New publications

Forensics, Fossils and Fruitbats is a collection of more than 70 profiles of Australian scientists from 15 fields of physical, biological and medical science, including physics, zoology, neuroscience, engineering, computer science and genetics. The scientists were selected for having taken an unusual or interesting path to the work they do. The profiles cover how the scientists became interested in their field, their career pathways and their current work. Adapted from publisher's description, which links to video and audio information about the book and its author, and from a review by Diane Latham in LabTalk Volume 55 Number 3 2011.

The fifth edition of Becoming a Teacher aims to prepare pre-service teachers for the challenges they face in a 21st-century classroom. Throughout the text, students are given the chance to reflect on curriculum, teaching, classroom management, the teaching profession and other major issues facing teachers and students. The author uses case studies, classroom examples and references, providing opportunities to research topics further. Adapted from publisher's description.

Over the last decades, school-based curriculum development (SBCD) has been widely applied in many countries to bring about innovations in schools and classrooms. The notion of SBCD and its practice stems from the need for a more participatory educational system, responsive to local concerns. This book provides readers with an update of the concepts related to SBCD and cases about how SBCD has been conceived and implemented in six Asian countries (China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan) and seven European countries (Austria, England, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Sweden, and The Netherlands). The differences and commonalities in rationales and practices within and between the Asian and European continents make new comparisons possible, elaborating and deepening the knowledge base about SBCD. This collection is targeted to school leaders, teachers, policy makers, support groups, educational researchers and students, especially those in the domain of curriculum studies. Adapted from publisher's description.

The rationale for developing common standards in the USA arose from conversations among education leaders in 2006 about the need to address greater variation between what states demanded of students ensuing from the regulations of the No Child Left Behind Act. Coordinated by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers, the Common Core State Standards Initiative involved all of the states, except for Alaska and Texas, developing Common Core State Standards between June 2009 and June 2010. By July 2011, all of the participating states had adopted the Common Core State Standards, except for Montana, Nebraska and Virginia. This study evaluated decision making during the Common Core State Standards Initiative, as the change process moved from research, development and diffusion activities to adoption of the Common Core State Standards by the states. The results showed that planning, structuring and implementing decisions were effective in producing standards that satisfied the expectations of most stakeholders, but recycling decisions needed to modify the Initiative remain unresolved. Adapted from author's abstract. The abstract is linked to the full report, available free of charge online.

Drawing on research into sound inclusive practice, this book provides a practical guide to working with primary and secondary students who require additional support for learning. The authors outline issues surrounding educational diversity and the principles behind inclusive practice, and discuss the range of different needs teachers can encounter in an inclusive classroom. They explain the practical issues involved in assessment, planning, and implementing inclusive curriculum and pedagogy. They also offer strategies for promoting positive social relationships. This second edition has been fully revised to reflect current research and changes in the field. It more explicitly emphasises a process approach to school inclusion, applicable to all students, rather than a focus on labels and categories often assigned to those with different learning needs. It includes enhanced coverage of professional collaboration, assessment for learning, and professional learning communities as a means of providing more successful inclusion. Adapted from publisher's description.

This book defines and explores the concept of the Networked School Community and details the challenges and opportunities of its implementation from the perspective of the system, the school, the teacher, the student, the home, and the parent. In the 20th century, learning was centred on the school; in the 21st century, with the development of digital technologies, children's learning increasingly occurs at home, which makes the relationship between school, home and the community even more important than previously. Schools need to recognise these facts and use them to their advantage. Schools, educational leaders and systems need to embrace the challenges and opportunities offered by digital technologies. Adapted from publisher's description.