Faculty of Education - Research Publications

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End date: 2019 × Type: Conference Paper ×

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 210
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    Enhancing music integration through critical and creative thinking in Australian primary schools
    King, F ; Bowe, M-L ; Merrick, B (International Society of Music Education, 2018-07-12)
    Extended Poster presentation
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    To lead or not to lead? Gender disparity in the leadership of boys’ schools
    Acquaro, D ; Stokes, H (Gender & Education Association, 2015)
    This paper provides an analysis of gender disparity within Australian boys’ schools revealing a disproportionate number of men and the under-representation of women in senior school leadership roles. With women accounting for the vast majority of teachers worldwide and significant increases in women entering the teaching profession over the last two decades, they continue to be underrepresented in senior management roles in secondary schools (Yong-Lyun and Brunner, 2009). The pursuit of leadership in boys’ schools is more complex for women, with senior roles often beyond their reach. This marginalisation has left capable, enthusiastic female educators disenchanted, frustrated and resentful of a profession that sees them managing ‘soft’ roles, and making space for male counterparts who take up the top jobs. This paper draws on findings from semi-structured interviews with thirty-six female teachers across six boys’ schools. Drawing on feminist perspectives of leadership (Sinclair, 2014; Blackmore, 1999), this paper analyses teachers’ perceptions of factors that block them and lead to male domination within school leadership. Results show that career advancement in boys’ schools is not self-determined with sex discrimination and a lack of support or mentoring, diminishing female teacher’s aspirations for the top jobs. This research provides an important insight into the continuing yet under-researched operations of patriarchy within the feminized field of teaching. It challenges sex-role stereotyping and a deficit perspective of women in presenting boys with a fairer representation of gender within boys’ schools.
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    How to assess four-year-old children's number knowledge in a play-based program
    Pollitt, R ; COHRSSEN, C (Beyond Tomorrow ECME Melbourne, 2014-06-17)
    Assessment is “the process of observing children in everyday experiences, analysing those observations and recording the information” (DEEWR, NQS PLP, 2012, p.1). Assessment in early childhood needs to be real and relevant to children’s everyday experiences, informed by context, and personal and meaningful (Carruthers & Worthington, 2006). Mathematics assessment needs to be connected to each child’s prior knowledge and grounded in social contexts, such as play, to support the further learning of mathematical concepts and strategies (Carruthers & Worthington, 2006; Perry et al., 2006; Perry & Dockett, 2002; Sun Lee & Ginsburg, 2009; van Oers, 2009). Numerals and quantity are one of the earliest mathematical concepts children learn (Clements & Sarama, 2009). Authentic insight into the knowledge that children have about numerals and quantity is imperative to inform our teaching practice. We present findings from a study in which children’s representations of number and children’s talk whilst representing numbers were analysed to determine whether this approach would be an effective way for early childhood educators to assess mathematical understandings and to inform contingent scaffolding for ongoing learning within play-based contexts (Fleer, 2008).
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    The Language of Character Strengths in Early Childhood
    Baker, L (International Positive Psychology Association, 2019)
    Early Childhood is fertile ground for the implementation of positive education through character strength research. A major focus and positive outcome of early childhood education, globally, is the development of pre-school children’s wellbeing (OECD, 2017). Strong psychological wellbeing for children is emergent and enables capitalization on learning opportunities, positive engagement and relationships. (Marbina et al, 2015; Pollard & Lee, 2003; Ryan & Deci, 2000; Ryff, 1989). Positive psychology can be authentically applied in formative pre-school years, but there are few evidence-based interventions for educators. The language of VIA Character Strengths is a developmentally appropriate and effective method. This intersection of literature and action research offers practical, evidence informed strategies. Explicit, formalised and planned teaching of character strengths as a language enables teachers to directly engage with children, build wellbeing literacy and deeper knowledge (Hattie, 2008; Page & Tayler, 2016). Wellbeing literacy, as the vocabulary, knowledge and skills to maintain or improve wellbeing (Oades, Slade & Jarden, 2017), can be activated through character strengths language in early childhood. VIA has been used utilised with adults and adolescents however early childhood has received little attention (Niemic, 2013; Park & Peterson, 2004, 2006; Shoshani, 2018). Opportunities for discussion, innovation and research exist.
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    Student inclination to work with unfamiliar challenging problems: The role of resilience
    WILLIAMS, G (The Mathematical Association of Victoria, 2003)
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    Teacher Research can Enrich Teaching Practice: An Example
    WILLIAMS, G ; CAVALLIN, N (The Mathematical Association of Victoria, 2004)
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    Teaching and Learning in the Middle Years of Schooling: Having Faith in Students
    TADICH, B ; WILLIAMS, G (The Mathematical Association of Victoria, 2004)
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    The Nature of Spontaneity in High Quality Learning Situations
    WILLIAMS, G (Bergen University College, 2004)
    Spontaneity has been linked to high quality learning experiences in mathematics (Csikszentmihalyi & Csikszentmihalyi, 1992; Williams, 2002).This paper shows how spontaneity can be identified by attending to the nature of social elements in the process of abstracting (Dreyfus, Hershkowitz, & Schwarz, 2001). This process is elaborated through an illustrative example—a Year 8 Australian male student who scaffolded his learning by attending to images in the classroom that were intended for other purposes. Leon’s cognitive processing was not ‘observable’ (Dreyfus et al., 2001) in classroom dialogue because Leon ‘thought alone’. Post-lesson videostimulated reconstructive interviews facilitated study of Leon’s thought processes and extended methodological techniques available to study thinking in classrooms..
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    Abstracting by Constructing and Revising a 'Partially Correct Construct': A Case Study
    Williams, GW (Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia, 2010)
    This study draws on data from a broader video-stimulated interview study of the role of optimism in collaborative problem solving. It examines the activity of a Grade 5 student, Tom, whose initial constructing activity resulted in a ‘Partially Correct Construct’. Insistent questioning from another group member pressuring for clarification led to Tom developing a ‘more correct construct’ with further potential for revision. This paper raises questions about influences that can stimulate or inhibit construct refinement.