AbstractsYoung people's wellbeing: contradictions in managing the healthy self
Volume 56
Number 1;
Pages 5–9
Social change has had a heavy impact on young people's lives. In the last 30 years there have been increases in mental health problems and in sexually transmitted diseases; substance abuse has persisted; and new issues, such as obesity, have arisen. Researchers have linked these problems to broad social trends: increases in social inequality; the withdrawal of government from social welfare provision and labour market regulation; globalisation; and the growing fragmentation of local communities. At the same time, young people have been positioned to accept more individual responsibility for their futures. In terms of career they have been 'forced to make guesses' about what mix of work and study will serve them best in an uncertain and unpredictable environment characterised by part-time employment and individual contracts. Pressure to take individual responsibility for their lives creates an 'intense focus on personal development, wellbeing and physical and mental health', at the same time there is a disposition in the wider society to 'blame the victim'. For example, while obesity is seen as a national problem, its solution is held to be in the hands of individuals, a position that reinforces negative self-images among obese youth who have not overcome their condition. More generally, young people are also made anxious by unrealistic physical standards set by the popular media and advertising. Curriculums and educational programs designed to improve young people's wellbeing can instead reduce it if they overemphasise young people's opportunities for personal control over their lives and health. Young people's strategies to cope with their stresses have mixed effects. Alcohol consumption assists relaxation and social contact, but has obvious risks. Among males, the pursuit of mastery over technical processes and physically demanding sports has risks, as does females' tendency to focus on perfecting their bodies. In terms of mental health, 40% of young males and over 50% of young females reported significant levels of psychological distress in a 2004 survey. In terms of violence, females are more likely to experience problems in the home, while males are more likely to be assaulted. Social disadvantage is the central challenge to wellbeing, a fact that should be recognised in government policy. KLA Subject HeadingsSocially disadvantagedHealth Self-perception Young adults Adolescents 'Only connect!' A new paradigm for learning innovation in the 21st century
Number 112, September 2009
Deep problems in the global economy and the environment have combined to generate a shift in public thinking, with implications for school education. Reforms in governments' policies have been driven by models adopted from the business world, and 'rightly emphasise the importance of evidence' about current practice. This drive is now accompanied by a new trend toward social innovation that creates 'public value', expressed through a loose grouping of non-profit initiatives which are 'alert to the possibilities of the new media and global reach'. Examples include schemes for carbon trading and microcredit, online citizen reporters, and Wikipedia. Two concepts are of particular importance here. One is 'disruptive innovation', through which reforms enhance delivery of social services but bring inevitable setbacks and confusion in the short term. The other key concept is 'mass collaboration': a form of 'democratised innovation' enabled by ICT, commonly associated with citizen journalism and multiplayer gaming but now also used in a wide range of professional contexts, to enable wide-ranging cooperation outside formal organisational structures. The article offers several examples of social innovations that are relevant to teaching and learning. The School of Everything is an open, web-based organisation connecting learners and volunteer educators. Envision is a community 'service-learning' organisation in the USA through which students from a range of schools and colleges collaborate around community service projects. Eastfest is a non-profit agency in eastern England through which students at many schools undertake gardening and artistic activities with support from ICT and professionally trained educators. Other relevant examples are High Tech High in the USA and the Learning Futures program in Britain. These bodies create 'permeable boundaries with communities and not-for-profit organisations', dealing with seemingly intractable social problems by using open-access sources of information and knowledge, offering a choice of learning opportunities, and cultivating the social skills needed for the 'knowledge and services economy'. These developments call for a shift in the balance of the teacher's skill set, from subject knowledge to pedagogy that prepares learners for 'jobs that are not yet invented'. KLA Subject HeadingsTeaching and learningInformation and Communications Technology (ICT) Electronic publishing Education philosophy Economic trends Environment Educational planning Creativity Computers in society The transformation of learning with technology: learner-centricity, content and tool malleability, and network effectsMarch 2009;
Pages 3–20
To achieve its potential for education, technology needs to be open. Openness refers to 'tools, processes and frameworks' which, whether free or commercial, 'create and deliver content that is itself accessible, flexible and repurposable', and is available to 'reuse, revise, remix and redistribute'. Examples include IBM's personal computer, which was open to use with a wide range of software and as a result outstripped 'closed' rival products. Technology also needs to be modular rather than 'all or nothing', so that educators and students are able to access what they need, without being obliged to purchase unnecessary material, such as an entire CD-ROM database. Efforts to provide open access material at the level of tertiary education include the OpenCourseWare (OCW) and Open Educational Resource (OER) movements. Unfortunately, the 'education technology landscape' remains largely in the form of monolithic 'silos'. There is a need 'to create lots and lots of open content and provide open, easy access to it'. This content needs to be supported by standards and specifications for its production, delivery and consumption, such as the SCORM standards for web-based learning content, and the Schools Interoperability Framework (SIF) designed for the K–12 setting. State-of-the-art forms of such open, standardised content include 'learning objects' that are being developed by a range of agencies around the world. Open, interoperable technology can also realise the benefits of the 'network effect': an exponential increase in opportunities for connection with others as each new participant to the network is added. The author compares current developments in ICT to antecedents including the early phases of print publication. KLA Subject HeadingsNetworkingComputers in society Information and Communications Technology (ICT) History Preparing teachers to make the formative assessment process integral to science teaching and learning
Volume 20
Number 5, October 2009;
Pages 475–494
Formative assessment processes, strategies designed to elicit students' conceptual understanding during instruction, can provide teachers with valuable information about the type of scaffolding and guidance learners require. The authors worked together with a Year 6 science teacher in the USA to examine the efficacy of the teacher's use of formative assessment processes. Data were drawn from classroom transcripts and observations, lesson plans, student work, and interviews with the teacher and students. The teacher's usual formative assessment practices involved the use of in-class assignments which were then reviewed with the whole class. However, interviews with students indicated that they had a better understanding of the relevant concepts than was evident from the results of their assignments, indicating the low efficacy of her current formative assessment practices. After consultation with the authors, the teacher introduced open-ended worksheets designed to assess students' knowledge more effectively, and she promoted student dialogue as a process-oriented way to gauge understanding. The teacher also discussed with students the purposes and forms of formative assessment, and clarified the fact that formative assessment tasks were not graded tests but a way to improve understanding. This helped build trust and openness. However, it became difficult to balance the time pressures of the curriculum and external accountability tests with students' learning needs highlighted by the formative assessment processes. The teacher therefore reviewed her teaching units to explore interconnections and unifying ideas that would allow her to address student misconceptions while keeping pace with the curriculum. The teacher worked with the authors to identify the 'big ideas' upon which students could build their subsequent learning. Students were then given formative assessment worksheets on particular big ideas which they added to on a regular basis as learning progressed, allowing the development of an iterative formative assessment process that could guide instructional planning. The case study exemplified the need for formative assessment processes to be made more explicit, and to be process- rather than product-oriented in order to build student trust. KLA Subject HeadingsPedagogyScience teaching Primary education Assessment Technology as a doorway to literacy in the early years of education: access, equity and quality in literacy educationJuly 2009
Literacy is now widely seen as a form of social practice. It is a reflection of, and a way to mediate, social relationships. This expanded view of literacy helps to overcome the difference in 'values, assumptions and ideologies' about literacy and language between teachers and children that amounts to a new 'generation gap'. Literacy is also interwoven with ICT. Like literacy, technology needs to be understood as social practice, and requires the same kind of bridges to be built between teacher and student and between student life within and outside of school. It calls for a pedagogy that involves critical cultural literacy, and a holistic approach to technology that allows student input into teaching and learning processes, especially in relation to how technology is used for school learning. For the sake of equity all students should have access to such pedagogy, rather than simply to technology itself. The paper reports on early results of two related case studies of how technology can act as a 'doorway to literacy' in the early years. The studies involved one kindergarten and one early years classroom, both in a regional Victorian town. Interviews were conducted with the school principal, the classroom teacher, and the kindergarten teacher. Mediated individual interviews were also conducted with the 45 participating children. Data also took the form of reflective journals kept by the teachers and the researcher, student work samples, and video footage of classroom literacy/play sessions. Initial evidence from the research was seen to support the value of a pedagogy 'embracing a symbiotic relationship between literacy and technology' as the children developed skills in communication, sharing and organisation through experimentation with technology such as a digital camera, iPhones, televisions, and word processing programs. The research also identified the need for professional support in the form of technical help and 'critical friend' roles. Key Learning AreasEnglishSubject HeadingsLiteracyPrimary education Early childhood education Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Technological literacy Kindergartens English language teaching Social life and customs Developing an approach for comparing students' multimodal text creations: a case study
Volume 25
Number 4, September 2009;
Pages 489–508
Complex multimodal texts can be difficult for teachers to assess. With this in mind, the authors describe a framework for analysing the features of a multimodal text, which they then apply to two PowerPoint presentations created by a student, the first created during Year 8, and the second during Year 10. Three key features are defined for use in analysing the quality of multimodal texts. Good design involves the effective combination of different forms in a variety of media, and can be assessed at both the macro and micro levels. For example, the student's second PowerPoint presentation showed a well-balanced and effective combination of visual elements with text that was easy to read. In contrast, her first PowerPoint presentation contained mismatching shapes and colours, and text elements that were difficult to read. Quality of content refers to the relevance, accuracy and organisation of information contained within a text. It includes linguistic and visual aspects of a text, as well as the demonstration of higher order thinking processes such as categorising and synthesising. For example, in the student's first presentation, the slide headings were succinct and clear, and followed a logical flow of ideas. In the second, however, the student's text was less organised and connected; her statements were often general, and her conclusions were in some cases contradictory. Cohesion refers to the way the different elements are put together to achieve 'unity', and may include the structuring of headings, visual components or navigational structures. For example, following a particular style of heading type or structural format can facilitate cohesion, as can clearly linking textual and visual content. Reflecting on the quality of the student's work, the authors note that due to the complexity of multimodal text production, teachers should allocate sufficient time for students to complete tasks. In addition, scaffolding tools such as concept maps and decision-making matrices may help students guide their presentation design; students may also need assistance in improving the ease with which they can address and relate key features. A detailed matrix of the design, content and cohesion features is included in the article. KLA Subject HeadingsSecondary educationInformation and Communications Technology (ICT) Electronic publishing Literacy Reviewing approaches and perspectives on "digital literacy"
Volume 4
Number 2, April 2009;
Pages 107–125
The perceived civic and economic benefits of digital literacy have seen it become an important part of national government policy agendas. The authors examine how digital literacy is addressed in terms of its perceived ability to improve potential life trajectories and facilitate economic success in Australia; in terms of school policy and practices, using Norway as an example; and in terms of out-of-school youth practices in a more global context. In Australia, as well as other English-speaking countries, government and commercial enterprises have argued the need to ‘keep up’ with the requirements of contemporary society. Conceptualisations of school and the home as co-contributors to children’s education have seen increased emphasis on the need for access to a computer. Computers have been positioned as being connected with social and educational success and future life opportunities, and are promoted as a means to promote digital literacy from an early age. In education, digital literacy has become a key area of competence in many countries. The authors examine how in Norway national curriculum reform has resulted in digital literacy being nominated as a central educational competence, with ability to use ICT considered a basic skill alongside the traditional three Rs. However, the introduction of ICT into Norwegian schools has been problematic, with evidence of a split between how digital literacy is conceptualised and implemented in the humanities and in more technical subject areas. In addition, early programs focussed on ICT roll outs rather than pedagogical development; further programs were then introduced to integrate digital technologies into learning across all subjects and year levels, as well as to promote changed pedagogical practice. Furthermore, policymakers worldwide face the challenge of the disconnect between how digital media is used in schools, and how it is used at home. One key issue is that teachers and students use technologies in different ways, with teachers using technology less frequently and in a less varied manner than students, who frequently use digital media to create, communicate, and explore ‘new possibilities of use’. The purpose, effects, and transferability of current forms of digital literacy should be considered, as well as the effects of literacy development outside the curriculum. Issues around equity of access remain. KLA Subject HeadingsEducation policyLiteracy Computers in society Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Professional learning for reading comprehension in the middle years of schooling: an action research projectJuly 2009
While current literacy teaching practices in the early years have improved students' word knowledge, many middle years students continue to have difficulty in comprehending extended text. The authors examined the influence of the explicit teaching of comprehension coupled with cooperative professional learning on the comprehension skills of 150 Year 7 students at a Victorian school serving a low-SES population. The Year 7 teachers worked with a literacy specialist to develop an action research approach to improve students' comprehension. Fortnightly team meetings were scheduled, led by the literacy specialist, who acted as a mentor. Once the team had developed a focus for improvement, the literacy specialist provided resources, modelled effective teaching strategies, and helped teachers reflect on their classroom achievements, as well as areas for further improvement. The teachers participated in team teaching lessons, and were encouraged to engage in planning and reflective discussions. To address students' low skill levels and their reluctance to complete reading tasks at home, the teachers worked to implement a classroom 'literacy circles' model. To achieve the series of tasks and skills described in the first literacy circle, such as note-taking, students were placed in groups of four, where they took turns reading a short text, and were then assigned group roles, where each role focused on a particular element of reading, discussion and comprehension. When students were comfortable with the skills and processes involved in the first circle, they were introduced to the tasks of the second circle, which involved completing set tasks, reporting to the group, and offering feedback and constructive criticism. Students were supported by the teachers as needed. Drawing on independent measures, the program was found to have generated modest improvements, with the most significant improvement seen in classrooms where the literacy circles approach had been most effectively implemented. Students reported that their comprehension skills and confidence had improved, and that they had greater interest in reading. The teachers felt that the modelling of explicit teaching and explanation of theory by the literacy expert were beneficial to their teaching. They appreciated opportunities to observe others' techniques and to share ideas when team teaching. Suggestions for improvement included more planning time and structure, and a clearer awareness of teachers' particular roles in each session. Key Learning AreasEnglishSubject HeadingsVictoriaReading difficulties Reading Secondary education Collaborative corrections with spelling control: digital resources and peer assistance
Volume 4
Number 3, September 2009;
Pages 317–341
The author examined how students use computer spellcheckers to correct spelling errors when engaged in collaborative work. The students, two pairs of ESL learners in Sweden, responded to the program's spelling error indicator, a red underline, in different ways depending on context and student knowledge. Interestingly, students primarily used the underline purely as an indication of error, and tended to exhaust other problem-solving measures before resorting to the spellchecker's list of suggested items. For example, one pair made persistent attempts to work out the correct spelling of the word 'theatre'. Their approach involved both peer assistance and individual attempts to correctly spell the word: after each attempt, usually involving changing a single letter, one student would press the space bar to see whether the spellchecker would be triggered; the problem was 'solved' when the spellchecker no longer highlighted the word. Similarly, the other pair, consisting of two students of different ability, negotiated the spelling of 'champion'. The onlooker, the stronger student, identified the spelling error with the help of the spellchecker, but did not suggest a solution until his partner requested help, after which point he scaffolded his partner to spell the word correctly. However, in a second interaction, after both students' linguistic knowledge had been exhausted, the student at the computer consulted the dropdown box of suggested corrections to select the appropriate spelling. Students' attempts to resolve spelling errors tended to follow a particular fashion: they first asked for peer assistance, then drew on the spellchecker's error indicator, and only then did they consult the dropdown box of spelling suggestions. The spellchecker was generally considered authoritative: students persisted in trying to correct errors until the red underline vanished, except in cases involving words such as place names, where students agreed to override the spellchecker's authority. Use of the spellchecker meant that although students were notified of an error, they had to jointly determine the correct spelling through problem-solving. KLA Subject HeadingsGroup work in educationWriting Information and Communications Technology (ICT) English as an additional language Sweden There are no Conferences available in this issue. |