Teaching and Learning Science, Mathematics and Technology in Integrated Middle School Contexts. Integration is proposed as a significant curriculum reform strategy for Australian schools at the beginning of the century, particularly for early adolescents. Despite the claimed advantages for integrating school subjects, there is an absence of substantive empirical research to show if and/or how students learn in integrated settings. The proposed study addresses this research gap directly, by exami ....Teaching and Learning Science, Mathematics and Technology in Integrated Middle School Contexts. Integration is proposed as a significant curriculum reform strategy for Australian schools at the beginning of the century, particularly for early adolescents. Despite the claimed advantages for integrating school subjects, there is an absence of substantive empirical research to show if and/or how students learn in integrated settings. The proposed study addresses this research gap directly, by examining the teaching context and the characteristics of student learning in integrated science, mathematics and technology classrooms. This project employs detailed and elaborated case studies of six middle school classrooms to develop sophisticated understandings about the connection between integrated pedagogy and student learning and motivation.Read moreRead less
Thinking Australia: A cognitive acceleration program to raise high school students' achievement in science. The outcome of the Thinking Australia project will be a cognitive acceleration program consistent with the national science curriculum, contextualised in cutting edge science and delivered with modern technologies. The program will be theory driven, evidence based and consistent with neuroscience research. The national benefit will include improved outcomes on international tests, improved ....Thinking Australia: A cognitive acceleration program to raise high school students' achievement in science. The outcome of the Thinking Australia project will be a cognitive acceleration program consistent with the national science curriculum, contextualised in cutting edge science and delivered with modern technologies. The program will be theory driven, evidence based and consistent with neuroscience research. The national benefit will include improved outcomes on international tests, improved quality of science education and thinking skills for Australia's future scientists and citizens, improved student attitudes, and increased enrolments in school science. Developing and fostering human talent is essential to promoting an innovative culture and economy.Read moreRead less
Beyond the Beaker: Maximising the Impact of a Science Careers Program on High School Students' Attitudes towards Science. The falling numbers of young people choosing to pursue the study of science has become a matter of national debate and societal concern. Australia's international competitiveness is increasingly dependent on high-level, science-based technical skills, knowledge and innovation. This research will inform the national impetus required from government, business and education sect ....Beyond the Beaker: Maximising the Impact of a Science Careers Program on High School Students' Attitudes towards Science. The falling numbers of young people choosing to pursue the study of science has become a matter of national debate and societal concern. Australia's international competitiveness is increasingly dependent on high-level, science-based technical skills, knowledge and innovation. This research will inform the national impetus required from government, business and education sectors to take action by providing research-informed models about how to positively influence students' attitudes towards science and science subject selection. These models will provide critical information about how to secure the next generation of scientists in Australia and a science skilled and knowledgeable workforce and general population.Read moreRead less
Sustainable' sustainability: Preparing Australia's future citizens for informed decision-making through socially responsible science education. This educational study addresses sustainability as a national priority. It focuses on secondary students as future decision makers through developing their ability to respond effectively to national sustainability issues by engaging in dilemma-based science and values learning. Socially responsible science education promotes knowledge and scientific lite ....Sustainable' sustainability: Preparing Australia's future citizens for informed decision-making through socially responsible science education. This educational study addresses sustainability as a national priority. It focuses on secondary students as future decision makers through developing their ability to respond effectively to national sustainability issues by engaging in dilemma-based science and values learning. Socially responsible science education promotes knowledge and scientific literacy skills. Benefits to the community include application of research results to schools, education systems, and universities whose long-term ability to conduct world-class scientific research will partly be dependent on improvements in school science. Since priority research funding promotes science and sustainability research, science education in schools should progress commensurately.Read moreRead less
Providing the Mathematical Foundation for an Innovative Australia within Reform Based Learning Environments. The focus of this project is the pedagogical change that The Review of Teaching and Teacher Education indicates must take place in order to lay the quantitative foundations for advancing innovation, science, technology, and mathematics, while satisfying the requirements of a reform-based learning environment. Professional learning directed at teachers' pedagogical content knowledge and be ....Providing the Mathematical Foundation for an Innovative Australia within Reform Based Learning Environments. The focus of this project is the pedagogical change that The Review of Teaching and Teacher Education indicates must take place in order to lay the quantitative foundations for advancing innovation, science, technology, and mathematics, while satisfying the requirements of a reform-based learning environment. Professional learning directed at teachers' pedagogical content knowledge and belief structures with respect to mathematics within an environment of curricular change, will be evaluated in evidence-based terms related to teacher change and student outcomes. Significance includes the context, the middle school years in rural district schools, and the influence of technology on pedagogy.Read moreRead less
Misperceptions in mathematics and music education: A computer-enabled diagnostic and remediation investigation involving metacognition. This project investigates the new and significant problem of misperceptions confounding learning in mathematics and music education. Supported by international and Australian industry partners, it builds on case studies of misperceptions by school and university students in both disciplines, to ascertain the extent that misperceptions occur in the wider school p ....Misperceptions in mathematics and music education: A computer-enabled diagnostic and remediation investigation involving metacognition. This project investigates the new and significant problem of misperceptions confounding learning in mathematics and music education. Supported by international and Australian industry partners, it builds on case studies of misperceptions by school and university students in both disciplines, to ascertain the extent that misperceptions occur in the wider school population. It breaks new ground by using mathematics to remediate music and vice versa. Aided by computer software, links are made between linear transformations in mathematics (a national curriculum topic) and commonly used techniques in music composition. Intra- and inter-disciplinary metacognitive techniques will be developed to remediate the misperceptions.Read moreRead less
Conceptual Understanding and Problem-solving Approaches in the Presence of Graphics Calculators. The objectives of the project are to identify how students conceptualise mathematical relationships and formulate problem solutions, when graphics calculators are utilised. Graphics calculators are now common in schools and research is needed to provide sound bases for teaching and assessment. Investigation will centre on upper-secondary applied mathematics subjects because they are studied by a high ....Conceptual Understanding and Problem-solving Approaches in the Presence of Graphics Calculators. The objectives of the project are to identify how students conceptualise mathematical relationships and formulate problem solutions, when graphics calculators are utilised. Graphics calculators are now common in schools and research is needed to provide sound bases for teaching and assessment. Investigation will centre on upper-secondary applied mathematics subjects because they are studied by a high proportion of students for university entrance, are relevant to a wide range of careers and have received relatively little research attention in relation to calculator use. The project will yield, for school and research communities, new knowledge of mathematics learning with graphics calculators.Read moreRead less
Improving assessment in science through the use of students' perceptions. The aim of the project is to focus on students as the clients and generate information resulting in an improvement in the assessment of science at middle school level. It brings together three components of educational research not previously conceptualised in the one study: students' perceptions of assessment tasks, students' perceptions of teacher-student interactions, and students' attitudes towards science. The current ....Improving assessment in science through the use of students' perceptions. The aim of the project is to focus on students as the clients and generate information resulting in an improvement in the assessment of science at middle school level. It brings together three components of educational research not previously conceptualised in the one study: students' perceptions of assessment tasks, students' perceptions of teacher-student interactions, and students' attitudes towards science. The current international emphasis on outcomes-based education has focused attention on assessment as a crucial component in student learning and makes this research timely. Understanding the relationships among the three research components will lead to improvements in teaching and learning science.Read moreRead less
Supporting personalised learning in secondary schools through the use of specific mathematics assessments that reveal thinking. This project will improve numeracy standards in secondary schools, by assisting teachers to personalise the teaching of each student. Through detailed research, the project will develop sophisticated assessments that clearly reveal students' mathematical thinking. On-line diagnosis will suggest teaching activities that can bring about desired conceptual changes. The eff ....Supporting personalised learning in secondary schools through the use of specific mathematics assessments that reveal thinking. This project will improve numeracy standards in secondary schools, by assisting teachers to personalise the teaching of each student. Through detailed research, the project will develop sophisticated assessments that clearly reveal students' mathematical thinking. On-line diagnosis will suggest teaching activities that can bring about desired conceptual changes. The effectiveness of the resources will be thoroughly tested, for impact on student achievement and the mathematics teaching skills of teachers, especially those working out-of-field. Rural schools will have equal access to these resources. Good numeracy provides the foundation for life-long learning, employment satisfaction and the economic competitiveness of Australia.Read moreRead less
Learning and Teaching Genetics in a Biotechnological World: A Multidimensional Investigation of Conceptual Change. The aim of this research is to investigate students' and experts' understandings of fundamental concepts of genetics. The aim also is to investigate teaching strategies that will develop appropriate concepts for living in a biotechnological world. This is significant because genetics is critical content knowledge for general scientific literacy. This is the first research to investi ....Learning and Teaching Genetics in a Biotechnological World: A Multidimensional Investigation of Conceptual Change. The aim of this research is to investigate students' and experts' understandings of fundamental concepts of genetics. The aim also is to investigate teaching strategies that will develop appropriate concepts for living in a biotechnological world. This is significant because genetics is critical content knowledge for general scientific literacy. This is the first research to investigate how children's theories of genetics develop and it brings together two successful theoretical approaches. The outcomes of this qualitative research will be detailed descriptions and interpretations of what children already know about genetics, what they should know, and effective teaching strategies for conceptual change.Read moreRead less