Teachers' professional development, communities of practice, and the secondary school subject department: The case of health and physical education. Schools are significant sites of authentic learning for teacher professional development. This study will contribute to a better understanding of how the culture of the secondary school subject department can facilitate or hinder such development. The project will: contribute to creating more supportive work contexts for teachers thereby reducing te ....Teachers' professional development, communities of practice, and the secondary school subject department: The case of health and physical education. Schools are significant sites of authentic learning for teacher professional development. This study will contribute to a better understanding of how the culture of the secondary school subject department can facilitate or hinder such development. The project will: contribute to creating more supportive work contexts for teachers thereby reducing teacher attrition; inform the development of better polices and practices surrounding teachers' professional learning communities; contribute to national and state level initiatives for the articulation of professional standards for teaching; and optimise the professional practices of HPE teachers who, as 'allied health workers', are integral to addressing Australia's health priorities.Read moreRead less
Scholarship in Science Teaching: an examination of the relationships between science content, teaching and learning. Excellent science teachers have profound impact on the students they teach. A central core of their excellence is the intertwined understandings they have of the content they teach and pedagogies for teaching this (termed pedagogical content knowledge). This knowledge is largely implicit, and hence not available to others. This research will develop enhanced methodologies to doc ....Scholarship in Science Teaching: an examination of the relationships between science content, teaching and learning. Excellent science teachers have profound impact on the students they teach. A central core of their excellence is the intertwined understandings they have of the content they teach and pedagogies for teaching this (termed pedagogical content knowledge). This knowledge is largely implicit, and hence not available to others. This research will develop enhanced methodologies to document and disseminate the knowledge of practice that underpins claims of professional excellence. Such research is crucial to the national and international moves to recognise, articulate, document, justify/validate, and share professional teaching excellence.Read moreRead less
The role of subject-matter knowledge in teaching science and mathematics: Practices of teachers with advanced qualifications in the sciences. High quality science and mathematics education is central to economic prosperity. This study will achieve two outcomes. Firstly it explores the importance of subject matter knowledge in teaching. Much has been studied about the knowledge of teachers but limited research has been conducted with teachers who have substantial subject-matter knowledge. These f ....The role of subject-matter knowledge in teaching science and mathematics: Practices of teachers with advanced qualifications in the sciences. High quality science and mathematics education is central to economic prosperity. This study will achieve two outcomes. Firstly it explores the importance of subject matter knowledge in teaching. Much has been studied about the knowledge of teachers but limited research has been conducted with teachers who have substantial subject-matter knowledge. These findings will inform the current debate about the appropriate models of teacher education and the balance of emphasis on content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge. Secondly, given a number of attempts to attract mid career professionals with high qualifications to teaching, the study will provide evidence on how these people transition to their new careers and what support is needed.Read moreRead less
Knowledge to enhance Science Teaching and Learning: Pursuing scholarship through explicitly enacting expert science teachers' pedagogical content knowledge. This research will enhance understandings of science teaching and learning allowing science teachers to share their knowledge in meaningful ways. In teacher preparation this will be particularly valuable by 'fast-tracking' learning about teaching science and minimize the process of the next generation of teachers feeling as though they are r ....Knowledge to enhance Science Teaching and Learning: Pursuing scholarship through explicitly enacting expert science teachers' pedagogical content knowledge. This research will enhance understandings of science teaching and learning allowing science teachers to share their knowledge in meaningful ways. In teacher preparation this will be particularly valuable by 'fast-tracking' learning about teaching science and minimize the process of the next generation of teachers feeling as though they are rediscovering that which is already known by experienced teachers of science. In articulating science teachers' knowledge, enhanced valuing their knowledge and skills of practice will occur. Such outcomes will place understanding of science teaching and learning at the forefront of teacher professionalism and positively impact work on professional standards in teaching.Read moreRead less
International students in secondary schools. This longitudinal project aims to analyse the forms and effects of international secondary students’ transnational connectedness with different people and places in physical and online environments. It plans to examine how and why students’ relationships change across Years 10–12 of school, and the implications for students’ experience of school, Australia, and post-school pathways. The findings may provide the empirical knowledge and theoretical insi ....International students in secondary schools. This longitudinal project aims to analyse the forms and effects of international secondary students’ transnational connectedness with different people and places in physical and online environments. It plans to examine how and why students’ relationships change across Years 10–12 of school, and the implications for students’ experience of school, Australia, and post-school pathways. The findings may provide the empirical knowledge and theoretical insights to support the development of policies and practices to support international school students, protect their social, emotional and physical wellbeing, and improve the economic competitiveness of Australia’s international education sector.Read moreRead less
Capacitating student aspirations in classrooms and communities in a high poverty region. This project studies the aspirations of students in a disadvantaged area, as cultural resources for completing school, accessing higher education and realising desirable futures. It will produce new concepts and research methods for increasing social equity by working closely with students and families, and making links between schools and communities.
From periphery to centre: an historical analysis of lay teachers' experiences in Australian Catholic schools, from 1940 to 1980. Following the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) lay teachers came to dominate Australian Catholic education. This oral history project, responding to a call for scholarly interest in faith-based schooling, as a result of recent developments motivated by religious ideology, will contribute to understanding their experiences for the period from 1940 to 80.
Making a digital difference? An investigation of new technologies in secondary schools. This project addresses the long-standing question of why digital technologies have largely failed to have a consistent impact on the core processes of schools and schooling. The overarching aim of the project, therefore, is to identify the socio-technical adjustments that might be made within schools to facilitate ‘better’ uses of digital technology. Using an innovative combination of large-scale surveying, i ....Making a digital difference? An investigation of new technologies in secondary schools. This project addresses the long-standing question of why digital technologies have largely failed to have a consistent impact on the core processes of schools and schooling. The overarching aim of the project, therefore, is to identify the socio-technical adjustments that might be made within schools to facilitate ‘better’ uses of digital technology. Using an innovative combination of large-scale surveying, in-depth ethnographic study and critical participatory design, the project will: provide rich insights into why digital technologies are often not being used to their full potential in schools; and actively collaborate with school communities in experimenting and constructing alternatives.Read moreRead less