Towards a transformative model: re-shaping transitions between school and post-school life. This project aims to transform senior schooling to support students with limited levels of educational achievement secure productive transitions to lives beyond school. Starting with understanding what productive transitions means for past-students, the project engages with current students, teachers, school leaders, community organisations and employers to develop, trial and evaluate effective senior sch ....Towards a transformative model: re-shaping transitions between school and post-school life. This project aims to transform senior schooling to support students with limited levels of educational achievement secure productive transitions to lives beyond school. Starting with understanding what productive transitions means for past-students, the project engages with current students, teachers, school leaders, community organisations and employers to develop, trial and evaluate effective senior school experiences for those young adults. The researchers will work collaboratively with four school communities and local employers. Through engagements with students, workplaces and community settings outside of schools, the project will identify, promote and support achieving productive post-school transitions for these students.Read moreRead less
Researching teachers' funds of knowledge and teaching repertoires in relation to student diversity. Diversity in the Australian community has been recognised as a valuable national asset. This project will provide insight into how classrooms can be formed to value diversity among students and provide learning opportunities for all students whatever their background or needs. Students' experiences within schools provide them with a blueprint of the way communities operate, particularly in terms o ....Researching teachers' funds of knowledge and teaching repertoires in relation to student diversity. Diversity in the Australian community has been recognised as a valuable national asset. This project will provide insight into how classrooms can be formed to value diversity among students and provide learning opportunities for all students whatever their background or needs. Students' experiences within schools provide them with a blueprint of the way communities operate, particularly in terms of how inclusion and exclusion are decided, how conflicts are dealt with, and how consensus between members of a group can be built. This project will help clarify how inclusive communities for students and teachers are formed and managed over time. Read moreRead less
School to work transitions: A study of school-industry partnerships in small and medium enterprises in SouthEast Queensland. The transition from school to work in contemporary times is difficult due to changes in school, work and society. The Gold Coast region represents a unique region where there are above national and state average completions of traineeships. This project investigates the forms of school-to-work traineeships in the region in order to identify elements of best practice, and t ....School to work transitions: A study of school-industry partnerships in small and medium enterprises in SouthEast Queensland. The transition from school to work in contemporary times is difficult due to changes in school, work and society. The Gold Coast region represents a unique region where there are above national and state average completions of traineeships. This project investigates the forms of school-to-work traineeships in the region in order to identify elements of best practice, and to propose benefits and costs to key stakeholders including youth, employers and schools. The project's significance lies in its documentation of key industry and school partnerships in terms of cognitive, social and economic benefits for the long-term sustainability of youth and employment. Read moreRead less
Enhancing Wellbeing and Learning in Middle Years Classrooms. Meaningful engagement in schooling promotes academic learning, social emotional wellbeing and healthy futures for young people. Achieving the positive engagement of all adolescent students in schooling is a significant educational challenge for Australia. This research project recognises that strong, caring and positive teacher-student relationships are critical to student engagement in Middle Years classrooms. The project will inve ....Enhancing Wellbeing and Learning in Middle Years Classrooms. Meaningful engagement in schooling promotes academic learning, social emotional wellbeing and healthy futures for young people. Achieving the positive engagement of all adolescent students in schooling is a significant educational challenge for Australia. This research project recognises that strong, caring and positive teacher-student relationships are critical to student engagement in Middle Years classrooms. The project will investigate the application of an evidence based framework of strategies and a professional learning model to support teachers in the promotion of positive learning relationships. The project will trial measures that could increase teacher capacity to promote learning and wellbeing through positive relationships.Read moreRead less
Improving middle years mathematics and science: The role of subject cultures in school and teacher change. Student disengagement with mathematics and science in the middle years of schooling, and the low retention rates into these areas in upper years, is of national concern. This project investigates the role of mathematics and science knowledge, and school subject cultures, in mediating change processes in the middle years. It builds on a highly successful change model developed for science te ....Improving middle years mathematics and science: The role of subject cultures in school and teacher change. Student disengagement with mathematics and science in the middle years of schooling, and the low retention rates into these areas in upper years, is of national concern. This project investigates the role of mathematics and science knowledge, and school subject cultures, in mediating change processes in the middle years. It builds on a highly successful change model developed for science teaching and learning in Victoria to investigate how generic conceptions of teacher pedagogy
and school change intersect with subject matter knowledge and traditions in the closely related areas of mathematics and science. The findings will inform future school change projects.Read moreRead less
Growing up in networked spaces: Tech-savvy youth constructing identities and forming social relations in online and offline worlds. This study's focus on online and offline worlds raises significant issues that relate directly to youth's participation in Australia's global knowledge-based economy, particularly youth's engagement with online technologies, and their experiences as consumers and producers of cultural materials and practices. The project's concern with significant aspects of youth g ....Growing up in networked spaces: Tech-savvy youth constructing identities and forming social relations in online and offline worlds. This study's focus on online and offline worlds raises significant issues that relate directly to youth's participation in Australia's global knowledge-based economy, particularly youth's engagement with online technologies, and their experiences as consumers and producers of cultural materials and practices. The project's concern with significant aspects of youth growing up in a world characterised by change is highly relevant for its impact on their social wellbeing and identity formation. Schools, tertiary institutions and national youth agencies will benefit from the results of this study in terms of how they understand youth's changing identities in these new times and new spaces.Read moreRead less
Effective Implementation of Pedagogical Reform. A central challenge faced by nations around the globe is how to maximise the quality of teaching, since the quality of teaching itself is the main contributor to student achievement. Building on an internationally recognised model for Quality Teaching, this collaborative project promises to advance national initiatives in improving teaching quality and improve Australia's international status in the provision of quality education for all school stu ....Effective Implementation of Pedagogical Reform. A central challenge faced by nations around the globe is how to maximise the quality of teaching, since the quality of teaching itself is the main contributor to student achievement. Building on an internationally recognised model for Quality Teaching, this collaborative project promises to advance national initiatives in improving teaching quality and improve Australia's international status in the provision of quality education for all school students.Read moreRead less
Understanding adolescent leadership for civic engagement in secondary schools and community groups. Using the 'research voice' of adolescents as an investigation technique, this project will develop new conceptual knowledge to inform youth-centric leadership interventions aimed at engaging young people in civic action in schools and community groups. The key benefit is the discovery of new understandings about youth leadership and its connection to enhanced civic engagement, both prerequisites f ....Understanding adolescent leadership for civic engagement in secondary schools and community groups. Using the 'research voice' of adolescents as an investigation technique, this project will develop new conceptual knowledge to inform youth-centric leadership interventions aimed at engaging young people in civic action in schools and community groups. The key benefit is the discovery of new understandings about youth leadership and its connection to enhanced civic engagement, both prerequisites for responsible citizenship in workplaces and the wider community.Read moreRead less
Improving engagement in learning and transition to mainstream schooling for newly-arrived Sudanese youth in the middle years of schooling. The 'new wave' of Sudanese refugees (48.3% of 2003 intake) with disrupted educational and social/emotional backgrounds is currently challenging Australian schools' expertise and resources. Using frameworks that draw on cultural theory, identity and language, the study will explore the social capital needs (skills and capacities, and resource needs) of Sudanes ....Improving engagement in learning and transition to mainstream schooling for newly-arrived Sudanese youth in the middle years of schooling. The 'new wave' of Sudanese refugees (48.3% of 2003 intake) with disrupted educational and social/emotional backgrounds is currently challenging Australian schools' expertise and resources. Using frameworks that draw on cultural theory, identity and language, the study will explore the social capital needs (skills and capacities, and resource needs) of Sudanese middle-schooling students enabling successful, productive and engaged transition from their on-arrival program into mainstream secondary schooling. The resulting model and web-based materials will provide a framework for educating other groups likely to follow from Africa/elsewhere, and meet the National Priority Goal: strengthening Australia's social fabric.Read moreRead less
Reinvigorating middle years pedagogy in 'rustbelt' secondary schools. Internationally, the middle years of schooling are increasingly problematic for students and teachers, and thus a crucial site for pedagogical reform. The last decade of research and development is nearly exhausted. There is need for a new generation of pedagogical innovation that recognises shifts in demography, identities and socio-economic conditions. This project aims to build curriculum and pedagogical practice that enga ....Reinvigorating middle years pedagogy in 'rustbelt' secondary schools. Internationally, the middle years of schooling are increasingly problematic for students and teachers, and thus a crucial site for pedagogical reform. The last decade of research and development is nearly exhausted. There is need for a new generation of pedagogical innovation that recognises shifts in demography, identities and socio-economic conditions. This project aims to build curriculum and pedagogical practice that engage young people's lifeworlds and the concerns of their communities. It will, develop a university-school professional learning community that supports educational action research and that informs pedagogical practices through ethnographies of the everyday lives of diverse young people.Read moreRead less