Promoting Mathematical Development through Model-Eliciting Case Studies. Rapid changes in the way mathematics is being used in the workplace means that workers now require diverse profiles of mathematical and scientific abililites, the development of which has to begin in the school years. Building on our existing democratic access to powerful mathematics that will enable all students to develop the conceptual tools needed for success beyond school. Working with teachers and graduate students, ....Promoting Mathematical Development through Model-Eliciting Case Studies. Rapid changes in the way mathematics is being used in the workplace means that workers now require diverse profiles of mathematical and scientific abililites, the development of which has to begin in the school years. Building on our existing democratic access to powerful mathematics that will enable all students to develop the conceptual tools needed for success beyond school. Working with teachers and graduate students, we will implement semester-long sequences of model-eliciting activities (authentic case studies) that will develop students' higher-order mathematical understandings and abilities, especially those whose outstanding abilities in complex real-world situations often go undetected in the classroom.Read moreRead less
Learning by Design: Creating pedagogical frameworks for knowledge building in the 21st century. Our aim is to facilitate and support a generational change of teachers precipitated by the departure of the baby-boomers. The research will investigate the ways in which 'middle-years' teachers design, record and enact their curriculum, searching for evidence of a relationship between pedagogical choices and learner outcomes. From these investigations, and drawing on the theory of Multiliteracies, a t ....Learning by Design: Creating pedagogical frameworks for knowledge building in the 21st century. Our aim is to facilitate and support a generational change of teachers precipitated by the departure of the baby-boomers. The research will investigate the ways in which 'middle-years' teachers design, record and enact their curriculum, searching for evidence of a relationship between pedagogical choices and learner outcomes. From these investigations, and drawing on the theory of Multiliteracies, a tool will be developed to prompt more mindful and context-appropriate pedagogical choices, while encouraging teachers to document and share their practices. This will result in a body of rigorous and shareable knowledge and know-how, potentially improving opportunities and educational outcomes for all Australian students.Read moreRead less
Discovery Indigenous Researchers Development - Grant ID: DI0668285
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$48,570.00
Summary
Testing Ground: Investigating Indigenous Knowledge Programs and Indigenous Research Methodologies in Higher Education. This project will contribute to Australian social cohesion through the non-divisive Indigenous Knowledge approach to the teaching of Indigenous issues. Indigenous Knowledge Research is a new methodological development that will afford research in many cross-cultural contexts including those where literacy and numeracy skills are low. This research methodology has national and co ....Testing Ground: Investigating Indigenous Knowledge Programs and Indigenous Research Methodologies in Higher Education. This project will contribute to Australian social cohesion through the non-divisive Indigenous Knowledge approach to the teaching of Indigenous issues. Indigenous Knowledge Research is a new methodological development that will afford research in many cross-cultural contexts including those where literacy and numeracy skills are low. This research methodology has national and community significance because it fosters social cohesion in investigating problematic contexts through methods that bridge across groups and build community capacities to engage, identify and implement self-owned solutions. This research will facilitate the instigation of informational gathering structures in the most marginalized sectors of the Australian community.Read moreRead less
The Shallow Teaching Syndrome in School Mathematics - towards practical ways that will engage students more deeply. Australian governments have made considerable investment in international comparative studies of student achievement in mathematics. One of the findings is that an average Australian lesson exhibits the 'shallow teaching syndrome', having relatively lower complexity, higher repetition and less mathematical reasoning than high-achieving countries. This project will interview cur ....The Shallow Teaching Syndrome in School Mathematics - towards practical ways that will engage students more deeply. Australian governments have made considerable investment in international comparative studies of student achievement in mathematics. One of the findings is that an average Australian lesson exhibits the 'shallow teaching syndrome', having relatively lower complexity, higher repetition and less mathematical reasoning than high-achieving countries. This project will interview curriculum leaders and textbook writers, and analyse both traditional textbook and innovative curriculum materials. This will help to understand the reasons for the syndrome and recommend practical ways in which lessons that engage students more deeply, can be encouraged.Read moreRead less
Discovery Indigenous Researchers Development - Grant ID: DI0882472
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$180,000.00
Summary
Bubalamai Bawa Gumada. Healing the Wounds of the Heart: A Research-Based Intervention Diminishing the Impact of Racism and Stereotype Threat. Indigenous students are not achieving academic outcomes commensurate with non-Indigenous peers. Although research has identified contributing factors, little is known of the effect of cultural stereotypes on Indigenous students' academic outcomes. This research will implement an innovative new intervention to address stereotyping in secondary schools for I ....Bubalamai Bawa Gumada. Healing the Wounds of the Heart: A Research-Based Intervention Diminishing the Impact of Racism and Stereotype Threat. Indigenous students are not achieving academic outcomes commensurate with non-Indigenous peers. Although research has identified contributing factors, little is known of the effect of cultural stereotypes on Indigenous students' academic outcomes. This research will implement an innovative new intervention to address stereotyping in secondary schools for Indigenous students and evaluate the intervention's impact on mental health and academic functioning. This research offers important educational and socio-economic benefits by enriching the psychosocial adjustment and life potential of Indigenous Australians. This will foster schools free from racism and stereotyping that will contribute to individual, community, and national wellbeing.Read moreRead less
Responsibility for knowledge generation in Australian and Korean mathematics classrooms: Beyond the teacher-centred/student-centred dichotomy. We need to reconcile the apparent differences in instructional practice between well-taught 'Asian' and well-taught 'Western' mathematics classrooms. If this can be achieved then best practice in one tradition can inform best practice in the other. An analytical approach based on the distribution of responsibility for knowledge generation is applied to we ....Responsibility for knowledge generation in Australian and Korean mathematics classrooms: Beyond the teacher-centred/student-centred dichotomy. We need to reconcile the apparent differences in instructional practice between well-taught 'Asian' and well-taught 'Western' mathematics classrooms. If this can be achieved then best practice in one tradition can inform best practice in the other. An analytical approach based on the distribution of responsibility for knowledge generation is applied to well-taught classrooms in Australia and Korea in order to accommodate the effective practices of competent teachers in both traditions within the same explanatory framework. Only then will teachers in one tradition have access to effective practice in the other tradition in a form likely to sustain culturally-appropriate adaptation. The benefits to Australian schools will be considerable.Read moreRead less
School motivation in cultural context. This study examines the importance of personal, social and educational goals to school motivation and achievement of students from diverse cultural groups. It examines the inter-relationships between these goals, and their impact on student motivation, achievement and school retention. The study builds on a currently funded ARC project, which is being extended in United States schools using US generated funds provided by Arizona State University and South W ....School motivation in cultural context. This study examines the importance of personal, social and educational goals to school motivation and achievement of students from diverse cultural groups. It examines the inter-relationships between these goals, and their impact on student motivation, achievement and school retention. The study builds on a currently funded ARC project, which is being extended in United States schools using US generated funds provided by Arizona State University and South Western Oklahoma State University. The study will provide essential information on how schools may be renewed to better suit the needs of diverse students.Read moreRead less
How is school socio-economic composition associated with student outcomes? A comparative study of seven countries. School socio-economic composition is strongly associated with educational outcomes for all Australian students. This association is problematic because it reduces educational equity and opportunity for students at low socio-economic schools, which in turn reduces Australia's ability to fully invest in its most valuable resource, its young people. The current Labor government is comm ....How is school socio-economic composition associated with student outcomes? A comparative study of seven countries. School socio-economic composition is strongly associated with educational outcomes for all Australian students. This association is problematic because it reduces educational equity and opportunity for students at low socio-economic schools, which in turn reduces Australia's ability to fully invest in its most valuable resource, its young people. The current Labor government is committed to investing in low socio-economic schools. This study will highlight ways to support low socio-economic schools by showing how they differ from more advantaged ones. Comparative analysis of educationally equitable and efficient countries will provide further evidence for ways to support low socio-economic schools in Australia.Read moreRead less
The International Classroom Research Collaboration. The International Centre for Classroom Research at the University of Melbourne is the hub of an international network of classroom researchers. Australian coordination of this major international research network ensures that the priorities and initiatives, characteristic of contemporary Australian education (eg problem-based learning, authentic assessment, and working mathematically) can be anticipated and accommodated in the research agenda o ....The International Classroom Research Collaboration. The International Centre for Classroom Research at the University of Melbourne is the hub of an international network of classroom researchers. Australian coordination of this major international research network ensures that the priorities and initiatives, characteristic of contemporary Australian education (eg problem-based learning, authentic assessment, and working mathematically) can be anticipated and accommodated in the research agenda of the International Classroom Research Collaboration. Connections with state departments of education, state and national professional associations, and Australian schools and school systems, ensure that the findings of this international collaboration will be communicated efficiently to schools and classroom practitioners in Australia.Read moreRead less
A sociological analysis of ethnicity and compulsory schooling in NSW. Building social cohesion is a national priority. We directly address this priority through our focus on young people of low SES, ethnically diverse backgrounds in a region with a public reputation for inter-ethnic tensions and low school retention. We aim to generate insights that will shape a suite of policies and practices that teachers report effective in meeting the needs of schools and ethnically diverse students in the c ....A sociological analysis of ethnicity and compulsory schooling in NSW. Building social cohesion is a national priority. We directly address this priority through our focus on young people of low SES, ethnically diverse backgrounds in a region with a public reputation for inter-ethnic tensions and low school retention. We aim to generate insights that will shape a suite of policies and practices that teachers report effective in meeting the needs of schools and ethnically diverse students in the context of the collapse of the youth labour market.Read moreRead less