Moments in time: investigating a national history curriculum in early childhood settings and primary classrooms. The focus of this project will be the teaching and the learning of History in early childhood settings and primary classrooms located in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Findings from the project will provide evidence-based curricular and pedagogical theorising of effective and productive teaching and learning of History in those contexts.
Storythread pedagogy: transforming teachers' and students' knowledge and values regarding environmental sustainability. In this project an innovative teaching method, Storythread, is investigated as an effective way of developing in primary school-aged students a commitment to the values and practices of sustainability. Acquiring knowledge about the environment is important but not sufficent to transform everyday practices and values. Storythread not only assists students to develop relevant kno ....Storythread pedagogy: transforming teachers' and students' knowledge and values regarding environmental sustainability. In this project an innovative teaching method, Storythread, is investigated as an effective way of developing in primary school-aged students a commitment to the values and practices of sustainability. Acquiring knowledge about the environment is important but not sufficent to transform everyday practices and values. Storythread not only assists students to develop relevant knowledge, but links that knowledge to specific actions and consequential decisions that people make with regard to the environment. By assisting teachers to use Storythread effectively with diverse groups of students, this project will provide a way of developing future citizens with clear environmental values and practices so necessary in contemporary society. Read moreRead less
Improving student outcomes: coaching teachers in the power of feedback. This project aims to investigate how student outcomes can be augmented through coaching teachers in effective feedback practice. The project addresses a critical problem of stagnating levels of student achievement in Australian schools with the innovative research design combining evidence-based, pedagogies of feedback, formative assessment and instructional coaching to improve teacher practice and ultimately raise student a ....Improving student outcomes: coaching teachers in the power of feedback. This project aims to investigate how student outcomes can be augmented through coaching teachers in effective feedback practice. The project addresses a critical problem of stagnating levels of student achievement in Australian schools with the innovative research design combining evidence-based, pedagogies of feedback, formative assessment and instructional coaching to improve teacher practice and ultimately raise student achievement levels. The project aims to guide policy implementation in pedagogy to raise the quality of teaching standards and to improve learning outcomes for Australian students. Ultimately, outcomes from the research will help close the gap for low achieving students, and challenge and extend those who may already be meeting required benchmarks. Read moreRead less
Images, perceptions and resources: enhancing Australias role in China's English language education. Education, being the third largest export industry, plays an extremely important role in Australia's engagement with the Asia region. Chinese students are by far the largest single group of overseas students studying in Australia. However, there is little evidence regarding Australia's presence in the English language market in China, nor of how Chinese language learning businesses draw on Austral ....Images, perceptions and resources: enhancing Australias role in China's English language education. Education, being the third largest export industry, plays an extremely important role in Australia's engagement with the Asia region. Chinese students are by far the largest single group of overseas students studying in Australia. However, there is little evidence regarding Australia's presence in the English language market in China, nor of how Chinese language learning businesses draw on Australian sources and resources. The association with two premier Chinese language learning and publishing houses through this joint research project will promote Australian content for language learners in China and provide information for Australian language resource developers focusing on the Chinese market.Read moreRead less
Developmental engineering education in the primary school. Primary school students will learn about engineers and how engineering shapes our society. Students will develop important design processes in solving authentic, engineering-based problems. Their learning in the increasingly important science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) area will be enhanced, providing a foundation for addressing the increasing skills shortage in engineering.
Peopling educational policy: realising the new Australian English and mathematics curricula. Implementation of Australian curricula in English and mathematics provides an opportunity for school systems to re-examine practice. This project will identify resources and teacher learning opportunities needed to facilitate implementation of these curricula and use findings to develop interventions identified as likely to optimise implementation.
Emotional learning in socioscientific issues for enhancement of scientific literacy. This project will aim to address international concerns about waning student interest and participation in science by engaging middle school students imaginatively in socioscientific issues. Expected outcomes will enhance students' scientific literacy, and the production of positive emotional energy and the classroom emotional climate.
Designing a model of pedagogy for low literacy refugee-background students: Connecting language, literacy and content-based learning
. Policy makers and schools are urgently seeking models of literacy pedagogy which maximise student engagement and positive outcomes for low literacy refugee background (LLRB) students. This project will establish a model of literacy pedagogy that is adapted to the needs of these learners and will result in higher attainment and increased retention rates. The mo ....Designing a model of pedagogy for low literacy refugee-background students: Connecting language, literacy and content-based learning
. Policy makers and schools are urgently seeking models of literacy pedagogy which maximise student engagement and positive outcomes for low literacy refugee background (LLRB) students. This project will establish a model of literacy pedagogy that is adapted to the needs of these learners and will result in higher attainment and increased retention rates. The model will facilitate students' successful transition to the secondary school curriculum and their social integration and economic participation in Australian society. The project findings will provide a solid base for planning future provision which will benefit curriculum writers, teacher educators, policy makers, funding bodies, and teachers.Read moreRead less
Exceptional teachers for disadvantaged schools: A longitudinal study of graduates at work in low socio-economic status schools. Recruiting and retaining quality teachers for disadvantaged schools is a persistent problem of international significance. Building on a successful partnership with Queensland Department of Education, Training and Employment, this project aims to investigate how graduates from a unique teacher education program - designed to prepare quality teachers for schools situated ....Exceptional teachers for disadvantaged schools: A longitudinal study of graduates at work in low socio-economic status schools. Recruiting and retaining quality teachers for disadvantaged schools is a persistent problem of international significance. Building on a successful partnership with Queensland Department of Education, Training and Employment, this project aims to investigate how graduates from a unique teacher education program - designed to prepare quality teachers for schools situated in low socio-economic communities - perceive, recognise and enact ‘quality’ in their practice. The project merges theory on disadvantage with school-based practice and evidence of impact to develop theorisations of how early career teachers understand and enact quality teaching. The findings have implications for policy and practice in teacher education and capacity building.Read moreRead less
Serious play: using digital games in school to promote literacy and learning in the twenty first century. Young Australian’s social and cultural experiences are increasingly digital. This project will offer leadership to schools seeking to use and create games to improve student outcomes across subject areas, and will generate new knowledge about how students and teachers approach digital games and the kinds of literacy, learning and pedagogy they entail.