New publications

This report gives an account of a mapping project into the policies and practices of teacher professional learning in Australia, and provides guidelines for quality professional learning into the future. There is a correlation between enhancing the skills and knowledge of the education workforce and enhancing student achievement and wellbeing. In learning organisations like schools, a vibrant culture of professional learning provides a necessary context in which teachers are better able to attend to the learning of their students. This ongoing process of reflection and inquiry requires resourcing in order to sustain it. (Adapted from Executive Summary.) Full report is available online. See also media statement 17 September 2009 announcing the release of the report, from Australian Government Minister for Education Julia Gillard.

This text offers a research-based approach to developing vocabulary with students in the upper primary and the secondary grades. It provides strategies to assist students in using word patterns to work out content-area vocabulary meaning, as well as offering formative assessment information to help teachers gauge where to begin instruction, and a variety of hands-on methods teachers can apply to keep students engaged and interested in vocabulary learning. Chapters include The Nature of Vocabulary Development and Instruction; The Meaning and Structure of Words; and Essential Vocabulary Strategies and Activities. Adapted from publisher's description.

This report presents the results of a telephone survey of 2035 South Australian school leavers who were enrolled in Year 12 in 2007. The survey examined school leavers' post-secondary educational, vocational and employment pathways. A year after leaving school, more than 60% of school leavers were enrolled in some form of further education, with 37% in university. Nearly 40% were not involved in any form of training; the majority of these were engaged in full-time or part-time employment. Females, those from metropolitan areas, those from a high-SES background, and those with high secondary-level achievement were more likely to attend university. School leavers seeking entry level positions in the job market were largely limited to the areas of retail, food, hospitality and tourism; non-studying school leavers who had been employed part-time during Year 12 were more likely to receive employment than those who had not worked during Year 12. The full report is available online.

More than 80 Indigenous languages are currently taught in 260 Australian schools as part of language maintenance, language revival or awareness, or bilingual programs. The report makes a number of recommendations regarding Indigenous language learning. Education authorities should make provision for Indigenous languages learning at school level, as well as supporting language learning at tertiary level. In-service teachers should be supported to retrain as Indigenous language teachers; states and territories should develop policies to support this retraining. A percentage of languages funding should be targeted to Indigenous language programs. Schools and education authorities should develop relationships with Indigenous language centres and Indigenous communities. The report includes a literature review, case studies and an examination of current practices. The full report is available online.

This report details the results of a study that drew on interviews, a literature review, and case studies to examine the use of computer games in the classrooms of eight European countries, including Austria, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Britain. More than 500 teachers were interviewed, as well as 30 political decision makers and experts. Teachers used computer games, both educational and commercial, to increase students' motivation and improve their skills. Challenges included integrating the technology into the curriculum, lack of equipment, and the reservations of colleagues and parents about the use of computer games in the classroom. Teachers' approaches to computer games centred on four particular conceptions: support for children with learning difficulties, the modernisation of learning, the development of advanced skills, and preparation for life in a technological society. The full report is available online.

This text uses a writing workshop context to offer practical suggestions for teachers of writing. It examines reasons for reading student work and the importance of formative assessment and feedback, and provides methods for students to examine and improve their progress. Chapter topics include defining assessment in writing workshops; feedback as formative assessment; self-assessment; and keeping track of student progress. Authentic examples of student writing are included. Adapted from publisher's description.