Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemTeachers & curriculum : personal mythopoesis and the practical in pedagogy(University of Melbourne, 1996)This study explores the dynamic between the person of the teacher and work with curriculum. The person is taken to be constituted in narratives. I have, accordingly, utilised a language of myth in order to speak of personhood. Myth is the collective or individual operation of imagination whereby experience is able to be intensely owned. It is this operation of mind that I relate to the ways in which curriculum might be experienced. At issue in this process is the capacity of the person of the teacher to illuminate curriculum material, or to make curriculum a living experience for students. Though my focus is imaginational and mythic, I seek to show - through an intimate study of the inner worlds of six teachers at one school site - that it is at this impalpable level lhat 'the practical' in pedagogy becomes most significant as a curriculum consideration. By linking the subtle work of imagination to the 'practical intelligence' access is gained to the significance and meaning of personal agency and, in particular, the nature of critique in teacher work with curriculum. This introduces to the familiar theory/practice dichotomy that pervades curriculum thinking, and which tends to disempower the teacher voice, a new and incommensurable perspective. The practical emphasis, by being linked to the personal imaginational work of teachers, breaks out of an encapsulation within the classroom and the profession. Knowledge, represented in microcosm in the curriculum, is shown, via this reconceptualisation of the practical, in its living dimensionality. The imperatives of this living aspect of curriculum experience, identified in source, process, operation, and direction, stand against the different imperatives of instrumental conceptions of curriculum.
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ItemTransforming policy into practice : the implementation of the Curriculum and Standards Framework in primary schools in Victoria( 1997)This thesis examines individual school use of a newly introduced curriculum policy, the Curriculum and Standards Framework (CSF). Its purpose was to explore how a central policy impacted on individual schools and the processes that occurred within the school to transform CSF policy into classroom practice. It examines the way knowledge relating to CSF policy and other knowledge was transferred and used within schools and the factors that affected this process. The context in which this innovation occurred was examined before considering the determinants and outcomes of policy use. Recent knowledge utilisation theory in the area of policy innovation was used to refine ideas further. It was argued that a major determinant of CSF use was the characteristics of the CSF itself. From this a tentative three level conceptual model for CSF policy use was constructed. Variation in. use, it was reasoned, depended on local capacity to utilise curriculum knowledge. These arguments formed the basis of the research questions. A multiple case study approach was used to determine both the general pattern for CSF use and variations in use. An exploratory approach, gaining data from many sources within each of the sites over time, was utilised. Analysis of the data showed that the conceptual model was appropriate and a single factor, defined as "culture of change", accounted for most of the variation between sites. This factor was a conglomerate of sub-factors concerning structures, knowledge, processes and capabilities within individual school sites. In line with other similar studies, the thesis demonstrated the importance of local factors in policy use. The thesis goes further than other studies of this type by identifying the particular structures, practices and expertise that resulted in informed curriculum policy implementation through effective knowledge utilisation. In particular, the study demonstrated the importance of intensive structured professional interaction to maximise knowledge utilisation.
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ItemThe effectiveness of curriculum co-ordinator networks for Catholic secondary schools in Victoria( 1990)This study into the effectiveness of curriculum co-ordinator networks for Catholic secondary schools in Victoria focused on the evaluation of a pilot project in 1989. Specifically, the researcher sought to determine whether the availability of pilot convenors would enhance curriculum co-ordinators' perceptions of professional development, curriculum information and peer support via the networks. Simultaneously, the study described the pilot convenor role, thereby identifying the characteristics ascribed to effective network convenors and attempting to isolate factors which influence network effectiveness. Under the umbrella of illuminative evaluation, a range of research instruments were used, including interviews and questionnaires. Most curriculum co-ordinators who participated in this study believed they had informally rather than formally skilled themselves for their role, despite being multiply credentialled. Prior to the study they had a limited understanding of how the network could improve their professional skills -- this consciousness was only marginally heightened during the project. Similarly evidence of peer support from within the network was scant prior to the pilot project and increased minimally during the study. Attitudes to the accessibility of curriculum information were very high prior to the project and increased slightly during the study. Curriculum co-ordinators placed a high value on information access via the network and the curriculum knowledge of convenors. There is evidence from this study that convenor commitment and accessibility affect network success : further, that professional knowledge, managerial competence and responsive, non-directive interpersonal convenor skills positively influence network effectiveness. Environmental factors such as network size, the mix of schools and the professional experience of participants also impact on network effectiveness. Conceptual flaws in the networking model being trialled were revealed during this study: namely, the use of school-based personnel as pilot convenors did not inherently add to their credibility with curriculum co-ordinators but likely detracted from their effectiveness. Further, the availability of a pilot convenor as 'critical friend' appeared to undermine peer support rather than enhance it. iii
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ItemThe poetical understanding of children's imagery of nature : how is poetical understanding evident in children's art?( 2005)This study explores the way in which preschool children engage in the creative process and how their sensory engagement with nature leads to invention of poetical attributes and symbols in their art. The study also examines the teacher's role in creating an environment that nurtures sensory learning, provides new energy and fosters discovery. This study also inquires into the educational theories of 'Reggio Emilia', 'emergent curriculum' and 'phenomenological pedagogy' and their influence in exploring significant moments of children's art creating within the process of 'aesthetic engagement' and 'aesthetic cognition'. The data related to these moments consists of children's visual and verbal images of nature that allowed me to unfold their perceptions of nature associated with beauty and make them evident to the viewer. In that sense data analysis reveals both mine and children's discoveries, with an emphasis on utilizing children's voices within the arts curriculum and making them protagonists of their own learning.
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ItemIntegrating community expectations into the school curriculum, Kew Primary School( 1988)This study attempted to assess the expectations of the Kew Primary School community with respect to the school's curriculum. It further attempted to establish the decision making processes and organizational patterns whereby such expectations could be integrated into the curriculum of the school. The theoretical framework for the study involved the adoption and modification of Yehezkel Dror's 'Optimal Policymaking Model', with specific reference to the Metapolicy and Policymaking Stages of that Model. The researcher was responsible for the first. three phases of the Metapolicy Stage, which involved an assessment of both the community's expectations and the current curriculum practices of the school; with the presentation of 'findings' where there were inconsistencies between the two. At this point, a total of seven such 'findings' were presented. The remaining phases of the Metapolicy Stage and the Policymaking Stage were carried out by the school's Education Committee. The researcher became a member of that Committee in the capacity of a 'critical friend'. Policymaking related to the 'findings' was reviewed at the end of the Policymaking Stage and this review forms a significant part of the results and conclusions of the study, for after the two years taken with the study, policy changes had occurred with respect to only one of the seven findings to a point where it could be argued to adequately reflect the community's expectations. A number of issues are raised as to why the school failed to react to stated expectations of the community as found. These included an apparent lack of commitment of both staff and parents to their implementation, the leadership role performed by the Principal, the conflicting roles played by the researcher within the study and the applicability of the Optimal Model to such a study. Despite some doubts as to the applicability of the Optimal Model to such a study, it is concluded that it is essential to concentrate primarily upon the processes of policymaking with specific use of,a metapolicy stage as a means of establishing such a process. Further, it is suggested there is a real need for changing perceptions from both parents and teachers as to their roles and responsibilities within curriculum development; and that the current implementation of locally selected Principals is seen as a significant incentive for changes in such attitudes.
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ItemA model of cognitive style : a multicultural perspective to curriculum design and implementation( 1994)The purpose of this present study,'is to validate a model of cognitive style that takes account of learning in a multicultural environment. The need for such a model is evident in the current trend towards transnational curriculum. Whilst curriculum outcomes may be perceived to be cross-cultural, the means by which these are attained is in part a consequence of learner cultural variables. A model of cognitive style based on contemporary theories of learning and in particular individual differences in information processing was developed and modified to account for a range of multicultural variables. Following in depth evaluation of the model by five experts in the area of multicultural education, a revised model was designed. Its implications for multicultural education are discussed.
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ItemImplementation and implications of the National English Profile for improving assessment strategies in a primary classroom( 1996)The National English Profile provides the framework for teachers to use in assessing the literacy development of children in Australian schools. This study documents how one school and, in particular, one teacher, implemented the National English Profile. In order to place this initiative in the context of educational change in Victoria today, recent initiatives and changes to the teaching of language have been examined. Current literature in the field of literacy and assessment have been critically reviewed. As a foreground to the study, the process of educational change is examined in two interrelated case studies. The first looks at how the site school reviewed their Assessment and Reporting Policy. The second examines personal educational change of the researcher with regard to the teaching and assessment of literacy. Both of these case studies refer to current literature in the field and refined the focus of the research in one classroom. This research study draws on and investigates a national initiative in assessment. It traces the implementation and implications of the National English Profile on classroom based assessment strategies. It took place over two years, at a time of quite dramatic change in state education in Victoria. The study provides insight into how teachers managed and adjusted to these changes in one particular school. The research design is drawn from naturalistic inquiry methodology. Data were collected from teachers, parents and children of the site school through questionnaires and interviews. From an analysis of these data, generalisations were made about the understandings a group of teachers, parents and children have about the worth of the National English Profile and the usefulness of particular classroom based assessment strategies. The use of Portfolios as a system of work sample collection that is both manageable and purposeful for teachers and children has been examined in this study.
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ItemThe Language Development Project, Phase II : a case study in co-operative curriculum development and the role of formative evaluation( 1985)The Language Development Project was a major initiative in national curriculum development, the first of its kind in language education in Australia. The study focuses on three major themes or constructs underlying Phase II of the project, its developmental phase and explores their implications for national curriculum development in the Australian federal context and for English language education in Australian schools. As such it is essentially an exercise in construct evaluation, a formative approach to the evaluation of outcomes. Central to the conception of Phase II of the Language Development Project was a view of language and learning inherited from Phase I of the project and encapsulated in its tripartite model of language education learning language, learning through language, learning about language. Equally central to the work of the project was a view of curriculum development predicated on the belief that there was a need for a national approach to language education and that this national approach could best be achieved through a co-operative effort involving the centre (CDC) and the States and Territories. Underlying this co-operative model was a commitment to school-based curriculum development and to involving teachers in the development of curriculum materials. The most important feature of these central constructs was that they were developing models, based on the assumption that curriculum development, at least in the language area, is an evolutionary process, moving through exploration and discovery towards definition. This open-ended, emergent quality, together with the co-operative nature of the project, placed particular demands on the design of an evaluation which would be responsive to the changing needs of the project at the national level while respecting the autonomous nature of the component projects. The study analyses the development of these three major constructs - the tripartite model of language education, the cooperative model of curriculum development and the collaborative evaluation model - as they were exemplified in the experience of the project examines their relationship to the wider context of practice, and explores their implications for the development of a practical framework for the English language curriculum the resolution of ambiguities in the co-operative model of curriculum development and the development of a reconstructed model for the formative evaluation of co-operative national programs.
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ItemCurriculum coordination in practice( 1996)The implementation of whole-school curriculum change is a challenge faced by principals and senior staff with curriculum leadership responsibilities. Success depends on the cooperation and commitment of all teachers in a school, so that curriculum leaders require skills for manoeuvring groups of teachers towards a common goal. In Victorian government secondary schools the Curriculum Coordinator, an experienced teacher, is charged with overseeing curriculum change, and this customarily entails chairing a Curriculum Committee, the composition of which is invariably dominated by teachers. Schwab (1983) writes about the creation of a similar role in American schools, and proffers suggestions for the role and training of a curriculum coordinator and the composition of a curriculum committee, in order to encourage a refocussing on the liberal democratic traditions of education. This study uses Schwab's views as a reference point for examining the work of three experienced Curriculum Coordinators in Victorian government schools, who shared their stories with the author, himself a practising Curriculum Coordinator. Each participant in the study was asked to reflect on a Critical Incident of whole-school curriculum change, for which they had responsibility, and which influenced the ways in which they carried out the role of Curriculum Coordinator. The sharing of these reflections benefits both researcher and participant alike (Tripp, (1994)) and can offer insights into the skills and knowledge employed by effective curriculum leaders. Interpretation of the Critical Incidents provided a framework by which curriculum change can be analysed. The effect of the educational culture of a school, the status of the Curriculum Coordinator in the school and the extent to which the proposed curriculum change affects existing participant areas cumulatively influence the successful implementation. A number of writers identify teachers as inhibitors of change (eg: Cowie (1995), Weiss (1995) and Little (1990)), and the management and communication skills of effective Curriculum Coordinators are tested by this resistance. The stories presented confirm the notion of curriculum leadership as a practical, multi-faceted activity, and each participant has developed professionally through the practical execution of their roles. While each story is unique, the participants shared a common view of whole-school curriculum leadership as a collaborative exercise, focussed on improving educational outcomes for their students.
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ItemAustralian studies and the Geelong College( 1988)The Geelong College pioneered the teaching of Australian Studies as part of the secondary school curriculum. The notion of teaching about Australia through an inter-disciplinary course was seen as revolutionary in its early days of the mid-1970s. Since that time, however, the teaching of Australian Studies has become increasingly widespread in schools, and also in some tertiary institutions. Over the same period, the Australian Studies course at The Geelong College has undergone review and change according to staff interests, student reaction and the contemporary situation. In the early 1980s, the face of Victorian Education was to change through the effects of the "Blackburn Report", an enquiry into post-compulsory schooling, of which a major recommendation was that all students should undertake a study of Australian society at Levels 11 and 12. The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Board has used this recommendation as the basis for introducing a compulsory two-unit course titled "Work and Australian Society" as part of the new Victorian Certificate of Education, which will be fully operational by 1991. The Geelong College, like all other secondary schools in the state, is having to prepare for the introduction of Australian Studies in this form. Although this school has had the advantage of experience with an established Australian Studies course, the present course does not fully satisfy the requirements of the VCAB guidelines; therefore some degree of modification and rewriting is necessary. This thesis will attempt to design, implement and evaluate some units of work for Year 11 Australian Studies students at The Geelong College, units which satisfy both the VCAB requirements and the needs of the student clientele of this particular school. In order to undertake such a project, this thesis initially examines the development in the study of Australian society and culture. It then attempts to identify a methodology which could be used as a model for the planning of curriculum modfications for this course. The nature of the particular institution in question will be examined as a preparatory step to the development of a curriculum. The thesis concludes with a review of the process undertaken and discusses its applicability as a general methodology.