will have particular credibility at the national level because they will be the result of dialogue and collaboration across three universities and six industry partners who are the key stakeholders in teacher employment in two states. In addition, the collaborative approach will facilitate implementation of recommendations at the local, state and national levels.Read moreRead less