A fine romance? Developing a Transformational School-University Partnership

This paper investigates the complexities involved in a school-university partnership between a secondary school, Highview College and Federation University, both located in Australia. The authors argue that Federation University and Highview College have worked together to develop a transformational partnership in a Community of Practice (CoP) that has benefits for both parties. The authors report the findings through the analogy of a relationship unfolding.Using a qualitative methodology, it was found that through the development of a transformational partnership, a number of benefits had eventuated. These benefits include authentic learning experiences and the raising of university aspirations for school students.

The entanglement of knowing and being: Hegel, ontology and education in the 21st century

There has been a revived interest Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. Notions emanating from his philosophy concerning the human person and that human beings together create and sustain phenomena through social practice speaks of a relational ontology that has relevance for contemporary education. This article argues that such ontology needs to be considered alongside the epistemological concerns of education. From Hegel’s writing, five interdependent ideas are delineated which have relevance for a relational ontology appropriate for contemporary education ‐ consciousness, self-consciousness, social space, recognition and identity. From these, three propositions for a social ontology of education ‐ learning as a socially constructed activity, learning as the formation of identity and learning as recognition ‐ are posited and discussed.

Strategies for Problem Solving, Critical Analysis, and Goal Setting

Problem solving requires the application of critical reading and thinking skills and the use of relevant strategies to reach a solution. Independent learners are able to apply taught strategies across contexts and often complete challenging tasks unassisted. The purpose of this paper is to explain how a process of analysis of assignments and evaluation can be applied in reading, writing, and with modifications in mathematics. This work draws on genre-based strategies, on oral language and dialogic pedagogy, and demonstrates how they can be applied across the curriculum to support students’ transfer of knowledge and skills from writing instruction to responses to reading and mathematics aiding them in reflection and eventually independence. Further, the paper provides guidelines for teachers’ explanations to promote critical thinking, questioning, and goal setting.

Do Private Schools in Australia Produce More Active Citizens?

The focus of this paper is whether type of Australian school attended makes a difference in student engagement in political and civic culture. Recently private schools have been said to “undermine cohesion” in Australian society. Similarly, it was argued over two decade ago that Australian private schools have skimmed the elite students from the government sector and now “impart to their pupils values and preferences of the culture from which they are drawn”, namely the dominant culture. Using data from the Youth Electoral Study (YES) survey, this analysis examines whether Australian students in government, Catholic and Independent schools differ in six political domains: voting commitment, positive attitude toward voting, political knowledge, political activism, political trust and civic volunteer behaviour. At the bivariate level, students in private schools generally show higher levels of political engagement compared to students in government schools in all domains. However, when family and school variables are controlled, the differences between these students in voting commitment, political knowledge and volunteer behaviour disappear. However students in Catholic schools show significantly higher levels in positive attitude toward voting and political activism. The effects of Independent schools disappear for five political domains but a significantly high level of political trust remains. Explanations for these patterns of outcomes are put forward, and directions for future research are explored.

Learning as Peers in Practice ‐ an Obstacle or Support for Student Teachers’ Vocational Learning?

Re-organization of practicum within Initial Teacher Education in Sweden has initiated changes of support for student teachers. This article discusses learning during practice, where student teachers are placed with peer students, and what this method of learning indicates how student teachers should learn the profession of teaching. This article examines perceived consequences when student teachers collaborate during practice within ITE. I make use of the concepts of participatory perspective, where practical knowledge is learned through taking part in practice, and spectator perspective, where practical knowledge is learned through reflecting together with peers. This article illuminates how different forms of learning are experienced and valued in this part of teacher education. A case study was conducted among ITE preschool students implementing their final period of practice. Findings show that when student teachers implement practice together, perceptions are that learning through a spectator perspective is seen as an obstacle for learning the profession of teaching authentically.

Discourse Analysis as a Qualitative Methodology

The article analyses the term discourse and discourse analysis with reference to Foucault and other critics. Foucault used the role of discourses in wider social processes of legitimating power, and emphasizing the construction of current truths. The article argues that discourse analysis, as employed by Foucault, concentrated on analysing power relationships in society, as expressed through language and social practices. The article examines the use of genealogy, where Foucault attempted to trace the beginnings of internalised moral behaviour, or a reflexive relation to the self in human beings. Examples are presented of various approaches to discourse analysis, including deconstruction and preferred reading and interpretation of the text. The article concludes with the evaluation of discourse analysis as a qualitative methodology.

Comparison as a Lens: Interpretation of the Cultural Script of a Korean Mathematics Lesson Through the Perspective of International Lesson Study

This study aims to examine how cross cultural analysis can lead to deeper understanding of the cultural script of teaching, and how teachers learn to transform their teaching script through a research-based transnational learning platform. In this study, emphasis is placed on a cross cultural analysis to view in depth the cultural script of teaching mathematics in Korea through the eyes of Japanese teachers and critical lenses of researchers’ feedback. The objective herein is to focus on the challenges whereby Korean teachers have to redesign teaching as they look at students as problem solvers. This cross cultural analysis attempts to determine the cultural script of teaching mathematics in Korea and improve the quality of teaching from the following two perspectives: 1) teacher teaching, and 2) student learning.

Examining Testing and Growth Mindset in High School Social Studies Students

Testing has been a contested aspect of education for decades. The way in which testing, standardized tests, and student motivations correlate is a separate issue. This action research study investigates the relationship between pre-tests and students’ perception of their personal growth. Three classes of 11th grade U.S. History were utilized to collect data from a total of 80 students (N=80). Participants completed one pre-test every two weeks throughout the semester. At the end of the semester, students completed a questionnaire to examine their perceptions of frequent pre-testing, and of whether assessments influenced their learning and personal growth. The researchers sought to examine if interim testing impacted student motivation towards standardized testing in a social studies classroom.

The Use of Schema Theory, Information-Processing Theory, and Sociocultural Theory in Teaching Culturally Unfamiliar Texts in Second/Foreign Language Classrooms

This theoretical review is an overview of three important theories: schema theory, information-processing theory, and sociocultural theory. Second/foreign language teachers need to familiarize themselves with these theories if they want to teach culturally unfamiliar texts more successfully in their language classrooms. Although each of these theories can be applied to different stages of reading instruction (pre-reading, while-reading, and post-reading), schema theory is more applicable to the pre-reading stage; sociocultural theory to the post-reading activities; and information-processing theory to the while-reading stage if teachers choose to use text-relevant video segments. A new framework for reading instruction, as well as some implications and suggestions for language teachers and researchers, are discussed in detail.