Improving outcomes through accessible assessment and inclusive practices. Complex assessment tasks and pedagogies present barriers to the learning and achievement of students with disability, including those with language and/or attentional difficulties. This research will test: 1) whether accessible assessment task design leads to improved student outcomes; 2) whether enhancing teachers’ inclusive practice improves student access to formative assessment pedagogies, enabling more accurate studen ....Improving outcomes through accessible assessment and inclusive practices. Complex assessment tasks and pedagogies present barriers to the learning and achievement of students with disability, including those with language and/or attentional difficulties. This research will test: 1) whether accessible assessment task design leads to improved student outcomes; 2) whether enhancing teachers’ inclusive practice improves student access to formative assessment pedagogies, enabling more accurate student understanding of assessment aims and requirements; and 3) how improvements in task design and teacher practice can be sustained and upscaled across secondary school departments. Expected outcomes of international significance are more inclusive learning and assessment practices with the potential to benefit all students.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100452
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$364,774.00
Summary
TransformUs Higher Ed: Developing confident, 'classroom-ready' graduates . The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children has been far-reaching. Many students have fallen behind academically, are experiencing mental health challenges and have critically low levels of physical activity. These issues have become a global research priority, the focus of national and state policies, and urgently need addressing. This project offers a novel initial teacher education program that integrates meaningfu ....TransformUs Higher Ed: Developing confident, 'classroom-ready' graduates . The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children has been far-reaching. Many students have fallen behind academically, are experiencing mental health challenges and have critically low levels of physical activity. These issues have become a global research priority, the focus of national and state policies, and urgently need addressing. This project offers a novel initial teacher education program that integrates meaningful physical activity into classroom learning to address critical classroom challenges, exacerbated by COVID-19. The empirical findings are expected to generate new knowledge and practices to strengthen teaching degrees from a robust evidence base and benefit the learning and health outcomes of all Australian students.
Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190101140
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$383,157.00
Summary
The role of teacher expertise, authority and professionalism in education. This project aims to provide new insights about the role of education in modern democratic societies, with a particular focus on teachers and teacher expertise. Specifically, the project will use case studies from three Western Democracies - Australia, United Kingdom, and the United States of America - to investigate the role of teachers in these education systems, and the ways in which contemporary policy and practice is ....The role of teacher expertise, authority and professionalism in education. This project aims to provide new insights about the role of education in modern democratic societies, with a particular focus on teachers and teacher expertise. Specifically, the project will use case studies from three Western Democracies - Australia, United Kingdom, and the United States of America - to investigate the role of teachers in these education systems, and the ways in which contemporary policy and practice is impacting their professional expertise and authority in their classrooms and schools. Using an innovative approach to comparative case studies, this project will advance knowledge about the relationship between schools, professional expertise and democracy, and the role of teachers within these spaces.Read moreRead less
Beyond global discourses of data: Storying learning in marginalised schools. Globally, Australian school education is seen as under-performing. Consequently, attention to data, particularly numeric and standardised test data, in schools have become pervasive. This project aims to understand how teachers and educators in schools and school systems actually engage with a broader conception of data for enhanced learning, on a truly global scale, particularly in schools serving struggling communiti ....Beyond global discourses of data: Storying learning in marginalised schools. Globally, Australian school education is seen as under-performing. Consequently, attention to data, particularly numeric and standardised test data, in schools have become pervasive. This project aims to understand how teachers and educators in schools and school systems actually engage with a broader conception of data for enhanced learning, on a truly global scale, particularly in schools serving struggling communities. This project will reveal the myriad ways educators in diverse settings - England, Australia, Singapore and Bangladesh - engage with data. The project will re-conceptualise how data are understood globally, and will provide significant benefits including informing education policy-making and improving teaching practices.Read moreRead less
Teacher capabilities in conditions of superdiversity. The increasing diversity of students in schools presents a significant challenge for the professional education and practice of teachers. The project aims to develop an original approach to measuring teacher capabilities to respond to and engage with difference. Its expected significance is in building new knowledge about teacher workforce development to achieve education goals and social cohesion in conditions of superdiversity. The project' ....Teacher capabilities in conditions of superdiversity. The increasing diversity of students in schools presents a significant challenge for the professional education and practice of teachers. The project aims to develop an original approach to measuring teacher capabilities to respond to and engage with difference. Its expected significance is in building new knowledge about teacher workforce development to achieve education goals and social cohesion in conditions of superdiversity. The project's expected outcomes include a metric of teacher capabilities that can inform the professional education of teachers and policy settings in this country and internationally. This large-scale study should return real benefits to ensure successful education and well-being of diverse students.Read moreRead less
Early career teacher induction: Supporting precarious teachers. This project aims to investigate the ways in which Australian induction policies support precariously employed early career teachers to effectively manage student classroom behaviour. This project expects to generate new knowledge of workforce development and induction experiences of early career teachers employed on casual and short-term contracts. Expected outcomes of this project include alternative policy and practice recommenda ....Early career teacher induction: Supporting precarious teachers. This project aims to investigate the ways in which Australian induction policies support precariously employed early career teachers to effectively manage student classroom behaviour. This project expects to generate new knowledge of workforce development and induction experiences of early career teachers employed on casual and short-term contracts. Expected outcomes of this project include alternative policy and practice recommendations to support the transition of insecure replacement teachers within the profession. The benefits of this research include, improving teachers’ classroom management practices; the retention of new teachers; improving teacher workforce development; and building a healthier education system. Read moreRead less
Supporting teachers and teaching in the age of Artificial Intelligence. This project aims to investigate teacher capabilities to respond to, and engage with, Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in their classrooms and online teaching. This project expects to generate significant new knowledge about teacher workforce development to work productively alongside AI and other automated technologies. Expected outcomes include insights into technical, organisational and social issues surrounding the dep ....Supporting teachers and teaching in the age of Artificial Intelligence. This project aims to investigate teacher capabilities to respond to, and engage with, Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in their classrooms and online teaching. This project expects to generate significant new knowledge about teacher workforce development to work productively alongside AI and other automated technologies. Expected outcomes include insights into technical, organisational and social issues surrounding the deployment of AI tools in schools, and the development of models of AI best practice and professional learning. This should provide significant benefits such as improved classroom outcomes and better use of technical infrastructure investment.Read moreRead less
Developing Indigenous Australian early career researchers. This project aims to use institutional theory to examine the professional experiences of Indigenous Australian early career researchers. The project will identify key barriers and enablers, both individual and institutional, associated with advancing the research careers of Indigenous Australians who have recently completed their doctoral degree. Emphasising the importance of building research capacity amongst Indigenous scholars, this p ....Developing Indigenous Australian early career researchers. This project aims to use institutional theory to examine the professional experiences of Indigenous Australian early career researchers. The project will identify key barriers and enablers, both individual and institutional, associated with advancing the research careers of Indigenous Australians who have recently completed their doctoral degree. Emphasising the importance of building research capacity amongst Indigenous scholars, this project will establish a model of best practice to nurture and support the emerging careers of Indigenous early career researchers.Read moreRead less
Learning-rich leadership for quality improvement in early education. This project aims to establish Australia's first evidence base to inform quality improvement in early childhood education services through the development of educational leaders. Effective leadership is essential to ensuring the effective implementation of the Australian government's national quality standards for early childhood education. A new theory of 'learning-rich' leadership for quality improvement will be developed to ....Learning-rich leadership for quality improvement in early education. This project aims to establish Australia's first evidence base to inform quality improvement in early childhood education services through the development of educational leaders. Effective leadership is essential to ensuring the effective implementation of the Australian government's national quality standards for early childhood education. A new theory of 'learning-rich' leadership for quality improvement will be developed to influence leadership education in the early childhood sector. Expected outcomes from this project have potential benefits for the increased effectiveness in service quality for early childhood education.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230100065
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$419,237.00
Summary
Navigating Uncertainty & Evidence: Teaching for Epistemic Cognition. We are facing an epistemological crisis, grounded in changing technologies, fake news, and a distrust of experts. Developing capability to navigate uncertainty, disagreement, and evidence is one of the most pressing social issues of our time in order to develop a sustainable society, ensure inclusive and equitable quality education, and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. Despite relevant research, little is known ....Navigating Uncertainty & Evidence: Teaching for Epistemic Cognition. We are facing an epistemological crisis, grounded in changing technologies, fake news, and a distrust of experts. Developing capability to navigate uncertainty, disagreement, and evidence is one of the most pressing social issues of our time in order to develop a sustainable society, ensure inclusive and equitable quality education, and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. Despite relevant research, little is known about the crucial practices of educators in supporting learning towards these capabilities. This project will bring classroom practice and a practical theory of epistemic cognition into synchrony, developing new knowledge and strategies for students to learn how to navigate uncertainty, disagreement, and evidence.Read moreRead less