Overview of Conference Papers
Primary Education Forum - Tuesday 21 November 2006
This overview is provided for research purposes and may contain opinions that are not shared by the Board of Studies NSW.
Teaching Music in Primary Schools - Issues and Barriers
Many students enter primary teacher education programs with limited musical background and experience and consequently low levels of confidence in their ability to teach music in primary schools. This perception often continues into their permanent teaching careers and indeed, many very competent teachers still express a lack of confidence in their ability to teach music. In order to develop knowledge in this area a longitudinal study was undertaken which focused on the factors affecting the development of initial music teaching self-efficacy and changes to that self-efficacy over time.
- Ms Jan Kane, Fourth Year Coordinator, Primary Teacher Education Program, School of Education, Australian Centre for Cultural Studies, Macquarie University.
- jan.kane@mq.edu.au
Values Education and Quality Pedagogy
This presentation provides evidence that values education can provide opportunities to engage in authentic / productive pedagogy. The results of this mix of approaches can have long lasting benefits not just on student attitudes, but also on their academic skills. Information is based on a case study from the Commonwealth-funded VEGPS project.
- Dr John De Nobile, Lecturer, School of Education, Australian Centre for Educational Studies, Macquarie University.
- john.denobile@mq.edu.au
Current Initiatives in Mathematics Education Research
This presentation will provide an overview of key research projects focused on the teaching and learning of Mathematics K-6: a series of classroom studies (K-2) on integrating number, space, measurement, and patterns and algebra (the Pattern and Structure Mathematics Awareness Project: PASMAP); early algebraic thinking in the transition from pre-school to school; students' understanding of fractions and decimals, and length, area and volume measurement. Current initiatives include the role of technology in early mathematics learning, the effectiveness of interactive online learning systems, and the role of children's literature in mathematics learning.
- Associate Professor Joanne Mulligan, Associate Director, Centre for Research in Mathematics and Science Education, Australian Centre for Educational Studies, Macquarie University.
- joanne.mulligan@mq.edu.au
Educational Transitions
Students are involved in many educational transitions during their school years. This brief presentation will consider the importance of continuity and change across transitions such as starting school, moving from primary and secondary school and the transition from Stage 5 to Stage 6 within school. Other issues considered are the importance of different perspectives of transition and the importance of relationships.
- Associate Professor Sue Dockett, School of Education, Albury campus, Charles Sturt University.
- sdockett@csu.edu.au
Multimodal possibilities: What do changed literacy practices mean?
This presentation will highlight significant aspects of recent research projects. Classroom teachers have been working with university researchers to examine how pedagogy can be redesigned to consider:
- the literacy strategies students need for reading, using and producing multimodal texts
- the relevant, explicit pedagogy appropriate for integrating multimodal literacies with conventional literacy practices.
- Dr Maureen Walsh, Assistant Head, School of Education (NSW), Australian Catholic University.
- m.walsh@mary.acu.edu.au
Studies of science inquiry - implication for syllabus
Reflection on recent studies suggests the 'three laws of science syllabus' analogous to Asimov's laws of robotics. The presentation draws on a study of impact of the Primary Investigations - a national program that promotes hands-on, investigation-based science learning. This high support, high structure and directed inquiry in primary science will be contrasted with a more open inquiry characterised by, for example, a Learners' Questions approach. The apparent success of both approaches in promoting engagement with science has implications for syllabus development: the three laws. It also demonstrates a need for a syllabus that permits both confident science (and technology) teachers to employ open curiosity driven inquiry as well as less confident teachers to employ more predictable inquiries. Three laws:
- First Law: A syllabus may not injure a human being's curiosity, interest or enthusiasm for science (and technology) or, through omission, allow engagement with science (and technology) to come to harm.
- Second Law: A science syllabus must develop life-long capabilities promoted through science (and technology), except where this conflicts with the First Law.
- Third Law: A science syllabus must promote understanding of science (and technology) as long as this does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
- Associate Professor Peter Aubusson, Designs for Learning Research Cluster (DfL), Faculty of Education University of Technology, Sydney, Kuring-gai Campus.
- peter.aubusson@uts.edu.au
First Year Primary Pre-service Teachers in school Experience
- Dr Jan Turbill, Senior Lecturer in Literacy, Director of Centre for Language Education in the University of Wollongong (CLEUW), and Coordinator Language & Literacy.
- jturbill@uow.edu.au
The Impact on Science Knowledge and Science Teaching Self-Efficacy and Nature of Science Knowledge and Understanding in Practicing Primary Teachers through Participation in a Professional Development In-service Program incorporating Nature of Science Tenets
This presentation will present some preliminary findings followed by discussion on test cases currently running in two of the participating primary schools.
Even experienced teachers with sound classroom teaching skills can have low self-efficacy in science knowledge and teaching, impacting on the their overall pedagogical content knowledge. The research centres on a professional development program carried out across primary schools in Sydney involving the modelling of a pedagogical approach to the teaching of selected tenets of the nature of science. Participating teachers (n= 60) were divided into an experimental group (40) who were given five vicarious experiences over a ten-week period and a control group (20) with both groups pre- and post-tested in efficacy beliefs and NOS knowledge and understanding. The test instruments utilized were the Self-Efficacy Teaching and Knowledge Instrument for Science Teachers (SETAKIST) and a modified VNOS Form (D).
- Rick Connor, Method Lecturer, PhD Research, University of New South Wales.
- rconnor@unsw.edu.au