Behavioral Impacts Associated With Students With Disabilities in Australian Schools

This chapter explores the link between students with disabilities, the behaviours they exhibit, the impact this has on their schooling, and the impact upon others. The author's school has a population of about 1,000 students, of whom over 10 percent have verified disabilities. According to Education Council (2016), data regarding the number of students with disabilities is inconsistent between schools in Australia's states and territories, however, there are schools throughout Australia that have large numbers of students with verified disabilities. This is reinforced by the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (2018) where in 2017 there were about 18.8 percent of Australian school students with a verified disability. It is not surprising, therefore, that these statistics are concerning and research continues to be a priority. Identifying appropriate pedagogies and more effective management strategies for these students will benefit them, their families, and the community, and contribute to solving pressing issues in these students' lives.

Pedagogical Competency of Dance Instructors in The Training of Malay Court Dance Skills Among Upper Secondary Students at Johor National Art School

Dance pedagogy is a complex and dynamic field of competency that involves various skills and self-appearance. Therefore, dance instructors must widen the scope of their competency to strengthen and improve their level. This research aimed to identify the competency of dance instructors teaching the practical subject of Malay Court Dance based on factors including the components of pedagogy, curriculum, assessment, and professionalism. The data was collected from interviews with the instructors and was analyzed through thematic analysis. The findings indicated that the instructors’ competency level development could be mapped into three dimensions, namely orientation, agent, and competency content. It was concluded that art schools in Malaysia need to develop dance instructors’ competency in terms of (1) 21st-century learning needs, (2) vertical and horizontal knowledge sharing, (3) workshop, study tour, and competition, and (4) standardization of technological development relevant for curriculum, across knowledge, practical, and feeling domains.

"We would never go back" Stories of early years teachers transitioning to play-based learning environments

<p>International and national interest has been growing around the use of play-based learning approaches in the early years of primary school. This qualitative study explored the journeys of five early years teachers in New Zealand, who were transitioning to using play-based learning approaches in their classrooms. Semi-structured interviews and observations of teacher interactions were used to explore the reasons teachers were moving away from traditional teaching practices, the pathways they were taking, and the changes they had made in both their practices and their beliefs about themselves as teachers. Findings indicated that teachers in this study adopted play-based learning approaches because they were more appropriate for their students’ learning and development. They had initiated the move to play-based learning themselves, often with the support of a fellow teacher. School leaders and other colleagues were both understanding of, and resistant to, the changes the teachers were making. Teachers had adapted the physical environment of their classroom to accommodate play-based practices. More significantly, however, they had transformed the way they perceived themselves and their role in the classroom. This grassroots movement towards implementing play-based learning approaches in schools has implications for curriculum, assessment, resourcing, and preschool primary transitions.</p>

"We would never go back" Stories of early years teachers transitioning to play-based learning environments

<p>International and national interest has been growing around the use of play-based learning approaches in the early years of primary school. This qualitative study explored the journeys of five early years teachers in New Zealand, who were transitioning to using play-based learning approaches in their classrooms. Semi-structured interviews and observations of teacher interactions were used to explore the reasons teachers were moving away from traditional teaching practices, the pathways they were taking, and the changes they had made in both their practices and their beliefs about themselves as teachers. Findings indicated that teachers in this study adopted play-based learning approaches because they were more appropriate for their students’ learning and development. They had initiated the move to play-based learning themselves, often with the support of a fellow teacher. School leaders and other colleagues were both understanding of, and resistant to, the changes the teachers were making. Teachers had adapted the physical environment of their classroom to accommodate play-based practices. More significantly, however, they had transformed the way they perceived themselves and their role in the classroom. This grassroots movement towards implementing play-based learning approaches in schools has implications for curriculum, assessment, resourcing, and preschool primary transitions.</p>

Using technology to automate syllabus construction for programmatic, curricular, faculty and experiential assessment activities

PurposeWith a growing need to assess multiple aspects of healthcare education, the goal of this study was to develop an innovative web-based application to streamline assessment processes and meet the increasingly complex role of the educational manager.Design/methodology/approachAARDVARC (Automated Approach to Reviewing and Developing Valuable Assessment Resources for your Curriculum) was created with the core function of standardizing course syllabi through the use of a web-based portal and the ability to query fields within the portal to collect multiple points of data. AARDVARC permits quick and efficient gathering of programmatic, curricular, faculty, teaching, preceptor and financial data to facilitate meaningful change and a shared responsibility of assessment. This software has allowed automatic completion of complex analytics each semester, including coverage of program outcomes, course learning objectives, teaching and assessment methods, course readings, topics covered in the curriculum, faculty teaching hours, experiential activities, coverage of disease states and scheduling of peer observation of teaching.FindingsThree years after its initial launch, AARDVARC is now used by 520 faculty, 60 staff, 44 preceptors and over 2,000 students across multiple health profession and science programs. Data analytics through AARDVARC have allowed the School to reimagine how assessment can be conducted and have provided a pathway for making evidence-based programmatic and curricular changes.Originality/valueThis original software has provided an innovative approach to conduct assessment that combines best practices in curriculum, assessment, data analytics and educational technology while improving the overall quality, speed, and efficiency of academic and business operations.

THE INSTITUTIONAL ATTRIBUTES AND EMPLOYABILITY READINESS AMONG ENGINEERING GRADUATES IN THE HIGH EDUCATION INSTITUTE’S IN OMAN

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of Institutional attributes on the employability readiness of the engineering graduates of the High Education Institutes in Oman. The study adopted a self-directed structured questionnaire was distributed to a sample of engineering students and graduates from a number of colleges and universities. The study used structural equation modelling (SEM) for analysing the collected data. The findings of the statistical analysis of the study showed that Omani graduates signify the contribution of the HEIs Policies, Classroom environment, the implementation of Student Centric Approach strategies on the graduates’ readiness for employability skills attainment. Also, the findings of the study recommend HEIs to improve their teaching quality, overall Syllabus and Course Curriculum, assessment strategies, and teaching materials to enhance their graduates with required graduates’ readiness for employability skills. Specifically, study findings showed Institutional attributes factor could high have an influence on the Readiness for Employability of the graduates in Oman when the HEIs reform effectively the Institution-Related attributes factors analysed in the research study. Finally, the study’s implementations and recommendations could be transferred to the Gulf and Arab or other countries’ contexts having similar settings of HE systems and similar issues of skills gap and employability concern of their graduates.

Undergraduates’ Perception on their English Learning Process: Preliminary Step toward “Foundations of Social Studies” CLIL-Based Material Development

English has emerged as the language of scientific communication (Björkman, 2011; Jenkins, 2006). Given the significance of English, in addition to ESP courses that have been incorporated in university curriculum, the CLIL method can be one of the choices for improving students' English mastery. Before implementing CLIL and creating the necessary resources, a comprehensive investigation is required to determine the ‘what' and ‘how' the content, curriculum, assessment, and evaluation will be produced (Flowerdew, 2013). Prior to developing “Fundamental of Social Studies” CLIL-based content, this research intends to analyse several aspects. It investigates: (1) the significance students place on grammar, vocabulary, and language skills in the English learning process; (2) the students' preferences in English learning activities; and (3) the language components that students improved the most. Students in the Social Studies Program were given a survey. The implication based on the findings is that future material developments are recommended to include audio-materials, pay more attention to speaking activities, and incorporate more diverse grammar activities. Moreover, the type of activities involved are suggested to include group work as it is favoured by the students; especially for speaking performance. Group speaking performance is preferred then the individual one for it lessen the anxiety. Keywords: CLIL, Need Analysis, Material Development, ESP, Social Studies

A Case Study of the Manageability and Utility of Assessment in Three New Zealand Primary Schools 1993-2006

<p>This study is concerned with the manageability of assessment in New Zealand schools. In order for assessment to be effective in schools, it needs to be manageable. This is especially important for New Zealand schools in the light of the changes in administration and curriculum introduced in the early 1990s. These reforms which were termed Tomorrow's Schools introduced radical changes to New Zealand schools in the areas of governance, management, the curriculum, assessment, and quality assurance. In the area of assessment, primary schools were presented with a number of challenges which included a requirement to assess a highly structured curriculum with close to 1000 achievement objectives, many of which were open to different interpretation. There was also an expectation to assess against the structure of this new rapidly introduced curriculum, without any tools provided for such assessment. The New Zealand system also departed from other countries in that it made no distinction in terms of importance in teaching and assessment between what are usually considered the core activities of primary school education, literacy and numeracy, and other learning areas. In light of these challenges it is not surprising that a number of the assessment processes that schools developed and used were questionable in terms of manageability and utility. The aim of this research is to examine the effect of government policy and international movements in assessment on the manageability of assessment practice in New Zealand primary schools during the period 1990-2006. The research also examines what is meant by the terms manageability and utility when applied to the context of primary school assessment. By means of case study research, the investigation explores assessment practice in three Wellington primary schools during 2006-2007. The case studies sought to understand current assessment practices in terms of the reforms of the early nineties, as well as more recent developments in assessment in New Zealand. The research illustrated that while these three New Zealand schools still faced some major issues in terms of the manageability and utility of assessment, their views were more optimistic and positive than earlier research studies had reported.</p>

A Case Study of the Manageability and Utility of Assessment in Three New Zealand Primary Schools 1993-2006

<p>This study is concerned with the manageability of assessment in New Zealand schools. In order for assessment to be effective in schools, it needs to be manageable. This is especially important for New Zealand schools in the light of the changes in administration and curriculum introduced in the early 1990s. These reforms which were termed Tomorrow's Schools introduced radical changes to New Zealand schools in the areas of governance, management, the curriculum, assessment, and quality assurance. In the area of assessment, primary schools were presented with a number of challenges which included a requirement to assess a highly structured curriculum with close to 1000 achievement objectives, many of which were open to different interpretation. There was also an expectation to assess against the structure of this new rapidly introduced curriculum, without any tools provided for such assessment. The New Zealand system also departed from other countries in that it made no distinction in terms of importance in teaching and assessment between what are usually considered the core activities of primary school education, literacy and numeracy, and other learning areas. In light of these challenges it is not surprising that a number of the assessment processes that schools developed and used were questionable in terms of manageability and utility. The aim of this research is to examine the effect of government policy and international movements in assessment on the manageability of assessment practice in New Zealand primary schools during the period 1990-2006. The research also examines what is meant by the terms manageability and utility when applied to the context of primary school assessment. By means of case study research, the investigation explores assessment practice in three Wellington primary schools during 2006-2007. The case studies sought to understand current assessment practices in terms of the reforms of the early nineties, as well as more recent developments in assessment in New Zealand. The research illustrated that while these three New Zealand schools still faced some major issues in terms of the manageability and utility of assessment, their views were more optimistic and positive than earlier research studies had reported.</p>

The basic principles of a socially just arts curriculum, and the place of drama

This paper provides a descriptive historical analysis of the planning and writing of the Australian Curriculum: The Arts which occurred from 2009 to 2013. This process involved extensive consultation across a range of stakeholders, including curriculum research, background reading and analysis that preceded the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority’s writing process. The curriculum itself was underpinned by a range of democratic principles, including the importance of developing a socially just curriculum. This necessitated extensive discussion which interrogated the terms excellence and equity to ensure a high-quality arts education was accessible for all students, regardless of their background. The implementation of these principles is then explored through the perspective of the Drama writing team, including the importance of the subject Drama in developing a sense of inquiry and empathy in students by exploring their own and others’ stories and points of view. The final curriculum document for the Arts, and specifically for Drama exemplifies the importance of these social justice principles in responding to the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (2008) which advocates for equity and excellence in Australian schooling and for all young Australians to become successful learners, confident and creative individuals and active and informed citizens.