Pedagogies for knowledge-building: investigating subject-appropriate, cumulative teaching for twenty-first century school classrooms. To succeed in today's knowledge society, young people need to quickly grasp the organising principles for building different forms of knowledge. This interdisciplinary project explores how teachers marshall the resources of modern classrooms to apprentice students into subject-specific principles for knowledge-building in Science and History.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140100421
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$378,442.00
Summary
The Creative Turn: An Australia wide Study of Creativity and
Innovation in Secondary Schools. The Melbourne Declaration's Educational Goals for Young Australians advocate that all young Australians should become 'confident and creative individuals' for whom 'critical and creative thinking are fundamental to becoming successful'. This project addresses how creativity and innovative thinking can be nurtured in Australian secondary schools, to help learners better meet the needs of emerging twent ....The Creative Turn: An Australia wide Study of Creativity and
Innovation in Secondary Schools. The Melbourne Declaration's Educational Goals for Young Australians advocate that all young Australians should become 'confident and creative individuals' for whom 'critical and creative thinking are fundamental to becoming successful'. This project addresses how creativity and innovative thinking can be nurtured in Australian secondary schools, to help learners better meet the needs of emerging twenty-first century creative economies, particularly as they are developing in the Asia-Pacific region. This project addresses this imperative by seeking to define, measure and cultivate creativity in Australian schools and, ultimately, to develop a new theoretical framework with which to compare these findings internationally. Read moreRead less
Grammar and praxis: investigating a grammatics for twenty-first century school English. The project will investigate English teachers' current levels of knowledge about language (KAL) and kinds of knowledge needed for a twenty-first century English curriculum. Project findings from diverse classrooms will yield vital information about how grammar contributes to development of coherent, cumulative and portable KAL at key stages of schooling.
Exploring Problem Based Learning in schools . This project investigates the potential contribution of Problem Based Learning to school based Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) education. The project expects to generate new knowledge about how the principles defining this PBL approach can support primary and secondary teachers to enhance learning opportunities and build STEM literacy. The project actively positions teachers as researchers interrogating their practice. Expected ....Exploring Problem Based Learning in schools . This project investigates the potential contribution of Problem Based Learning to school based Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) education. The project expects to generate new knowledge about how the principles defining this PBL approach can support primary and secondary teachers to enhance learning opportunities and build STEM literacy. The project actively positions teachers as researchers interrogating their practice. Expected project outcomes include a pedagogical framework developed with teachers, and illustrations of practice capturing problem based learning in a range of school settings. Potential benefits include support for teachers, school leadership and sectors seeking to enhance STEM education.Read moreRead less
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
Global childhoods: Life-worlds and educational success in Australia and Asia. This project aims to investigate how everyday life-worlds of year four students (nine-ten years of age) in Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore shape children’s orientations to educational success. Situated in the global cities of Melbourne, Sydney, Hong Kong and Singapore, the study explores connections between policy contexts, school experiences and everyday activities of children growing up in the Asian Century. Findi ....Global childhoods: Life-worlds and educational success in Australia and Asia. This project aims to investigate how everyday life-worlds of year four students (nine-ten years of age) in Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore shape children’s orientations to educational success. Situated in the global cities of Melbourne, Sydney, Hong Kong and Singapore, the study explores connections between policy contexts, school experiences and everyday activities of children growing up in the Asian Century. Findings will advance knowledge of factors that contribute to children’s understandings of how their experiences in and out of school prepare them for futures in a global world. This will enable policy-makers, educators and parents to provide improved learning opportunities in children’s lives.Read moreRead less
The provision of education to migrants and refugees: a longitudinal study of newly arrived students' experiences of education in Australia. This project will investigate the education provided to primary school aged newly-arrived students from non-English speaking backgrounds. The outcomes will help ensure that these students do not 'drop out' of school early, that their experiences of education in Australia are positive, and that their chances of securing employment are maximised.
The impact of urban vertical schools on students’ capability and wellbeing. Urban vertical schools are new types of schools in Australia. There are no evidence-based Australian precedents to guide designers or educators, no formal knowledge sharing processes that draw on experiences of pioneers, and little understanding of what these spaces mean for student capability and wellbeing. This evaluative case study will bring together evidence from designers, educators and students in three newly buil ....The impact of urban vertical schools on students’ capability and wellbeing. Urban vertical schools are new types of schools in Australia. There are no evidence-based Australian precedents to guide designers or educators, no formal knowledge sharing processes that draw on experiences of pioneers, and little understanding of what these spaces mean for student capability and wellbeing. This evaluative case study will bring together evidence from designers, educators and students in three newly built urban, vertical schools. Project findings will point to inclusive principles for designing and leading in physical, digital and social school spaces to maximise student wellbeing and capability. Insights into student experiences in urban, vertical school spaces will have value for infrastructure spending in all schools.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210101881
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$407,390.00
Summary
Building STEM capacity through literacy engagement in spatial reasoning. This project aims to improve boys and girls' spatial reasoning in preschool (when gender differences emerge) by utilizing an activity that both genders equally access: book reading. Spatial reasoning is critical to achievement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). This project will address disproportionate outcomes in spatial reasoning and STEM achievement, particularly among females, by identifying ef ....Building STEM capacity through literacy engagement in spatial reasoning. This project aims to improve boys and girls' spatial reasoning in preschool (when gender differences emerge) by utilizing an activity that both genders equally access: book reading. Spatial reasoning is critical to achievement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). This project will address disproportionate outcomes in spatial reasoning and STEM achievement, particularly among females, by identifying effective kinds of spatial learning opportunities for the preschool context. Expected outcomes include an innovative approach to improving spatial reasoning through literacy engagement. This provides significant benefits by creating pathways into STEM and informing targeted interventions.Read moreRead less
The Quality of Learning as Students Create Digital Explanations of Science. University science learners will become our future scientists and science teachers and thus need to develop content expertise and communications skills during their studies. This interdisciplinary project will examine the quality of learning as university science students create digital explanations of science concepts. Learning with digital technologies is increasingly common across many science contexts and this projec ....The Quality of Learning as Students Create Digital Explanations of Science. University science learners will become our future scientists and science teachers and thus need to develop content expertise and communications skills during their studies. This interdisciplinary project will examine the quality of learning as university science students create digital explanations of science concepts. Learning with digital technologies is increasingly common across many science contexts and this project aims to develop evidence about the quality and durability of the science learning as well as theoretical insights about multimodal literacy development in the process of creating digital explanations. Research into the quality of learning resulting from innovative strategies to learn science through digital technologies is significant for the future of Australia’s knowledge economy and creating a digital explanation shows promise for enhancing both engagement and quality of learning among university science students.Read moreRead less