Abstracts

Promises and challenges

1Educational outcomes are measureable not just by academic achievement but also by access to schooling, participation and completion rates, and successful transition to employment or further study. Measurement programs should send constructive messages to students. They should also look beyond test scores that may reflect a school's socio-economic position rather than teaching performance. Measurements should not focus only on minimum competency standards, as this might mean too little teacher attention on higher achieving students.

Sharing the task: teachers supporting teachers

This article is based on an interview with Bill Rogers, Adjunct Professor of Education at Griffith University, on his most recent work, 'I get by with a little help...colleague support in schools'. Rogers stresses the importance of schools ensuring that teacher support is built into their professional structures and culture, so as to overcome the negative effects of professional isolation. While he acknowledges that teachers are willing to support one another in a crisis and are always ready with moral support, he suggests that schools take steps to cultivate an 'ecology of colleague support'. This can be done by putting in place guidelines to encourage peer support, and performing a 'needs analysis'. The latter is an opportunity for teachers to candidly share their concerns in a 'no blame' environment, and for them to feel a sense of ownership of the new structures and culture. Furthermore, this collegial approach should lead to 'teaming', workable teams in which teachers are able to set aside personality differences and support one another in a professional way. Providing this kind of support, Rogers asserts, ensures that while teachers are physically on their own moving from class to class, they never have to be alone psychologically.

A quality approach to quality time

This article is a reply by the author to a response to his article about "The Quality Time Program". Many of the responses saw the program, which involved teachers 'buddying' with students experiencing behavioural problems, as yet another imposition on teachers' time. In this article, Nagel explains the program and its successes, as well as the methods used to get teachers to participate in the program. Teachers were not co-opted at staff meetings or compelled to participate. Instead, they were given the information and allowed to reach their own conclusions about their available time and interest in the program. The student participants in the program have benefited immeasureably from sharing time outside of school with an adult, and many have improved self-esteem and attitudes towards school.

e-Teaching - the elusive promise

Peter Kent is the Deputy Principal at Richardson Primary in the ACT. This article describes that school's recent experience with "Smart Boards" - an interactive computer display which allows the teacher to work through and navigate various software and the Internet from the same position as the traditional blackboard. For Kent, it is this technology that is finally bringing into being e-learning's concomitant - e-teaching. While e-learning has been with us for sometime, Kent claims that e-teaching, the ability to use ICT to enhance teaching, has only just become possible with the introduction of the "Smart Board". This is because, up until now, teachers did not have the means to teach a whole class simultaneously with the help of ICT. Computer laboratories, while facilitating e-learning did not help e-teaching, as whole classes could not, with the leadership of the teacher, explore concepts, information and ideas at the same time and interactively.

Making connections

This article highlights some of the work done by the New Zealand Council for Educational Research to examine the impact of decentralisation on the New Zealand school system. The Council notes that its research has been used widely by policymakers, researchers, educators and others interested in the consequences of such large-scale reform. This work, however, has also allowed the Council to draw parallels with other systems - namely those in England, Chicago and Edmonton - which have undergone similar reforms. The availability of comparative data and research has allowed for a meaningful summation to be made of the course of decentralisation and its many stages. Those stages are listed here and include: governance; insecurity that the changes have not helped achievement; anxiety about accountability - here the article notes New Zealand has avoided the 'naming and shaming' league tables adopted in other jurisdictions; and, finally, the central agency taking responsibility for professional development. Links between schools is the phase currently being addressed, and, to this end, a survey will be conducted of primary, intermediate and secondary schools, as well as early childhood centres.

Resource attraction: the quest for talent

Given the age profile of the teaching profession and the dearth of applicants for leadership roles, Drysdale argues that a new approach needs to be taken in talent procurement and retention in schools. This, however, will require a change of 'mindset' from one of controlling and managing resources (something with which all principals are familiar) to one that is able to attract resources - in this case, leadership talent. Drysdale outlines ways in which this can be achieved through changing attitudes, putting in place attribute-oriented recruitment strategies and developing the leadership potential of existing staff.

NZ schools left in lurch - principal

Some school principals have criticised a collective agreement between the New Zealand Government and secondary teachers, claiming that schools have not received the resources required to fund the non-teaching hours approved under the deal.

First lady asks alma mater for a helping hand to rebuild East Timor's education system

Eaglehawk Primary School in Victoria and East Timor's Balibar Primary are linking up under a friendship program initiated by the East Timorese Alola Foundation. The program, launched by Kirsty Sword Gusmao, the wife of East Timor's President, hopes to link other schools between the two countries. It is designed to educate Australian students about East Timor and provide resources to the new country's school system, which lost 80-90% of its infrastructure during the violence that followed the country's vote for independence.

Info-kids get the thumbs-up

Canadian academic Ronald Jobe has recognised another 'sub-species' of student - 'info-kids'. 'Info-kids' are usually interested in facts and, consequently, read non-fiction and reference material, sources which Jobe asserts are usually seen as 'second-class citizens' by teachers. This article contains advice on how to recognise these students and explains some of the strategies that teachers can use to help them engage more effectively with the texts of their choice.

Reflections on youth violence

In this thought-provoking article, Sercombe challenges the conventional definition of violence - bodily harm - arguing that it omits much in its concentration on young and impoverished men. Violence, it is asserted, 'is the intent to do harm', and by this definition, the impact of a physical assault by a stranger or the systematic exclusion over time in a classroom are equally culpable acts of violence. Sercombe wants us to become aware of the other forms of violence which we use more than we care to admit, and, in so doing, to reduce the 'sum of violence' which young people are exposed to. Violence, after all, is the 'withdrawal of care' and Sercombe challenges us to surround young people with care, so that it becomes impossible for them to withdraw care from others.

vetEast builds links to jobs

The vetEast program is a school-based New Apprenticeship Program operating in a consortium of seven schools in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, and is designed to assist students who are at risk of leaving school and giving up on education. By reorganising the timetable to allow for three consecutive workplace training days a week, with school and training consigned to the remaining two days, the program has had remarkable success, reaching a 50-65 per cent retention rate since its inception in 1998. Of those who complete the program 45 per cent went on to full time work, 27 per cent obtained an apprenticeship, 8 per cent received a traineeship, and 20 per cent went on to complete further study.

School leadership: seen by teachers as an uphill battle?

Carlin and Neidhart report and comment on the outcomes of the VSAT project, Leadership Succession for Catholic Schools in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania (2003). The project surveyed 250 principals and 1400 senior leaders in Catholic primary and secondary schools in the aforementioned States. It particularly examined the areas of career pathways to the principalship; the intentions of school leaders to apply for the principalship and the factors affecting that decision; and the programs offered by the Catholic Education Offices of the respective states to support the professional development of principals. The project found that almost a quarter of principals had never been a coordinator; that female principals had limited prior leadership experience; and that 35 percent of respondents were unwilling to apply for the principalship. Among those who would not apply, family and lifestyle reasons were most often cited, along with a perception of an unsupportive external environment and concerns about the selection process. The article recommends clearer career pathways for aspiring leaders, more devolved authority to senior leaders, and for principals' roles to be monitored to reduce burnout and allow for professional renewal.

Marketing today's schools

This article includes eight points of advice for school leaders to enhance their school's marketing image and reputation. They include: surveying parents and members of the community to establish their perceptions of the school; creating a school motto and consistently promoting and applying it; realising the importance of first impressions; ensuring that all staff adhere to the school's ethos in their practices; differentiating the school from others; including key opinion makers in the community and alumni in helping to promote the school; and keeping pace with the changing educational needs of students, as well as parents' perceptions of those needs.

Who controls the purse strings? The devolution of financial decision making in schools

The devolution of financial management to the school level is supported by the notion that those closer to the students are best able to gauge their educational needs. This devolution has, in turn, provided the impetus for devolution of financial management within schools, with leadership teams and teachers taking responsibility for spending. This article examines financial management devolution models (Curriculum Programs Model, Department Structure Model and the Small School Model) in place at three Victorian schools, and describes some of the implications for school leadership brought about by financial management devolution. Some of the implications include principals coming to terms with sharing power, better development of leadership skills across all levels, principals' change management skills needing to be co-operative and collaborative, teachers' preparation to take on the extra work of financial management, financial resources needing to be adequate to foster genuine decision making and the involvement of senior staff in decision making.

Overloaded generation

The English school system is currently reforming its senior years, but this article claims that real reform would take into account both primary and secondary schooling. Preparing students for a knowledge society entails equipping them to become effective learners, people who can 'retrieve and apply information and knowledge'. Students will need to be able to set their own goals and understand their information requirements when accomplishing tasks. This can only be done if reforms are made to both primary and secondary schooling, which allow for better transitions between the two phases of schooling. Some of the issues that need to be pursued include: learning how to learn; sharing best practice between all levels of schooling; exploring better ways of using ICT in education; timetables which facilitate the sharing of teachers and resources; and bringing staff professional development into line with the aforementioned.

Crisis in teacher training

Universities are experiencing difficulty finding school placements for their pre-service teachers to obtain practical teaching experience during their courses. This, according to Seymour, is due to teachers' workloads, employer and parental expectation, and the level of remuneration offered to supervising teachers from universities. Seymour acknowledges that there are many benefits for the trainee teachers, the supervising teacher and the school in maintaining the 'prac teacher' programmes. It is therefore suggested that schools and universities be more innovative in the way they conduct the placements, so that the programmes can be maintained. Among other reforms, it is recommended that 'prac teaching' be a shared experience, with two or three students being placed simultaneously with the one teacher. While this only fractionally increases the workload for the responsible teacher, it encourages reflection between the trainees and allows for a more meaningful, supervised experience with smaller groups of students. A further advantage is that teachers' remuneration would be trebled, which would be an incentive for more teachers to participate in the programmes.

What's up with reading

Noting Australia's ranking of eighth for literacy in the OECD's Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), Arnold advocates a more comprehensive approach to teaching literacy in Australian schools. Even though reading is a pleasureable and rewarding activity in itself, countries which perform well on these international literacy tests are positioning themselves advantageously in the global economy. With this in mind, Arnold calls for various approaches to teaching literacy to be used, including phonological approaches, adult mentoring and whole-language approaches.

Behaviour management remains key issue

This editorial is a summary of the issues related to student behaviour management currently been consider by the Queensland Teachers' Union and the Queensland Department of Education. The issues include departmental support for school behaviour management plans; the process for appeals against exclusions; student enrolment at a second school after being excluded from the first; alternative education settings for students who are unable to integrate into the usual school environment; and how to deal with intruders on school grounds who have malicious intent. The union anticipates that these issues can be solved without recourse to lengthy reviews, and it is of the view that a Behaviour Management Summit could effectively deal with its concerns.

Tired and emotional

With the British school year about to commence, this article looks at some of the more common problems which plaque newly qualified teachers, and urges them stand up for their entitlements in their new schools. Issues such as fatigue, lack of induction because of time and budgetary constraints, student behaviour management issues and lack of support can imperil the ideals and goals of a graduate teacher. This article points out that many of these issues are easily solved, but, if not 'nipped in the bud', can become entrenched and much more complicated to remedy.

Market for collaboration

Collaboration between schools can lead to shared resources, expertise and strategies to overcome problems in particular schools. While some see collaboration as out-of-step with the market driven reforms with which British schools have had to contend, this article cites many instances of successful collaboration between schools, and urges that more be done to encourage this kind of educational approach. Working from the premise that schools, as organisations, 'know more than they use', Ainscow calls for more strategies to recognise and encourage research by practitioneers. Not only are schools able to share resources when they collaborate, but visiting teachers are able to become researchers in host schools, and are able to make the 'familiar unfamilair' by assuming the role of critical inquirer. This interdependence can lead to collaboration transforming into collegiality, a longer term goal and a more permanent, constructive form of co-existence.

We need quantum schooling

Loader traces people's current conceptions about society, organisations and individuals to a metaphorical understanding of mechanistic science, as pioneered by Isaac Newton. In this conception, people are seen as atomistic individuals, separate from each other and their organisations, whose energies are harnessed only by rigid, bureaucratic structures. This model also emphasises the material and the physical, leaving no place for the spiritual and emotional. To overcome this reductionist view of society, Loader urges the reader to move with the times, to borrow from the 'new physics' - quantum physics. Quantum physics and its concomitant, complex theory, reserve a place for a more holistic conception of society, individuals, organisations and their relationships to one another. Adopting quantum theory in schools could open up new possibilities for greater connections between school, families, community and organisations. It could change the nature of hierarchical leadership, devolving and dispersing decision making to all parts of the institution. It would also allow for an acceptance of ambiguity in previously rigid roles, to allow for more holistic experiences - for leaders to be followers, teachers to be learners and researchers to be administrators.

Barriers to participation

This article summarises the findings of the Smith Family report, Barriers to Education. The Smith Family, together with partner organisations, conducted a report into the financial, educational and technological factors preventing children from low-income households fully participating in their education. The report found that parents' level of education and educational support at home were amongst the most important factors influencing a child's attitude to education. When household income rises with educational attainment, there is a corresponding increase in investment in education. The report saw intervention to create education supports in the home as one way to break the cycle of poverty in some households. Barriers to Education also found that students who contemplated tertiary education as a long-term goal had a more positive attitude to education. It therefore recommended that schools support for students in planning their careers could improve retention rates. With regards to the 'digital divide', the report found that levels of income and parents' educational achievement were significant factors influencing children's access to computers and the Internet.

Lonely at the top and getting lonelier

Teasdale-Smith outlines the issues behind the shortage in the numbers of teachers willing to become candidates for school leadership positions, and assesses what role teacher unions can play in addressing the problem. Citing the fact that the profile of the workload of the principal's position is often a deterrent for many prospective leaders, she suggests that teacher unions re-asses the manner in which they campaign on the issue of leaders' workloads. On the role unions can play in alleviating the shortage, Teasdale-Smith suggests that unions should address their own problem of an ageing membership base, see the school leadership issue as a 'core' union issue and declare themselves to be principal friendly organisations, so that aspiring leaders do not see school leadership as sacrificing their unionist principles.

The benefits of smaller classes

Marg Bastian visited two primary schools in regional areas of South Australia to gauge how much the South Australian Government's allocation of 160 extra primary school teachers has affected class sizes. She discovered that teachers overwhelmingly endorsed the initiative, as they, and their classes, are benefiting from smaller teacher student ratios. The many advantages teachers cited included more space for activities, better behaviour management outcomes, more time to spend following up individual students, more resources per student and more individually tailored programs.

Opening the culture door

The culture of both the student and the teacher need to be understood if children from minority cultures are to make a successful transition between their home environments and school. The authors of this article go to great lengths to make teachers aware of the subtleties involved in cross cultural understanding, as well as of the cultural particularity of the school system's expectations. They demonstrate, through example and analogy, how cultural differences can lead to misunderstandings and misinterpretation of behaviour, and why it is important to allow for teachers to consider cultural differences when setting expectations in communication and behaviour for students. Furthermore, they stress that teachers will need to look for opportunities to involve parents in their child's education, and to become more open towards other cultures.

Democratic discipline: children creating solutions

The author describes how she enabled a primary school class to come up with their own solutions to problems which originated in the student group. Working from a democratic and empowerment premise, the teacher structured the problem solving activity along the lines of a meeting, with an agenda for recording problems, and a 'Book of Solutions' for recording the decisions of the daily class meetings. Students would record their issues on a class list called the 'agenda', and these were introduced by the teacher in the class meeting. Issues on the agenda ranged from behaviour problems such as name calling and swearing, to sharing the class resources. Solutions were tried for at least a week before they were revised. One of the immediate benefits of this 'child-centred' approach was a decline in tattling; but the author believes that it changed the culture of the class towards 'a deliberate solution-seeking mindset', which permeated all other areas of class work, as it empowered students to be problem-solvers and active participants in classroom life.

Building an encouraging classroom with boys in mind

The behavioural and engagement patterns of boys are often the most challenging part of the work for teachers of young children. The authors of this article show early years teachers how they can make their classroom more engaging for young boys, and, in so doing, curtail their challenging behaviours and make the classroom a better learning environment for all. They advise teachers on how to set up areas for physical activity within the classroom to cater for 'large motor and whole body experiences', how to stimulate boys' propensities for building and construction in an engaging and learning-centred fashion, and how to encourage sensory exploration and experimentation by creating opportunities for hypothesising and experimentation in cooking and other 'scientific' activities.

Kosky's reforms: future blueprint or back to the schools of the future

This article surveys teacher and union reaction to the Victorian educational reforms announced by Education Minister Lyn Kosky on 28 May. The four areas of reform, which will be examined by a designated leadership group, are: introducing more flexibility into the Curriculum Standards Framework (CSF); school improvement and accountability; workforce development and teacher training; and innovation and excellence. While the teachers interviewed agreed that changes to the CSF were overdue, many were skeptical about reforms in the areas of school accountability and teacher development, and the establishment of specialist schools. With regards to school accountability, those interviewed felt that not enough allowance was made for schools with particular needs, such as those in disadvantaged areas where the level of student attainment was often influenced by factors beyond the control of the school. Many also resented the implication that it was teacher standards and not class sizes which were responsible for student performance. The AEU also saw problems with the push towards specialist schools. It felt that specialist schools would exaggerate the difference between city and rural schools, and that specialisation would be at the expense of a 'comprehensive and well-rounded education'.

Success with problem solving

Linthorne encourages mathematics teachers to be aware of the problem solving skills that can be developed in students, and to create the classroom environments in which those skills can be nurtured. Some of the pre-dispositions that problem solvers share are a willingness to take risks, persistence and determination, and an ability to recreate the problem so that 'it makes sense to them'. The strategies problem solvers rely upon, and which teachers should develop in all students, include guessing and checking, sifting for relevant information, creating illustrative models such as graphs, tables and diagrams, and an ability to work backwards through a problem. Allowing students to take intellectual risks by encouraging speculation and praising problem solving attempts, providing discussion time for students to share different approaches, and teaching strategies and encouraging students to develop their own, are ways in which teachers can create problem solving environments in their classrooms.

Falling through the cracks

A study by the Dusseldorp Skills Forum has found that 23 per cent of Australians aged between 15 and 24 are not in full-time employment, education or training. The report, How Young People are Faring, observes that many young people are not making the transition from school into full-time work, and, as such, are at risk of experiencing long term social disadvantage. Victoria, which has seen the introduction of new initiatives such as the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) and the On Track Project, has fared better than other states, with only 10 per cent of its 15-24 year-olds considered to be 'at risk'. Australia-wide, Indigenous disengagement in the 20-24 year-old age group is at 67 per cent, with a lapse in the number of Indigenous students completing school coinciding with the changes to Abstudy in 1996. Indigenous young people in the age groupings being considered are three times more likely to be 'at risk' than other Australians.

Starting school: not so easy

Factors such as child care, personal characteristics and family demographics influence the extent to which a child makes a successful transition to primary school. This article is a report on the findings of a study that looked at the relative importance of these influences on children's social and academic adjustment to primary school. The article recommends that primary schools and child care centres have a greater level of co-operation so that the former can have access to the child care histories of children, and that primary schools provide opportunities for prospective students and their parents to become familiar with the school environment.

From the ashes of destruction

This article describes the role of the Independent Education Union (IEU), and other agencies, in helping East Timor's education system to recover from the destruction which followed the vote for independence in 1999. Seventy per cent of school infrastructure has been repaired or replaced, but much is still to be done. UNICEF is using schools as the way to rebuild communities and grassroots participation, while Australian Marist Brothers will be involved in teacher training at a new training college in Baucau.

We need lots of leaders

Michael Fullan is the author of The moral imperative of school leadership. In this article he argues that the problems faced by schools, in this part of the 21st century, can only by solved by leadership committed to 'deeper and continuous improvement'. Governments were correct in identifying school leadership as being of vital importance, but their assessment of them in terms of student achievement is too narrowly construed, and the idea that the individual alone will make the difference is fallacious. With regards to the former, he observes that too many school leaders are too pre-occupied with achievement scores, a pre-occupation that leads to short-term thinking and strategies. With regard to the notion that the leader alone will make the difference, Fullan argues that governments will have to confront the issues of adequately resourcing school leaders to perform their role. In making continuous and long-term improvements, school leaders need working conditions in which resources are available, and in which they can make links with other school leaders.

E-portfolios: documenting student progress

E-portfolios are student work portfolios which have been created and stored online. The authors of this article report on their work with primary science students and the benefits of electronically produced work portfolios. Some of the advantages were that different kinds of work could be stored together (for example, students' contributions to the school newspaper and the results of science experiments), students could access the work at anytime and reflect on their learning, and students could be given ownership of their learning by implementing a self-assessment regime and leading conferences on their work at parent-teacher evenings. The technology also allowed students to experiment with different kinds of work artifacts, for example recording sound and creating work sample with 'iMovies' software. This use of multimedia allowed parents to witness their child's understanding of an experiment through explanation, rather than through a report of that understanding.

Incorporating effective writing strategies

This article focuses on how teachers can develop students' writing skills outside of the English classroom. The author describes her experiences in helping students to become more sophisticated with their use of grammar, punctuation and essay writing skills in the Social Studies classroom. Relying on the work by Gary Chadwell, Developing an Effective Writing program for Elementary Grades, and the help of the English teacher, McCoy successfully structured the writing task to allow students to focus on the elements of writing, as well as the content of the Social Studies lesson. In addition to the assignments' content, students were required to pay attention to one writing skill at a time, and the main essay writing task was broken into a series of phases which were addressed individually.

Travel to and from school: a school's duty of care

Schools have always thought that their legal duty of care to students extended from the time the student leaves home to the time they reach home. Stewart points out that this view is often incorrect, and that recent litigation, and the resulting verdicts, have made the extent of the duty of care much more complicated. He highlights examples from several jurisdictions in which students were injured at school, going between school and designated sports venues, and making their way to and from school. The courts have held that there is a duty of care before students even arrive on school grounds, and that the duty of care was influenced by the nature and proximity of the risk eg. a busy highway. Schools, therefore, need to make hazard assessments of their locations and need to put in place harm minimisation strategies. In addition, a Tasmanian decision demonstrated that an awareness of an existing harm, along with adequate education of its existence and instructions to cope with it, could limit a school's liability. Acknowledging the anxiety that surrounds this area of administration, Stewart urges school leaders to bear in mind that the test is 'reasonable care', and that this is usually compatible with 'enhancing students' physical well being', an aim all administrators try to accomplish regardless of their legal obligation.

Pedagogic leadership: developing an inclusive school culture of learning

Pedagogic leadership is present in the person who has a high level of pedagogic knowledge and skills, the esteem of key stakeholders such as teachers, students, parents and the general community, a record of encouraging others to pursue better learning outcomes through appropriate pedagogies and who is recognised by their peers for their abilities in this area. Unfortunatley, in the opinions of the authors, these abilities are not always given their due in the prerequisites required for the principalship. Moreover, they tend to conflict with the manageralist style of school leaders and schools, in which little space is afforded to staff discourse on teaching and pedagogy. Highlighting successful examples of pedagogical change and leadership in Western Australian school communities, the authors of this article argue that professional development and a reconsideration about the place of pedagogic leadership in school leaders' repertoires are essential to the preservation of pedagogical leadership skills.

Countries strive to be the best

A report by the National Foundation for Educational Research in Britain has found that international studies, such as The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), are having an impact on education reforms in the participating countries. The report, International Trends in Primary Education, covers 18 countries, and it found that governments' fear of being left behind in an increasingly globalised world has made the comparisons, implicit in the studies, invaluable to reform. More countries are emphasising the attainment of literacy and numeracy skills, and creating the conditions in which students learn transferable skills and attributes such as creativity, interpersonal skills and independent learning. The use of information technology, smaller class sizes and devolved school management are also attributed to a more student centred and tailored curriculum, one in which those attributes and skills can be fostered.

Picture book + mathematics = close encounters of an integrated kind

The authors of this article demonstrate how picture books can be used to scaffold and inspire mathematics lessons. By observing how picture books lead to higher order thinking in children - ie children make links to the social and cultural realities in their lives - the authors suggest that children are developing skills such as classification, labelling, measurement, spatiality, prediction, calculation and analysis, attributes which are crucial to mathematics. The article suggests texts which teachers might find useful in developing children's mathematical abilities, and outlines the mathematical concepts those texts draw upon.

Playground supervision: a whole-school approach

Rogers provides a detailed plan for a whole-school approach to playground supervision. He reminds school leaders that it is important that teachers be mindful of their duty of care outside the classroom, and suggests that all teachers, regardless of whether or not they are on playground duty, adopt an attitude of 'relaxed vigilance'. A whole-school approach includes the following: a provision for student feedback about the playground and relationships within it; a preventative approach which assists student wellbeing through the provision of signage, safe and clean access to water and toilets, and designated 'quiet areas'; a corrective policy which outlines clear, fair and consistent consequences for misbehaviour; and an annual review which addresses the types of incidents, teacher responses and the continued effectiveness of policies.

Challenges in national comparisons

While Australia's participation in major international studies - such as the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the OECD Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) - has provided data to compare Australian students with international benchmarks, the absence of a regular national survey has meant that there is inadequate data to make comparisons between student achievement across Australian jurisdictions. In this article, Masters demonstrates that while the results of international studies can be used to make national comparisons between jurisdictions, the conclusions cannot be accepted unequivocally. He points out that different curriculum emphases and syllabuses, and varying age-grade correspondence between jurisdictions, mitigate against using the results of international studies as definitive data for national comparisons.

Give them wings: empowering younger students

Carol Swan draws on her experiences of early childhood teaching to demonstrate to teachers how to foster and encourage early learning through 'responsive and interactive teaching'. As well as having the right equipment and materials, understanding the learning level of their students, and involving parents, teaching support staff and others, teachers need to employ a responsive pedagogy, in which the student leads learning. This is done through allowing students to talk, and listening and responding to what they say and do. Its in listening that teachers are able to discover the opportunities for learning, and the timing which enables that learning to be relevant. Swan uses the example of how one student's interest in tadpoles opened up a whole world of learning for other students in literacy, numeracy, science and collaborative learning - and it was all in the immediate relevance provided by a jar of tadpoles!

Testing, testing: the place of assessment in the mathematics classroom

While in favour of national, external assesment, Jennie Golding is concerned that its overuse can lead to 'superficial learning'. She therefore proposes that mathematics teachers lessen the effects of this kind of summative assessment by 'assessing for learning'. This can be done if they employ the following: ask questions in a more interactive way, and allow more time for students to reply; allow students to get the wrong answer by being more supportive; comment constructively on work and limit the use of grades; encourage self and peer assessment, as well as collaboration; and restrict the introduction of new ideas to just one or two at a time.

Inclusive schooling policy: an educational detective story

Moss subjects Inclusive Schooling policies in Australia to a postmodernist and post-structuralist critique, which highlights their reliance on 'medical, psychological and charity-based discourses' - discursive constructions which rely on predetermined categories of exclusion and difference. To overcome what she considers to be the dominant discourses in the field of special education, Moss proposes a research method based on 'everyday texts' of lived experience, a method which she uses to expose the paucity of the dominant discourses, and one which she hopes can inform the policy debate in Special Education.

Research on Maori students unveils surprising results

New Zealand researchers attached to Waikato University have reported a major divergence in teacher and student perceptions of each other, in the results of a study on factors affecting the attainment levels of Maori students. The project involved 70 students and 11 schools on New Zealand's North Island. The Maori students surveyed overwhelmingly cited their relationship with the teacher as the most important factor affecting their engagement. Teachers, on the other hand, had very negative dispositions towards Maori students, with many entertaining preconceptions that exacerbated these attitudes. The researchers point out that teachers had more success with students when they used culturally appropriate teaching methods, and that the student teacher relationship far outweighed the student's home environment and school structure as influences on engagement and achievement.

Mixing and matching

While there is little research to demonstrate that children benefit more from multi-age classes than age-defined grades, some schools in Victoria have, once again, begun to experiment with this form of teaching. Those who support multi-age classes claim that they better recognise and accommodate the varying emotional and social development levels present in an age cohort at any one time, and, in so doing, take a holistic approach to education which is not confined to just teaching the curriculum. Despite the advantages, however, multi-age classes do place a heavier workload on teachers, as the diversity of needs place a premium on teachers' organisation skills, time and abilities to teach across the curriculum.

Life Skills Outcomes and Content in new Years 7-10 syllabuses

The New South Wales Board of Studies has approved the development of Life Skills outcomes and content for the Years 7-10 syllabuses. The Life Skills components of the syllabuses allow a program of work to be designed to meet an individual student's needs and goals, where the usual components of the syllabus are not deemed appropriate. Life Skills outcomes and content will be available in the Years 7 and 8 Mathematics and English Syllabuses in 2004, and in Years 7 to 9 syllabuses by 2005. It is planned that the first School Certificate credential will be awarded for the component in 2006.

Summer schools highlight career options

New South Wales TAFE institutes have developed a summer schools program to introduce students from disadvantaged backgrounds to various career options. More than 500 students from government secondary schools attended last year's summer program which introduced them to the fields of information technology, automotive industry, visual arts, tourism and hospitality, and horticulture. The summer courses qualified the students for scholarships and advanced standing, should they decide to undertake TAFE courses in their chosen fields in the future.

The missing years - aspects of secondary education and retention rates in South Australia

Gregory questions the appropriateness of vocational education and training in schools, citing the fact that many Year 10 and 11 students have very little, if any, idea of the vocation they might want to pursue. Given that those who are successful in Year 12 and go on to further study are more likely than not to change career and training pathways, Gregory is in favour of equipping students for life by ensuring that they complete 12 years of schooling. He recalls how a secondary school with which he was involved, noticing the retention rate problems in early high school, made the effort to structure their relationship with feeder schools to develop continuity for students in their curriculum. The school also integrated life skills and career guidance programs into the curriculum. These were not exclusive to pupils 'at risk', and allowed all students to develop a sense of purpose and relevance, virtues which could motivate them throughout their school years.

I think, therefore I am resistant to change

A 'mental model' is comprised of an individual's values, perceptions, personal opinions and views of the world. 'Mental models' are used by people to process newly introduced methods of working, to see if the latter conform to their personally constructed views. This action sometimes inhibits change, and some mental models are either dysfunctional, inappropriate or wrong. This article identifies some of the influences on people's perceptions, and canvasses ways in which negative mental models can be identified, unlearned and changed by educator developers.

Planning, measuring their own growth

A school district in the United States abandoned mandatory, 'single-speaker' professional development sessions in favour of allowing teachers to develop their own professional development plans. Teachers, in consultation with the principal, identify their own professional development needs, and plan, design and monitor their learning. They then implement an evaluation by sharing results, producing samples of their work, summarising their activities and reflecting on their growth. The results of this 'teacher-owned' professional development have been more collaboration between teachers across specialisations and better learning outcomes for students, as teacher professional development is targeted at student needs.

Successful ICT use in secondary mathematics

This article is based on a British study in which English, Mathematics and Science teachers were asked to provide examples of successful ICT use in their classrooms. The authors grouped the responses into a thematic model to provide organisation and structure to the feedback. The article is based only on the feedback from the Mathematics teachers, and it clearly outlines the advantages that many of them see in using ICT in their classrooms. Among the advantages are that ICT allows lessons to be carried out more quickly; it allows students to check their work and to make mistakes with impunity; it encourages independence and ownership of the task; it introduces variety; and allows students and teachers to focus on more important 'overaching concepts', as the software does the more labor intensive work such as graphing.

Co-operative learning strategies

While aimed at the United States Science classroom, this article will be of relevance to teachers in all learning areas. Pratt asserts that co-operative or group learning can be a useful tool in helping students achieve curriculum outcomes. In this article she demonstrates how small group learning can produce a shared and supported learning experience, while still leaving room for individual student assessment. The advantages of group learning cited by Pratt are that classroom management is less onerous for the teacher, it creates interdependence between students and students learn simultaneously. The article explains in some detail how teachers should go about forming groups (never allow students to nominate colleagues), and stresses that all assessment should be individualised so as to avoid the problems posed by collective responsibility. It also suggests that all assignments be due at the end of the class, so as to avoid students 'socialising' and doing tasks for homework.

Small in size, big on values

Wendy Berliner reports that some education researchers have noted a correlation between the size of the population of a country and its achievement on international tests such as the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Countries such as Finland, Wales and New Zealand, with comparatively small populations, have done much better than countries such as the United Sates and Brazil. While there are, no doubt, many other factors influencing these performances, some researchers suggest that 'smallness' may lend itself to less cultural and socio-economic diversity (factors which many education systems struggle to overcome); increased centralisation which aids consistent teaching and education standards; a more intense awareness of language and cultural preservation which leads to better literacy standards; and a sense of connectedness or 'village mentality' that increases the speed at which change is implemented across the system.

Workload reform chief proposes classes of 80

David Carter, a member of a group of experts currently examining the teacher workload problem in Britain, has proposed that grade classes in some subjects be merged to enable one teacher to deliver the lesson, while others, who would usually be duplicating the lesson, are freed to take on smaller groups of 4 or 5 students for more intensive work. Carter, the head of a 'pathfinder' school which experimented with the method, suggests that with the help of audio-visual aides student management should not be a problem. Teacher unions have opposed Carter's idea, and a representative from the London Leadership Centre claims that teachers' workloads had not been reduced in schools where the method was attempted.

The hard-to-manage class - time for a fresh start

Classroom management is a precondition for student learning. Without teacher leadership and behaviour management skills, Rogers warns that teachers can start to lose the 60 to 70 per cent of the class who are usually co-operative and ready to learn. Once teachers lose control of a class, however, it is time to re-set the ground rules, and just how to do this is the focus of this article. Rogers advises that resetting the boundaries could take the form of a grade meeting in which a senior colleague is present. This opportunity should be used to survey the class on what works and what doesn't, and how the change can be affected. A second meeting can then be used for feeedback, and for re-establishing rules and routines. An adjunct to this approach is to have the class publish their rules on a series of posters. Rogers underscores the need for respect and feedback at all times during the process, for student input and for teachers to be willing to have a 'personal and professional appraisal'.

Gimme that school where everything's scripted!

Ongoing, active professional development in supportive school settings has better outcomes for teachers and students than passive, disjointed and infrequent 'one-off' sessions. If teacher professional development is measured by student achievements in learning, then, this article asserts, creating meaningful teacher professional development is of utmost importance. In this vein, Paez, a primary teacher in New York, recounts her experiences learning to teach within the 'balanced literacy model', an instructional model which ensures that students learn every facet of literacy, from spelling to reading aloud. Her professional development goal was to become proficient at teaching literacy in this way, and it was made possible by her school setting aside time (once a week) for professional development meetings and employing a 'master teacher' to facilitate them. Paez kept a diary of the sessions over the period of the teaching year, and plotted her development during this time. Her experience has led her to conclude that for professional development to be effective, teachers need time to collaborate with each other, need to see 'master teacher demonstrations' and, more importantly, need the time and the encouragement to discuss their practices and the 'big ideas' behind pedagogy and instruction on an ongoing basis.

What makes professional development effective

Guskey examined various lists of 'effective' characteristics of teacher professional development in United States jurisdictions, and concluded that they varied widely and that their research base was 'inconsistent' and contradictory. He argues that for policy makers and practitioners alike, there need to be clear criteria for what constitutes good professional development, and that these have to be based on measurable student outcomes. Also, the different contexts and needs of teachers should to be taken into account when approving professional development programs, and teacher experience can be taught side-by-side with research based approaches. While a definitive list of professional development characteristics may not be realised, Guskey argues that 'criteria for effectiveness' which accommodate differing contexts and strategies can be arrived at.

Capitalism, calculus, and conscience

Ohanian is a critic of high-stakes testing and, in this article, she describes some of the effects this highly politicised testing regime is having on education and educational outcomes in the United States. While politicians out-do themselves in supporting ever harder and more irrelevant tests in public schools, students from disadvantaged communities are dropping-out, and, worse still, being forced to leave school in order to make pass rates look more respectable. Schools have been faced with closure because of low pass rates, as governments have insisted that schools sink or swim through their measureable achievements - higher pass rates attract more students, who attract more funding. Ohanian's article points to the many absurdities which have surrounded the implementation of standardised high-stakes testing, but, more importantly, she wants to know why the burden of these tests, which are not conducted in private schools, has fallen so disproportionately on those from disadvantaged backgrounds, and why governments have done so little to improve the educational circumstances of disadvantaged students.

Progress made in special education

The New South Wales Teachers Federation lists the many gains that have been made in special education in that State, but outlines some of the outstanding issues which still need to be addressed by the Department of Education and Training (NSW). These include ensuring that the Comino Staffing Trial is not used to 'de-staff schools', but instead to focus teaching resources on schools in need; and that, in line with the Vinson Report and Parkins Review, 'low support needs funding' be better allocated to create greater flexibility for students and classroom teachers

Educating teenagers - a global view

The student populations of secondary schools have increased exponentially in the last fifty years, and so, too, have the levels of disengagement and behavioural problems. In this article, educators from around the world describe the pressures on students, schools and teachers, and assert that the roles and purposes of secondary schools, and education in general, need to be revisited if the they are to significantly influence and shape students' lives.

Leaders on crutches

David Loader laments the lack of imaginative leadership in schools, as he urges school leaders to be less imitative and bound by benchmarks. The latter, he asserts, produce sameness and blunts imagination, whereas real leadership is about courage and adventure. He hastens to add, however, that leaders should not assume that originality depends on dreams - introducing ideas or perceptions into different contexts, or 'stumbling over' an innovation is just as visionary. Likewise, learning from pitfalls and disagreements in leadership teams, and acknowledging that leadership is about handling complex relationships and the detail of implementation are also within the purview of imaginative leaders.

Adolescent brain development

New research in the United States has found that the adolescent brain is a 'work in progress'. This is a departure from the acceptance that brain development was complete between the ages of ten and twelve, and, as such, it opens up new areas of research and interest in how adolescent brains should be developed for adult life. The new research has found that adolescent brains function differently on issues of self-control, judgement, emotions and organisation, leading to the conclusion that those areas of the brain responsible for these activities develop into adulthood. This discovery also has implications for adolescent drug and alcohol use, as there may now be long-term consequences of their effects for healthy brain development.

Schools by design

School design is increasingly responding to the 'new, open, flexible, student-centred curriculum'. Many school leaders are finding that their school buildings, or planned building developments, need to be multi-functional and involve spaces that can be transformed to fulfill a diverse range of needs. In this article, Steve Holden takes school leaders through the processes of consulting, planning, selecting, costing and hiring for building redevelopment, and looks at some successful examples of school design.

The power of small schools

Kelly Raymond makes the case for smaller schools in the current debate about school size in the United States. Tracing the 'large school' innovation in the United States to the 1920s, Raymond explains that small schools have been shown to increase student extracurricular participation; reduce anti-social behaviour such as gang activity, violence and vandalism; decrease truancy; increase personalised teaching and, in so doing, ameliorate the effects of low socio-economic status. Furthermore, while increases in levels of achievement between large and small schools are still contentious, the financial costs of small schools compare favourably to large ones.

Aboriginal gains

A South Australian Department of Education and Children's Services' (DECS) report has found that Indigenous students have made progress towards reaching literacy and numeracy targets set by that State in conjunction with Commonwealth guidelines. The Report of Aboriginal Education Outcomes for 2002 demonstrated that Indigenous students reached 80 per cent of the 129 targets. The national average was 46 per cent. While recognising that there was still some way to go in Indigenous education, the Minister, Trish White, observed that the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students was closing, and that retention rates of the former were improving, with an increase of 300 per cent in Indigenous students choosing to stay at school till Year 12 since 1998.

Hiring the best teachers

After establishing that effective teachers do significantly influence the educational outcomes of students, this article outlines a list of qualities that prospective employers should look for in a teacher. The list includes, among other attributes, prerequisites for effective teachers (content and pedagogical knowledge), the teacher as a person (caring and fairness), classroom management skills, effective planning skills, effective instruction and a willingness to monitor student progress. The article then goes on to demonstrate how and at what stage of selection these 'domains' can be used, arguing that they make for a better set of criteria to substantively differentiate candidates than the often cited, intangible 'hunch'.

The schools that teachers choose

This article is based on the findings of the Project on the next Generation of Teachers in Massachusetts, United States. The researchers in this project followed and documented the experiences of 50 new teachers over a period of four years in an effort to gauge what they sought from the profession and how they sustained their motivation over extended periods of time. For the purposes of this article, they focused on a sample of eight new teachers who they called 'Voluntary Movers' - those who left their initial place of employment for another teaching appointment, as opposed to leaving the profession. The impact on the schools, the authors hastened to add, is the same, as knowledge and continuity is lost regardless of where the teacher goes. Why these teachers left and what they sought in their new schools was illuminating, however. Almost all left socially disadvantaged schools for schools in wealthier areas where, they thought, collegiality, consistent enforcement of standards and values, access to administrative staff and leaders, job assignments and curriculum frameworks were better. The researchers make the point, however, that while there is a correlation in better working environments and higher socio-economic areas, many of the conditions cited by the teachers in the sample can be achieved at school level regardless of the socio-economic environment, and it's the task of school leaders to bring them about.

Keeping good teachers: why it matters, what good leaders can do

This insightful article examines the level of teacher attrition rates in the United States, and recommends strategies to reduce it. Working from the premise that teacher attrition rates are an economic as well as an educational cost, it found that teachers were likely to leave in their first five years of employment because of salary levels, lack of preparation, lack of support and bad working conditions. Teachers who were in the profession for longer periods of time saw working conditions as the most important issue. The article concludes, therefore, that at a systemic level, novice teachers should be better prepared for classroom practice and that teacher salaries be more competitive. At the level of the school and for the task of school leadership, it recommends that mentoring programmes (complete with funding and time allocations) be put in place, both to help novice teachers and also to reinvigorate more experienced teachers; that decision making be more inclusive; that collegiality be fostered; and that better prepared teachers be hired. It also urges school leaders to bear in mind that schools in which teachers thrive, attract teachers who want to thrive, and they can act as a 'magnet' for better teachers.

Discriminatory employers put on notice by new Act

Changes to the Queensland Anti-Discrimination Act in April have removed the exemption which allowed educational institutions, established for religious purposes, to discriminate on the grounds of religion in employment. This article is a summary of the changes to the legislation and their implications. As a result of the changes, the right to discriminate will now only extend to employment practices in cases where it can be established that the person in question has acted in a way which is contrary to the employer's religious beliefs. Even in that circumstance, employers will need to demonstrate that there was a genuine 'occupational need' for religious consistency and that the person was aware of that need. For more information on the changes, visit the Anti-Discrimination Commission Queensland website.

Questionable assumptions about schooling

This thought-provoking article looks at twelve common assumptions which underpin education aims, content and school structure. Among other assumptions, it questions the value of grading according to students' ages; assigning teachers to work with one group of students for only one year; standardised testing; that all knowledge is language based; that practice is necessarily reliant on theory, especially in teaching; and that school reform is advanced by competition and top-down approaches. To make them purposeful, Eisner then groups the twelve areas of assumption into five dimensions of reform which include aims; structure; curriculum; pedagogy and evaluation. He maintains that the task before reformers is of such proportions that the most realistic approach is to 'tinker towards utopia'.

Sustaining leadership

The authors of this compelling article make the case for 'sustaining leadership and change' as opposed to 'maintaining leadership and change'. The latter, they contend, is about endurance, whereas the former is about committing to those 'initiatives which can be achieved without compromising the development of others' and which ensure that change reaches the 'institutionalisation phase'. They note that this kind of change cannot be accomplished by public relations exercises, high-cost pilot projects or short-term achievements in tests. Sustainability in education, it is asserted, is made up of the following: improvement that fosters learning; improvement that is enduring; improvement that can be supported by available resources; improvement that does not have negative implications for surrounding schools; and improvement that promotes diversity and capacity. Leaders can contribute to this kind of improvement by placing learning at the heart of their initiatives; by ensuring that everyone takes responsibility for leadership; and by making plans for their own obsolescence.

Reinventing America's schools

Wagner considers the merits of standardised testing in the United States, and asserts that educational reform must move well beyond 'high-stakes' testing if it is to make a difference to the way students are educated and what they are educated to do. He fears that the highly politicised education arena is often prone to reform by legislators who know little about education and whose main concern is accountability, an outcome which they perceive to be facilitated by testing. Wagner wants educators and policy makers alike to consider whether compulsory standardised testing ensures intellectual rigor, and that all students gain the skills to make a contribution to democratic society and to the knowledge economy, or if it just contributes to higher dropout rates, disillusionment and inequality.

The three Rs of teacher shortage

The Australian Secondary Principals' Association has been investigating the issue of teacher shortage. This article, calling for a national approach to the problem, condenses the study into the three Rs - retention; retirement; and recruitment - arguing that the detail involved in all three of these areas needs to be addressed if the overall problem of teacher shortage is to be solved. For example, it claims that while most are aware of the age profile of the profession, many do not realise that quite a number of the potential retirees are teaching mathematics and science subjects. However, a more immediate crisis is not being able to support LOTE, Technology Studies and Information Communication Technology. Furthermore, younger recruits to the profession are of a generation who expect not to remain in one position for too long. Allowing for the flexibility that permits new recruits the kind of professional mobility other jobs provide is a factor which could influence retention rates. Teasdale-Smith also makes the point that we do not always consider the effect the shortage is having on schools. The proliferation in overseas jurisdictions of teachers teaching in disciplines for which they are not qualified has had consequences for school enrolments and for student achievement.

Whose problem are beginning teachers?

This article describes the difficulties faced by the beginning teacher, and examines the amount of support they receive. It highlights the fact that many schools have devolved responsibility to 'beginning teacher buddies', whose own schedule has seen the responsibility passed to the induction folder. While conscious that solutions to this problem are hard to find, it reminds us that supporting beginning teachers is crucial to improving their retention rates.

The joy and terror of the teacher's life

Through series of anecdotes and recollections, Scarlett sharpens the focus on the motivations behind good teaching practice. By showing the reader both the gross absurdity and ingenuity behind some historically famous/infamous events, he helps them to reflect on their teaching practice. Among other things, teachers are prompted to bear in mind the particularity of each student, to be aware of the dangers of substituting authority for rationality, to remember that values are implicit in all practice and that 'the aim of each exercise is to do [themselves] out of a job again and again'.

One order of Ed Tech coming up ... You want fries with that?

In this article, Firek seeks the reasons for the lack of relevant technological competence exhibited by graduate teachers, given that technology courses are mandatory in their degrees. The answer, she professes, lies in the fact that many preservice teacher courses in the United States teach technology and computer use in isolation from the candidate's core specialty. All preservice teachers, therefore, end up learning technology in the same way at the same time, without regard to the students' specialisations. English teachers will not learn how to make the many opportunities that technology provides available to students if they are learning database programs in a 'one size fits all' course. Clearly, Firek argues, the obvious solution is to integrate technology training with candidates' other courses, and to do this by assisting teacher educators to become more comfortable with using technology in their discipline.

Altering the structure and culture of United States public schools

Wilms likens the structure and the resulting outcomes of public education in the United States to the now outmoded mass production/assembly line industrial system. He sees the unwillingness of schools and school boards to change as symptomatic of the inert bureaucratic structures which lead to the downfall of many previously successful companies in the post-industrial age. The potential panacea for education's ills in the United States, he asserts, lies in the novel educational approach of 'Lesson Study'. Lesson Study, originally a United States approach adopted by the Japanese and which is now finding favour with some in the United States, involves teachers constructing lesson plans and units of work collaboratively, observing one another delivering the lesson, and providing feedback to each other on where and how to improve the lesson. For teachers to successfully implement Lesson Study would require a change of culture. At the school level, teachers would have to come out from their classrooms and from behind standardised regimes to take responsibility for curriculum planning, schools and systems would have to cooperate with unions to design a workplace that caters for this collaboration, and innovation will need to be fostered in the classroom.

Setting standards in early childhood education

Kendall argues the case for employing standards at preschool level, emphasising that research suggests that early childhood learning has a significant and beneficial impact on the child's educational career. He suggests that preschool standards could take their lead from K-12 standards, but that those devising them should not confuse standards with performance and curriculum goals, and should allow for emotional and social learning, as well as students' different developmental needs. With regards to the latter, he recommends that multi-age classrooms be employed, as performance based on standards would not require an age-differentiated grade structure.

The transition to school: what's important?

The 'Starting School Research Project' at the University of Western Sydney recently conducted research into what parents, teachers and students saw as important attributes for children starting school, or making the transition from preschool to primary school. The project surveyed parents, teachers and students, and found that there were eight areas which all three groups emphasised as important. These included: knowledge; social adjustment to the school context; skills (tying shoelaces, holding a pencil); disposition towards school; understanding the necessity for rules; physical attributes (health); family issues; and education environment at school. Each group gave a different weighting to the eight areas, with children emphasing rules, while adults (teachers and parents) placed more importance on social adjustment. Skills and knowledge were rated low by all groups, including teachers. The authors of this article have included a list of elements their research indicates as important in any transition to a school program. They stress the importance of children's voices and the need to take account of different social contexts when creating suitable transition strategies.

Towards a model of market centred leadership

As the title of this paper suggests, the author is concerned that school leaders have not, by and large, successfully incorporated 'market centred leadership' into their leadership 'portfolio'. Market centred leadership, Drysdale explains, can be achieved through the use of four frames: the market as philosophy and orientation; the market as a function within the organisation; the market as strategy; and the market as a set of relationships. While Drysdale firmly and unhesitatingly situates school leadership within marketing theory and acknowledges his debt to that discipline, to his credit, he goes beyond the mantras and explains in an engaging and informative way the application of the four frames. He also reports on an assessment of a sample of schools in areas of Melbourne experiencing profound demographic shifts, which he surveyed to gauge their market centred approaches and their implementation of the four frames. He concludes that for schools to implement the approach, the attitudes and leadership of the principal are paramount.

Is the changing role of the head-teacher leading to a new concept of autonomy

Morgan looks at the changing role of the school principal in England, from the autocratic and 'spiritual mission' management style of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, through the 'professional and pedagogically progressive mission' phase of the post-war period, to the market-oriented and chief executive role of the present. His aim is to gauge whether the new market focus of the role of head and the rise of Senior Management Teams have seen a usurpation of the authority of the office. After assessing the available literature on leadership in schools, and drawing on a survey of Senior Management Teams in schools in South-East London, he concludes that while the latter have changed the leadership style of heads, their existence has not undermined the authority of the role, and, in fact, may have strengthened it to deal with the new requirements of school governance.

The problems of LOTE

This article raises the AEU's concerns with the Victorian Government's report on LOTE, Languages for Victoria's Future. It objects, particularly, to the concept of a 'complementary solution' to the problem of LOTE teacher supply by using ethnic private schools to fill the shortfall, and to the notion of secondary school 'centres of excellence' which it sees as divisive and elitist. It advises readers to consider the AEU response to the problem of LOTE provision by examining the union's submission to the LOTE Analysis review and the report of the AEU's seminar on Languages for Victoria's future. The former is available on the Australian Education Union website.

Come and listen to a story about a girl named Rex: using children's literature to debunk gender stereotypes

Working from the premise that gender is a social construct (ie that it is learned behaviour, learned roles and assigned to the sexes), this article demonstrates how gender roles are perpetuated in children's literature. Through a survey of that literature, it estimated that males were more frequently depicted as capable, active and independent, while female characters were portrayed as passive, dependent and performing household tasks. To counter this phenomenon, the authors have produced a list of books which treat gender roles in a more complex fashion and a checklist whereby teachers and parents can assess children's books for gender bias.

Understanding generation 'y'

In a thought-provoking and informative article, McCrindle defines 'generation y' - those born between 1982 and 2000 - by their values, influences and motivations. It is this generation which now populates schools. McCrindle asserts that teachers and school leaders need to understand how to communicate with generation 'y' if they are to be effective in the education of these students. To this end he introduces the four 'Rs': Be Real; be Raw; be Relevant; and be Relational.

Achieving an optimal board-head symbiosis

Noting the increase in the proportion of school principals who do not serve out the length of their contracts at schools, Millikan examines the relationship between school heads and school boards so as to bring greater clarity to the specific roles of both. His article clearly delineates the roles of members of the school board and that of the principal by describing the scope of the roles and attaching specific duties to each of them. For example, he sees school boards as performing the overall role of school governance which involves overseeing the employment and appraisal of the principal; the fiscal situation of the school; and the overview of the schools mission. Principals, on the other hand, should be left to manage the learning environment; manage their staff and students; ensure the professional development of staff; and implement the board's policies.

Using strategic planning to bring about change

This article provides a step-by-step approach to planning and managing the 'change process' in schools. Demonstrating, by means of a case study, the connection between the school's mission and articulated vision, and the 'faculty plan', it shows school principals how to give effect and practical meaning to those initial lofty ideals.

Curriculum change: where are we?

The State School Teachers' Union of Western Australia (SSTUWA) claims that many schools are still struggling to comply with the provision of the Curriculum Framework to report on each Learning Area Strand for each student. It claims that the Curriculum Evaluation of 2000 demonstrated that there was still a lot of confusion about schools' responsibilities in this area. The SSTUWA has advanced a six-point plan to address the situation which includes resourcing and support to make sense of the levels across the WA system, professional development to assist teachers develop assessment strategies which conform to the Curriculum Framework's requirements, and a review of curriculum policy.

A global education framework for teaching about the world's women

Although this article is addressed to teachers in the United States, much of it will be relevant to teachers outside of that country. The authors situate Global Education within its philosophical and pedagogical contexts, and provide practical advice to help teachers integrate it with the perspectives and voices of women from around the world. One way in which this can be achieved is to recognise the lack of understanding of other cultures among students, and to remedy this by confronting stereotypes. Other approaches suggested by the authors are: introducing multiple perspectives using primary documents, teaching about the power dimensions of prejudices and providing students with opportunities for cross-cultural experiential learning.

Untangling dimensions of middle-school students beliefs' about scientific knowledge and science learning

Working from the premise that students' beliefs about scientific inquiry influence their approaches to scientific learning, this United States study examined the beliefs held by 178 students about the discipline as well as their learning strategies. It found that there was, while complicated, a correlation between students' conception of scientific knowledge (eg tentative, contested or factual) and their learning strategies (eg understanding or memorising; autonomous or dependent), and that this had profound implications for science pedagogy.

Schools as learning communities: the challenges of community and personal development

In this paper, Cotter brings an overarching philosophical presence to the kinds of tensions with which school communities find themselves grappling. Noting that schools have arrived at the juncture of two models of society, that is, the individual-oriented, contractual and market-driven model and the community or communitarian model, Cotter makes the argument for the legitimacy and relevance of the latter, with its values of unconditional generosity, self-sacrifice and service. He observes that schools, while increasingly besieged by the 'external model' of society based on contractual relations, are still based on 'covenants', the kinds of unconditional relationships found in families. It is in these kinds of communities, with their emphasis on generosity and service, that skills such as emotional intelligence and social capital, valued by organisations with a more market vision of the world, are fostered. Cotter's paper is both thought provoking and inspirational, as it contains a synthesis of the relevant literature, and a sprinkling of 'real-life' scenarios and examples. But, even more than this, it offers school leaders a theoretical perspective on the organisational tensions operating within schools, gives them a framework within which to articulate that conflict and provides a reasoned argument for the intrinsic values at the heart of schools.

Practising creative leadership: pipedream or possibility

Bhindi recognises the social, economic and political environment in which schools have to operate, and notes that now, more than ever, is the time for creative leadership in schools. Creative leadership, it is asserted, is not the preserve of 'the chosen few', but rather a dormant ability which has its roots in 'passion, commitment and energy', and which needs 'courage, imagination and exploration' for its release. In this vein, the author goes on to define the seven constituent elements of creative leadership which include: imagineering/positioning; developing reconnaissance capability; reaffirming/resetting strategic direction; infusing learning culture; living people-centred values; creating responsive structures and systems; and reflection-in-action.

To make a difference

This article is an account of Kevin Pope's interview with Steve Holden, the principal of Sunshine North Primary School in Melbourne. In the interview, Holden recounts his motivations for entering the teaching profession, and outlines his educational philosophy, educational priorities, management style and indicators of success.

Public versus private

David Loader attempts to shift the terrain of the public versus private school debate by arguing that the real argument is about underlying values and not the means by which schools are funded. Schools can be deemed 'public', not by the way they are funded, but by whether they subscribe to a set of values which are perceived to be 'public values'. To arrive at this set of values Loader uses Brian Caldwell's Scenarios for Leadership and the Public Good in Education in which the principles of choice, equity, access, efficiency, economic growth and harmony are outlined as elements of the public good. This shift towards values, it is argued, allows for a more accurate evaluation of the success of schools and for a more meaningful focus on ends instead of means.

Quality of the learning environment

Dr Roslyn Otzen is the principal of Korowa Anglican Girls' School in Melbourne. In this article she reports on how the efforts of teaching staff over a three-year period to 'describe the best classroom' have lead to a new and innovative building, a new philosophy on classroom practice - encapsulated in the document 'The Landscape for Learning' - and linked subjects which facilitate interdisciplinary learning. She concludes, therefore, that some of the ingredients which go into creating a quality learning environment are: an educational philosophy that is owned by teachers and which values students' experiences; and a flexible building that allows for experimentation and does not inhibit choice.

Moral teacher, moral students

Acknowledging the plethora of 'values' and other moral guidance education programs now available to school students in the United States, Weissbourd seeks to recognise the role of teachers in students' moral development and argues the case for helping teachers to be more effective in this role. Far from introducing yet another program, Weissbourd identifies disillusionment and depression as reasons for teachers not fulfilling this role. He asserts that teachers often become disillusioned about their capacity to make a difference in students' lives, and that this can often lead to a sense of hopelessness and 'passivity'. Helping teachers to better manage students' behavioural problems, assisting them in recognising signs of depression in themselves, instituting a mentoring strategy and allowing teachers time to reflect on their work are just some of the ways in which they become more enthusiastic and more effective as teachers and, as a consequence, better at shaping the moral development of those who often admire them most - their students.

Taskforce works toward national framework for professional standards

This article is a summary of the Australian Education Unions' response to the MCEETYA taskforce 'Teacher Quality and Educational Leadership' (TQELT). The taskforce will report to the Commonwealth Minister for Education, Science and Training on the issues of teacher training and professional standards for the profession. The AEU's position is that standards should only apply to those entering the profession and should be generic; that any standards framework should be 'owned' by the teaching profession; that teaching standards should not be linked to student outcomes, which are affected by a range of variables not just teacher quality; and that standards should not be linked to performance management.

School leadership and education in the UK

Hart is the General Secretary of the National Association of Heads of Teachers in the United Kingdom. His article provides an insight into one of the key initiatives in British education - the Blair Government's Investment for Reform program. Hart sees this program, a shift away from centralisation and towards self-managing schools, as an opportunity for 'transformational, pioneering and ambitious leaders' to re-model their schools. He makes the plea that governments should unshackle schools and not drown them in bureaucratic red tape or have them balancing too may competing priorities. He cautions, however, that Heads should not lose sight of the 'vital role of schools' in communities. Among other things this role includes the development of the knowledge and skills of young people, maintaining schools as 'oases of calm' in young people's lives and social inclusion in an increasingly competitive environment.

The burden of excess baggage

Using the metaphor of travel, Greene asks school principals and leaders to consider why they have not successfully implemented the reforms they initially intended to achieve. By example, Green lists a series of measures implemented in schools which are anachronistic and of no real benefit to students. Some of these include: the concept of work experience for Year 10 students in an age of apprenticeships and adolescent part-time work; age cohort structuring of classes when it is widely recognised that students do not achieve the same outcomes at the same time; and using form groups as a kind of pastoral care. He encourages principals to break with the past, as it is the 'excess baggage' of the old curriculum which often inhibits the achievements of the new.

"Big Brother" is watching

St Bedes Catholic College in Victoria is fortunate enough to have a full-time attendance officer at the school. Brother Brendan Crowe, a teacher of 27 years experience, implemented a computerised attendance register which is cross-referenced with parents' absentee notifications by 9.30 am each day. While intended as a deterrent, it allows the school to stop the habit of truancy in its tracks, and to recognise cries for help of which truancy is often a manifestation. Students are initially counselled by Brother Brendan, and those considered to be at risk are referred to the school counsellor.

Tribes: a process for whole school change

The principal of Point Lonsdale Primary School in Victoria, Fay Agterhuis, talks about her school's success with the Tribes initiative. After noticing a drop-off in boys' academic achievement and engagement at Year 3, the school started to address the situation with activities directed towards 'real world' outcomes such as their 'Making it real to make it work' program. Coincidence would have it that a teaching fellow from the United State was due to be hosted by the school. Noticing the similarities in what the school was trying to achieve and the Tribes initiative she was trained in, the teacher recommended it to the school. The Tribes initiative involves small group work which sees students assigned to a group for a year. The groups are of mixed abilities so that students are compelled to recognise individual attributes. This allows the five principles of the Tribes Agreement to come into play, which include attentive listening, appreciation, a right to pass (not to participate in some activities), mutual respect and personal best. Agterhuis has noticed the changes in both the communication skills and self-esteem of the boys, as well as an appropriation of the principles of Tribes in their vocabulary and attitudes.

Rural VET boosts school retention

The rural community of Goondiwindi in south-west Queensland had a convergence of problems: the retention rate at the local high school was falling, and local rural industries could not find enough high school graduates to employ. Goodiwindi High School and local business decided to co-ordinate to solve their problems simultaneously. The school introduced a VET in Schools program and created their 'Multiple Pathways' program, while local industry initiated the 'School Industry Links Outreach' program. Together, the two programs have increased the school retention rate from 47.1 per cent to 88.9 per cent over the last four years. The VET program has been firmly established in the school, with all Year 11 students having to do at least one VET subject. As a recipient of a Commonwealth grant (through ANTA), Goodiwindi High School will soon start the construction of its Goodiwindi Rural Technology Skills Centre.

They still call me 'teacher'

Dixon implores teachers to 'get competent' with computers so that they can unleash the true learning potential of this, not so new, technology. Recognising that it has taken 35 years for computers to enter the classroom, and lamenting the fact that the vast majority of students still do not have school-based access to computers, he points out that teachers' attitudes and fears about their roles should not be an added obstacle to creating an exciting learning environment with computers - 'the instrument of ideas'.

Education, inclusion and individual differences: Recognising and resolving dilemmas

Using the area of 'special education' as a case study for a wider theoretical statement, the author of this paper promotes a 'dilemmatic' approach to advancing education debates. He argues that, as can be seen in the conflict over the appropriate models and nomenclature in the area of special education, debates in education are often value laden and present options which, regardless of the paths taken, have negative outcomes. The social model of inclusion versus the individual needs model in special education is seen as representative of this kind of 'dilemmatic' situation. The way forward is to recognise the conflicting 'multiple values' (the ambiguity and contradictions) and to produce creative solutions which attempt to fulfill some values while not jeopardising the attainment of others. In the above example, this would be recognising that the values of social inclusion should not override the need for an accommodation and recognition of individual needs and difference.

Educational marketisation and the Head's psychological well-being: A speculative conceptualisation

With the increased pressure for schools to adopt a market approach to their work processes and resourcing has come many opportunities, but also stresses. This paper, primarily based on the recent British school reforms, surveyed the academic literature and data to weigh its hypotheses on the psychological wellbeing of school principals in the new era of 'marketisation of schools'. Its findings call for more quantitative research to be conducted on the subject but, more importantly, the paper gives a clear analytical breakdown of the kinds of factors which lead to job satisfaction and self-renewal, as well as those (in some cases the same factors) leading to stress and burnout.

Young Australian women: Circumstances and aspirations

This thoughtful and well-researched paper is a summary of an address given at the Australian Women Speak conference. Harris uses the core themes identified by the Commonwealth Government's Office for the Status of Women - economic self-support and security, optimal status and position, elimination of violence and maintenance of good health - as the organising principles for her description and explanation of the circumstances of young Australian women today. She notes that young Australian women are increasingly finding themselves in a paradoxical situation - on the one hand with more opportunities than their peers a generation before, yet facing increased social and economic pressures on the other. Many aspire to motherhood before thirty-five and economic independence. But, while increasing numbers of young women have found their way to tertiary education, they still do not do as well with their credentials as young males, and those who do not go on to further study are less likely to find themselves in full-time work.

Socioeconomic status and youth aggression in Australia

The study on which this paper is based drew on 443 students, their teachers and parents, from 22 Brisbane schools. Through a series of surveys, it found that there was an adverse correlation between socio-economic status and 'temperamental aggression' - a category of aggression which excludes bullying. The authors contended that aggression was more likely to be exhibited in students who had inflated perceptions of their academic competencies, and who thus demonstrated a lack of maturation, a developmental trait usually associated with adolescents from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds.

Making the difference, then and now

Connell takes a nostalgic, yet insightful, journey back to the time and issues which inspired Making the Difference (Connell et al, 1982), the ground-breaking publication on educational equity in Australia. A by-product of this journey is a thought provoking survey of the last 20 years of the politics of Australian education. Mindful of what he terms the 'neoliberal' or economic rationalist dominance of the education debate, he refocuses attention to issues of class and gender inequality which, he contends, far from being solved, have become entrenched in Australian education and educational outcomes.

Pedagogy, patriotism and democracy: On the educational meanings of September 11

Michael Apple reflects on the effects September 11 had on the his teaching personally, and on the implications for a critical pedagogy generally. He draws attention to what he sees as an 'authoritarian populism' which has emerged in the United States in the wake of September 11, and ponders the implications of this for a hidden curriculum of uncritical patriotism.

Targeting truancy

The South Australian Government, through Education Minister Trish White, launched its 'Attendance Improvement Package' in January 2003. The package is aimed at combating truancy by obliging schools to create 'Attendance Improvement Plans' to encourage students to maintain their school attendance. Some schools have already introduced innovative initiatives which have met with some success.

Literate futures - Inclusive education: the heart of the reform agenda

Professor Slee explains the aims of the Education Queensland reform agenda, as contained in Queensland State Education (2010), against the background of its over-arching aim - 'redesigning schooling'. Some of the measures include creating a curriculum that is both relevant and engaging, examining and promoting good pedagogy and fostering a culture of inclusivity in educational practices and school environments.

Opposition starts bidding on class sizes

With the New South Wales parliament due for election on 22 March, the issue of class sizes has been placed on the agenda by both the Opposition and the NSW Teachers Federation. Jennifer Leete examines the Liberal Opposition's policy on class sizes in the light of the findings of the House of Representatives Standing Committee Report Boys: Getting it Right and the findings of the Commissioner for Children and Young People (NSW) in the Inquiry into children and young people with no one to turn to

Australian students are world-class in maths and science

The Third International Mathematics and Science Study - Repeat, under the auspices of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, demonstrated that Australian Year 8 and 9 students' mathematics and science competencies were among the best internationally. The assessment, conducted in Australia by the Australian Council for Education Research (ACER), had Australian students performing above the average in both science and mathematics, with 19 per cent of Australian students making up the top 10 per cent in science, and 12 per cent in the top 10 per cent in mathematics.

Taking up the challenge: Safeguarding the shelves of school libraries

While based on American experience, this article is a useful reminder to Australian curriculum leaders of the need to have policies and procedures in place to deal with challenges to books held in school libraries. It points out that the absence of such policies and procedures may lead to 'knee-jerk reactions' which neither consider students' educational requirements or the appropriateness of the resource.

Teachers go bush in the NT

A number of teachers who have recently graduated in southern states are now teaching in remote Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory. Benefits include a rich and different cultural experience for themselves and their familes, the satisfaction of passing on knowledge and life experience, as well as the material benefits of 100% rent assistance and six months' paid study leave after four years. They face problems such as high rates of student absenteeism, separation from their families, and the isolation of the communities.

Learning to lead

Today's educational leader must add the roles of manager, marketer and entrepreneur to their more traditional duties, and they must be able to train others to lead. Their role is also likely to involve collaboration with other senior staff who specialise in one or more aspects of school leadership. Recruitment to school leadership positions can therefore be based on potential rather than achievements, with new leaders trained and helped by more experienced peers. A range of school leaders offer opinions.

Novice's perceptions of what would improve their science teaching

The authors report on the results of a random survey sent to 100 primary schools in New South Wales in 1998, designed to identify the most important factors that made novice teachers confident to teach science and technology. The factors that new teachers rated most highly included: units on how to teach science and technology in their tertiary training; teaching practice and observation sessions during block practicums at schools; and the experience of teaching science and technology in their first year out. The teachers rated their own prior education in science and technology content as a minor factor. Respondents indicated the need for more help from colleagues during first year of teaching. The results are seen to apply to novice secondary science teachers, too. Earlier research work is provided as context.

A school designed for teachers: What would it look like?

Schools are familiar architectural designs to many people, and, perhaps, they should not be. Even though educational practices and student learning needs have changed many times over in the last fifty years, many school buildings are still designed according to the standard model - two rows of classrooms separated by a corridor. This article points out that even though financial constraints are overriding considerations in school design, many educators are also unaware of the impact of building design on learning. It provides a few North American examples of how better building design has successfully transformed teacher and student learning, and urges educators to become more aware of their use of space and its impact on teaching.

Mathematics in Indigenous contexts K-6

Mathematics in Indigenous Contexts K-6 is a project which aims to develop culturally appropriate teaching units to assist Indigenous students to achieve numeracy outcomes in New South Wales. This article is a brief description of the work of two primary schools - Crawford Public School and Walhallow Public School - in involving the local community and parents in the development of the mathematics units. The Office of the Board of Studies has collated the units developed by the schools, and will host them on an interactive website to help other schools emulate the work of the Crawford and Walhallow Public Schools in their endeavours to improve the numeracy outcomes for Indigenous students.

Primary curriculum project update

The March edition of the Board Bulletin reported on a project being undertaken to identify issues and areas of support for primary teachers in delivering the K-6 syllabuses. The project had surveyed 40 primary schools and received 400 responses. These responses were categorised into five areas: use of existing syllabuses; comments on outcomes; comments on Key Learning Areas; comments on assessment; and other issues and recommendations. A second progress report appeared in the May 2003 edition of the Board Bulletin.

Country and western practices

This edition of AEU News contains a feature story on teaching and schools in two rural communities in western Victoria - Ararat and Stawell. Teachers and principals of both primary and secondary schools share their stories of life and teaching in rural communities including issues such as resourcing, professional development, fundraising, school issues and workplace concerns.

Dangerous liaisons

In New South Wales, nine new public schools are to be built and maintained by a private consortium in a public-private partnership similar to that in operation in Britain. Questioning the motivations of both the government and the private sector, Fiona Sexton suggests that this may be yet another step towards privatising education services and that public-private partnerships have not been as successful overseas as first imagined.

Gap grows in student outcomes

The longitudinal study, Achievement in Literacy and Numeracy by Australian Fourteen-year-olds, 1975-1998, managed by the Department of Education Science and Training and the Australian Council of Educational Research, has shown that the effect of socio-economic status on student learning over that period has become greater. While the gap between individual students has lessened, schools in which there is a high concentration of students whose parents occupy professional or managerial positions did better overall on comprehension and numeracy tests. The same study found that students from non-English speaking backgrounds had closed the gap in educational attainment measurements and that there was not a marked difference in educational achievement between metropolitan and non-metropolitan schools. The widening gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous achievement, however, was still evident.

Power your mind: Library and Information Week 2003

Information Literacy: Power your mind is the theme for Library and Information Week this year. Information literacy - the ability to recognise when information is needed and how to access, evaluate and apply it - is becoming more widely recognised in school curricula, higher education and adult learning.

Phonics needs more than lip-service

The current debate over literacy and reading has been oversimplified into a choice between the phonics and whole of language approaches. Both methods are necessary. However, while the whole of language approach is well established in schools, only token recognition is given to phonics. Phonics is more than the alphabet and letter sounds, it is 'a structured and sequential program that gives children a set of rules they can use to read almost every word they encounter'. Phonics helps to overcome the vocabulary deficit for disadvantaged children, by giving them ways to identify words.

Environmental Education - appropriate vehicle for teaching science?

Curriculum integration is often supported as a means to advance students' critical thinking, develop their 'big picture' insights into real world issues, and point out connections between different forms of knowledge. It is also said to encourage constructivist learning and to be seen as relevant by students. These claims have been challenged for lack of supportive evidence from large scale studies. However, a case study of a year-long Year 4 'Enviro' program at the primary school of Geelong College, Victoria, demonstrates that Environmental Education (EE) offers a valuable way to integrate science with other disciplinary content. Teachers stimulate students' independent learning about the environment. Projects within the program stimulate the development of deep knowledge in which mathematical and scientific learning is integrated - for example, a project to catch and breed endangered fish requires students to learn about what the fish need and to calculate the amount of water held in fish tanks. This integrated curriculum has real world relevance, and also allows for the needs of low and high ability learners. Core content for mathematics continues to be taught separately.

The role of mathematical fiction in the learning of mathematics in primary school

Janice Padula examines the way children's fiction can be used by enterprising mathematics teachers to create 'contextualised mathematical learning'. Through fiction, children are able to engage with the context of mathematical thinking, and see its relevance in very day situations. Mathematical language, symbols and concepts can be learned in fun and exciting ways through mathematical fiction. Padula estimates that there are at least ten different kinds of mathematical fiction, which can introduce students to arithmetic, relational terms, sequencing, logic and patterns, to name a few mathematical concepts. She discusses several works of mathematical fiction and their relevance to identified mathematical concepts in the article.

A focus on teaching strategies

This article explains the history and development of the TAFE NSW VET Pedagogy Project . One of the key aims of the project was to place pedagogy back on the Vocational Education and Training agenda. An important outcome of this initiative will be a body of research on pedagogical theories, which will be available online, so that teachers can access research pertaining to their area of teaching and the needs of their students.

The 'new globalisation' and what it means for the preparation of future citizens

The new globalisation 'seeks to attain by force what the older form sought through economic, political and cultural hegemony'. It takes two competing forms: 'religious fundamentalism' is clashing with the armed might of 'imperial fundamentalism', based around military interventions overseas by the world's strongest nation states. Citizenship education in schools, resting on outdated assumptions of social certainty and security, must be adapted to present world conditions. Current efforts to 'teach across borders', through peace, environmental or citizenship education, should inform students about other national traditions as well as their own, and apply concepts such as justice and tolerance to global contexts. Current efforts to 'teach beyond disciplines' recognise that subjects in the school curriculum rarely incorporate recent advances in disciplinary scholarship, and would not be endorsed by academic experts. These efforts can be extended so that the role of nations in a global society is taught through an issues-based curriculum model that draws on disciplines including History, Economics, Cultural Studies and Political Science. Efforts to 'teach for hope', that currently address problems such as youth disengagement, could be enriched by the concept of 'critical patriotism', emerging in Hong Kong and other parts of Asia. Citizenship education needs to teach not only about civic institutions such as parliament, but also civil involvement, shown for example in the ability of peace protestors to mobilise millions globally against the Iraq war. Students need to experience civil participation at school, eg through school councils, and to know that civil and civic issues are usually problematic and contested. Liberal democracy needs to be taught in the context of rival value systems, which include the two 'fundamentalisms'.

What do kids know - and misunderstand - about science?

Cynthia Crockett demonstrates how science teachers can use classroom discussions and tests to discover many of the misconsceptions and beliefs students have about science. She asserts that it is easy for students to conceal their misconceptions about science and scientific events in conventional assessment methods, which are testing for knowledge and process instead of depth of understanding. If students' misonceptions and misunderstanding are not revealed, these can begin to affect the structure of their knowledge and understanding. Uncovering these misconceptions can be done in classroom conversations, perhaps using the carousel method, and in tests which deliberately set out to see if students can differentiate between common misconceptions and meaningful, scientific understanding.

Teacher leadership - improvement through empowerment

Distributive leadership is based on usurping the single-leader model, so that leadership is more devolved within an organisation. In schools, this takes the form of teacher leadership, in which teachers take responsibility for performing leadership roles. In this review of the literature on teacher leadership, the authors define the concept, point to its many benefits - including better morale, improved retention rates and the establisment of a professional community - and suggest how it can be achieved in schools, along with identifying the many obstacles to its achievement.

Don't restrict young readers

Calls have been made to apply restrictive ratings to books pitched at teenagers, on the grounds that much of this literature contains references to gratuitous violence, rape, or sex, or to topics such as abortion. These calls are misguided. If the books they seek to read are censored teenagers would continue to have easy access to portrayals of extreme violence through computer games and the Internet. A more important issue is the need to encourage reading in general to improve literacy levels - a 2002 OECD study showed that 48% of Australian adults have reading problems. Many reading items once considered offensive or subversive, including comics, have come to be seen as promoting literacy.

Schools and values education

In the light of the Commonwealth Government's emphasis on values education, Paul Browning examines what schools are already doing to instill values in young people. He notes that values education is yet another social responsibility which has been passed onto schools, as the influence of other social institutions and networks is eroded. Browning also sees a trend with people who may no longer practise a religion, nevertheless wanting their children to be exposed to religious values, and choosing parochial schools for this purpose. Schools impart values through their curriculum, pedagogy, structures and their expectations of students. They also do this through committing to social services, and encouraging students to look beyond the school grounds in their community activities. Activities such as fundraising, community service and social justice projects are cited as examples. But, more important, is the relationship between schools and parents. For students to have a consistent approach to values education, a partnership with parents needs to be valued and employed.

Creating socially competent and ethical schools

Cox is concerned with creating in students the capacity for social literacy - to trust and to have a level of civic competency. This, she claims, puts the responsibility on schools for fostering social capital - the 'social glue', trust and cooperation, which is at the centre of relationships between members of a community. Schools, however, can only do this if they, themselves, are ethical organisations. Teaching students to value diversity and to trust relationships is meaningless in a culture where they are not valued, or where there is unfairness or inequity. To help schools create an ethical culture, this article contains a list of characteristics and values which ethical organisations exhibit.

Schools and community

The relationship of schools to the surrounding community has varied over time and place. In today's knowledge age the isolated, institutional model of schools is no longer seen as appropriate. LInks into the community are growing in the form of excursions and camps, and through work experience programs driven by the push toward constructivist learning. Community involvement within schools is also growing, with more participation in school governance and greater use of facilities by community groups. School facilities should be designed to encourage this trend. Good facilities will also build up the school as a learning community in itself. Physical place remains important in the online era, to provide venues for direct and enjoyable personal communication, which is especially important for children.

Making up lost time in literacy

Professor Wheldall reports on the success of the MULTILIT program for older low-progress readers. The program has its origins in the School for Children with Special Learning Needs at Macquarie University. The program has had remarkable success accelerating the reading and comprehension skills of children who are years behind their age cohort in their literacy attainment. In many cases, just two terms of instruction have accelerated literacy skills by 12 months or more. The Commonwealth Government has commissioned a report on the program. The link to the executive summary of the report can be found at MULTILIT® - Making Up Lost Time in Literacy.

International trends in curriculum frameworks

The International Review of Curriculum and Assessment (INCA) Frameworks project collects and reviews national and sub-national curriculum information in 18 countries including Australia and New Zealand. The countries experience common social and economic pressures, which produce international trends in curriculum. Common national goals include: targeting and supplying key skill needs in the national economy, including literacy, financial literacy, numeracy and interpersonal skills; promoting social engagement and civic responsibility; and encouraging creativity, both to advance national competitiveness and to equip students to cope with changing work roles throughout life. Common national strategies include: the extension of compulsory schooling years; extending the range of qualifications available; and compulsory civics education. The INCA information does not lend itself to creating international 'league tables', as comparability of countries is limited by the local context.

Teenage boys don't cry...

The lack of emotional intelligence in adolescent boys is affecting their academic outcomes in school. Adamson argues that while the boundaries of the 'feminine' have been extended and re-defined in recent times, many boys are suffering from the confusion of not knowing what it means to be masculine. This lack of role definition has led men, and boys in particular, to cling to the 'aggressive' tools to make up for emotional inadequacy. It is obvious, however, that increasingly young men do not have the emotional tools to deal with relationship breakdown, separation, death and failure. Adolescent boys still think it is 'tough' not to achieve academically. Adamson sees the solution in schools developing the framework - procedures, values, practices and policies - to foster the emotional intelligence of all students, so that emotional wellbeing and academic success can go hand-in-hand.

If you had your time again ...

This article contains the New Zealand findings of a joint research project conducted by the Queensland University of Technology and UNITEC Institute of Technology, New Zealand. The project, Role and Workload of Secondary Principals in New Zealand and Queensland was conducted in 2001 and involved principals in surveys, focus group work and interviews. Many New Zealand principals, who have been working under the Tomorrow's Schools reforms for over a decade, expressed a high level of job satisfaction, but also concerns about role complexity and ambiguity. In particular, principals found that they spent an increasing amount of time on administration and student-related issues, instead of on issues to do with educational and professional leadership. They also recognised that the former were expectations of the school community, while the latter were expectations from the systems. Juggling these divergent expectations placed increased demands on principals and threatened their efficacy. The project found that bringing principals' daily reality into alignment with job expectations was crucial to increasing effectiveness and role-sustainability.

McPizza ... the shape of things to come?

Geoff Gillman is a Year 6 and 7 teacher at Parap Primary School in the Northern Territory. In this article, Gillman explains his experiences with the new Northern Territory Curriculum Framework (NTCF), introduced for T-10 learners in the Northern Territory in 2002. Gillman is particularly concerned with the Mathematics and Essential Learnings outcomes segment of the NTCF, and explains, in some detail, the planning, outcomes, learning activities and assessment tasks he used with his classes when employing the new curriculum framework.

Making high schools better

The debate about how to improve high schools in the United States has led to the examination of school systems in Singapore and Denmark. The former's high expectations of students, and its strategy of teaming the best teachers with the weakest students, have attracted particular interest. So too has Denmark's upper secondary education system, which prepares students for either a vocational career or for tertiary education. This article asserts, however, that one other method of improving schools is to find out what students think, and to respond to their needs to feel wanted and connected to their learning. Schools have failed to provide a 'vision' for students, and they have not given students 'the sense that they can make their life what they want - if they pursue their dreams and interests...' Changing the relationships between teachers and students, and between schools and groups of students, are just some of the points of departure in beginning the reform process in the United States. This can only happen if school systems are aware of students' attitudes and ideas on how to make school meaningful for them.

Schools will change

Loader suggests that new technologies will profoundly change schools, in ways that will make them unrecognisable to today's teachers and students. Schools, which for so long have been structured by the old technologies - the "primacy of the text", the chalkboard and classrooms - will be transformed from the rigidity of the timetable and subject disciplines into new, dynamic learning spaces, where "simulation, collaboration, creation and communication" are the prevailing precepts. The driving force will be the new pedagogies and curricula built around the new technologies, which will change the nature of schools, classes and teaching. Loader foresees a future in which class spaces are radically altered to allow for flexibility and collaboration, and where age cohorts will no longer be the rule. Because of technology, the range of the curriculum will be wider than ever before, as schools will not have to house the information or expertise on-site to make a program of learning available to students. School communities and governance will also change, as students, parents and local communities become more connected and involved in education.

Making a great public school

The teachers of a socially disadvantaged New Jersey public school in the United States are transforming their school through a five-year "Academic Project". The project, which all agree is already showing results, involves encouraging parents to play an active part in their children's education; class sizes of 15, which allows for more teacher -to -student time, as well as more specialised class projects; and the support of staff from a support team, with specialised skills in educational research and professional development. Because of the project and the smaller number of students per teacher, teachers know the abilities of their students and are able to target their weaknesses with the help of "floating" remedial teachers and involved parents.

Who we are, why we teach: a portrait of the American teacher

This article is based on the findings of the National Education Association's survey, " Status of the American Public School Teacher 2000-2001". The survey found that teachers were working longer hours than ever before, with many working 50-60 hour weeks. The average number of students they saw each day was 86, and 27 per cent of teachers had 25 or more students in their classes. Even though many teachers are now highly qualified, with 50 per cent holding a Masters degree, the profession is significantly underpaid when compared to workers in other occupations. Yet despite the many drawbacks to their work, 60 per cent of teachers would choose the profession again if they had their time over. Many see their work as the most important and rewarding occupation in society, and memories of changing students' lives, and ways of learning and thinking, motivate them to continue in the profession.

Displacing method (s)? Historical perspective in the teaching of reading

Partisan support for particular methods in teaching literacy has been increased by the current climate of reliance on measurable outcomes for literacy learning, and by the educational publishing industry that has 'fed off' the anxieties of teachers and parents. However, an historical review of debates on how to teach reading supports the case for using a variety of approaches to teaching literacy. The article centres on a study of the Australian-based 'Jones method', which was used for teaching reading skills in the 1920s. Good pedagogy may involve 'teaching from across a broad range of sometimes contradictory "Methods"', depending on the needs of particular children or classes. Teacher educators should make a range of competing approaches available to their student teachers, and stress the importance of teachers' professional judgement.

It's about learning and teaching

Education researchers should work to resist 'abysmally simplistic assumptions about learning and teaching, which are embedded in the dogmas of quantified "outcomes"' determined by education authorities. It is misleading and counter-productive to assume that investment in schooling produces a direct return, measurable through the results of standardised tests of students, or through school inspection reports. While teachers are now expected to have advanced skills, they are held back by crude assessment practices that reflect distrust of teachers. Teacher education should do more to encourage critical inquiry. Classroom interaction needs to become the focus of syllabus design. Good teaching is embedded in dialogue with learners. Teachers need to be able to detect 'the teachable moment', be alert to what is exciting the student's curiosity, listen in order to respond and create a conversation, and be able to spot errors and correct them when necessary. To inject critical pedagogy into mainstream schools will require teachers and administrators that are 'armed with sound pedagogical theory'. Establishing criteria for good teaching could be assisted through collaboration with specialists in educational philosophy and historians of education.

Teacher policies in OECD countries

This article makes the point that what has started as a teacher shortage problem in OECD countries has, increasingly, become a teaching quality problem, as schools and jurisdictions attempt to fill gaps by relaxing qualification requirements and increasing workloads and class sizes. A current OECD study, involving 25 countries, is examining recruitment, development and retention of teachers. While the results of this effort will be available towards the end of 2004, the preliminary finding, which were presented in June 2003, shed some light on the issues. Some of the findings include: a decline of the profession's status and remuneration levels vis-a-vis other occupations; lack of variety in the profession; challenges for professional development necessitated by the knowledge economy; and teachers leaving the profession in stronger economies. Among some of the positive findings are: relative job security; female teachers appreciation of a career that complements family responsibilities; and policies which are increasingly attracting older, beginning teachers from other professions.

Young, gifted and talented in New Zealand

From next year, New Zealand schools will be required to cater specifically for gifted and talented (GAT) students. A recently published report from the Institute for Professional Development and Education Research describes results of a survey of schools" policies toward GAT students. The researchers found that 60% of schools that had returned surveys had formally identified GAT students in the past year; 61% of schools used a combination of enrichment and acceleration teaching strategies, 36% used enrichment only, and 3% preferred acceleration only. A lack of professional development, access to resources and support, funding, time, and cultural misunderstandings were seen as impediments to providing for GAT students. National or international research offers little indication of how GAT policies affect student outcomes, but does suggests ways to identify and help these students. Schools can assist GAT students further by attending to their social and emotional needs, offering each GAT student more individualised education, and addressing the specific needs of GAT students from under-represented groups, especially Maori and other ethnic minorities.

Putting management under the microscope

Given the pivotal leadership role that senior management teams (SMT) perform in schools, it's important that the micro-politics within the team be an important consideration for school principals and for those who comprise the teams. The authors define micro-politics as the strategies employed by individuals in organisational contexts to further their objectives. Managing this kind of political behaviour within management teams is crucial to overall school leadership and for bringing about change. This article highlights five areas which can impinge on the effective and collaborative behaviour of management teams. There are as follows: clear definition of roles and objectives; the overall competency and credibility (with other staff) of the management team; shared culture and work processes; relationship and communication with other staff; and learning opportunities for SMT members.

Dealing with emotional hurt

This article, written by professionals at Sydney's Westmead Hospital, urges teachers to create an environment in which students feel able to talk about hurtful experiences, and to give expression to emotional pain. Emotional hurt leads to a diminished self-image, a lack of self-esteem and reduced confidence. By sharing their own experiences of hurt, teachers can help their students to do the same, but they should always respect a confidence, and be aware that students may want to express their hurt in other ways, either through writing, dancing or symbolic gesture. In all circumstances, however, students will need validation, empathy, time to feel, time to talk and opportunity to learn from their experience.

It's time (again) for leadership

Helen Wildy suggests that schools and school systems invest in continuous leadership training for staff and prospective school principals, in order to remedy the current dearth of applicants for school leadership positions and to better prepare leaders for their positions. She cites workloads, long hours, the threat of legal action and lack of administrative support as just some of the issues which are impacting adversely on school leaders. She suggests that training be well resourced, focused and long-term, and avoid the temptation of falling for the 'latest trendy gimmick'.

Conduct unbecoming

Noting the prominence given to the issue of school violence and its reporting, Grace looks at the findings of two studies which sought to classify and explain the antisocial behaviour in school students. The first is a longitudinal study conducted by the Victorian Government. Entitled Patterns and Precursors of Adolescent Antisocial Behaviour, this study classified children's antisocial behaviour into three categories: low; experimental; and persistent. The latter was considered the most difficult kind of behaviour to manage, and would be exhibited throughout a student's schooling. Work being undertaken by Professor Mark Dadds, at the University of New South Wales, has gone beyond identification and, in fact, examined the predictors of anti-social behaviour. Dadds considers family background and experiences as important influences on behaviour. Optimistically, both studies conclude that early intervention programs can remedy and ameliorate antisocial behaviour before adolescence. The Victorian report is available from the Australian Institute of Family Studies website.

Support staff missing out on entitlements

The New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) has found that many teaching support staff, especially in secondary schools, are not receiving all their entitlements. It is estimated that support staff across New Zealand are being underpaid by a total of 6 million dollars (NZ$). In many instances staff are being inadvertently underpaid, due to the funding and payment models currently in place. While schools are automatically alerted when a teacher's incremental increase is due, the onus is on schools to alert the payroll unit when support staff have completed a qualification entitling them to an increase. Furthermore, NZEI claims that another obstacle is that support staff salaries are an allocation from schools' operations grants, a funding process which undermines their ability to receive the correct entitlement.

Collaboration 'lite' puts student achievement on a starvation diet

DuFour observes that collaboration has become the 'buzz-word' of education, but questions whether it is given the correct meaning in its application in schools. He suggests, anecdotally, that many school leaders point to a congenial atmosphere in the staff-room, a well run school science fare, or a process that produces new school guidelines as evidence of collaborative behaviour, and, therefore, by implication, professional collaboration. Dufour insists, however, that collaboration needs to be more than this. It has to be embedded in school culture and be defined in the following way: 'the systematic process in which we work together to analyze and impact professional practice in order to improve our individual and collective results'. For this definition to take effect, teachers need to be organised into teams to consider what and how well students learn; to evaluate and debate their own professional practice; and to measure the results of their practice by student learning outcomes. On the latter, Dufour notes that for too long the outcome of professional development has been focused on teacher accomplishment - teachers producing a unit of work, a program etc. The focus, he asserts, has to be on student outcomes, measurable results which reflect higher-order learning.

Expanding expectations for students through accelerated schools

The authors of this article describe the Accelerated Schools Project, which has existed in the United Sates since 1986. The project has as its basis the belief that socially disadvantaged students will achieve better learning outcomes through teaching and learning methods traditionally associated with gifted programs, than through remedial learning. Expecting more of social disadvantaged or at-risk students, teaching critical thinking strategies and engaging students so that they understand what and why they are learning creates deeper learning and better outcomes. The Accelerated Schools Project is, however, a whole-of-school approach. The whole school community, including teachers, students and parents, have to be engaged for the outcomes to be achieved. Schools are supported through a satellite centre, which provides professional development to affiliated schools, and schools are encourage to build capacity through decentralized school management, creating a moral purpose to teachers' work and embarking on a path of continuous teacher professional development. The latter see teachers identify the problems, research and formulate solutions, and teach what they have learned to other staff.

Facilitator: 10 Refreshments: 8 Evaluation: 0

Evaluating professional development cannot be done meaningfully through ascertaining participants' attitudes to workshops or seminars with the use of a survey or questionnaire. Meaningful professional development has student learning and achievement as its goal, and it can only be measured in relation to that outcome. Mizell argues that any meaningful attempt at measuring the effectiveness of professional development should: evaluate the delivery; evaluate what educators learned; evaluate how that learning is applied; and evaluate the benefit of that professional development on student learning. In order to measure the these variables, there needs to be an acknowledgement that this measurement can only happen over time. Teachers need time to assimilate their new learning and apply it, and students need time to show the benefits. This will require a timeline of milestones which should be devised after the professional development has taken place. Educators, in collaboration with supervisors, should define the outcomes and when they will be achieved. This process, of itself, helps teachers to evaluate what they have learned, think about how they ought to apply it and anticipate the possible benefits for students.

Gender or quality?

Redressing the gender imbalance in the teaching profession should not be done at the expense of quality teachers and teaching. This article, largely based on an interview with Professor Frank Crowther, Dean of the Faculty of Education, University of Southern Queensland, argues that a pre-occupation with recruiting more male teachers could see teaching standards threatened, as the criteria for quality teaching are relaxed in order to rush more men into the profession. Crowther suggests that school systems should concern themselves with the educational outcomes of students, and that this is reliant on talented and skilled practitioners, regardless of gender. While he admits that more could be done to promote teaching amongst men and that the profession suffers a diminished status in the community, Crowther, nevertheless, asserts that the men who are in the profession are 'highly visible', and that many schools now have programs to involve adult males as role models for male students.

The gender agenda

While women make up almost 70 per cent of the teaching profession, school leadership positions are still overwhelmingly held by men. The absence of men in the profession is increasingly concerning those who see the lack of male role models as adversely affecting boys' learning, but little is being done to help women in the profession advance their careers. Female educators are not applying for leadership positions because of the very masculine model of leadership currently in vogue. A perception that school leaders work long hours, have little or no relationship with students and teaching, and that their work is largely administrative has made female teachers hesitant to seek promotion. While other States have started to examine the issue, the Queensland Teachers' Union is working with the Queensland Education Department to make gender-sensitive changes to workplace policies, and to institute work-shadow and mentoring programs for prospective female school leaders.

When the levies break

The Australian Education Union's Poverty Forum heard that there is a growing problem of marginalisation of socially disadvantaged students in government schools. Many socially disadvantaged families are falling foul of the user-pay culture, and, along with other humiliations, students from these families are excluded from discretionary subjects for which schools are allowed to levy fees. Their level of disadvantage often means that these families are silent victims, unable to organise to get their case heard. Those at the forum suggested that schools build better relationships with their communities so that schools are better informed of the levels of disadvantage and of the effects their policies are having; that schools take holistic approaches to educational outcomes and social disadvantage, which includes transforming school culture and not just the implementation of the odd alleviation program such school breakfast programs; and that the Commonwealth government revisit its funding model which rewards schools who are already doing well, without tasking into account social disadvantage.

Boredom and its opposite

The authors of this article assert that boredom in students is primarily caused by the curriculum. To overcome the problem of boredom and to encourage its opposite - 'an abiding interest in the content that students need to learn' - the curriculum needs to be centred around the drive toward mastery, the drive to understand, the drive toward self expression and the need to create. The article demonstrates how these human interests can be embedded in curriculum, and advises teachers to match the students learning and personality profiles to the different human interests. That is, not all students will be motivated by, for example, self-expression, so teachers will have to employ a combination of approaches with their classes.

The key to classroom management

Teachers' actions in the classroom have more effect on students' learning outcomes than any other factor. This fact places a significant amount of importance on teachers' abilities to manage classrooms and student behaviour. Research demonstrates that teachers, who value their relationships with students, have better classroom management outcomes. Citing the available research in classroom management, this article isolate three strategies for building better teacher-student relationships and managing classroom behaviour. The are as follows: exhibiting appropriate levels of dominance; exhibiting appropriate levels of cooperation; and having an awareness of high-needs students. Each of these strategies is in turn underpinned by a series of ways in which to achieve the desired outcomes. For example, appropriate levels of dominance includes establishing clear learning goals, being assertive and establishing consequences for behaviour. Co-operation, on the other hand, includes having students participate in setting learning goals, taking a personal interest in students and ensuring that individual students are aware that their participation is valued in class.

Burning to learn

Martin looks at the notion of student engagement, and argues that it is brought about by two interrelated factors: motivation and academic resilience. The former is the drive and enthusiasm that students demonstrate in their schoolwork, while the later is their ability to persevere and to recover after a poor academic performance. These to factors, or even virtues, can be nurtured by teachers who value their relationships with students. Martin argues that the research shows that students are much better predisposed, academically, where they believe that their teachers care about them. This leads him to the notion of pastoral pedagogy, a pedagogy in which skills and competencies are valued, but are not the only factors in the curriculum. In this kind of pedagogy, they are complemented by an enhanced teacher-student relationship in which there is, amongst other things, a sense of community amongst students; a supportive school structure; a reduced emphasis on teacher-as-authority; a home-school link; respect, optimism and affirmation; and a reduction of 'achievement stress'.

Is the female silverback invisible in our schools?

While women are a majority in the teaching profession, they are not proportionately represented in leadership positions. This article considers some of the reasons why women do not apply for leadership positions beyond middle management, and lists many of the qualities that they can bring to leadership roles which, in the end, will transform those positions. Costello implores those women who have 'made it' to educational leadership roles to mentor others, as their knowledge, practical advice and networks will make a difference to aspirant female leaders.

Who's really in the dark?

School league tables have provide a new layer of accountability for educators and schools, but they have also been accused of breeding division and helping to exacerbate differences in achievement between school communities. The author of this article argues that, while the media may care to reduce thirteen years of an individual's schooling to a grade or decimal point, schools and educators know that schooling is not reducible to an examination result. Codrington reminds us that many students and schools labour under tremendous personal and social disadvantage, and while their efforts will not be apparent on a league table, they are no less heroic or worthy of merit. Further, education and schooling is also about dispositions, attitudes, values and individual enlightenment, aspects of student growth that will not necessarily be depicted in a simple, single grade.

Students in need of chronic attention

Students who suffer from a chronic illness - an illness which sees them miss up to a month at a time of school - need special support to cope with the isolation, dislocation and re-integration on their return to school. Teachers are pivotal to students' educational continuity, and this article provides advice to teachers on how they can assist chronically ill students to participate educationally and keep in contact with peers. Teachers should make contact with the family and visit the student during hospital stays to get to know their needs, bearing in mind that these students often worry about falling behind and are concerned about catching-up with their work. Teachers should also become familiar with the symptoms of the illness, so that they can educate their classes about it, as well as cope with any emergencies on the student's return to school.

Behaviour leadership during assemblies

Whole-school assemblies often provide opportunities for students to be uncooperative and disruptive. Drawing on his own experiences and on behavioural management practice, Bill Rogers provides teachers and school leaders with advice on how to manage large groups of students, and how to deal with students who are disruptive at whole-school assemblies. Noting that public chastisement by the head teacher with the megaphone just serves to embarrass everyone present, Rogers advises teachers to be 'relaxedly' vigilant with their groups and to position themselves strategically, so that they can deal with inappropriate behaviour immediately and with as little disruption as possible. In many cases a look or a non-verbal cue would suffice. For students who persistently misbehave, a 'time-out' with immediate follow-up, one-to-one instruction on how to behave in large groups is advised. Rogers also recommends that schools should have a set of rules for assembly times which provide a set of expected behaviours and etiquette.

Linking peer support programs and values education

The New South Wales Peer Support Foundation has been developing 'peer-led' values education programs for primary schools since 1997. In this article, Sharlene Chadwick looks at the kinds of values that students should have, and the benefits that a set of values can bring to an individual's sense of self, as well as to their relationships with others. She describes the range of activities, including games, that schools and educators can use to have students reflect on their values and those of others, and lists the many benefits that teachers will observe in their classes and individual students as a result of a values education program. Among the benefits are better concentration, less behavioural management, increase self awareness amongst students and a positive school culture. Chadwick cautions, however, that values cannot be taught in isolation. A good values program will need to be supported by school policies, procedures and practices which reflect the values being taught to students.

Values Education

The rapidity with which modern societies are changing has engendered a need for a re-acquaintance with basic values, which both make up an individual's character and underpin society. Increasingly, the burden to inculcate young people with a set of values, such as respect, tolerance, honesty and tolerance, has fallen on schools and educators. This article examines how schools can evaluate whether their values education programs are effective, and contains teaching strategies for the imparting of values to students.

What's national in the national curriculum

Maurice Wenn is the Secretary of the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA). In this article, he outlines the constituent parts of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) - ie the Premiers and Chief Ministers of the Australian States and Territories and the Prime Minister - and explains how the work of MCEETYA, as one of the Ministerial Councils which sits under COAG, is conducted. He also lists the many initiatives MCEETYA has undertaken, and explains the federal dynamic which underlies the work of the Council.

Talking about picture books

This article is based on a study which assessed the literacy patterns of pre-school children from different family backgrounds. Based on the premise that children's early learning occurs in the home environment, the study assessed the quality of the interactions between two cohorts of early learners and their mothers. The learners where distinguished by their mothers' educational attainment, that is early-school-leaving mothers and tertiary educated mothers. The study found that the quality of the interaction between tertiary educated mothers and their children was significantly better than that between early-school-leaving mothers and their children. According to this article, this finding has important implications for pre-schools and day care centres, as literacy programs which can ameliorate the adverse effects of literacy development in the home will need to be developed.

Man hunt begins to get desperate

The New Zealand National Boys' Schools Association has been established to address the issue of boys' under-achievement in school. Working from the premise that boys' under-achievement is directly related to the lack of male teachers, particularly at primary level, the Association has called for specific teacher-training scholarships for men. Male Year 11 students were ten percentage points behind the proportion of female students successfully completing the National Certificate of Education in 2002. The proportion of male primary teachers in New Zealand is 18 per cent. Some of the factors deterring men from teaching are wage rates, the perceived low status of the profession and the risk of child abuse accusations.

Different starting points: initial efforts to understand student abilities, interests essential

Teachers are encourage to become acquainted with their students' academic skills, content knowledge, learning strengths and weaknesses, and personal interests early in the school year, so that they can better tailor personal learning programs to each student's needs. This article surveys veteran teachers in the United States on how they gauge students' abilities before constructing differentiated learning programs. The methods described in the article were designed to assess students' literacy and mathematical ability and include creative writing tasks, assessing students' summer reading diaries, setting mathematics problems, using assessment rubrics and tape recording students reading. Some teachers also took the time to make visits to students' homes in order to gauge their personal interests, as well as asking them about their plans for their future careers. These insights were then used to motivate students during the school year.

Text blocking aid fights bullies in UK

A new service may be able to stop the bullying of children and teenagers by SMS and email. Research by British children's charity NCH found that 16% of 11 to 19 year-olds have received threatening and/or unwanted text messages. To combat this problem, Sicap has developed a new service, the Intelligent SMS Centre (iSMSC) that works in a similar way to anti-spam e-mail software. The mobile number of the unwanted sender is logged with the child's mobile operator, allowing future messages to be stopped before reaching the child's phone. Sicap says the product can block SMS messages from anonymous websites as well as from mobile networks.

Sydney school that drove out punchbag image

Sydney's Punchbowl Boys High School has long suffered a reputation for gang violence and intruders. A former principal recently won a compensation case for his stressful time at the school. Since the current principal's appointment in 2000 the school has turned the situation around, thanks to an injection of government funds, increased security measures, the appointment of Arabic and Pacific Islander liaison officers and an additional deputy principal. The school has also reinstated district-wide sports involvement, debating, art and music classes, and parents have been more involved with their children's learning. Gang related violence has ceased, and the number of expulsions have dropped sharply.

Self-esteem and school marketing

Self-esteem and emotional intelligence (EQ) are the new buzz words in educational marketing material, but can schools really play such important roles in their development in students? While acknowledging schools can do much to damage self-esteem in students, the authors of this article question the claims that schools can develop something which is, after all, an artifact of the discipline of psychology as opposed to an empirical fact. Furthermore, given the many factors beyond the school that influence a student's emotional wellbeing, schools cannot legitimately take on this responsibility. Even with the increasing need for schools to differentiate themselves from each other and to adopt the dispositions of the corporate sector, school leaders should bear in mind the complexities of pedagogy and not ascribe outcomes to it that are unlikely to be produced.

'Rules of engagement' with the media: a code to guide your public commentary on school matters

School leaders and senior staff are increasingly called upon to make public comment on education issues. Recognising this trend, Beare urges school leaders not to retreat from this role, but instead to develop a code of conduct to guide their actions when dealing with the media. In Beare's own set of guidelines he includes instructions to be constructive and empathetic; to inform and not inflame debate; to be professional; to refrain from commenting on matters that fall beyond one's expertise; to always support claims with documented evidence; and to avoid making political comment.

Understanding the power of the principal

Bonnet identifies the two dimensions of power - coercive and moral - at the command of principals, and outlines the strategies in which these kinds of power are likely to be used. He asserts that principals cannot ignore their recourse to power, regardless of whether or not they may hesitate to use it. Coercive power is the overt use of power, the kind that rewards compliance and punishes non-compliance. Moral power is the ability to persuade and to lead by example, with compliance in this model depending on an individual's respect for the office or the individual. Bonnet notes that there are only three main ways in which principals go about their work, namely hierarchical strategies, transformational strategies and facilitative strategies. Given that no principle can get by with just using one strategy, and that all three depend on a different combination of both moral and coercive power, he assures the reader that principals will need to rely on both kinds of power to continue to do their work effectively.

Comparing geometry curricula: insights for policy and practice

This article is a summary of a report conducted by the authors in which the geometry curriculum in England was compared to the geometry curricula of 8 other countries. As such, it contains a description and analysis of geometry in the school curricula of Japan, the Netherlands, Canada, Germany, Poland, Singapore, Switzerland (Lucerne) and France. Aspects of the curriculum which concerned the researchers included student differentiation (whether students were selected depending on achievement); the proportion of time devoted to mathematics; the geometry content specification in each country; and new trends in the curriculum of each country. Some of the findings of the study, many of which are published in this article, were that differentiation and 'high stakes testing' affected curriculum content, retention and performance of students; that while each country had a core geometry curriculum element, pedagogy and the ages at which ideas were introduced varied widely; that most countries included both two dimensional and three dimensional work; and that the role of ICT varied, with some countries specifying the software to be used, while computer use was not addressed in the curricula of others.

Open all hours

240 British schools are involved in a trial to extend their facilities and services to their local communities. Schools are making available meeting rooms, vehicles, printing facilities and even offering guidance with email use to members and groups in their local communities. Even more than this, there are plans to integrate health care, social support, childcare and adult learning on school campuses. Teachers are encouraged to participate in the extension programmes, and are given time-off in compensation. While school administrators hasten to point out the benefits of this engagement with the community, some teacher unions fear the loss of the 'pedagogic function' of the school, and point out that teachers should not be expected to take on the work of other professionals.

Learning the hard way

This article is a report of an address delivered by Dean Fink, a Canadian educational development consultant, to the New Zealand Educational Institute. Fink urged his audience to critically assess the current educational orthodoxy of centralised curriculum development and devolved school management. He claimed that these occurrences combined to take school leaders away from that which they were trained to do, and place them in charge of 'fixing roofs and managing budgets'. With regards to the emphasis on literacy and numeracy, he argued that it was narrowing the curriculum as it left little space for the arts or physical education, because students were forced to do even more of what they were not good at. On advice on how to resist unwanted change, Fink suggested that teacher unions educate the community on what reforms would be good for education, and on those things that would harm it. This model was successfully implemented in Alberta, Canada, where parents took up the fight to resist ill-considered reforms.

Testing questions for teachers and principals

This article is a compilation of three individual contributions by the authors - all of them school principals - on how to inspire enthusiasm in students and classes after term break. Watty urges teachers to allow time for students to renew friendships and acquaintances, to encourage them to share their experiences of their holidays and to make these the focus of reading and writing components. Aware that routines have gone astray, Nichols advises teachers to allow students to have fresh fruit and plenty of water during class times, and to have something 'challenging, exciting or cryptic' in store for them in the classroom. She also suggests that teachers start the term afresh, without 'hang over' activities from the previous term. Biggs recommends an approach which many of his exemplary staff have used to motivate student learning across the whole school year. The approach encourages teachers to set clear purposes for lessons, to have students actively reflect on their work and to use authentic learning as much as possible.

You'ss be OK!: Induction experiences and reflections of NSW beginning teachers in Physical Education

Teacher induction is critical if teacher retention rates, especially in the first few years of teaching, are to be improved. Mindful of the high attrition rates among new teachers, the authors of this paper examined the induction processes experienced by a sample group of New South Wales Physical Education teachers. The investigation was conducted by surveying and interviewing participants. The results of the study showed that while many found the formal induction process beneficial, some felt that the mentoring aspect of their induction could have been better. With regard to the latter, many respondents felt they benefited more from informal mentoring, and that the relationship with official mentors was neither structured nor effective enough. The paper recommended that beginning teachers take advantage of formal induction procedures, that pre-service programs make students aware of the supports and professional development in the workplace, and that mentors be given training, time and support in developing new teachers.

Defining what is a teacher

Smith advocates for the establishment of an Institute of Teachers in New South Wales, as he sees it as a better way of setting and policing teacher standards, rewarding merit and removing any capricious action by employers. The many benefits he cites include setting minimum qualifications; having input into teacher training; binding government funded schools to conform to protocols to employ only those who meet minimum standards; 'on the job' assessment of those who express a willingness for promotion, with the assessment lasting for three years or until the position is obtained; and, by its (the institute's) adherence to standards, forcing schools outside of the government sector to conform to minimum standards.

Playing to get smart

Jones describes the importance of involving play in learning in early childhood education. She asserts that in rapidly changing societies, children need attributes such as an ability to think creatively, to innovate, to negotiate and to take risks - attributes to which scenarios created in play lend themselves. The 'closed' method of rote and instruction, in which only the pre-determined or right answer is appropriate, encourage conservatism and staid ways of thinking and acting. The world of play, on the other hand, when helped along by teachers who have learned how to play and make teaching interventions through games, is a world filled with ambiguity, and encourages children to play with 'people, ideas, relationships' and to tolerate the 'unexpected'. Jones lists and explains some of the ways in which teachers can encourage play. Among other things, they need to teach the skills of play, provide culturally relevant materials, make imaginative interventions and integrate play with writing tools. With regards to the latter, she reminds us that children like to pretend to be 'readers and writers as well as shoppers and drivers'.

Parent and whanau involvement in early childhood education

This article reports on a study in New Zealand which is examining ways to strengthen the link between childcare centres and children's parents and whanau (extended family, community). Its premise is that enhancing the relationship will lead to better educational outcomes for the children. The processes of three centres were examined to identify which methods work to enhance parental involvement, and which constrained or mitigated against it. Methods of parental involvement included: working with fathers; using video to show and discuss children's learning; encouraging parents to contribute to children's portfolios; and working with parents for whom English was a second language. It is expected that the results of this research, and that of a parallel project being conducted by Melbourne University, will be released later in 2003.

The mental health of teenagers: schools can play a role

The incidence of a mental health disorders among adolescents was estimated at 20 per cent by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 1998, with depression the most prevalent kind of disorder. The authors of this article outline some of the pressures on adolescent students, as well as the possible causes of depression. They argue that while schools are not the predominant social institution in an adolescent's life, they can, by fostering nurturing environments, lessen the effects of negative experiences. Programs such as MindMatters and Resourceful Adolescent Program are just two school-based mental health programs which educators could adopt to play a role in the mental well-being of their students.

The role and workload of deputy principals in secondary schools

This article is a summary of the findings of a study conducted by the Queensland Secondary Principals' Association and the Queensland University of Technology into the workload of deputy principals in secondary schools in Queensland. Among other things, the study focused on the level of job satisfaction, career intentions, roles and responsibilities, key competencies and professional development. Some of the findings of the study were that deputy principals worked 50-60 hours a week, and that while most were satisfied with their role, only 40 per cent would seek promotion to the principalship. Job satisfaction was usually closely correlated to time spent on educational leadership as opposed to staff and student issues, to a perception of skills-to-role correspondence and to the length of time spent in the position. In regards to the latter, the more time spent in the role produced less job satisfaction.

Principal wellness: the SA experience

Dowdy's article looks at some of the initiatives devised by the South Australian Department for Education and Children Services (DECS) to support principals in that State. Initiatives ranged from corporate gym membership and issue-specific seminars, to formalised structural support offered by the superintendents of South Australia's school districts. Dowdy commends the South Australian Secondary Principals Association for its role in framing DECS's policies in this area, and asserts that for principal wellness to be effectively addressed there needs to be a 'systemic response' to the changed role of principals, a role which traditional support strategies can no longer facilitate.

School leadership and the QTU

Tom Hardy, President of the Queensland Association of State School Principals, praises the collaborative relationship between the Queensland Teachers' Union and the Principals Association, but asks that more be done in encouraging teachers to take up school leadership roles. While he recognises that the principalship is seen by some as a poisoned chalice, with the all too frequent stories of undervalued and underpaid principals, surrounded by 'administrivia' and burdensome responsibilities, he nevertheless encourages teachers and the Union to move beyond this negative and misleading perception, and to see the job as an opportunity for a 'unique form of leadership which is fundamental to the growth of social capital'.

Workload issues for VET teachers in Schools

This article claims that VET teachers in New South Wales are unable to cope with their current workload, and urges the Department of Education and Training (NSW) to consider this situation when determing funding for VET in Schools. Many of the demands on VET teachers' time are outlined in the article and include having to assesss too may competencies; organising work placements; teachers maintaining their own industry standard competencies; the timetabling of courses to fit the overall school timetable; and an onerous accountability process.

Promoting teachers' health and wellbeing

This article acknowledges that teachers' wellbeing is crucial to teacher retention rates, morale, recruitment into the profession and absentee rates. It recommends that holistic responses (whole-school approaches) to teacher wellbeing be used to avoid sporadic and knee-jerk solutions to the not insignificant problems of workload, stress and low morale. At the heart of these approaches are supportive relationships; a high degree of participation; teacher autonomy; and clarity about boundaries and expectations.

The three 'Rs' of behaviour consequences

In this short article, Rogers offers teachers and others a three-staged process in using punitive action to make long-term changes in behaviour. The article is reminding teachers to be thoughtful about the consequences that are set in motion when they punish students for misbehaviour. Rogers advises that teachers should ensure that the punishment fits the misdemeanour ('relatedness'), and that it should not be a reflexive detention. It should help students come to terms with their behaviour and allow for constructive reparation. Second, the punitive measure should demonstrate 'reasonableness', reflecting the seriousness of the breach. 'Respect' in applying the consequence should also be at the forefront of teachers' minds. Creating a constructive consequence only to undo this work with emotional or off-the-cuff remarks can lead to resentment, on behalf of the student, instead of the reflection the consequence was intended to produce.

Some findings on impediments to leadership succession research in New South Wales Catholic schools

The authors of this article report on the findings of their research into the factors preventing school leaders from applying for the principalship in Catholic schools. Their questionnaire highlighted eight possible inhibiting factors, which they asked respondents to rate. The findings of the survey demonstrated that potential candidates were discouraged by the perception that the principal's role was 'more managerial than educational' and that the role required someone who was a practising Catholic. Significantly, female respondents emphasised that the perception that men were more valued as principals would greatly affect their decision not to apply for the position. The study will be expanded to include Catholic schools in Tasmania, Victoria and South Australia.

So we all agree - there is no consensus

Coxon draws the reader's attention to the cultural shifts in Australia over the last 50 to 100 years, and contends that many of these shifts are still working themselves out. In the meantime, no section of society or institution has been left unaffected, making the roles of leaders and decision-makers that more difficult. He reminds leaders in Catholic schools, however, that while they should be mindful of this, they should not be discouraged, as their role in the continuing dialogue will help to shape the new consensus.

Leadership style, loneliness and occupational stress in New Zealand

Given the period of extensive reform in New Zealand school education since 1988, the authors of this paper sought to test for levels of stress and professional loneliness among New Zealand primary school principals. Two hundred and thirty-nine principals were surveyed, and classified in the following ways: teaching/no-teaching and task-oriented/people-oriented. The study found that a high proportion of participants were experiencing emotional exhaustion, and that non-teaching and teaching principals were experiencing the same stress levels. It found, however, that task-oriented participants experienced higher levels of stress than people-oriented participants, but that, overall, the level of stress was not caused by 'stressors' in the education sector, such as organisational change. More alarmingly for the study, the research indicated that there was a strong correlation between professional loneliness and stress, with the latter thought to be the result of heavy workloads, leading to adverse staff-principal relations.

Beyond the single text: nurturing young children's interest in reading and writing for multiple purposes

This article puts forward the argument and provides practical methods for introducing young children to different kinds of reading and writing - those which include stories but are not exclusively narrative based. It argues that even very young children are aware of the many and different ways adults apply written skills, for example writing emails, grocery lists or taking messages, and are conscious of the fact that these kinds of writing are not the same as storytelling. The authors see no need for early years' instructors to hesitate at introducing informational texts into the classroom, and for using language that clearly denotes that these texts are different to storybooks - the use of references and terms such as 'dictionary' and 'biography' are encouraged. Having children describe and write accounts of factual experiences such as holidays and excursions, and using language which prompts the different forms of writing (such as 'account') are also urged.

Resourcing primary education: the first report

Tom Croker, president of the Australian Primary Principals Association, reports on the findings and recommendations of the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) report, Study Into Resourcing Australian Primary Schools, launched by the Minister, Dr Brendan Nelson, in October 2002. Croker notes that the report recognised that primary schools have been the 'poor cousins' of secondary schools, and that there are important structural differences (employment practices and composition, and curriculum delivery) between the two levels of education. He recommends, however, that the 'National Goals for Schooling' be enshrined in national agreements and that those promoting change be mindful of the approach to Key Learning Areas used in primary schools.

ICT - the hopes and the reality

This paper examines the gap between 'optimistic rhetoric' and academic research in the use of ICT in education from the standpoint that the claims of the former are often not supported unequivocally, if at all, by the latter. The authors review the literature along with the findings of their own survey conducted among secondary school teachers and students. They suggest that the often exaggerated claims made for the use of ICT are not possible in reality if the use of ICT is not accompanied by strategic approaches for its use, teacher professional development, resourcing, and school policies and programs which ameliorate socio-economic disparity.

A climate of change for Australian education

This article is a summary of the recent departures and senior appointments made in the various education jurisdictions in Australia. It notes that the recent round of senior appointments, whether by accident or design, were filled by people with teaching experience or 'local knowledge' or both. Praising the wisdom of the appointments, Beare asserts that the 'nation's schools are ready for some intelligent, future-oriented, professionally-informed visionary leadership' to help create the foundations of a knowledge economy.

Lessons from the half pipe

Jones asks readers to reflect on their observations of the local skateboarding ramp - on the unspoken co-operation, the camaraderie, the sharing of the space and the daredevil experimentation. The question she ponders is why are these traits so difficult to reproduce in learning environments where the same children are present. The students she spoke to in order to obtain some answers suggested that the classes they preferred were ones where they could share work with other students, where they were not constantly told what to do, where there were real/relevant outcomes and where the emphasis was not on 'getting things right'.

Principals who care: a personal reflection

Joanne Rooney reflects on her career as a principal of a suburban primary school in the United States and recalls that her most important achievement was helping to create a caring community in her school. She notes that 'good principals model care', and that leadership comes from core principles within leaders and not from 'tomes or mandated standards'. Caring schools and principals, however, are not 'soft' - they just priortise care as a core value and use it to determine the importance of particular tasks and objectives. This may mean doing things as diverse as protecting the school from adverse external distractions such as meddlesome media or politicians; ensuring that all students understand what's expected from them and not accepting poor excuses from either teachers or students for low achievement; standing-up for one's convictions; and encouraging dialogue between students, teachers and parents about learning.

Trust in schools: a core resource for school reform

This article is based on a longitudinal study, which lasted almost ten years, and was conducted in 400 primary schools in Chicago. The aim of the study was to investigate the correlation between 'relational trust' and the reform efforts of the various schools to produce better student outcomes. Through a series of observations, focus groups and interviews, the authors of the paper assessed the relationships between the constituent groups of the school, ie the teachers, students, principals and parents. It found that where a high level of relational trust existed, ie where elements such as respect, personal regard, personal integrity and competence in core role responsibilities were present, then there was a higher level of preparedness to implement school reforms. This was generally due to the willingness of teachers to risk being vulnerable in supportive and loyal environments grounded in relational trust.

Teacher employment: the Victorian experience

This article looks at the recent history of teacher employment structures in Victoria ie the trend towards devolving responsibility for teacher employment to schools during the period of the Kennett Government, and the more centralised approach of the Bracks Government. Craven argues for a 'middle path' through which the benefits of both models can be achieved and sees the unofficial school network model already operating in Victoria as a basis for a new structure of teacher employment. Schools in the networks would still retain the benefits of employing teachers for their specific needs, and teachers (and teacher unions) would not have to fear any diminution of their terms of employment. The latter would also benefit from longer term employment (as opposed to short-term contracts) as their skills would be of value to the whole network, not just to a particular school for a specified period.

Teachers' perspectives on effective school leadership

This paper based on the responses of teachers in a range of capacities at a variety of schools in England. There were 12 case study schools in a sample representing schools from inner-urban to non-metropolitan and rural schools. The teachers were asked to provide their perspectives on effective leadership, and their views were categorised in the following ways: leadership and management; the person in the professional; values and vision; and continuing professional development. The paper compared the responses to established research in the area of school leadership and found that those surveyed generally conformed to what the literature had predicted, that is, teachers made the distinction between managerialism and leadership; they viewed leadership as learned behaviour which was most effective when it was collaborative; that effective leaders provided vision, set standards and understood that leadership was in the quality of their relationship with others; and that good leaders facilitated others to lead.

How many homeless youth in 2001?

Regular readers of the Curriculum Leadership journal will recall a featured abstract on the national census of homeless school students, conducted by David Mackenzie and Chris Chamberlain and published in the December edition of Youth Studies Australia. Mackenzie and Chamberlain have published a follow-up article on their work which segments their findings by State and Territory. Their most recent analysis has important implications for cross-jurisdictional comparisons, especially in the effectiveness of schools' early intervention programs and the varying causes of youth homelessness across Australia.

The first job: experiences of young Australians starting full-time work

This article is based on a series of surveys which sought to capture the experiences of 11 young people in their first year of work. The subjects came from a range of backgrounds and their status varied from apprentice, to trainee, to 'junior'. The surveys elicited their thoughts, opinions and views of their roles, the organisations with whom they were employed, workplace culture, the supports they could draw upon, the relevance of their preparation at school and in part-time work and what they found most useful in making a success of their new jobs. The article concludes that many of the supports young people had to draw on, if any, depended on the goodwill of colleagues and family members, and that the personal attributes they could bring to a position were as important as their job skills.

Immoral digital divide

Visser argues that the widening digital divide is increasingly becoming an 'immoral divide'. While he applauds the Commonwealth Government's $14m GrangeNet initiative, which will provide a greater capacity to university and other research organisations' digital networks, he notes that schools do not fare as well as their higher education counterparts when it comes to accessing well-priced software and hardware from information technology corporations. In fact, he asserts, that some corporations deliberately prey on the ignorance and isolation of consumers in the information technology marketplace for their own gain. To remedy the situation, he calls on educators to see the digital divide as an unjust situation, the eradication of which requires their solidarity.

The New Basics Project

Kirran Follers describes and explains the New Basics Project which is at the heart of curriculum reform in Queensland. The project was trialled in 59 schools and is designed to transform students' educational experiences and outcomes by better preparing them for the 'new economy', a more culturally complex community and new technologies. These aims are reflected in the New Basics Curriculum Organisers which are: life pathways and social futures; multiliteracies and communications media; active citizenship; and environments and technologies. The pedagogical emphasis in New Basics is on students developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills which are applicable in real-life situations.

Life's little lessons: teachers' stories of life experiences on practice

This United States study attempted to gauge, through qualitative research, the effects of primary teachers' life experiences on their classroom practice. The aim of the study was to assess the ways in which teachers brought their life experiences to bear on their classes and students, and how this assisted students in their learning and identity formation. Four teachers who taught at a culturally diverse school participated in the study, and were interviewed and observed over a period of time. The researcher found that teachers' life experiences were, indeed, critical to the ways in which they prioritised particular values and different pedagogies, and that teachers' general awareness of the complexity of their own identities made them more receptive to an understanding of the complexity of their students' identities.

Turning it around

Schools tend to reflect the communities in which they are located. Serious socio-economic disadvantages often have implications for students' education, especially in basic literacy skills. Upon discovering that only three per cent of its students were reading at secondary level, a Queensland secondary school devised a whole-school literacy program to address the problem. This article describes that school's collaboration with a university to conduct the literacy assessment of its students, the in-service training of its teachers to equip them for literacy teaching, and the three-stage literacy program that it implemented with such great effect.

Engaging the profession

Tony Mackay and Jim Cumming have been involved in the collaborative effort which produced the 'National Statement from the Profession on Teacher Standards, Quality and Professionalism'. In this article they describe the processes and the work continuing around the country on the development of teacher professional standards, call for a convergence of much of that work so as to prevent a 'rail gauge approach to standards', and ask those involved to be mindful of the future of the profession and to consider the effects the current initiatives will have several years hence.

Teaching standards, quality and professionalism

The 'National Statement for the Profession on Teacher Standards, Quality and Professionalism' is a collaborative initiative between national teacher professional organisations, with the Australian College of Educators participating in a 'brokering' role. This article describes the issues, principles and framework of statement, and explains (in detail) the effects it is designed to have on teacher professionalism, practice and rewards. The Reference Group invites responses before the end of March 2003.

Rural schools important to Australian society

In the face of the economic and social changes in regional Australia, Phil Roberts implores teachers to consider the importance of the school and the role of the teacher in small rural communities. Citing the Vinson Report's acknowledgement of teachers' formal and informal participation in these communities, Roberts describes the life of rural teachers, their vital contribution of social capital to rural areas, as well as the real opportunities for their professional advancement.

A market in waste: Psychic and structural dimensions of school choice policy in the UK and children's narratives on 'demonized' schools

Concerned with the way in which parents choose schools for their children in Britain, this paper examines the imagined construction and demonization of secondary schools by Grade 6 students, and the effects this has on their choice of secondary school. The authors conducted a series of interviews with over 400 students, and noted the ways in which they articulated their views of the various secondary schooling options available to them. The authors suggest that their findings have significant implications for the tandem goals of choice and inclusion behind current government policies.

Issues of quality learning: Apprenticeships and traineeships in rural and remote Australia

The authors of this paper assess the effectiveness of vocational learning in rural and remote Australia by examining the learning experience as opposed to outcomes. In this way issues such as trainers' professional development and mentoring skills, the appropriateness of learners' numeracy and literacy skills and the quality of training packages are exposed for analysis. Based on a series of interviews with trainers, learners and providers, the paper concludes that 'thin markets' have affected the quality of trainers, that emphasis on single-industry training packages have undermined the inculcation of learners' generic and transferable skills, and that flexible delivery training packages do not take into account the range of literacy and numeracy skills which learners exhibit.

Establishing culture, ethos and market niche in state schools

This paper examined the 'start-up' processes of 19 new schools in the four eastern states of Australia. Many of the schools were in new suburban growth areas and all had to differentiate themselves from more established schools in order to attract enrolments. Collier looked at four areas of 'distinctiveness' - curriculum, structural attributes (environment in which it found itself), student welfare initiatives and the articulated purpose - to see how the schools sought to define themselves. The paper provides a list of findings that were distilled from the practical experiences of the principals and the leadership groups at the schools in the sample, and from the observations and research of the author.

The role of talk in learning to teach

Marie Louise Gomez is a teacher educator who uses 'talk' to help pre-service teachers critically reflect on the ways in which they constitute their new identities as teachers, the ways they create 'authoritative discourses' in their classrooms and in their relationships with students, and how they mediate social and cultural difference. Her findings are that 'stories' allow educators to reflect on how they arrive at various modes of thinking, and it encourages them to employ other alternatives to redefine or make sense of situations and relationships.

At last, someone's talking about teaching

This article re-focuses attention away from the current concerns with curriculum and back to pedagogy, arguing that it's good teaching which affects student outcomes. Highlighting an active interest by a group of South Australian teachers and their Queensland counterparts in the productive pedagogies research conducted by the University of Wisconsin's Center on the Organization and Restructuring of Schools (CORS) in the United States, it asserts that many teachers have been attempting to discover ways in which they can introduce constructivist teaching into their classrooms. The '20 elements of good teaching' and their four dimensions, which include Recognition of Difference, Connectedness, Intellectual Quality and Supportive Classroom Environment, have offered teachers some direction and are outlined in the article.

Old technology and learning to be literate

It is accepted that students bring their socio-cultural identities to bear on interpreting texts. What is less acknowledged is the teacher's need to constitute themselves as a literate individual, and to be aware of their own cultural practices in creating literate environments. Kavanagh argues that teachers' own cultural practices need not be silenced by the accepted canon, an eventuality which she contends is usually a product of their 'middle classing', and that they should self-consciously draw on their cultural practices (such as television viewing) when constituting/disclosing their literate selves.

New Basics: Survey analysis continues

The Queensland Teachers' Union has surveyed its members on the New Basics trial currently conducted in Queensland schools. This article provides a brief list of comments from teachers who replied to the survey, and a report from the union on its feedback to the New Basics Unit.

Health, sedentary lifestyle and physical activity

Young people are increasingly leading more sedentary lifestyles, but their intake of high-energy foods has not declined - in fact the reverse is true. Louise Schofield examines what schools can do to ameliorate the problem and recommends that more emphasis on Heath and Physical Education programs, along with the integration of physical activity into a young person's day, can make all the difference.

Charity links

Port Augusta Secondary School students are helping to foster understanding between the generations through their school's Elderly Help program. The program sees students from Port Augusta Secondary college volunteering their time and gardening abilities to help older residents in their community maintain their gardens. The program is in its eighth year, and was initiated to overcome the stigmatising of younger people in the Port Augusta community.

Why our schools need more money

The Business Council of Australia has issued a statement urging greatly increased government funding for schools to reduce the cost of early school leavers, which is likely to reach $2 billion by 2020. Similar calls were made last year in Bridging the Gap between the 'Haves' and the 'Have Nots', a report of the National Education and
Employment Forum (NEEF), and in work done by the National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling and the Smith Family.

Benefits of community involvement at the school level

Dwyer recounts his experiences at a remote Northern Territory school which sought to actively include the local community in the educational activities it conducted. Working on the assumption that the inclusion of members of the community would have positive educational outcomes for students, community members with the appropriate expertise were involved in the creation of units of work which were implemented across the curriculum. In this way the curriculum was made relevant to students' experiences and cultural practices.

Helping boys succeed

Based on the findings of the research for a doctoral study, this article makes some innovative suggestions on how best to help male students to learn, and how to reverse some of the negative statistical trends in male students' education. Strategies include using multiple literacy techniques to foster reading and writing, introducing more technology-based learning, using more activity-based learning and, even, considering the use of mentors.

Review after review

This article looks at how the definition of 'teacher quality' has changed over time from a discipline (teacher ability within a given subject area) centred concept to one which embraces the relevance of students' learning and the environment in which they are taught. These new criteria mark a fundamental shift away from earlier notions of teacher assessment by linking creativity and pastoral abilities to quality teaching, an outcome which the author notes also relies heavily on the extraneous issues of class size, remuneration and professional development.

Principals and the new world

Warner describes the world for which today's students will have to be prepared by distinguishing it from that which their parents traversed as students. He cites the demands of the information economy and global citizenship as requiring new skills which, in turn, demand new approaches to learning and learning practices. Running parallel to these new demands is the new model of the school, the - sometimes contradictory - expectations placed upon it and the role of educational leadership, the latter which he sees as been responsible for risk taking and innovation in creating an environment which meets the performance objectives required by students, objectives that are far beyond the need for a good tertiary 'ENTER' score.

Supporting young gifted Aboriginal students

The authors survey social and cultural differences in the recognition of 'minority giftedness' and, after providing extensive background on the lives and educational and social development of the two case studies - Jane and Gemma - they outline ten key points for assessing and supporting giftedness in Indigenous students.

Full-day or half-day kindergarten? Kindergarten teachers' voices in the debate

Recognising the trend towards full-day kindergarten attendance in Tasmania, the author surveyed Tasmanian kindergarten teachers involved in both full-day and half-day kindergarten teaching. She found that while some teachers thought that there were significant advantages in full-day attendance in regard to children's social skills and in their preparation for full-time school, there were problems associated with fatigue for both teachers and students in this model of kindergarten attendance. Conversely, while teachers found half-day attendees to have better concentration skills, the shorter periods of attendance led to the 'fragmentation of learning'.

Beyond food, festivals and flags

This article canvasses the possibility of taking a whole-school approach to the creation of an 'internationally minded curriculum'. It stresses that schools (especially primary schools) need to move beyond the artifacts of other cultures and develop a consciousness in students of their international interdependence. It suggests that this can be achieved through weaving the goal of 'international mindedness' through the school fabric, that is, through its ethos, curriculum, learning standards, assessment and behaviour.

Hold fast to core moral values

Joseph makes the argument for the retention of moral values in the leadership of schools and organisations generally, claiming that moral leadership - the kind that is founded on values and which reflects values-based action - is the kind of leadership which is most suited to the demands of postmodern societies. The nature of contemporary work demands collaboration, and is moving away from the bureaucratic, structured relationships of industrial society. In these contemporary formations, relationships are the key to organisational success, and the way to nurture these relationships is through leadership that values them. Joseph makes the distinction between 'successful' and effective 'leaders', asserting that the latter take care of the relationships in the organisations, while the former value 'networking and politicking'. He suggests, also, that effective leaders lead 'people to want to do things', while successful leaders 'get people to do things'. Needless to say, its effective leaders whose style is best suited to contemporary organisations, as they take care to create the moral dimension of leadership by putting in place a values-based, relationship oriented culture for their organisations.

Reservoirs of hope: vital for positive leadership

School leaders need to have a consistent, values-based position, a secular spirituality, which, according Flintham, helps them to respond to and cope with 'critical incidents'. This secular spirituality is sustained by a 'reservoir of hope', which in turned is sustained by the support a leader receives in their personal and professional lives. This article reports on the findings of a British study which examined the existence and sustainability of principals' 'reservoirs of hope', and found that school leaders not only saw the metaphorical use of the reservoir as a useful way to reflect on their capacities, but also as a way to identify those things that sustained them in their roles. Principals identified 'greater reflection opportunities', 'peer support' and 'networked support' as sources of professional sustenance that should be recognised and funded to improve principals' capacities and professional longevity.

What happens when the school burns down?

One day before the start of the 2003 school year, Mount Waverley Secondary College, in Victoria, lost much of its facilities and records in a fire. Jeremy Beard is the Assistant Principal at the school, and he recounts how staff and students banded together, and, with the help and goodwill from a local university and other schools, were able to turn adversity into opportunity. In his recollection of a school year in which some classes were held outside and others on a comparatively well resourced university campus, Beard remembers, too, the resilience and optimism of the students and staff, and how the school produced its best ever Year 12 results. For those educators who ever doubted their vocation's capacity to produce resilient and values oriented individuals, Beard suggests that the experience of 2003 demonstrated to the teachers at Mount Waverley Secondary College the real value of their work.

War and pieces

Leo Tolstoy's observations on historical method in War and Peace draw on the mathematical principle of Integration, an elucidation that Hansen has used to form the basis of a mathematical analysis of Tolstoy's observations in his mathematics classroom. This article demonstrates through the use of lesson plans, student activities and students' work samples how the mathematical implications of literature can be drawn out to form an integrated learning experience in mathematics classrooms. Students were required to tackle the issues mathematically, but they were also to provide a discussion, in the form of an essay, of their understandings and engagement with Tolstoy's mathematical understanding of history.

Just what are boys' brains made of?

Nagel observes that with recent developments in neurology researchers are increasing their knowledge of the influence of the brain on education and behaviour. He warns that neurological understandings of the development of the brain will increasingly challenge, modify and replace the behavioural and psychological understandings of learning. In this article, Nagel uses the differences in the neurological composition of boys and girls to explain some of the problems that boys have encountered in the learning environment. He suggests that the more educators understand about the different ways the brains of girls and boys develop and operate, the better they will be able to accommodate the various educational needs of their students.

Teachers as learners, learners as teachers

Sandy Zicus is a teacher trainer, and she recounts, in this article, a teacher professional development technique that allows teachers with very little background in science to competently engage with, and impart, scientific knowledge. Zicus' approach is to contextualise prior learning and knowledge, and to equip teachers with a scientific disposition - critical thinking and an appreciation of scientific process - so that they can become active and innovative learners of science, as well as teachers of the discipline. She recognises that teachers with very little scientific background are often relied upon to teach in the discipline at the primary level and through the middle years. This approach, she hopes, will demystify science, and make teachers more confident in their ability to both learn and teach it.

The State Literacy Strategy Evaluation 2003

The New South Wales State Literacy Strategy (SLS) developed in 1997 has covered K-12 literacy teaching, with particular stress on the early years and struggling readers. An evaluation report on the SLS (1997-2003) has been prepared by the Student Assessment and School Accountability Directorate. Data was gathered using case studies, surveys of 400 schools statewide, and interviews with focus groups and managers of specific literacy programs. The evaluation identified an upward trend in student performance at almost every stage, with a particular improvement in the lower bands for the Year 3 Basic Skills Test results. The performance of Indigenous students remains of concern, although there has been some improvement. Teachers were found to be 'more knowledgeable about what they are teaching, about literacy learning and about student progress'. Teachers said that literacy should continue to be embedded in each KLA. There were many examples of successful collaborations between primary and secondary schools, and of an increase in the sharing of information about statewide test results.

Transforming learning to meet the challenge of the digital divide

Education systems have extensively promoted the use of ICT in schools, through large scale investment, policy development and marketing. However, the effective use of ICT in schools remains limited and very uneven. Successful application of ICT requires a learner-centred approach in classrooms, adjusted to students' learning styles, but many teachers still struggle to move beyond a teacher-centred approach to pedagogy. The teachers who adopt ICT effectively are usually also highly skilled in other areas of teaching, and very enthusiastic. They are usually found in Australia's best schools, which lead the world. These schools have also embedded ICT more generally into their curriculum, research work and reporting mechanisms. The absence of such an approach elsewhere reflects and deepens the digital divide in Australian schooling. Principals have a key role to play in the successful implementation of ICT, by changing school organisation and culture, by allocating resources appropriately, and by working to change teachers' deeply held attitudes toward pedagogy.

Australian Science and Maths School

To engage students' interest, the science and mathematics curricula in Australian schools need to become more stimulating and more obviously relevant to their futures. The curriculum needs to be freed from 'rigid pre-occupations about what needs to be learned and in what sequence and when'. Subject content should highlight developments in areas such as biotechnology, information technology and nanotechnology, which have captured the public mind and receive huge investment. The curriculum of the Australian School of Mathematics and Science (ASMS) has an interdisciplinary framework, including leading edge technologies for students in Years 10-12, engaging them deeply with essential mathematical and scientific knowledge, skills and attitudes, and connecting them to significant external projects. The curriculum, which prepares students for the South Australian Certificate of Education, also integrates mathematics and science with cultural, ethical, historical and legal perspectives. The ASMS is a partnership between the South Australian Department of Education and Children's Services and Flinders University. It is strongly supported by the University's Faculty of Science and Engineering, which is involved in curriculum development. The School of Education is closely involved in teacher professional development, which is built into teachers' working day. The building design of the ASMS reflects the needs of its collaborative and student-directed pedagogical approach.

Improving teaching and learning: the benefits of school-based coaching

Research indicates effective professional development (PD) to be ongoing, embedded in classroom practice, and specific to grade levels or academic content. It is focused on research, and involves collaboration amongst teachers. School-based coaching is one form of effective PD. Coaches can help teachers plan classes and illustrate good practice in demonstration classrooms. Whereas mentors focus on the teacher and their career, the coach is focused on tasks and performance outcomes. School-based coaching can be a peer partnership where two teachers 'coach' each other, or it might involve an outside coach coming to the school. Barriers to the success of coaching include the cost of hiring coaches; teachers' unfamiliarity with talking about their work in the way required by coaches; finding enough effective coaches, particularly in mathematics and science; providing support for coaches to increase their own skills and undertake PD; and lack of non-contact time for teachers. Possible solutions include school leaders freeing teachers time by taking their classes or by combining students into larger groups for some activities.

Australian students' knowledge and understanding of Asia: a national study

A national study has examined Australian students' knowledge of Asia. A survey, adapted to each system's curriculum, was conducted of 7000 Year 5 and 8 students at over 300 schools throughout all States and Territories. Primary students were found to be more likely to build up understanding of Asia when there was a whole-school focus on the area. Their knowledge was also raised when resources covering Asia were used frequently, regardless of the type of resource used. Secondary students' understanding improved when teachers employed a range of different, high quality resources, including curriculum materials, specialist presenters, and excursions, and when professional development in Asian studies was available to the teacher.

Son's reading a mother's battle

Buckingham recounts the plight of a Western Australian parent who had trouble convincing her son's teachers of his reading problem. According to the parent, Yvonne Meyer, teachers were of the view that there was no problem, as her son was able to satisfy the requirements of the State basic skills tests, which, according to Professor Max Coltheart of Macquarie University, do not accurately detect problem readers because of the absence of a read aloud component. Meyer was eventually able to find a reading tutor, who employed a phonics reading method, to coach her son, and advises parents of children with reading difficulties to use phonics-based reading coaching before accepting hasty diagnoses of other learning disabilities to account for reading problems. Yvonne Meyer is member of the committee overseeing The National Inquiry into the Teaching of Literacy.

New generation, new life patterns

Wyn questions the pervasive belief that young people (Generations 'X' and 'Y' - those born post 1965 and 1982 respectively) are failing to successfully negotiate the transition to adulthood. She cites and describes evidence from the Life Patterns study, a longitudinal study conducted by the Australian Youth Research Centre, to demonstrate the complexities of young people's transitions to adulthood and the changing social and economic structures in which they have to operate, and highlights the different priorities that have been imposed upon them by a changing society. Far from seeing them as failures, Wyn suggests that young people are forging new pathways as they respond to their changing circumstances, and notes that these pathways have implications for their education and education systems. She outlines some of these implications in the article.

Why computer games are critical to the future of education

The computer game industry, worldwide, has revenues in excess of $AUD 50 billion, and, according to Brand, it is the popularity of computer games amongst Generation 'Y', reflected in this figure, that sets them apart from Generation X and the Baby Boomer generation. This article looks at the research around the proliferation of computer games and the 'gaming culture', and highlights the arguments for and against gaming in the literature. It suggests, however, that readers should be sceptical of many of the exaggerated findings of the antisocial effects of gaming, and, instead, should consider, as James Paul Gee does in his work What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy , the educational implications of gaming for Generation Y. Gee has isolated 36 principles in gaming which he sees as reinforcing literacy skills and abilities in individuals, and, while these have not been scientifically proven, they need to be considered by educators. The article elaborates on some of Gee's observations, and suggests that the biggest challenge is before Generation X educators who are caught between the 'analogue- only boomers and the digital-only Gen Y'.

Tackling literacy: what works in the middle years?

Ferrari, in this article, describes the classroom implementation of the Children's Literacy Success Strategy (ClaSS) and the Four Resources Model at a Catholic primary school in suburban Melbourne. CLaSS is implemented in a daily two hour literacy block, and it allows for whole-of-class work, small group work, and whole-of-class sharing of, and reflection on, their work. This strategy is used in lower primary, and the challenge for the teachers at this school was to build on these achievements in the upper primary Year levels. The Four Resources Model, based on the work of Luke Freebody, allowed them to preserve the structure of ClaSS while implementing higher order thinking strategies for textual analysis, such as code breaking, meaning making, text user and text analyst, strategies supported by the Model. The approach was used across Key Learning Areas, and its components are described in detail in the article.

Habits of mind and thinking

Christine Owen reports on the research conducted by the Australian National Schools Network with schools in four Australian States around the work of Arthur Costa and Bena Kallick, Habits of Mind: A Developmental Series. According to Costa and Kallick, the 'habits of mind' are the dispositions, as opposed to just the skills and strategies, which intelligent people bring to problem solving situations. It is these 'habits of mind' that educators should seek to cultivate in students, so that their students can become accustomed to problem solving not just in class but also in their everyday lives. There are sixteen habits of mind, which include persisting, communicating with clarity, thinking flexibly, listening with empathy, applying past knowledge and thinking independently, to highlight just a few. This article outlines the habits of mind, makes the case for cultivating them in students, and describes the kind of classroom most conducive to their inculcation.

Imagination is a powerful tool!

This article is an abridged version of a paper presented by Lubawy at the Independent Education Union's Conference in September 2004. In it Lubawy explores the concept of imagination, drawing on various theories of what it means to imagine and what imagination entails. She then considers what kinds of environments are likely to foster and nurture imagination, and, conversely, the kinds of environments that are likely to erode and inhibit the capacity to be imaginative, and implores early childhood educators to preserve the former for their students' and their own sakes.

Technology teacher education: alternative pathways established in response to issues of supply and demand in NSW

The Accelerated Teacher Training Program (ATTP), currently offered at Charles Sturt University, is part of an initiative of the The NSW Department of Education and Training (DET) to address the under-supply of Technology and Appiled Science (TAS) teachers in rural, remote and 'difficult to staff' districts of NSW. The program has targeted potential applicants with a strong industry background. It has a rigorous process for recognising prior learning, and offers an accelerated program of study that amalgamates pedagogical course work with site-based, practical training and work with mentor teachers in schools. It developed from programs offered at Charles Sturt University and other New South Wales universities since the late 1990s. These programs have involved collaboration with local TAFEs, allowing the sharing of costly facilities. They have provided VET credentials for technology teachers in schools, and helped to meet the technical skills base needed for technology subjects. Such alternative pathways are needed to meet the academic needs of students, as well as supply and demand issues. However, programs of this nature should include 'rigorous curriculum in human growth and development; principles of teaching and learning; instructional strategies; classroom management; and curriculum development and integration'. They also need to offer students substantial, supervised and supportive practicum experiences.

E-learning out of touch with student needs

Dr Elspeth McKay, a leading participant in the 2004 International Conference on Computers in Education (ICCE), says e-learning remains in its infancy, and will not deliver educational value until communication barriers are overcome between system designers and 'schoolie' educators. System-designed models 'deliver a maze of connections and images with little relevance to how the user will navigate through it, let alone learn from it'. Children's understanding of computers is usually more advanced than that of their parents but this knowledge does not by itself improve classroom learning. Proponents of e-learning argue that it allows self-paced instruction, but social interaction in a classroom setting is vital to learning. The key task for students is learning how to learn.

Regulation and autonomy in teacher education: government, community or democracy?

Governments in industrialised countries are increasingly regulating teacher education through mechanisms that don't allow for the complexity of teaching. The accountability measures they employ rest on the results of highly standardised, high stakes testing, that compares student performance on a numeric basis, and ignores students' individuality and circumstances. By treating learning as a commodity, these mechanisms subject it to market-based valuation and pricing mechanisms, with corresponding regulatory rewards and penalties. This process squeezes out social and ethical considerations from teaching and teacher education. There is a countervailing trend to reassert personal identity in schooling through teaching the values held by the particular school community. However, these locally prescribed values are potentially isolationist and divisive for society as a whole. Society is increasingly composed of 'ethically defensible but contrasting ways of life'. Teaching needs to equip students to construct their personal identities from diverse, fragmentary global influences, and to communicate and negotiate effectively with others. Teacher education should prepare teachers for this role. Governments should facilitate this process by preserving the autonomy of teacher education without attempting to regulate its technical detail.

A longitudinal study of teacher change: what makes professional development effective?

A longitudinal study is investigating the professional development (PD) of primary and secondary teachers across England. The study's baseline phase over 2001-2003 looked at prevailing models of professional development at a demographically and geographically representative sample of 60 schools. Questionnaires were sent to heads of departments for English, Mathematics and Science in secondary schools, and to each subject coordinator in primary schools. The PD that was found to provide the most sustained learning opportunities included study groups, coaching, mentoring, in-person or electronic networks, and immersion activities in the kinds of learning that teachers are expected to practice with students. 'One-hit' PD such as workshops was found to be relatively ineffective. Other research highlights the value of PD that focuses on subject content and how students learn it, rather than general principles covering the teaching of a subject.

Working inside the black box: assessment for learning in the classroom

'Inside the Black Box' was a groundbreaking article, by Dylan William and Paul Black, on the uses of formative assessment in assisting student learning. This article is about the findings of a subsequent project, conducted in Britain in 1999. 'Assessment for learning' eschews the objectives of grading and ranking behind summative assessment, and, instead, looks to use assessment to improve student learning. This article uses the research conducted by the authors to produce a clear outline for classroom teachers on using assessment to benefit student learning. It deals with the practices of teachers' classroom questioning and responding through marking and grading papers, peer and self-assessment by students, and how teachers can use tests which are aimed at summative assessment for formative assessment purposes. Excerpts from interviews with teachers who participated in the research are contained in the article, giving practitioners a greater understanding of the profound change that assessment for learning has made to teacher practice and student learning.

Real assessment issues for our schools

Keith McDougall is the principal of a primary school in a socially disadvantaged area of Melbourne. In this article, he makes the case for an additional type of assessment, a 'value-added measure', which accounts for how far students have come academically, given their starting point, or previous academic background and ability. This second measure takes into account what schools and teachers have done to assist students who are academically disadvantaged to reach externally set standards and benchmarks. This work is often lost in absolute assessments of student performance, where students from more favourable backgrounds are able to meet external benchmarks with out the same 'value adding work'. McDougall's article outlines the path his school took to creating this alternative form of measurement of educational achievement, and asserts that both kinds of assessment should be used together to provide a more comprehensive and fairer evaluation of student achievement and teachers' work.

The why, how and what of mentoring

Trubowitz cautions that professional mentoring is more than just putting two people together. In this article, he looks at the anatomy of the relationship between the mentee and the mentor, from the beginnings of the relationship, to preliminary knowledge, to building trust and identifying the pitfalls. For Trubowitz, it's important that mentors are clear about the extent and purposes of their role, and about the developmental stages of the relationship between the mentee and the mentor. He advises that mentors should not see themselves as 'saviours', and that they should work with their charge's experiences, and not try to impose their way of operating on the mentee. The keeping of logs/journals for reflective purposes, and creating a supportive school community in which new teachers can thrive, are also recommended.

New assessment beliefs for a new school mission

Stiggins exposes the mistaken beliefs on which, he believes, external standardised tests are based, describes their impact on education and proffers an alternative set of beliefs for assessment for educational outcomes. While he recognises that standardised testing has a place in school reporting and for judging students' performance, he suggests that its impact needs to be balanced by assessment for learning, the kind of assessment that is integral to improving students' learning as opposed to assessing their performance. The article demonstrates how this balance between standardised testing and assessment for learning can be achieved by altering teachers' understanding and use of both forms of assessment.

Reflections on history and quality education

Kantor and Lowe examine the historical basis for the lament which claims that education has been in a state of decline, and which hankers for a past of 'quality education'. This pursuit results in a survey of education in the United States, from the pious beginnings of Harvard University, through to the one room rural school and on to the suburban schools of the twentieth century. The authors claim that education in the United States has not, historically, being associated or concerned with quality, and, in the instances where quality did exist, it existed only for the wealthy. They conclude, therefore, that it is useless and misleading to look for a golden era of education in the past, and more fruitful to examine what the impact of the historically marginalised - poor, working class and African-American communities - has been on access to education and educational reform. It is often the struggles of these communities that coincided with efforts to improve both access to and the quality of education, and yet it is, ironically, these communities' access to education which is often associated with a supposed decline.

Siblings of children with special needs

This article considers the plight of an often overlooked group of people - the siblings of children with special needs. Strohm isolates and highlights the many issues, range of emotions and situations that siblings of children with special needs can experience, and considers the many ways in which these are manifest in their individual behaviour, health and wellbeing, and in their relationships with those in and outside of their immediate family. Siblings of children with special needs can experience stress, isolation, lack of attention, anger and resentment, embarrassment and fear, as a result of their family's situation. These emotions, and their inability to deal with them, can cause longer term problems of social isolation, personality disorders and depression. Schools are just one of a range of organisations which need to be aware of the issues in this area, and their role in providing a supportive environment for siblings of children with special needs.

Battling the bullies

The Victorian Government is undertaking its first comprehensive review of anti-bullying practices in State schools. The review, due to be completed in June 2005, will look at the extent of bullying in schools and the success of anti-bullying programs. Anti-bullying policies were made mandatory in Victoria's State schools in 1994. The Victorian Government has spent millions of dollars on behavioural and welfare support services and resources for students, however, schools have been left to set their own benchmarks and strategies for student wellbeing. Obstacles to the success of anti-bullying programs include: the bad example set by bullying in the home and community; apathetic communities; over-protective or bullying parents wanting quick-fix solutions; and the advent of cyberbullying. With the declining impact of other community institutions such as churches and sporting clubs, schools are increasingly called on to meet students' needs for care. The article also covers anti-bullying programs at Mill Park Secondary College, Box Forest Secondary College, and Laverton Plains Primary School.

Bringing literacy into the mainstream

St Monica's College, Epping (Victoria) was one of 14 schools recognised in this year's Literacy and Numeracy Week National Excellence Awards, due to the school's successful middle years literacy intervention program. Struggling students, about 60% of them boys, are removed from each Year 7 class for a semester to attend intervention classes with a one-to-six teacher-student ratio. The program demands fewer written tasks than mainstream English classes, but uses the same materials. Students also use their Science or Studies of Society and Environment (SOSE) textbooks to develop note-taking skills. Computer skills are another focus: the struggling students, who show poor ICT skills despite playing many computer games, are asked to write computer game reviews. St Monica's 'Whole School Approach' to literacy involves all faculties, including Mathematics and Science, which are expected to teach the literacy skills required by their subjects.

Tapping into a boy's world: a literacy hook

In this article, Clay looks at how the changes in general pedagogical practices will affect boys learning, and whether they will be accommodating of boys learning needs. Her analysis seems to suggest that new pedagogical approaches tend to value those practices that are emphasised in boys' literacy research, such as valuing students' social and cultural contexts, and involving parents in boys' schooling. Multiliteracies and alternate literacies also emphasise real world experiences and the transference of skills across different texts and situations, which again benefit boys' literacy learning.

The Boys' Literacy Project

The Boys' Literacy Project was conducted in 2003, and involved modifying the ways in which Year 3 boys, who had underachieved in literacy, were engaging with school-based literacy strategies. This action research project consisted of three phases, the first of which entailed a 'capacity inventory' of the boys' recreational literacy practices, and the literacy practices of their families. Phases 2 and 3 used the information gathered in the 'capacity inventory' to inform the development of literacy programs and a literacy resource kit, respectively. The capacity inventory uncovered discordance in the literacy expectations of parents, and what their sons were reading. While the boys involved in the project demonstrated a tendency to read newspapers, magazines, brochures, technical material and computer game based text, parents, while engaging in these literacy practices themselves, did not recognise this as a bona fide literacy practice. The capacity inventory also allowed the researchers to gauge boys' interests, so that these could be could be used as points of engagement in classroom practice. Engaging boys in literacy through their interests, and allowing them to share their reading with other members of the class, during reading time, are just some of the strategies employed in the literacy programs (phase 2) and included in the resource kit for teachers (phase 3). The article contains descriptions of each phase, and the findings for the research emanating from each.

From listener to investigator: student roles during pedagogical innovation

While educators are often provided with professional development opportunities in the face of syllabus or curriculum change, little consideration is given to the recipients of the changed curriculum - students. This neglect, Beasley claims, is tantamount to seen students as 'passive recipients of the actions of teachers', and goes against the intention of much of what is emphasised in new and innovative curricula. In order to measure and estimate the effects of this disjuncture between students and curriculum innovation, Beasley examined students' reactions to the Trial Pilot Syllabuses in Chemistry and Physics conducted by the Queensland Studies Authority. The trial represented a radical shift in pedagogical approaches, moving the syllabus from 'a concept to exercise approach' to a 'context to concept approach'. This article contains the testing instruments used in the research, and a summary of students' reactions to the new syllabus. It highlights some of the discontinuities between student preparation and the expectations of the new syllabus, and outlines what needs to be addressed for a better alignment between student preparation and new curricula.

Mentoring in environmental education

Hudson describes his experiences as a pre-service teacher mentor in environmental education. He recognises that, increasingly, environmental education is being incorporated into pre-service courses, but he is wary that pre-service teachers are not always provided the opportunity to see environmental education being taught, or allowed to put into practice what they have been taught. Hudson is keen to point out that environmental education needs to be 'purposeful', and it needs teachers who recognise that its aim is to cultivate a disposition in students which leads them to want to be involved and active in environmental issues and decision making. Mentoring pre-service environmental teachers allows them to both observe expert teachers in action, and to conduct their own classes and reflect with experienced mentors on their environmental education teaching practices.

Is school science, science?

Nall-Bird contrasts science as taught in schools with that which is commonly understood as a body of knowledge, process, academic discipline and the work of scientists. She finds that science taught in schools fails to constitute 'science', as it is too rigid, restrictive and simplistic. For science in schools to be considered science, it may have to address its purposes - what it wants students to understand about the discipline - be more open to multiple modes of inquiry, question the discipline's espistemology, engage with its social context, and move away from the emphasis on content, which is, in any case, out dated.

A model for understanding, using and connecting representations

This article examines the use of the Representations Model in teaching mathematics, which allows students and teachers to communicate mathematical thinking and understand the thinking of others, as well as make the connections between mathematical concepts. The Representations Model contains 5 different ways of representing mathematical ideas - pictures, manipulatives, spoken language written symbols and relevant situations. All of these can be used to represent, interpret and solve mathematical problems. The teacher's task is to know which to use when, and to make the connections between the different means of representation. This article looks at the different methods of representation, and, by demonstrating its use, provides guidance for teachers on using the model.

The Thirteen Days of Halloween: using children's literature to differentiate instruction in the mathematics classroom

Forbringer describes, by example, how mathematics teachers can use children's literature to achieve mathematics curriculum outcomes for mixed ability classes. In the example she describes, the Thirteen Days of Halloween, by Carol Greene, was used to introduce students to problem solving, mathematical reasoning, mathematical communication, and multiple ways of mathematical representation. Using the story also had the added benefit of having students use mathematical thinking in a different context. Forbringer designed her lesson plans to accommodate both advanced learners and learners with disabilities, and used small group and whole-class work. The article contains the learning outcomes and the processes used to achieve them, as well as examples of students' work.

Leading the leaders

The New Zealand Principals' Development Planning Centre (PDPC) is providing professional development workshops for experienced school principals. This year, the program's activities included: prioritising in-tray tasks and justifying decisions; critiquing research articles; and responding to a crisis. Participants undertook group exercises, role plays, presentations and written work. Participants' professional skills and knowledge were evaluated for pedagogical leadership; commitment to enhancing student learning; building relationships; strategy planning and management; and self efficacy. The evaluations were conducted by other experienced and respected principals, who prepared a confidential report based on their observations for each participant, and worked with them to create a personalised development plan. Following positive feedback, the PDPC workshops are expected to continue next year.

Rocky road to Recovery

A report from Victoria's Auditor-General has criticised the one-on-one remedial reading program Reading Recovery. The program is used by 40-50% of students in the State's government primary schools. The program is funded for only 20% of Year 1 students, but most schools pay for more student places from their own budgets. Western Australia is now the first State to have abandoned the program, deeming it too expensive and too narrowly targeted at struggling students. A 2002 evaluation by the Australian Council for Educational Research found the program's benefits for Year 1 students in 1998 did not extend into Year 3. The article includes comments from literacy expert Professor Kevin Wheldall; Reading Recovery's trainer for Victoria, Andrea Chalmers; president of the Victorian Primary Principals Association, Fred Ackerman; and a spokesman for Victoria's Education Minister Lynne Kosky.

School size: bigger is better?

The size of schools has been heavily influenced by the perception that large schools have lower operating costs per student, as well as allowing more extracurricular opportunities, a more diverse curriculum, and more resources for students due to economies of scale. However, a number of researchers have found that the relationship between size and costs varies between individual schools, and that beyond a certain size costs per pupil start rising again due to 'dis-economies of scale', such as the need for more administrative staff and student transport costs. Other educational and social benefits of small schools are seen to include higher academic achievement, lower dropout rates, less violence and vandalism, greater teacher satisfaction, and more community involvement. These benefits have a long term social impact in terms of higher student earning power, lower crime and incarceration rates, less child abuse and neglect, and better overall health. When these benefits are factored in small schools are seen to be cost-effective.

Young women's science/mathematics career goals from seventh grade to high school graduation

A five-year longitudinal study in the United States tracked the changing attitude of 66 girls in Grades 7-12 towards science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects. The students were surveyed in seventh grade, and again just before graduation. The study found that the girls' interest in STEM subjects as pathways to careers or further education declined during secondary school. Previous research has found that boys are twice as likely as girls to prefer a STEM career by Grade 8; that girls' attitudes to STEM careers are independent of their academic achievement in this area; and that girls' self-confidence with STEM subjects decreases more than boys during secondary school. Girls tend to prefer biological and health sciences, and medical careers, over STEM, due to a desire to care for other people. Parents tend to encourage boys more than girls to take risks, explore, be active and independent, and play mathematics-based games that develop spatial reasoning. Parents also tend to give more recognition to boys' mathematical achievements. Teachers tend to interact more with boys, give them more substantial feedback, and exhort them to greater effort in STEM subjects. School counsellors often indirectly discourage girls from STEM careers. Boys are generally more likely to be exposed to STEM-related activities or technology outside school. Girls tend to see STEM careers as unfeminine, and in conflict with family life. Many of these barriers are reduced when girls have contact with female scientists or other STEM role models. Note: the full article is available online via an Archive search on the Journal of Educational Research website.

Forging new links with Italian teachers

Integration programs for migrant students are the topic of discussion between Italian education officials and Australian languages expert Professor Joe Lo Bianco. The talks may lead to an ongoing language and literacy project between Lombardy, in northern Italy, and Melbourne, with teachers from Italy's Lombardy region expected to enrol in Masters Degrees and PhDs at Melbourne University to research multicultural education, drawing on Australia's extensive experience with migrant education. The number of foreign pupils in Italian classrooms is rising signicantly. Migrant children are often older than classmates, raising socialisation problems. Despite Australia's success in multicultural education, Professor Lo Bianco says teaching English as a second language has been allowed to 'run down'. The reasons, according to Georgina Tsolidis, Senior Lecturer in Education at Monash University, are schools' declining access to specialist teachers, and intense school marketing that diminishes ethnic diversity in schools serving wealthier communities.

Educating boys: what's it all about?

Mitchell asserts that the educational emphasis for boys must change to match the profound social changes that have occurred. Instead of the 3Rs, boys have to be taught TLC - Thinking, Listening and Communicating - and it's the obligation of parents and educators to ensure that this is accomplished. Given the changing nature of employment, emotional intelligence, not just academic abilities, will be required for a successful and fulfilling career. Educators and parents can begin by ensuring that boys learn how to communicate with people, become aware of their body language and that of others, and acquire listening and questioning skills.

Text: more than just words

Contemporary texts come in a variety of forms - visual, oral, words, gestural, spatial etc. - and students need to understand how to decode and make sense of them. The problem is, however, how to implement teaching and learning strategies that provide opportunities for young people to engage with different kinds of texts in ways which foster their abilities to understand and decode those texts. Ryan's article describes her work with helping pre-service teachers to use the 'text clusters' in multiliteracies pedagogy in order to develop students' capacities for textual analysis. Different kinds of text were 'clustered' so that they could be critically analysed, and so that their ideological positions could be discerned. The article contains explanations, analytical grids and diagrammatic examples to help teachers incorporate these literacy strategies into their practice.

Words making a difference: what's in a name?

Henderson argues that educators should consider the use of language, in particular the use of labels, and be more aware of how language and labelling determine our relationship with others in the school community. It's a truism that language has a role in 'constructing the world', and Henderson wants educators to realise that labelling certain cohorts of students determines and influences educators' reactions to them and their expectations of them, and blinds them to the enormous diversity, and range of abilities and experiences, which students bring to education. While the article concentrates on the use of the 'ESL' label in schools to denote skill 'deficits', there is a wider relevance in its message.

Using culturally relevant texts and Grant's Holistic Framework to connect Indigenous early readers to SAE print-based texts

This article reports on a project which assessed the impact a culturally responsive framework and culturally relevant texts would have on Indigenous students in a reading recovery program in which they were engaging with Standard Australian English (SAE) texts. The results of the project demonstrated that students who were taught in a culturally responsive environment, in which the teacher had undertaken the relevant professional development and had used culturally relevant texts, spent significantly shorter periods of time bringing their reading ability up to the required level. In addition to explaining the intricacies of the project, this article also explains what constitutes a culturally responsive environment, and relevant texts, for Indigenous students. It also outlines Ernie Grant's holistic approach to Indigenous learning, which informed the work of the project.

Kids behaving badly, or responsibly: helping teachers help students to act responsibly

Lewis asserts that discipline is the most important element in schools creating a sense of responsibility in students, when preparing them for citizenship. This article, based on a review of the literature and a study which involved primary and secondary schools in Victoria, looks at the relationship between discipline strategies and responsible behaviour in students, as well as means to support teachers to develop responsible and non-aggressive discipline strategies. With regards to the former, it found that teachers who were non-aggressive and 'less punishment oriented' were more inclined to negotiated discipline with students and promote more responsibility in students. Aggression and punishment were also found to be ineffective in disciplining students. Teachers can be supported to be more constructive when using discipline strategies, and should be supported so that they do not avoid disciplining students, and do not suffer stress related illnesses as a result of ineffective student management. A staff code of conduct and a climate that encourages teachers to 'build goodwill' with students are just some of the ways in which teachers can be supported to implement constructive discipline techniques.

Second-chance education: reconnecting schools and early school leavers

Karmel's article is essentially a review of the recent research conducted by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research. In it he highlights a problem in the TAFE and ACE (Adult and Community Education) sectors, where, increasingly, these sectors are dealing with young school leavers who are re-entering education, but have neither the resources nor the policy frameworks to ensure that this is done effectively. Some of the findings of the research indicate that those programs which have successfully supported young people's return to education were cognisant of making themselves relevant to young people's needs, and being involved with other community and support agencies. Their success, however, was reliant on the attributes and commitment of staff, and less on clear policy frameworks and specific resourcing. With almost twenty-five per cent of young people not completing Year 12, Karmel is concerned that more needs to be done to ensure that the TAFE and ACE sectors are better able to cope with their return to education.

Doing something different

It's commonly held that Australian schools are in 'crisis', and that this crisis can only be overcome by changing the resource level, or inputs that schools receive. In this article, Steve Holden interviews Frank Crowther, the Dean of Education at the University of Southern Queensland, who declares that Australian schools 'are successful and well placed to succeed in the post-industrial world', and that building better school communities is far more effective in changing schools than merely changing their inputs. For Crowther, it's the differences and diversity in Australian society that should be reflected in Australian schools and schooling, and this can only be done by bureaucracies allowing school communities to become 'distinctive' in terms of their culture, identity, and pedagogy. At the level of the school, this means taking the initiative to creatively change the organisation so that it fosters a collaborative learning community, which creates the capacity to change the school from within, so that it faces up to and addresses its cultural and pedagogical shortcomings, and commits to change. For Crowther, this moves beyond issues of resources, and makes schools the learning communities which can play a leading part in post-industrial society.

Exit ANTA

The Australian National Training Authority (ANTA) is to be abolished in July 2005, following its perceived failure to encourage the take up of apprenticeships. It will be replaced by a new regulatory body, the Institute for Trade Skills Excellence. The Institute will also accredit courses at 24 new technical colleges for over 7000 Year 11 and 12 students. The colleges, to be established from 2006, will teach trades such as engineering, vehicle construction, electrical and commercial cookery, as well as English, Science, Mathematics and IT. They will be funded directly by the Australian Government. Concerns about the Institute and the new colleges have been raised by State governments, TAFE institutes and the Australian Education Union. The concerns include: lack of prior consultation with stakeholders and a lack of detail about the proposals; possible domination of the Institute by employer bodies; increasing confusion over the system accreditation of qualifications; and uncertainty about the level of future funding of vocational education by the Australian Government. Concerns expressed about the new colleges include: finding enough qualified staff; erosion of States' roles in school education; a narrow curriculum that lacks attention to students' interpersonal skills; greater funding for students at the colleges than for other vocational courses; and pressure on students to decide too early between academic and vocational courses.

Learning to learn: using task boards in primary classrooms

Task boards allow teacher to integrate several areas of the curriculum, many different learning styles and implement student-centred learning strategies simultaneously. Furthermore, they empower students in the learning process by allowing them to choose the activity and the skills they want to employ in its completion, and by developing their independence and problem solving skills. In this article, Sheryle Mickles shows primary and early childhood teachers how to design and implement 'task board' learning, and in so doing cater to students different ability levels and intelligences.

Education and the changing job market

The job market in the United States has changed markedly in the last 30 years. There is, what the authors of this article term, a 'hollowing-out' of the labour market, which has seen occupations, such as routine clerical work and manual labour, once staffed by high school graduates, disappear. Increase computerisation of routine work has led to the decline of these occupations, which has left a widening income gap between those employed in service sector occupations and those in the professions. While the former has seen some growth in recent years, and will continue to grow, it is the growth in the professions at which schooling and education should be aimed if growing income disparities are to be ameliorated. Education for the job market is thus directly linked to social justice, and this article suggests that schools should continue to foster complex thinking and communication skills through the traditional disciplines, rather than teach new subjects. Teaching students complex thinking better prepares them for post-school training, and keeps them away from low skilled work and routine jobs that are easily eroded by improving technologies.

The writing rubric

Students come to writing with varying attributes and understandings of the processes involved in the activity. The authors of this article have devised an instructional writing rubric which guides students through the writing process, and develops in them a propensity to 'self-regulate' and 'self-assess' their writing. Instructional rubrics differ from assessment rubrics in that they scaffold the activity and 'teach as well as evaluate'. This article explains the rationale behind constructing a writing rubric for students, and takes teachers through its various components, demonstrating the skills, such as editing, revision, content, word choice and sentence structure, that students will develop by using it. Peer assessment may also be fostered with the help of rubrics, so that students develop skills which will allow them to critique the work of others constructively.

Writing in math

Encouraging students to use writing as a means of learning in mathematics classrooms can foster a deeper understanding of mathematics content, and give teachers and students a better grasp of student learning. In this article, Marilyn Burns outlines the four types of writing she finds useful in her mathematics classrooms - journals, solving mathematics problems, explaining concepts and describing learning processes - and differentiates her use of writing from the purposes to which it is put in English and Humanities classrooms. By writing, students are required to demonstrate their understanding of mathematical ideas and concepts, how they tackled a mathematical problem and why, and to reflect on what they learned. Burns makes it clear that she is the only audience for their work, and it does not have to have 'publication values'. It need only convey the students' understanding of what they are learning. Much of the article is devoted to showing teachers how to introduce writing into their mathematics classroom, from devising a rationale for the activity to practical implementation.

Reaching English language learners: strategies for teaching science in diverse classrooms

Keenan introduces science teachers to four kinds of strategies to use in science classes which have English as Second Language (ESL) learners. The strategies are organised under the following headings: Basic Strategies; Embedded Strategies; Comprehension Strategies; and Speaking Strategies. Basic Strategies are the usual teaching strategies which teachers possess and which the whole class benefits from. They include collaborative learning; visual learning and identifying students' existing knowledge. The remaining strategies are actually aimed at ESL learners, and include recognising students' cultural knowledge; encouraging 'science talks' to help ESL learners to share their knowledge; grouping language proficient students with ESL learners; and teachers' use of speaking strategies which make it easier for ESL students to comprehend what they are saying, as well as learn to structure their own thinking and note taking. For example, teachers should use the active instead of the passive voice, and sequence sentences and thoughts with words such as 'first', 'next', 'then' etc.

Go on a ScienceQuest

The authors of this article take science teachers through a step-by-step introduction to designing and using ScienceQuests in their classrooms. ScienceQuests seek to integrate the learning strategies used in Webquests, problem-based learning and project-based learning, and help teachers to organise content into units of work. At their centre, ScienceQuests have an 'authentic problem', which is usually an overarching question or 'big idea'. The authenticity of the question is important, as it allows students to engage in scientific thinking as scientists, solving and grapping with real issues, which has an impact on both their motivation and the product of their work. Engaging with the problem, investigating it and resolving the problem, in that order, are the stages of the quest, which is concluded with a 'debriefing'. The article also demonstrates to teachers how to use a KQHL (What do we know?; What questions do we need to answer?; How can we find answers?; What have we learned?) chart, which is superimposed on the stages of the ScienceQuest to help both teachers and students navigate the quest.

Book Club Plus: Organising your Literacy Curriculum to bring students to high levels of literacy

The Book Club Plus project has developed a principled conceptual framework for literacy instruction, suitable for all students, but with a particular focus on struggling readers. The project provides students with texts designed for their age level, and instruction suitable to their reading level. Curriculum is organised thematically within literacy, and between the language arts and other subjects. Instruction is organised around three literacy units of 3-8 weeks. The students' activities include 'community share', a teacher-led, whole-group introduction to literature and literacy skills; reading of a 'book club' text, supported by parents, peers, teachers, and resources such as videotapes; writing, drawing heavily on students' personal experiences; and heterogenous student discussion of books in mixed ability groups. Students are taught to listen, build on others' ideas, debate, critique texts, lead, and follow the lead of others. Significant progress was achieved by the 13 lowest-performing students, and the students generally were not disadvantaged in their performance on high skills tests. Book Club Plus was designed by the Teachers Learning Collaborative, a practitioner inquiry network. See also CIERA report on Book Club Plus.

Addressing eating issue and disorders within the school: the eating disorders resource for schools

The author of this article, Sophia Liddy, has developed the Eating Disorders Resource for Schools. In this article she sets out the nature and scale of the problem of eating disorders amongst adolescents, and outlines what schools and teachers can do to reduce its incidence. While it is estimated that 2-3 percent of adolescent and adult females suffer anorexia and bulimia nervosa in Australia, the number of adolescent girls and boys who attempt 'extreme weight loss measures' is much higher. Schools can act in two ways: prevention and intervention. Strategies for the former can include fostering a supportive environment, and ensuring that inclusion and participation are the norm. Intervention, that is approaching a student, requires caution on behalf of teachers, and this article describes in detail what teachers should do in such situations.

Business perspectives on educational leadership: what is the bottom line?

Power situates educational leadership within business leadership, but argues that both need to rely on transformational leadership to be effective - 'use of socialised or resourceful power to motivate people toward the service of collective interests'. This kind of leadership can only be achieved through a use or knowledge of emotional intelligence, where leaders' self-awareness, social awareness, self-management and relationship management are used to produce and cultivate an 'energising climate' in which others are motivated to achieve and be effective. In Power's survey of the literature on leadership, he concludes that organisational climate is the key to performance and motivation, and that leadership style, and the 'repertoire of styles, or patterns of behaviour, demonstrated by the leader', directly affect the organisational climate. In the article, Power demonstrates, in some detail, the relationship between leadership style and organisational climate in schools, and explains that schools should see themselves not as business enterprises, but rather as communities of 'scholar practitioners', in which students outcomes are the 'bottom line'.

Creating and sustaining a performance and development culture in schools

Larry Kamener's article makes the case for establishing a performance culture in schools which is related to teacher professional development. Kamener is of the view that schools should move away from their current use of minimum standards to judge teacher performance, and embrace a professional services model in which a much greater emphasis is placed on in-service training that is tailored to an individual's strengths and weaknesses. Establishing these strengths and weaknesses can be done in a variety of ways, including student feedback, observation, and the evaluation of data such as Year 12 results. The important ingredient in this model, however, is feedback, so that teachers no longer have work in isolation and in a professional vacuum. Kamener cites three schools were variations of the professional services model are currently being used.

Teaching science to the visually impaired

Inclusive education demands that students with disabilities or special learning needs be included in 'regular' classroom learning experiences. Good pedagogy ensures that all students are engaged in their learning, and students with disabilities should be no exception. This article looks at how science teaching can be made more inclusive for students who are visually impaired, noting that teachers will, during their careers, have to teach at least one visually impaired student. Ensuring that visually impaired students share the same schooling experiences as other students is to be aware that their cognitive abilities are not impaired, but that schools and classrooms are 'visually oriented', and have to be modified for these students. Modifying the science classroom can include locating visually impaired students closer to the 'sound source', ensuring that the room is free of obstacles, and that students agree that visually impaired students have 'right-of-way' when moving about the room. In science laboratories, visually impaired students should be given a tour before their first class, so that they can locate items such as eye showers, extinguishers and other safety equipment. Laboratory equipment can be purchased or modified to allow for more tactile learning, such as the use of three dimensional science models and tactile markings on measuring devices. Teachers should also be willing to undertake training in the use of technology for the visually impaired, so that students with impaired vision can have access to technology.

Top ten ways to strengthen your school mathematics program

While aimed at United States mathematics teachers at the beginning of their school year, many of these suggestions will be applicable in other contexts. The authors of this article suggest ways for mathematics teachers to take a whole-school approach to the teaching of mathematics and mathematics involvement. Their overarching intentions are to improve teachers' knowledge of mathematics, encourage students to study mathematics, and foster parents' involvement in their children's mathematics learning. Suggestions include establishing a school mathematics committee to plan mathematics events and teacher professional development; planning a parent-student evening where mathematics activities are part of the occasion; taking stock of the schools' mathematics resources; and remembering to support beginning teachers.

A handle on hands-on

Acknowledging the importance of 'hands-on' materials to inquiry-based science learning, this article gives teachers some important insights into how to manage their acquisition and storage, as well as their distribution use in the school and the classroom. Suggestions include choosing the right kind of storage area, hiring a 'paraprofessional' to supervise the ordering and management of materials, rostering students to take on specific roles in the classroom, and using colour-coding to catalogue material.

NSW school principals to face own skills test

The New South Wales Government is amending the Teaching Services Act to allow the Department of Education to hire principals and other school executives from interstate or the non-government school sector. Principals would face five-year reviews and smaller annual reviews, with parents and teachers contributing to assessment of competency. Principals struggling with their leadership role will undertake a performance improvement programs, rather than face automatic dismissal or demotion. The proposal replaces an earlier plan by the Minister for Education, Andrew Refshauge, to put principals on five-year contracts. The changes have been welcomed by Geoff Scott of the NSW Primary Principals Association, and the NSW Secondary School Principals Council President, Chris Bonnor. Maree O'Halloran, of the NSW Teachers' Federation, described the changes as a 'bureaucratic and legalistic response' to a predicted dearth of school education leaders within the next five to eight years, when about 80 per cent of existing principals are expected to retire.

Seeking quality in teacher education design: a four dimensional approach

Teaching is widely seen in mechanistic terms, as a checklist of skills through which teachers transmit knowledge to students. In reality, teachers are key agents who dynamically apply their knowledge of subject content and pedagogy to unique contexts, involving elements such as students' characters and backgrounds, the school setting, and curriculum. Teacher education must therefore go beyond fragmented instruction in schools, to recognise the complexity and inter-relatedness of teaching. Teacher education should offer an overall conceptual framework. Different subject areas and knowledge bases should be unified in teacher education through approaches such as problem-based learning. Theory at university and practice at schools need to interact more flexibly than through blocks of practicum near the end of courses. Pre-service and beginning teachers should be encouraged to develop their self-identity, which will involve recognising the social construction of identity. Most important, and crucial to the other elements, there needs to be much more social interaction and collaboration between teacher educators, classroom teachers and pre-service teachers, to break down cultural barriers that inhibit pre-service teachers' learning.

The early years: settting the framework for school success

Research confirms that the most critical periods for brain development are over by the age of six. Young children who lack nutrition, stimulation and affection in the earliest months and years will not develop important neural pathways related to vision, hearing, language and higher cognitive functions. Maternal employment and reliance on childcare do not harm children, and may yield benefits if the childcare is of good quality. Preschool experience per se has more influence on children's subsequent development than the type of preschool attended. Children are resilient and intervention can lower the risk factors in the early years. To improve children's subsequent educational performance, schools should try to offer services to families before their children reach preschool age e.g. working with other organisations in their communities to provide home-based parent support, and, through childcare facilities, to offer early child development and parenting centres.

Ethics, values and emotional intelligence

Power asserts that the principal's role is instrumental in creating the climate of any school, and they do this by setting a personal standard, and in fostering quality relationships with students and staff. As this climate is dependent on the principal, their own personal growth as individuals and professionals is vital. Power believes that this growth is dependent on principals' own emotional development, or emotional intelligence, and he outlines the groups of emotional 'competencies' that principals can develop.

Issues in boys' education: encouraging broader definitions of masculinity in schools

Wayne Martino agrees that boys' educational outcomes are suffering in comparison to girls, but he stresses that educators should be cautious about jumping to conclusions. Firstly, he observes that by disaggregating the data, it would seem that middle class boys are still performing better than girls from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Secondly, merely restructuring the curriculum to accommodate boys does not address the real problem, boys' understandings of masculinity. The article is devoted to making the case that the solution to boys' educational problems is in helping them to examine their understanding of masculinity, and in assisting them to realise that their identities need not be based on that which is not 'feminine, and that, indeed, being communicative and emotionally involved are some of the attributes of a well socialised human being. Martino demonstrates to teachers how this learning transformation can be achieved using critical literacy and the productive pedagogies framework, particularly as the latter intends for the curriculum to be connected to students' lives.

Educating boys

Based on a submission to the Australian Government's inquiry into the Education of Boys, this article outlines the reasons for boys' underachievement at school, and proposes means to improve their educational outcomes. Statistically, boys inhabit the negative categories of educational data. They are not only underachieving compared to girls, they also have a higher incidence of behavioural problems, a bigger prevalence in remedial classes, and, as a group, are more at risk of 'dropping out' and not completing schooling. Rowe notes that much of this has to do with the fact that the curriculum, with its emphasis on higher order literacy skills, seems to privilege girls, whose earlier maturation and socialisation combine to advantage them. The solution, however, does not lie in addressing the curriculum, but rather in teacher quality and its concomitant, professional development. Citing research which shows teacher effectiveness to be the singly most important factor in student achievement, Rowe urges that the problem be addressed at the level of teacher quality, and not in spending scarce resources, yet again, revising curricula.

Looking at student work: focusing on instruction

This article is a condensed version of a research paper produced by the World Schools' Council. It deals with ways in which teachers can examine student work as part of their professional development, and how this professional development should be initiated and structured. Professional development should be authentic, that is, it should be centred around a particular problem that the teacher has encountered, recognise teacher expertise, and follow up on the changes they make to their practice. Using student work as the basis for professional development, because of its immediacy, ensures that these criteria are present. The article considers what constitutes student work, how teachers should examine it, how they can devise protocols for this kind of professional development and who should be present at these meetings.

Improving the quality of learning: learning styles - a new approach

Langrehr has developed an 'instrument' which determines students' learning styles based on how they process and apply information. He suggests that recognising students' learning styles are important as it allows teachers to better mediate the curriculum for students, as well as create assessment tasks specifically for their learning styles. Neglecting students' learning styles means that assessment methods do not accurately gauge the 'intelligence, motivation and interest' of the learner. The article spells out Langrehr's method of establishing learning styles, and provides an example of the 'instrument' in action.

Healthy choices

New Zealand's Smashed n Stoned? is an early intervention and evidence-based program for 13 to 18-year-olds whose alcohol and drug consumption threatens their wellbeing. Created by the Alcohol Advisory Council (ALAC), it is designed for use by non-specialists, such as school counsellors and youth workers. Participants work through practical exercises and draw on the ALAC sponsored Urge website. School counsellors can receive professional development to use Smashed n Stoned? Through approved Ministry of Education courses.

Relating classroom teaching to student learning: a critical analysis of why research has failed to bridge the theory-practice gap

Current research into the relationship between teaching and learning falls into four main categories. Studies of 'excellent teachers' suffer from the difficulties of identifying such teachers accurately, and of knowing which aspects of their work produce excellent results: research shows that teacher effectiveness depends on context, e.g. many teachers awarded for excellence produce only modest achievements in the year following their prize-winning results. High quality correlational and experimental studies employ systematic observation of student learning experiences, using measures that are independent of teachers' judgement, and which identify, for example, a teacher's unconscious gender bias in class. However, they do not critically examine the context which determines whether specific teaching methods, e.g. asking closed rather than open questions, have proved effective. Design experiments involve design and close evaluation of teaching programs, reflecting specific learning theories, e.g. the ThinkerTools curriculum, but do not identify which elements in such a program are critical to success and which can be adapted to meet a local situation. Teachers' action research provides the most practical and context-sensitive research, and has been shown to boost professional development, but cannot identify factors invisible to the teacher while teaching. The elements of teaching capable of general application to produce successful student outcomes can best be identified by closely investigated case studies with results that can be replicated in a variety of contexts, e.g. with different curriculum content, and different kinds of students.

Transforming the curriculum

In an interview, Penny Andersen, from Tasmania's Department of Education, describes the reorganisation of the State's P-10 curriculum into the new Essential Learnings framework, around the themes of Thinking, Communicating, Personal Futures, World Futures, and Social Responsibility. The themes are broken down into key elements, eg the elements in Communication cover literacy, numeracy, information literacy and artistic literacy. The new curriculum emphasises students' inquiry skills for dealing with complex issues; lifelong learning; connecting to real-world issues; diversity; inclusiveness; values; and continuity and coherence in learning. The new curriculum arose from concerns about the overcrowding of the curriculum and lack of student engagement, highlighted in Tasmania's 2000 blueprint, Learning Together. Essential Learnings has been adopted in Catholic and some Independent schools, and has also been adopted in childcare centres. Reporting mechanisms for the new curriculum will be phased in between 2005-2008. A review of post-compulsory schooling is also taking place this year. An associated article outlines the reorganisation of the Department accompanying the curriculum reforms.

Argument for single curriculum framework

The current system for management and delivery of schooling in Australia was designed for a past set of political circumstances and should now be overhauled. State agencies and individual schools remain best placed to provide services that require rapid delivery, flexibility and responsiveness to local needs. However, a national approach to curriculum, assessment and certification would improve the transparency and coherence of Australian school education, enhance Australia's international attractiveness, ease the transition for students moving between education systems, as well as provide the chance for significant economies. A national approach is also most suitable for school starting ages, and for provision of ICT, buildings, resources and procurement. Teachers' employment may also be managed more efficiently through a national system, improving mobility.

The engaged classroom

Intrator researches student engagement from an experiential point of view -'shadowing teenagers at school'. Intrator's work revolves around creating classroom environments in which students are free from boredom and enthusiastically engaged in learning. In this article he draws on his work to inform teachers about the coping mechanisms students use to get through the school day, but he also outlines a range of strategies that teachers can employ to ensure that students do not see classroom time as something to be endured. Intrator characterises the boredom that students experience as slow time, lost time, fake time, worry time and play time. All of these are periods of time when students are not learning, and are using coping mechanisms to distract themselves from the physical situation in which they find themselves. In order to alleviate this boredom, Intrator recommends that teachers vary the pace of lessons, allow students to be creative, share their personal stories and get to 'know students as people'. They should also remember to relate learning to students' personal growth and individual needs, equipping them with skills to navigate their lifes' journeys now, as opposed to in the future.

Knowledge alive

Perkins assesses how good schools have been at imparting the knowledge arts - creating knowledge, communicating, organising and using it. He declares that while schools have been good at communicating knowledge, they have been weak in equipping students to create it, organise it and act on it. The article demonstrates to educators across disciplines how to assist students to become expert in the knowledge arts by making 'thinking visible', 'teaching for understanding', and 'creating a culture of learning'. Perkins wants teachers to accept that the knowledge arts is the 'second curriculum' - it helps students to better engage with the 'official curriculum', and provides them with the skills and motivation to do so.

To see beyond the lesson

Brooks make the point that the phrase 'teaching for meaning is redundant', claiming that as all learning is a search for meaning, teaching must necessarily have the same aim. In this article, she argues that teaching needs to move away from teaching for accountability tests, and, instead, use what researchers understand about the learning - that it needs to value student points of view, be conceptual, make connections between concepts and ideas, and use problem-based learning approaches to both motivate and inculcate a desire for learning in students.

Looking at the internationalisation of primary and intermediate schools: a New Zealand perspective

The Australia and New Zealand education export markets are $AUD 5 billion and $NZ 1.7 billion respectively in size. Many overseas students study as full-fee students in both the tertiary and schools sectors in Australia and New Zealand. This paper reports on research into the costs and benefits of the education 'export' sector in New Zealand schools, and makes recommendations for addressing some of the problems for teachers and school systems. Amongst the benefits for schools is an increase in funding and a more diverse student group. Among the concerns are teachers' workloads and bureaucratic demands on schools, as well as schools becoming too reliant on overseas students as a source of funds.

Non-violence as a framework for youth work practice

While aimed at youth work practices, this article will also be of interest to teachers and school leaders who wish to investigate ways of transforming their relationships with students and regenerating school cultures. Stuart observes that society's responses to youth are predicated on violence, implicit or explicit, and control. He urges those who work with young people to reflect on their practices, and to adopt a model of 'non-violence' to inform their relationship with young people. It is through non-violence that social justice can be achieved, and power can be reconfigured, so that it becomes something that relationships generate, 'power with', instead of something that constitutes relationships, 'power over'. Stuart lists the ten principles of non-violence in the article, and provides a detailed model for professional practice based on those tenets.

Learning to think as scientists

The authors of this article recount the process involved in transforming science teaching in one United States school district. A survey of science classes in the district in 1999-2000 found that science teachers used 80 per cent of their lesson time to transfer content, and only devoted twenty per cent of time to actual scientific inquiry. After revising the curriculum, the science teachers in this district had raised inquiry to 30 per cent of class time, and are aiming to increase this proportion. Teachers were given professional development in scientific inquiry, and then given the responsibility of redesigning the scope and sequence of the curriculum. They found, through a horizontal and vertical analysis of the existing curriculum, that they were teaching too many topics, so that students were not actually participating in any deep understanding of the subject. The emphasis had to change to 'doing science' as opposed to merely imparting knowledge. This article looks at how these teachers changed the curriculum to increase students' scientific skills through scientific practice and extended project work.

A world of difference

The authors of this article assert that studies within the United States, and comparative studies, such as the Third International Mathematics and Science Study, demonstrate that United States students are not learning mathematics in ways that foster greater and deeper understanding of the subject. Teachers are continuing to teach skills and procedures at the expense of understanding, even though the amount of conceptual mathematics they teach is equal to, or greater than, that taught in countries which perform above the United States in international comparisons. The problem for the United States, therefore, is not the content of the teaching, but the teaching itself, as it was found that teachers tend to 'step in' and solve conceptual problems for students, reducing problem solving to procedural steps. The authors acknowledge that what is needed is a cultural change in mathematics teaching, which can only be brought about by teachers finding the time to plan lessons that help students to think mathematically, to assess their teaching, and to reflect on students learning and responses to their attempts at change.

The future of public education in New South Wales

The Futures Project of the Department of Education and Training (New South Wales) aims to chart the course of school education in the State over the next 5-10 years. The current consultative phase of the project has gathered current research and data, as well as opinion from 26 peak bodies. During Term 4 this year, the findings will be reported in an overview document for staff in schools, TAFE and the Department, with the intention of launching a broader phase of consultation over questions that include 'tough and prickly' issues such as school-based decision-making, accountability measures and teacher selection. Broad topic areas are: students, including retention rates and meeting the needs of early school leavers; teachers, including performance incentives; leaders, which will cover selection, training, mentoring and support; partnerships with parents and with industry; technology; organisational culture and relationships between schools, TAFE and State Office; and the quality of schooling and TAFE.

Innocent bystanders?

A recent study by the University of South Australia has researched 400 primary and secondary students' attitudes towards bullying. The surveyed students were shown a video depicting physical and verbal bullying and, in the case of the secondary students, sexual harassment of girls by boys, and were asked to respond anonymously to a questionnaire. Most students reported witnessing physical and verbal bullying at least weekly, and 37% of the secondary students witnessed incidents of sexual harassment weekly. Large numbers indicated that as bystanders they would ignore bullying. Factors that encourage students to support victims included the expectations of friends (but not of teachers or parents), and the experience of having previously defended victims. Empathy towards victims was a further factor - more for primary than secondary students, and more for girls than boys, especially when other girls were being sexually harassed. Schools can address bullying effectively by promoting peer pressure against bullying amongst students themselves, eg by: discussing bystander behaviour in class; highlighting strong student responses against bullying; offering students strategies for dealing with dangerous situations, eg through verbal rather than physical intervention against bullies; and encouraging students to rehearse what they might say to bullies. Parents should also urge their children to be 'good bystanders'.

Battling against the odds

Among OECD countries, Australia does the least to narrow the gap between rich and poor. Pettersen surveys two Victorian schools - a Primary School in Morwell and a Preschool in Frankston, to gauge how poverty affects school communities, students and educational outcomes. The picture he paints is one of dedicated, enthusiastic and caring staff labouring against the manifestations of social inequity in their student cohorts. Morwell primary school has a breakfast program which is used by 10 per cent of its students, and one adult in six in the town is unemployed. In the Frankston preschool, one of the key aims of the school is to provide a structure for their students' lives, something that is lost due to the transience caused by unemployment. Statistically, students from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to go to preschool and complete their schooling, and, when they do, their educational attainment is lower than students who come from wealthier backgrounds.

Discussions on discipline: why, what and how

Rogers recalls the many times he has spoken to parents about disciplining children, when he has laid out both the intellectual justification for disciplining and the principles behind a disciplinary regime. In this article he again describes models that teachers should use when disciplining students, which rely on 'fair and known consequences for behaviour', and which 'teach behaviour' and even provide feedback to children. Both models emphasise that discipline needs to be a positive action, and should only ever focus on behaviour. Adults, teachers and parents, should also be aware that they are modelling behaviour, and that the outcome of a discipline strategy is to help children become well formed, responsible people.

Boys can be educated!

Boys seem to be underachieving, and exhibiting more behavioural and social problems according to most measures of educational outcomes. Mitchell's article, however, outlines a series of strategies to empower teachers and schools to turn this trend around. He explains that with all the 'negative social influences' that attempt to distort masculinity, teachers of boys, by necessity, will need to be 'counter cultural', and reinforce positive and self-affirming standards. Boys also need safe classroom environments, which encourage them to take learning risks, reduce competitive behaviour, encourage cooperation and build and value relationships. Schools, on the other hand, need to be collaborative in their creation of vision statements, so that the statements' goals are realised through teachers' and students' actions, and do not become not idle hopes.

Teachers resist change

Queensland's New Basics program, trialled, since 2000, in 38 Queensland government schools with pupils in upper primary school to Year 11, is designed to develop higher order thinking through complex tasks. A recent evaluation of the program by Dr James Ladwig is expected to guide the Victorian Government's plans for similar reform in Victoria's Year 9 curriculum. The study found that while most students and parents approved of the program, many teachers and education officials were unhappy with the changes, and some teachers were struggling to grasp the teaching and assessment requirements of New Basics. Suggested causes for these obtacles include: cutbacks in school funding, poor professional development and career status for teachers, and students with relatively low academic achievement being accepted into teaching colleges due to a shortage of applicants. New Basics arose from a 1998 study in Queensland that identified high levels of student alienation and boredom.The Queensland Government intends to introduce aspects of New Basics statewide.

The Technology School of the Future

The Technology School of the Future (TSOF) in South Australia provides courses for school leaders, teachers and students in the use of ICT. The School also undertakes research in school-related ICT, provides community programs, and facilitates links to industry. The TSOF offers consultancy services to schools on ICT-related teaching and learning issues, including resource planning, school leadership, and administration. Through the Teaching and Learning with the Internet resource provided by the South Australian Department of Education and Children's Services, the TSOF trains and mentors coaches who deliver training courses in school districts. The School is also helping students to respond critically to new cultural forms related to ICT. Students at the School are encouraged to use ICT to contruct and share knowledge rather than merely locate it.

Science: a bigger picture

Although often seen as objective, value-free, and 'universal', science is always value-laden and 'depends on the cultural, economic and power interests of the day'. Over the last 200 years, production in industry and agriculture has been aimed at 'maximising shareholder value' and at providing items such as military hardware. Recently, there have been growing calls for a 'sustainability science' to monitor the environment's impact on human wellbeing. The 2001 Statement of the Friibergh Workshop on Sustainability Science argues that traditional methodologies of hypothesis formulation and testing are inadequate to deal with complex systems that are non-linear and include time lags between cause and effect. It also argues that humans cannot be seen in isolation from the surrounding system, and that sustainability scientists need to work alongside community activists. School Science should move from 'the conceptual, abstract curricula of today' towards the study of ecological systems within which students can be engaged more successfully with chemistry, physics, biology and earth science. Students should also be able to work on real science-based social problems alongside scientists or others in the cyber community.

School culture: connections and disconnections

If culture is the collection values, beliefs, attitudes, symbols and behaviours of a given organisation, how can it be changed or improved to further the mission or goals of that organisation - in this case a school? The authors of this article identified six elements of school culture, and then tested their relationship to one another in a survey of 422 secondary school teachers in Western Australia. It was anticipated that the survey would provide an empirical basis for a model of school culture based on the six elements. The idea was that the teachers, in their responses, would identify which of the elements in the model were dependent or independent of each other, and therefore indicate which elements could be manipulated to produce change through the whole of a school's culture. The elements posited by the authors included emphasis on learning; collegiality; collaboration; school administration-team leadership; shared planning; and teacher professional values and behaviours. The article includes a diagrammatic model of school culture, and discusses the implications of the authors findings for school cultural improvement.

Simple strategies for dealing with data

Chick demonstrates to teachers that there is no need to wait until the senior years of schooling before introducing students to data handling techniques and analysis. The article is replete with examples of how one group of Year 7 students were able to graph and display a set of data with several variables in intelligible ways, in the process making connections between the various variables, which exhibited deep understanding. After demonstrating the various methods students used to sort, group and graph the data, Chick asserts that statistics helps students to make observations of, and discern trends in, information, and this allows them to see the value in using data to 'convey a convincing message'.

Mathematical gossip: relevance and context in the mathematics classroom

Callingham uses the idea of mathematical gossip to demonstrate to teachers how mathematical procedures can be expanded to deepen learning and knowledge, and encourage higher order thinking. Mathematical gossip is recognising that mathematical concepts exist in abstract associations with each other, and that teachers need to a make these connections both vertically (deepen procedural and conceptual knowledge), as well as horizontally (create ways of applying knowledge across contexts). The latter assists students' understanding, while the former deepens conceptual knowledge. For example, the example used in the article demonstrates how understanding measurement can be deepened by calculating area, while it may be situated in context by applying it to the social context of carpet laying. These connections, or 'gossip', make the links between mathematical concepts, and between mathematical contexts and social contexts, and provide opportunities for teachers to deepen mathematical understanding and make the subject more immediate to students' lives.

Meeting the needs of the adolescent learner

Adolescents are 'caught between two worlds' - 'childhood and adulthood' and, as such, their teachers need a degree of empathy for what they are going through developmentally. This article is a collection of strategies, adopted by middle years teachers, to connect with their students and to keep them engaged in their learning. A key point to bear in mind is to combine learning strategies with adolescent predispositions. For example, teenagers want to be connected, feel popular, and tackle issues that are relevant to their lives. Learning strategies which are group focused, and good teacher-student relationships, are therefore encouraged. Combining community-based projects and accommodating different learning styles will also improve engagement.

Teacher preparation for Environmental Education: faculty perspectives on the infusion of EE into preservice methods courses

In a US study, 18 professors of education were interviewed about current and potential methods for integrating Environmental Education (EE) into pre-service education for elementary (primary) science and social studies courses. Respondents preferred to infuse EE in method classes rather than offer separate courses. A large proportion used 'prepackaged', nationally disseminated curricula to introduce students to EE, though they also expressed interest in local community activity. They saw both pre-service classes and system-level involvement as important to develop EE. Perceived barriers to the integration of EE into teaching courses included: the crowded curriculum, amid concern that adding EE would increase demand for other 'add-ons'; pressure to reduce rather than increase workload for pre-service primary teachers, partly due to a teacher shortage; limited opportunities for school placements relevant to EE; and academic subject segregation. Other barriers to EE include the pressure on US schools from the 'current testing atmosphere' to replace science with more easily tested subjects; the need to compete with courses such as Special Education; frequent reluctance of pre-service teachers to take science and/or outdoor classes; and perceptions of EE as 'left-wing'. Steps proposed to promote EE include: increasing resources to teaching faculties; encouraging EE professional associations to involve teacher educators at their events; and emphasising the capacity of EE to achieve multiple educational goals.

Behind closed doors

Public Attitudes to Discrimination in Private Schools is a report by the Australia Institute which examined private school use of their exemptions under the various legislative regimes which prohibit discrimination. These exemptions often allow private schools to discriminate against people on the grounds of their sexuality, or because of their marital and family status eg. unmarried mothers. Slamet's review of the report finds that while the use of these exemptions in employment is common knowledge, what is not so well known is the propensity of schools to bring discriminatory practices to bear on students. Same sex attracted students, for example, could be legally expelled from religious schools. The report argues that many of these exemptions are out of step with community views and values generally, and are increasingly at odds with private school communities' values. There is therefore a case for these exemptions to be withdrawn.

Personal space

There has been increasing political pressure for parents to control teenagers' sexuality and to have access to their children's medical records for that purpose. Likewise, the abstinence message has found popularity amongst some, even though research indicates that it is more likely to lead to higher teen birth rates and a greater exposure to sexually transmitted infections. Through a series of interviews with sexual health researchers and school health educators, this article builds a case for a more inclusive and open environment regarding teenage sexuality, arguing that research shows that teenagers who are knowledgeable about their sexuality are less likely to become sexually active, and that societies which have a more liberal attitude to sex seem to have low teen birth rates and higher rates of contraception usage.

Stretched to the limit

Tarrant reviews the findings of the AEU's annual survey of public school principals, and seeks out the lives behind the statistics in her interviews with public school principals from around Australia. Tarrant asserts that while OECD testing shows Australian educational standards to be 'world class', the AEU survey and principals' testimonies are evidence that the standard of education is being maintained by an increasingly burdened educators and parents. Teachers are having to teach outside of their subject specialties and make do with less resources, while parents' fundraising is being used to fund core functions of schools, as opposed to optional programs. Principals' resentment of what they find to be an inequitable national funding model is compounded by the size of their administration load and longer work days. All of this, according to Tarrant, demonstrates that public school communities may be reaching the limits of their capacities.

Managing crises

Schools, as large communities of people, need to deal with unexpected, traumatic, events befalling their community, or members of their community. This article helps teachers and principals to deal with such crises, and informs them as to the signs of those crises that may be preventable. People will be affected differently by a crisis depending on their proximity to the event, and to the individual or individuals involved. They may also, seemingly, cope quite well during the event and in its immediate aftermath, only to breakdown after a relatively minor incident or altercation. Those leading responses to crises should keep the 'meaning' of the event to particular individuals in mind when formulating a response or helping a colleague. This article also contains a list of 'predictors of anger', and profiles those students most likely to be at risk of violent behaviour.

Digital portfolios and authentic assessment

Jenkinson describes his attempts at devising means of student authentic assessment in primary school classes. While he acknowledges that there is a place for 'summative' assessment at the completion of a unit of work, he wanted to find ways in which students could create criteria for assessment and reflect on their work at all stages of the learning process. His justification for this is that teaching and learning are no longer in the 'straitjacket of behaviourism', so therefore assessment must change accordingly. He led an initiative in which he modelled constructive responses to students' work, and then proceeded to ask students to do the same. At the end of the process, students were able to reflect on their weaknesses and learning goals, and their work was exhibited in a digital format alongside curriculum outcomes. Overtime, students have learned to set goals, reflect on their achievements, and are 'peer- and self-assessing' as well as creating assessment rubrics.

Survival tips for beginning teachers

Judy Bolton created and leads the mentoring and induction programme for beginning teachers in her school. Beginning teachers are paired with an experienced teacher, usually in a different subject area, who is able to support them in 'classroom focussed' issues. New teachers are also invited to induction workshops where they are informed of the school's organisational structure and other practical information they may need. Given her experience, Bolton is able to condense beginning teachers' experience into 'survival tips', which includes encouraging them to think of their achievements and to be accepting of their mistakes and limitations; remembering to be flexible in lesson plans so as to take advantage of students' ideas and learning directions; being positive in their classroom management and use of language; taking a genuine interest in students' lives; and believing and maintaining consistency in the standards that they set for themselves and their students.

Repositioning academic literacy: charting the emergence of a community of practice

The five authors designed and taught a short course, called Apprenticeship in Academic Literacy, for students enrolled in the first year of an education degree at James Cook University, who came from low socio-economic, rural, isolated and Indigenous backgrounds. The project drew on the four types of literacy practices identified by Luke and Freebody: breaking the code of texts; participating in the meanings of texts; using texts functionally, and critically analysing and transforming texts. Students were taught literacy skills such as identifying the clustering of content in paragraphs; breaking down complex embedded sentences; and using a discipline-specific dictionary. While running the course, the authors reconceived of themselves as a 'community of practice' underscoring the collaboration involved in the development of each workshop. This concept represents a collective strategy to correct inequalities, opposed to the 'commodifying' of academic literacy endorsed by neo-liberalism, which does not address the 'situatedness' of literacy practices or the centrality of the 'social' in education.

The struggle for curriculum reform in Australia 1987-1993

The years 1987-1993 saw moves to reform the school curriculum. The Australian Government sought to introduce a National Curriculum emphasising vocational education. New South Wales pushed for a focus on separate content-based subjects and an emphasis on liberal studies. The Australian Government's proposals were also resisted by teacher unions, subject associations, and teacher educators. The draft National Curriculum was rejected in 1993, however, some of its features were adopted by individual education systems. More generally, the content and interpretation of subjects and learning areas were contested. There were moves toward cross-curricular, integrated studies. Outcomes-based education gained appeal as a means to accommodate academic and activity-centred education, though its application varied between systems. There was also a trend for more students to stay on until Year 12, with implications for average academic achievement levels in schools.

On the nature of knowledge: what we want and what we get with measurement in music education

Positivist knowledge is deemed to be external to a person, governed by causal relationships, and focused on operations such as manufacturing processes that can be replicated and therefore be seen as universally valid. Interpretive knowledge explicitly involves interaction between a person and external objects, requires judgement, and is specific to a situation. In reality both forms of knowledge assume the other. Curriculum, based on a positivist model, sees knowledge being imparted to learners according to an intrinsic logic independent of learners, whereas interpretive curriculum highlights the learner's construction of knowledge. Music can be taught in positivist terms as an established product that is objective and value-free. In interpretive terms, musical meaning emerges through an individual's interaction with the music, as it is linked to their social values. Both conceptions are needed: emotion and meaning in music emerge after comprehension of a set of rules for a particular musical style. The traditional form of 'Classical' (including Baroque and Romantic) western music education usually assesses students on 'objective' knowledge, whereas music students should be assessed on both content and interpretation. The subjective element in a tutor's judgement of a student should also be acknowledged.

Something for everyone

The Victorian Government's Blueprint for Government Schools is encouraging innovative programs that cater for diverse student interests, respond to local needs, and promote partnerships with community or industry. It also Choices in the post-compulsory years of education are provided by Vocational Education and Training courses and through the VCAL (Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning). The Blueprint encourages strongly performing schools to share their expertise: the Leading Schools Fund helps schools to develop innovative programs and then mentor other schools. Independent schools also cater for a range of interests. Related articles cover courses available at Whittlesea Secondary College and Billanook College.

Suffer the little children

The AEU has released For all our children: National preschool education inquiry report. The inquiry into the state of preschooling across the States and Territories was conducted by Kathy Walker over a period of twelve months, and it conducted forums and received submissions in all jurisdictions. The major recommendations of the report are that State, Territory and Commonwealth Governments develop a national strategy for this important area of education, and that State and Territory Departments of Education take responsibility for preschooling in their respective jurisdictions. Diana Ward's summary of the report gives a detailed account of the situation in Victoria, and raises issues of governance, access, special needs and cultural diversity as key concerns for preschooling in that State.

Back 2 Future

Burgess looks at the results of two investigations into bullying in Australia and the United Kingdom, and reviews to anti-bullying programs currently being trialled in Western Australian Schools. While it is safe to conclude that bullying is not becoming more prevalent in schools, and it is clear that there is a greater awareness of the problem amongst educators and students, there is still a need to equip schools to deal effectively with the problem. The programs being trialled in Western Australia, Friendly Schools and Friendly Schools - Friendly Families, attempt to change the culture of tolerance for bullying, and provide practical measures for schools to adopt in order to decrease the incidence of bullying. These include adjusting the length of student breaks, and maintaining a visible teacher presence. Two approaches to solving bullying situations, 'no blame approach' and 'shared concern', are part of the programs and are explained in the article.

Public Education - whither or wither?

Bonnor's article is an instalment in the debate about publicly funded private education. In earlier articles published in Prime Focus, Professor Brian Caldwell outlined the idea that the notion of 'public' had to be defined in terms of a school's values, and not linked to the source of its funding. Chris Bonnor argues that Caldwell should not limit his definition to values, but rather include all the curriculum, practice and policies and procedures of schools in his definition. Bonnor's approach would see private schools being forced to comply, not just in stated values, but also at the level of practice, with the kind of policy and procedural regimes to which public schools have to conform in order to qualify for public funding. This would 'level the playing field', somewhat, in the competition between public and private schools for staff and students. It may also force some public schools to improve their practices, given that they would be better able to compete with their private counterparts.

Leading in troubled waters

Harris observes that there is tendency in leadership discourse to unearth a generic set of leadership skills, without considering the various contexts in which leaders might find themselves and the appropriateness of their skills to each situation. For example, and as she notes in the article, schools which face 'multiple levels of disadvantage' may need a leader who has a leadership profile which may differ from the norm. To this end she outlines the specific needs of a social disadvantaged school, and lists the leadership attributes that are likely to be required in that context. Among those attributes are a capacity to build communities and lead learning, and a propensity to distribute leadership and invest in staff development.

The role of drawing in young children's journeys towards literacy

The narrowly defined, 'high status' reading and writing activities, usually taught at school, do not acknowledge the wide variety of approaches to literacy that children have previously learned in the home environment, and which they continue to explore outside school. The typical teaching approach in school does not reflect the broad forms of communication and knowledge generation found in popular culture, the media, and advertising. Broadening the curriculum to include these forms of representation would increase children's confidence as communicators. A project in Britain, conducted by the author and her colleague, Kathy Ring, tracked a group of 3- to 6-year old children over 3 years. The project highlighted the importance of children's drawing in their development of narrative skills. In their early years, children are unable to use words as effectively as images to express their understandings of the world. However, their drawing skills receive little supportive feedback from teachers and are not brought out adequately in art lessons, which tend to be too formal. Other types of multimodality, such as song and dance, are also integral to children's emerging literacy, and should be encouraged.

The role of images and image-text relations in group 'Basic Skills Tests' of literacy for children in the primary school years

Schools maintain an emphasis on printed material that is increasingly at odds with the communication of meaning in the broader society, where images play a growing role. School education systems in Australia recognise the need to incorporate the importance of images within state-wide assessments of student literacy. However there is no systematic information available about the extent of inclusion of images in large scale literacy tests. This article describes a study of the Year Five Basic Skills Test in New South Wales, concerning the kinds of images occurring in these test materials, and the extent to which the images are explicitly targeted by the test questions. The study found a marked increase over time in the number of test items requiring the reading of images. However, test constructors need to review the apparent bias towards testing of students' use of conceptual rather than narrative images. They need to develop test questions that identify how students understand the range of image/text relationships within multimodal texts.

Mulitliteracies: the story so far

Mary Kalantzis and Bill Cope describe developments and issues in multiliteracies, in interview with Anne Cloonan. The Multiliteracy Project was an Australian initiative involving experts around the world. Known as the New London Group, they reviewed literacy and pedagogy in the face of developments in ICT, its social role and usage, and changes in English language. They coined the term 'multiliteracy' to encompass two trends. The first is multimodality, or the diverse expression of meaning via linguistic, visual, audio, gestural and spatial modes. The second 'multi' refers to the need for cross-cultural communication between the growing multilingual dispersion of English language into sub-cultures, creoles, national languages such as Indian-English, and 'social languages' e.g. around sport or a profession. These insights are combined with the growing recognition of the central role of teachers in student performance. A group of educators have prepared a 'template' for the teaching of multiliteracies, including a 'pedagogical scaffold' in which teachers can add their own activities and experiences. The template poses questions to teachers to help them avoid routinism and develop their skills in encouraging students' higher order thinking. ICT offers ways to transform teaching by encouraging in-depth collaboration between teachers and between students, and allowing schools to create rather than just transmit knowledge.

University and school connections: enhancing literacy development of primary aged children with challenging needs and the skills of special education teachers in training

Teacher educators at Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, have collaborated with staff at two primary schools in the central west of New South Wales in a literacy program that trains pre-service teachers to work with special needs children. The program raised general issues regarding university-school collaboration. The issues include: constraints on the duration, frequency, and scheduling of planning meetings; the need to build mutual trust and respect over time between university and school staff; the need to minimise additional workload on classroom teachers and school students; the administrative support needed from schools; and the large size of the pre-service teacher cohort to be trained. Unusually, the program allowed cooperative learning to be modelled in a university environment. The program was very successful in terms of student's attendance levels, engagement and behaviour in the classroom. It also highlighted the need to strengthen links between universities and schools and for university administrations to embrace and fully support such programs.

Issues in addressing children's difficulties in literacy development through family-school partnerships

Cooperation between parents and teachers in children's learning is increasingly valued, as research underscores the benefits of one-on-one learning that cannot be fully resourced within formal schooling. Under the 'expert' model of cooperation, teachers are seen as professionals directing parent's activity. In the 'transplant' model teachers impart some of their expertise to the parent. The 'consumer' model sees parents as able to choose between different services 'purchased' from the teachers: this model is sometimes seen as eroding the professional role of teachers, and as privileging the most articulate and literate parents. Under the 'empowerment' model teachers support the role of family networks in children's learning. While earlier research suggested that working class parents gave less support to their children's literacy learning, recent studies suggest that parental interest is spread across classes, and tends to be strong amongst ethnic minorities still acquiring English language skills. The New Zealand Pause Prompt Praise program developed from a 'transplant' to an empowerment model as its practitioners drew increasingly on Maori culture. Models of cooperation that emphasise the importance of family learning tend to fit well with psycholinguistic theories of language acquisition that stress the active role of readers in constructing meaning. Phonics-based theories tend to emphasise the professional role of the teacher, however it is possible to develop phonics-based programs for use by parents.

Art for life's sake

Introducing ballet performance to Year 10 English students St Catherine's College in Wellington, New Zealand, has produced benefits across the curriculum. The school's teaching principal Jane Holloway and the arts coordinator organised the students to attend a live performance of Madame Butterfly by the Royal New Zealand Ballet - the first exposture to ballet for most students. The performance led the students to work on the story in more detail in English classes.They undertook a two-week dance workshop, held during physical education classes, in which members of the ballet company taught them how to express mood and theme through dance in relation to Madame Butterfly. They also had a unit of study on the ballet. It included a synopsis of the love story in its historical and cultural context; writing poetry; debating the merits of being a geisha; using the internet to source reviews of the ballet and writing their own reviews. The students were inspired to read literature on themes similar to those in the ballet. All of the students improved their work habits commitment and achieved higher academic levels in English. Participation in direct learning through workshop and the performance were crucial to these successes. Arts' coordinators have a vital role in encouraging teachers to use the Arts across the curriculum. The school has also used the Arts to enhance its Roman Catholic special character and to celebrate its cultural diversity.

Failed by the education system

A University of Melbourne study has found that schooling outcomes among Kooris in Victoria's Goulburn Valley region - with the state's highest concentration of Indigenous people outside Melbourne - is very poor compared with regional, state and national averages. Little more than one in three Aboriginal students complete Year 12. A significant proportion of Indigenous youth do not reach secondary schools. Contributing factors include school-based deficiencies, family and community-based influences and social and environment barriers. Research author Katrina Alford says that geographical remoteness or isolation is not the prime cause but rather social remoteness and exclusion, with Indigenous people's social exclusion greater in relatively more 'Europeanised' and urbanised regions such as south-east Australia than in remote areas where cultural suppression is not as severe or intense. An estimated 4000 to 5000 Koories comprise about 10 per cent of the Goulburn Valley's total population. Those living in the region are expected to 'assimilate' into the mainstream education system and Indigenous people's cultural and educational needs are rarely acknowledged in schools in the region. Most Indigenous youth do not assimilate in mainstream schools.

System helps monitor outcomes

The School Information System (SIS) in Western Australia provides software to support the major management functions of the states' government schools. It allows teachers to monitor and evaluate students work. A number of schools have linked it to their Curriculum Improvement Plans. The SIS has stimulated teachers to explore the moderation process and to link more closely to other teachers within and across schools to make comparable and consistent judgments of student performance. The technology is also helping to record and profile students over time and to transfer student details quickly and easily when students move between schools. Current assessment data on student learning outcomes can be used to provide sequencing and continuity of learning. The SIS is part of the Technology 2000 initiative. See also accompanying article, 'Software brings big gains'.

It starts with good teaching

The Making Schools Better summit last week included over 200 principals, policy-makers, researchers and government advisers. It provided a forum for education researchers and practitioners to exchange ideas about the main priorities for school reform. Topics included public and private school funding; factors governing school performance; sectoral differences; and the role of government in education. A shortage of maths and science teachers was described by one participant as 'profound and endemic'. Teacher workload was addressed, with calls for more support staff to reduce teachers' administrative duties. A key theme was the importance of teachers in student outcomes, with calls for more professional development, more care in teacher selection and rewards for better teachers. A range of school principals stressed the importance of respectful and caring relationships between teachers and students in creating a good school. Speakers included Australian Education Minister Brendan Nelson, Victorian Education Minister Lynne Kosky, Dr Martyn Forrest, Secretary of the Tasmanian Department of Education, Dr Ken Rowe, and Professor Eric Hanushek.

A new leaf

Under the New South Wales Healthy School Canteen Strategy, canteens will be used to encourage good eating habits and reinforce the messages delivered in the school health curriculum. From Term 1 next year all New South Wales public school canteens will only serve food consistent with approved dietary guidelines. The program will promote case studies of schools that have maintained canteen profits despite the greater costs of healthy foods and the temptation for students to buy junk food elsewhere. The availability of healthier snack foods, a particularly concern in regional and remote areas, is slowly being improved as the food industry shifts to meet new market demands. Schools should sell packaged or processed fruit or vegetables where supply of fresh food is limited, or when the greater time needed to prepare healthy foods stretches the availability of volunteers. Healthy foods should be attractively presented. Junk food should be phased out rather than immediately replaced, or permanently allowed alongside good food. It is important to have a variety of healthy foods on offer. Local businesses supplying junk food can be encouraged to produce healthier products, eg low fat pies. Students 'really hurt' by the removal of crisps and lollies may spend their 15-cent budget on dried fruits or savoury biscuits.

Literature that promotes justice for all

While aimed at the United States educator, this article will be of relevance to all teachers of the humanities. Alexa Sandmann's intention is to cultivate an awareness of justice in students, which she hopes will lead them towards the practice of justice and a greater 'civic competence'. Sandmann demonstrates to teachers how they can accomplish this feat through literature which deals with both justice and 'non-justice', or 'injustice'. The article contains an annotated list of resources which will assist teachers in that endeavour.

Bullying prevention: strategies from the UK

Peter Kent is the headmaster of a school in England. In this article he describes the practical initiatives taken by his school to reduce the incidence of bullying. Kent isolates four main areas in which anti-bullying measures can be adopted. They include: security and supervision; prevention education; discipline; and parental and community involvement. The last involves surveying parents' attitudes towards bullying, and harnessing their support by keeping them informed of any initiatives that the school is undertaking to address the issue.

Bullying: is your school safe?

The effects of bullying can last well into adulthood for many victims, and recently Australian courts have agreed with that observation, awarding damages to individuals who have brought civil actions against education authorities for not taking reasonable steps to protect them from bullying. This article reports on a study which examined the effects of an anti-bullying program which was implemented in a Victorian secondary school. The sample for the study were two different intakes of Years 7 and 8 students, whose attitudes to bullying were gauge over a two year period, from 2000-2002. The survey found that students' attitudes to bullying behaviour were indeed changed due to the anti-bullying policy; that verbal bullying was equally prevalent amongst boys as it was amongst girls; that bullying persists where teachers are unaware of its existence; and that students do accept that they can stop its occurrence, but are unlikely to have faith in adult assistance. Some of the measures recommended for reducing the incidence of bullying include: raising staff awareness of bullying; placing the issue in the curriculum; and having a 'zero-tolerance policy' towards bullying.

Working with angry parents

While admittedly rare, most teachers at some stage of their career will have to deal with an 'angry parent'. In this article Bill Rogers considers the options of teachers who are physically confronted by an aggressive and unreasonable parent. Acknowledging that it would be difficult for many to behave professionally in these situations, Rogers gives the reader step-by-step advice on how to control the situation, and avoid its escalation. Rogers also recommends that there should be a debriefing after such occurrences, and that schools should have a policy in place which mandates the reporting and recording of such altercations.

Teachers as online educators: requirements for distributed learning and teacher preparation

'Distributed learning' refers to online learning situations where some but not all students are in remote locations. A research project in the USA sought to identify the pre-service training needs of teachers who will be engaged in distributed learning situations. The researchers surveyed and then interviewed teachers in two rural schools. Results show the need for teachers to have access to appropriate technology, along with working knowledge of the software, backed up by IT and administrative support. Teachers also need skills specific to online pedagogy, to enable them to support various learners and learning styles and individualised content. The opportunity to practice online teaching during pre-service training including a 'virtual practicum', is also seen as essential.

Expanding horizons for the middle years

To overcome student disengagement during the middle years, a number of state and independent schools have developed innovative Year 9 programs designed to relate to students' interests and life beyond the school. Year 9 students at Kambrya College in Berwick, Victoria, choose three intensive, term-long programs in areas such as music, hospitality, or landscaping. Students determine the end product such as a music CD or a fully catered meal. The program is designed to tap into students' interests and provide experiences that are relevant and not confined to the classroom. The program covers all students and takes up most of the year. Alternative strategies to engage Year 9 students are being used at other schools. They include exclusive Year 9 campuses, extensive outdoor activities, and residential programs.

Twenty reasons for teacher-librarians to love IM

There are many reasons for school librarians to learn and use instant messaging (IM). IM is a key communication medium for students, who are using email less and less. Students use IM not only for personal contact but to collaborate in school work. IM is permeating mainstream social life, with businesses, the police, and airports starting to use the abbreviated 'dialect' of IM for quick communications. IM is free, and allows real time communication. Communication between different IM applications, while still sometimes difficult, is being overcome by products such as Trillian. IM suffers less than email from spam. School librarians can set up time for students to interact via IM with staff. IM allows private communications suitable for personalised coaching. A study at Pennsylvania State University showed excellent results from a library program using IM to interact with students at risk.

Teaching for civic participation with negotiation role plays

Smith advocates for the use of role play to help students understand the different perspectives that may exist about a particular issue, and the processes involved in coming to a resolution. Students are able to engage meaningfully with the content, assume points of view that they would not have otherwise taken, and learn key negotiation skills. The article relies on a role play, 'The Growing of America', which tackles the competing interests and points of view around the immigration debate in the United States. The format of the role play, its assumptions, skills and outcomes as described in this article, however, are transferable to any classroom situation. Smith outlines the format of the role play, and describes each key stage of the negotiation process. She also demonstrates how negotiation differs from the debates, speech writing and elections in which students are usually encouraged to participate in class.

Notschool

Loader ponders why the look, design and organisation of schools has not change in over 100 years, and sardonically suggests that we may have 'stumbled on the perfect learning model'. Loader aim, however, is to provoke the reader into considering alternatives to the current educational structure, as he recounts his experience with an online school in the United States which has adopted an innovative approach to educating at-risk students. Notsschool.net operates an online learning community where students are researchers, teachers are mentors and undergraduate tertiary students are recruited as buddies. Learning is measured by what students do online during a week, but it is not necessarily related to how long they are logged on. The activity on the website is evidence that the researchers (students) inspire each other in their collaborations, and assist each other in their learning. For Loader this a sign that alternative educational models exist, and Notschool may be the platform for a new, innovative approach to education.

Sport safety in schools

Marino cites research from a health insurer that estimates that the costs of sports injuries annually is somewhere in the vicinity of $1.5 billion. Given the age of school populations and the popularity of school sport, it's likely that many students incur sports injuries playing organised sport or playing sport on an informal basis. This article lists the incidence and type of sports injuries by age and school level, before it examines the many measures schools can take to reduce the likelihood of sports injuries occurring. Some of the measures include carrying out a safety audit on sports facilities and equipment; teaching correct sports techniques; being prepared for injuries when they occur; and making sure previously injured players follow 'return-to-play guidelines.

Boys, boys: less noise

McCardle asserts that while there do not seem to be any alternatives to the current educational system, educators should at least acknowledge that it does not work in favour of boys. The purpose of the curriculum and schooling is to assimilate young people into society, and in such a system there is no place for individuality and alternative learning styles. McCardle observes that boys do not see any relation between school and the rest of their lives, a trend that seems to be borne out by their reluctance to read for pleasure, because it's expected at school. There is a need for a more flexible and interactive curriculum, one which makes more space for individuality, and that, hopefully, will accompany a 'change in the culture of education'.

Trade-up in quest for skills

A shortage of skilled tradespeople in Australia threatens to reduce economic output by $9 billion over the next decade. Young people and parents are choosing university over trade qualifications. Reasons include: lower status of trades; misconceptions that tradespeople earn less than those with higher degrees; industry's failure over past decades to engage with either technical or mainstream schools. The cultural shift required to change public perceptions of trades education is likely to take several years. Northland Secondary College is addressing this problem by establishing a manufacturing skills centre within the school, which is linked to local industry. A prominent location and good design demonstrates the centre's importance to the school.

Saving science

Declining numbers of teachers and secondary and tertiary students enrolling in science and mathematics subjects threatens Australia's competitiveness. Suggested causes of the decline include:stronger incentives to study commerce, law and medicine; the difficulty of science; experience of poor quality science teaching at school; and the lack of confidence of primary teachers to take science. The Australian Government will spend almost $2 million on new resources and teacher professional development at primary school level. The Australian Academy of Science is to offer new teaching materials and specialist training, supported by State and Territory education authorities and teacher professional associations. Interest in science teaching is currently being raised by peer mentoring between universities and schools. A coordinated national plan for scientific education has been proposed. There have also been calls for periodic examination of science teachers' skills, with more money to be given to successful teachers.

Leave no grown-up behind: coming to terms with technology

The authors are instructors in early childhood tertiary courses, and they recount their experiences in establishing online learning communities to facilitate their distance education courses. Both admit to having grown up in the era of television, and that their first experiences with computer technology were daunting; but their work and experiences point to the advantages and richness of online learning when it's done in a way that accepts both the differences and limitations of Internet communication. The article contains some basic tips on working around the technological frustrations of the Internet, but the section that many readers will find informative is the one entitled 'Learning how to learn online', where the authors describe their method of creating online learning communities through having participants engage with themselves and others through 'play and storytelling'. A useful comparison of face-to-face and online learning is also included.

It's not just about homophobia: it's about the systems that wittingly or unwittingly reinforce it

Covich urges school leaders and teachers to rethink their responses to homophobia in schools, and to attack the causes of the problem - values and attitudes-instead of merely reacting to its manifestations. Covich notes that schools often ignore the problem, or treat it under the umbrella of 'bullying'. The former is a abrogation of responsibility for the culture of the school, while the second is assuming that the same support - in both the home and the school - is available to gay and lesbian students as it is to their heterosexual peers. The examples that are outlined in the article make it clear that the assumption is incorrect, as many gay and lesbian do not have the same support networks to draw upon, and many are actively concealing their identity from intolerant and often openly hostile families. Schools need to ensure that homophobia and heterosexism are exposed and challenged in the curriculum, if they truly want to make their environments safe for gay and lesbian students. Suzanne Covich is the author of A Circle in a Room Full of Squares, in which young people write of their recollections of school life.

Who dares aspire to school leadership?

Kathy Lacey's PhD research sought to uncover the factors influencing the decision of female teachers to apply for school leadership or principal positions. In this article, she looks at the conflict between organisational culture and female teachers' personal beliefs and priorities, and suggests that workplace practices will need to change from being 'gender-blind' and 'smart machismo', in order to accommodate the leadership aspirations and life/work balance of aspiring female leaders.

The case for inclusion

The author is a Vision Services Coordinator at a Catholic secondary school in New South Wales. This article recounts the commitment, effort, and strategies that allowed a vision impaired, primary school student with special needs to make the transition to secondary schooling, and improve his learning outcomes. Those initiatives included a determination from the school and its leadership, at a very early stage, to commit the personnel and the resources to allow for a successful integration. The student's primary school was contacted and paid regular visits to establish both his physical needs and educational requirements. Teachers at the secondary school were invited to be part of the 'class placement process', and in this way declared their commitment to the student's integration. Because of the student's disability, the school had to invest in over $20,000 worth of aids and equipment. A teaching aide, and an assistant who could reproduce curriculum material in Braille and large print format, were brought onto the special education support team. An individual education planning process was also initiated for the student, which involved setting goals for his educational and social development. This article reminds teachers and school leaders that, in addition to the legislative requirements to include students with disabilities in mainstream schools, there is also a need to 'translate the principles of social justice and equity into educational outcomes', by altering the curriculum and giving students with disabilities every opportunity to participate and excel academically, and in their sporting and social lives.

More than just a musical

Palm Beach Currumbin State High School (PBC High), Queensland, has a Performing Arts Excellence Program catering to students with specialised abilities in dance, drama, and music. Students are selected by audition to join a class based on each discipline in Years 10, 11 and 12. Many of the students have already had experience in professional performance, sometimes linked to the film studios and venues on the Gold Coast. The program is designed to enhance the work done by students in the 'parent' arts subject. It includes workshop material by artists in residence. It is designed to extend students' perception of the arts, for example, by studying the impact of multimedia on dance. Through the school's musical production, students gain literacy skills, learning to 'internalise, comprehend, analyse, memorise and deliver' complex dialogue. They also become aware of the social and historical backgrounds to the text, and are educated in the specific vocabularies of each discipline. Challenges posed by the text require students to find creative yet logical solutions. See also introductory article text on the Teacher website.

Educate our advocates!

Music teachers need to promote themselves and their work by holding information sessions - for senior staff, other teachers, parents and students - which convey the value of music education to students' overall development. Orientation sessions for parents should involve senior school staff, and include statements from the teacher about the school music curriculum and how it relates to state-wide curriculum. Teachers should also outline their own qualifications and background. Teachers should organise an 'informance', a presentation designed to highlight the teaching and learning process in music. It should convey the joy of music learning, and the pride a performance gives to children. The informance should also illustrate the intellectual depth of music education, through concepts such as the ABA form or primary chord functions. Music teachers must also be visible and available to parents, teachers, senior staff and students, to overcome tendencies toward isolation frequently caused by being in a small faculty, teaching in several schools, and being in buildings physically separate from other parts of the school.

The artistic and professional development of teachers

A study of K-12 teachers in the USA indicated that the teachers consider the arts to be important in education, as a means to motivate students, and allow for individual learning differences. However, the teachers rarely draw on the arts in their own teaching, mainly due to a lack of confidence in their arts facilitation skills, and pressures of the mandated curriculum and standardised student testing. Although teachers wanted more arts training, their actual prior instruction in the arts was not a significant predictor of their current use of the arts in teaching. Teachers' lack confidence in their artistic efficacy is connected to the low curricular and instructional priority schools give to the arts. Employing the arts requires time, and also a change of pace, expectations and methods used in other teaching areas. However, effective arts teaching also shares common features with good teaching in general: it demands 'active, student-centred, differentiated, discovery-oriented approaches', and concept-based and problem-solving curricula. To build their self-confidence, teachers must attempt to employ some aspect of artistic processes on a frequent and regular basis. They should have ongoing exposure to the arts e.g. through regular PD, meetings with colleagues, observation of arts-infused classes, and sharing of arts teaching achievements. Some teachers find ways to overcome thd obstacles to integrating arts into their teaching: they demonstrate its effectiveness for student learning, even in terms of standardised test outcomes. In general, teachers employ arts in their teaching most strongly when they have been shown empirical evidence of its benefits for general student achievement.

Maths learning cross-curricula

Dr Cheryle Praeger is a Professor of Mathematics at the University of Western Australia. This article canvasses her views on the purposes of mathematics teaching and learning. According to Professor Praeger, mathematics education should instill in students a confidence to think mathematically, as well as make them aware of the influence of mathematics in their lives. Encouraging students to think critically, instead of just from a set of assumptions, is an important part of fostering in them an ability to think mathematically. With regards to curriculum design, Professor Praeger encouraged designers make links between the discipline's strands, as students often got a fragmented view of mathematics in the absence of these connections.

Students as bystanders to sexual coercion: how would they react and why

This article is a report of a study which looked at the attitudes of bystanders in incidents of sexual harassment or coercion in schools. The study was conducted in a South Australian school, and it sought to establish if the attitudes of bystanders towards unwanted sexual behaviour were determined by gender or by attitudes to the victim. Student responses to a video of an 'incident' were surveyed and collated, to determine what their likely reactions would be as bystanders in a situation of sexual coercion. While more girls than boys intended to act positively to stop the harassment (82%), a clear majority of boys (62%) would have some the same. The results of the study indicate that while boys need to be 'sensitised' to the effects of sexual harassment, it was clear that more should be done to promote an awareness of the influence of bystanders in such incidents, especially given that they are more likely to occur when a teacher is not present, and that even the action of one person is likely to stop the harassment from continuing. The study's methodology is explained in the article.

Total school re-construction: achieving a new level of inclusive education