| Title | Author | Year | Add to Folder |
| A journey towards developmental reporting.
| Watson, Tim
McDonnell, Vanessa | 2019 |
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Title: A journey towards developmental reporting.
Author(s): Watson, Tim | McDonnell, Vanessa |
Journal Details: Independence v.44 n.2 p.56-59
Published: October 2019
ISSN: 1324-2326
Abstract: Reporting and grading is one area where we have seen perpetual change over the past few decades due to state and federal policy. Research has varied and we have not always had complete clarity around purpose. For us at Lauriston Girls' School, this became an area for us to look closely at and try to come up with a cohesive grading and reporting process that met the broader strategic goals for student wellbeing and learning. This article describes how teachers at Lauriston have worked towards devising and implementing developmental reporting for its students. [Author abstract]
URL (conditional access) : https://library.acer.edu.au/document/?document_id=225090
Record No: 225090 From EdResearch online
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| Students as partners in learning in rural and remote settings.
| Vaughan, Tanya
Cleary, John
Butler, Helen | 2019 |
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Title: Students as partners in learning in rural and remote settings.
Author(s): Vaughan, Tanya | Cleary, John | Butler, Helen |
Journal Details: Australian Educational Leader v.41 n.4 p.33-37
Published: December 2019
ISSN: 1832-8245
Abstract: It can be said that leading school improvement in education is, at times, difficult for leaders, students and teachers. However, rural and remote schools bring with them challenges that can be categorised as being unique to their contexts. Considering the importance and influence of student-teacher relationships on students' learning, teachers' intentions to change in response to professional learning and teachers' job satisfaction, it is unsurprising that student voice and agency are becoming a key focus of the policy agenda within Australia. [Author abstract]
URL (conditional access) : https://library.acer.edu.au/document/?document_id=225878
Record No: 225878 From EdResearch online
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| Data Praxis : Teacher educators using data to inform and enhance pre-service teacher mathematics.
| Sellings, Peter
Brandenburg, Robyn | 2018 |
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Title: Data Praxis : Teacher educators using data to inform and enhance pre-service teacher mathematics.
Author(s): Sellings, Peter | Brandenburg, Robyn |
Journal Details: Mathematics Teacher Education and Development v.20 n.3 p.61-79
Published: 2018
ISSN: 1442-3901
Abstract: This paper explores how data can shape and enhance mathematics learning and teaching in an initial teacher education Learning and Teaching Mathematics Course for First Bachelor of Education Students in a Regional University. The implementation of a 'data praxis' approach to research, required the development of a custom-designed suite of data gathering tools and approaches to inform our mathematics teaching and enhance pre-service teacher mathematical learning, underpinned the conduct of the study. Praxis required the teacher educators to constantly and systematically interact with the data sets and refine the pedagogical approaches to mathematics teaching and learning. The results of this research highlight the gains that students made and the challenges for teacher educators who choose a data based approach. [Author abstract]
URL (open access) : https://mted.merga.net.au/index.php/mted/article/view/465/331
URL (conditional access) : https://library.acer.edu.au/document/?document_id=222198
Record No: 222198 From EdResearch online
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| Data walls : The state of the evidence.
| Harris, Lois
Wyatt-Smith, Claire
Adie, Lenore | 2018 |
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Title: Data walls : The state of the evidence.
Author(s): Harris, Lois | Wyatt-Smith, Claire | Adie, Lenore |
Journal Details: Independent Education v.48 n.3 p.18-20
Published: 2018
ISSN: 1320-9825
Abstract: What is the evidence that shows the effectiveness of data walls in schools? Under what conditions might data walls be most effective in informing teachers' decisions and actions to improve learning? This article explores these questions, providing guidance to school leaders and teachers who may be considering implementing data walls or reviewing their own current practices. [Author abstract]
URL (conditional access) : https://library.acer.edu.au/document/?document_id=221748
Record No: 221748 From EdResearch online
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| A DIY, Project-based Approach to Teaching Data Journalism.
| Graham, Caroline | 2018 |
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Title: A DIY, Project-based Approach to Teaching Data Journalism.
Author(s): Graham, Caroline |
Journal Details: Asia Pacific Media Educator v.28 n.1 p.67-77
Published: June 2018
ISSN: 1326-365X
Abstract: As a case study, this article will illustrate how a project-based approach has addressed some of the challenges of embedding data journalism content into courses at a small Australian university. It will also identify some of the associated limitations and difficulties. Since 2013, Bond journalism students have undertaken five collaborative data-driven investigations, with a sixth underway in 2018. The project-based approach encourages resilience, creative problem-solving and minimizes students' aversion to maths and statistics while empowering students to produce industry-standard work in an area of inexperience and discomfort. However, it is a reasonably resource-intensive approach and would be difficult to replicate in a larger cohort. [Author abstract]
URL (conditional access) : http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1326365X18768308
Record No: 221480 From EdResearch online
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| Enthusiasm for Making a Difference : Adapting Data Journalism Skills for Digital Campaigning.
| Fuller, Glen | 2018 |
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Title: Enthusiasm for Making a Difference : Adapting Data Journalism Skills for Digital Campaigning.
Author(s): Fuller, Glen |
Journal Details: Asia Pacific Media Educator v.28 n.1 p.112-123
Published: June 2018
ISSN: 1326-365X
Abstract: Journalism is conventionally taught through a 'teaching hospital' type model involving a set of tacit professional skills largely developed through experience (Anderson, Glaisyer, Smith, & Rothfeld, 2011). This article reports on the approach taken to adapt data journalism pedagogy for a digital campaigning unit in a journalism course. The main focus is building confidence with developing relevant technical skills in what Davies and Cullen (2016) describe as 'quantitative literacy'. Although there is a range of ways to approach the turn to 'data journalism' (Coddington, 2015), teaching aspects of data and computational journalism with students can be difficult as the focus on technical and math skills contravenes the self-identity of journalism students as writers or similar (Nguyen & Lugo-Ocando, 2015). Meyer and Land's (2005) pedagogical theory of the 'threshold concept' is used to think through the affective aspects of a practical exercise for developing 'data confidence'. Journalism has long attracted students with a social justice orientation and who want to 'make a difference' (Vromen, 2016), and challenging students to appreciate the social change context of online engagement is often sufficient to enthuse a student into developing technical skills. The example explored here should be useful for journalism educators in other contexts approaching the common challenge of working with students to develop 'data confidence'. [Author abstract]
URL (conditional access) : http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1326365X18768134
Record No: 221479 From EdResearch online
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| First Things First : Teaching Data Journalism as a Core Skill.
| Burns, Lynette Sheridan
Matthews, Benjamin J. | 2018 |
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Title: First Things First : Teaching Data Journalism as a Core Skill.
Author(s): Burns, Lynette Sheridan | Matthews, Benjamin J. |
Journal Details: Asia Pacific Media Educator v.28 n.1 p.91-105
Published: June 2018
ISSN: 1326-365X
Abstract: When journalists publish work based on data, they often appear to be working with secondary sources, such as leaked internal corporate communications or information derived from publicly available Internet sources. However, they are relying on a source of information that varies greatly from other secondary sources. Among the differences is the process by which the data is verified, particularly given that datasets are often very large and unprocessed. How, for example, does a journalist determine the authenticity of data such as The Paradise Papers, the largest leak in history, where more than 13.4 million files revealed the workings of the tax haven industry? The issue of authenticity is further complicated by the processes journalists use to prepare data for delivery to a wide audience. In this article, the authors describe how the model of critical reflection (Sheridan Burns, 2002, 2013) can be used to develop data literacy in first year journalism students as the first step in developing their sense of efficacy in dealing with the complexities of data journalism. Using a scenario based on a large, easily accessible dataset, the authors provide a model through which students can come to understand working with data as a core journalism skill. The model draws on Schon's (1983) theory of reflective practice, which posits that professionals think by doing and on what Schon calls 'the conversations we have with ourselves'. [Author abstract]
URL (conditional access) : http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1326365X18765530
Record No: 221477 From EdResearch online
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| Preparing preservice teachers to be data literate : a Queensland case study.
| Carey, Michael
Grainger, Peter
Christie, Michael | 2018 |
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Title: Preparing preservice teachers to be data literate : a Queensland case study.
Author(s): Carey, Michael | Grainger, Peter | Christie, Michael |
Journal Details: Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education v.46 n.3 p.267-278
Published: June 2018
ISSN: 1359-866X
Abstract: Data driven pedagogy has been introduced into Australian schools over the last decade to improve student learning outcomes, but are teacher educators preparing preservice teachers to be data literate? We used a survey to investigate ready-to-graduate preservice teachers' beliefs regarding their knowledge and skills in data literacy. Before entering a course on data literacy their belief responses indicated that they had basic data interpretation knowledge, but they were unsure of how to translate that knowledge into the classroom to improve student outcomes. The survey was administered again after a data literacy course, which included a five-week supervised professional experience task of observing data being used in schools to drive pedagogy. The post-course survey responses showed students increased confidence in their ability to interpret and use data, suggesting that a data literacy course linked to the professional experience task improves teachers' sense of preparedness to use data in the classroom. [Author abstract]
URL (conditional access) : http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1359866X.2017.1402860
Record No: 219803 From EdResearch online
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| Taking steps for maths.
| Monks, Lisa
Chick, Helen | 2018 |
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Title: Taking steps for maths.
Author(s): Monks, Lisa | Chick, Helen |
Journal Details: Australian Primary Mathematics Classroom v.23 n.4 p.19-26
Published: 2018
ISSN: 1326-0286
Abstract: Fitness trackers can provide primary students with exciting opportunities to calculate, measure time and distance, graph, make sense of data, and improve their activity levels. This article suggests ways to use fitness trackers in the classroom. [Author abstract]
URL (conditional access) : https://library.acer.edu.au/document/?document_id=223091
Record No: 223091 From EdResearch online
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| Developmental Rubrics : Make Learning Visible in your English Classroom.
| McCarthy, Rohan | 2017 |
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Title: Developmental Rubrics : Make Learning Visible in your English Classroom.
Author(s): McCarthy, Rohan |
Journal Details: Idiom v.53 n.1
Published: 2017
ISSN: 0046-8568
Abstract: At every school I've taught in my relatively short career, there's always been a data person. You know the type, likes databases and graphs, loves to collect numbers and rearrange them in ever more confusing ways. Likes to use that data to pose broad questions, 'The average score for boys in Year 9 English is 45% whereas girls are achieving 55%. What should we do?' Previously, I did think this kind of data was insightful and good for kick-starting conversations: what should we do? Then we'd all huddle around with the graphs as a faculty and have one of those conversations. The ones that inevitably degenerate into emotions and anecdotes and personal validation — or even worse, whining about students. The problem was we were only ever talking in percentages — total scores. We were like a football coach trying to consider how they could improve their team's performance but the only stats they had at their disposal were the fact they'd lost by six points every week. What good is that? We didn't need grades, we needed a game plan. So, it was with mixed feelings that I found two frameworks that have since provided this game plan — this game change in the way we talk as professionals about curriculum, assessment and how to improve student writing. I say mixed because these aren't new and I find it a little depressing to think that for all those years there could have been (and there was) a better way. The first framework, the SOLO Taxonomy was first published the year I was born by John Biggs and Kevin Collis and the other developmental rubrics (although published in a text by Professor Patrick Griffin Assessment for Teaching in 2014) has actually been around since just after I graduated high school. [Author abstract]
URL (conditional access) : https://library.acer.edu.au/document/?document_id=220051
Record No: 220051 From EdResearch online
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| Data Journalism Classes in Australian Universities : Educators Describe Progress to Date.
| Davies, Kayt
Cullen, Trevor | 2016 |
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Title: Data Journalism Classes in Australian Universities : Educators Describe Progress to Date.
Author(s): Davies, Kayt | Cullen, Trevor |
Journal Details: Asia Pacific Media Educator v.26 n.2 p.132-147
Published: December 2016
ISSN: 1326-365X
Abstract: This article examines the extent to which data journalism (DJ) is being taught in Australian universities. It presents the results of interviews with 35 journalism academics about how they are incorporating data journalism into their courses. It includes details about the types of data journalism skills they are teaching, the resources they are using and the hindrances that have met or are making it difficult to teach data journalism. These hindrances include low and varied levels of quantitative literacy and math aversion among students, lack of time for upskilling and limited room in their courses for new material. The study found that at least nine Australian universities have semester-long units dedicated to data journalism and that at least a further nine are teaching it via some lectures and activities. Almost all respondents thought more should be done to incorporate data journalism into the curricula. This article lays a foundation for future exploration of how data journalism could be incorporated into journalism programmes where the staff requires upskilling. [Author abstract]
URL (conditional access) : http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1326365X16668969
Record No: 219707 From EdResearch online
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| Embedding meaningful data in the Performance and Development Process.
| Tascone, Philip | 2016 |
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Title: Embedding meaningful data in the Performance and Development Process.
Author(s): Tascone, Philip |
Journal Details: Idiom v.52 n.3
Published: 2016
ISSN: 0046-8568
Abstract: Data is certainly in demand these days. Any leader worthy of their position will espouse a myriad of reasons as to why we need to use data to drive our decisions and directions. It was not that long ago at all, in fact, that people were surprised by the DEECD Signposts report (Signposts: Paper No. 16 May 2009) that found the most frequent practice of schools who improved student learning was the use of data. It should be a no-brainer, but surprisingly, 'What does the data tell us?' is not always the first question asked by many practitioners. Having said that, my experience tells me that we have made in-roads into this understanding over recent years. I find that many teachers and leaders accept and understand the need to use data in guiding their practice. They are in the zone that change theory researchers describe as the first step to successful change. They use terms such as: having a sense of urgency, dissatisfied with the current situation, they have been triggered, they have bought in, are unfrozen or awakened. They are ready to move! The challenge we face, though, is how we use the virtual tsunami of data we have at our disposal. The volume of data and our ability to interpret or even connect with it can make any change to this way of operating overwhelming. Add to this the constraints of time and we are faced with solid resistant forces to the effective use of data. In this article I want to explore how our school, Ave Maria College, uses data to drive planning and practice. Feedback data in a variety of forms is actively sought and promoted from the whole school level through to the individual level. Over several years our College has engaged in a targeted and strategic journey of seeking and responding to feedback data for maximum impact on student learning. We introduced the Objectives for Improvement Plan (OIP) in 2012. Before going into the OIP in more detail, allow me to set scene for what the key drivers are that guided its design and the big picture view of what and how data fits into our improvement cycle. [Author abstract]
URL (conditional access) : https://library.acer.edu.au/document/?document_id=217400
Record No: 217400 From EdResearch online
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| The Emperor's perfect map : leadership by numbers.
| Heffernan, Amanda | 2016 |
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Title: The Emperor's perfect map : leadership by numbers.
Author(s): Heffernan, Amanda |
Journal Details: Australian Educational Researcher v.43 n.3 p.377-391
Published: July 2016
ISSN: 0311-6999
Abstract: This paper establishes that system-generated data profiles are influencing the work of principals in three Queensland state schools. Drawing upon Foucault's notions of governance, as well as research emphasising performative cultures and the importance placed upon numbers and data in education, this paper uses the tale of the Emperor's map as a metaphor to explore the way principals' work is being influenced by specific sets of data compiled by the department. These data profiles are representative of external accountabilities and high stakes testing regimes, as seen in systems that have adopted neoliberal policies which attempt to quantify the work being undertaken in schools. The paper demonstrates that principals are being constructed in part by discourses from a system that emphasises these system-generated performance data as a driver for school improvement. [Author abstract]
URL (conditional access) : http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13384-016-0206-7
Record No: 212324 From EdResearch online
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| Excel(ling) in Data.
| Francis, Luke | 2016 |
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Title: Excel(ling) in Data.
Author(s): Francis, Luke |
Journal Details: Idiom v.52 n.3
Published: 2016
ISSN: 0046-8568
Abstract: The demands on us to use data in the teaching profession seem to be growing and growing, with Performance and Development Plans, Annual Implementation and the ever increasing call for greater accountability. English is a subject in which we use data all the time, however, often don't think about it as such – instead we think of it as just knowing our students and their needs. To formalise this knowledge, I enjoy working with Excel or Excel style sheets to map out what students know, areas for improvement, but also to track how I am performing in terms of assessment development and course delivery. In this article, I aim to show a snippet of how I do this. [Author abstract]
URL (conditional access) : https://library.acer.edu.au/document/?document_id=217403
Record No: 217403 From EdResearch online
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| One size fits all? A different perspective on university rankings.
| Goglio, Valentina | 2016 |
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Title: One size fits all? A different perspective on university rankings.
Author(s): Goglio, Valentina |
Journal Details: Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management v.38 n.2 p.212-226
Published: April 2016
ISSN: 1360-080X
Abstract: In roughly a decade, university rankings gained the foreground in the policy arena for higher education and their influence is not going to decrease. However, several methodological shortcomings and warnings about the unintended consequences for national higher education systems have been raised. Against this background, this paper stresses that the individual recipients of information contained in university rankings are currently overlooked. Indeed, university rankings are addressed to a generic recipient, but actually, there are multiple audiences for rankings, and each of these audiences has different needs and each one attributes a different value to information attached to rankings. Referring to a theoretical tool borrowed from bioethics, this paper highlights that the ranking game involves a variety of recipients and that the current setting of the ranking panorama leaves room for gaps to emerge. [Author abstract]
URL (conditional access) : http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1360080X.2016.1150553
Record No: 210803 From EdResearch online
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| PISA Data : Raising concerns with its use in policy settings.
| Gillis, Shelley
Polesel, John
Wu, Margaret | 2016 |
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Title: PISA Data : Raising concerns with its use in policy settings.
Author(s): Gillis, Shelley | Polesel, John | Wu, Margaret |
Journal Details: Australian Educational Researcher v.43 n.1 p.131-146
Published: March 2016
ISSN: 0311-6999
Abstract: This article considers the role played by policy makers, government organisations, and research institutes (sometimes labelled 'think tanks') in the analysis, use and reporting of PISA data for the purposes of policy advice and advocacy. It draws on the ideas of Rizvi and Lingard (Globalizing Education Policy, 2010), Bogdandy and Goldmann (Governance by Indicators/ Global Power through Quantification and Rankings, 2012) and others to explore the ways in which such 'agents of change' can interpret, manipulate and disseminate the results of data arising from large scale assessment survey programs such as PISA to influence and determine political and/or educational research agendas. This article illustrates this issue by highlighting the uncertainty surrounding the PISA data that have been used by a number of prominent, high profile agents of change to defend policy directions and advice. The final section of this paper highlights the need for policy makers and their advisors to become better informed of the technical limitations of using international achievement data if such data are to be used to inform policy development and educational reforms. [Author abstract]
URL (conditional access) : http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13384-015-0183-2
Record No: 210496 From EdResearch online
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| The problem of simplification : think-tanks, recipes, equity and 'Turning around low-performing schools'.
| Loughland, Tony
Thompson, Greg | 2016 |
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Title: The problem of simplification : think-tanks, recipes, equity and 'Turning around low-performing schools'.
Author(s): Loughland, Tony | Thompson, Greg |
Journal Details: Australian Educational Researcher v.43 n.1 p.111-129
Published: March 2016
ISSN: 0311-6999
Abstract: Non-government actors such as think-tanks are playing an important role in Australian policy work. As governments increasingly outsource policy work previously done by education departments and academics to these new policy actors, more think-tanks have emerged that represent a wide range of political views and ideological positions. This paper looks at the emergence of the Grattan Institute as one significant player in Australian education policy with a particular emphasis on Grattan's report 'Turning around low-performing schools'. Grattan exemplifies many of the facets of Barber's 'deliverology', as they produce reports designed to be easily digested, simply actioned and provide reassurance that there is an answer, often through focusing on 'what works' recipes. 'Turning around low- performing schools' is a perfect example of this deliverology. However, a close analysis of the Report suggests that it contains four major problems which seriously impact its usefulness for schools and policymakers: it ignores data that may be more important in explaining the turn-around of schools, the Report is overly reliant on NAPLAN data, there are reasons to be suspicious about the evidence assembled, and finally the Report falls into a classic trap of logic—the post hoc fallacy. [Author abstract]
URL (conditional access) : http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13384-015-0190-3
Record No: 210495 From EdResearch online
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| Utilising Student Agency for Curriculum and Pedagogical Improvement.
| Loke, Elizabeth
Liang, Rocky Jian Luo
Shah, Mahek
Sharma, Prineeka
Tang, Alfred Mochen | 2016 |
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Title: Utilising Student Agency for Curriculum and Pedagogical Improvement.
Author(s): Loke, Elizabeth | Liang, Rocky Jian Luo | Shah, Mahek | Sharma, Prineeka | Tang, Alfred Mochen |
Journal Details: Idiom v.52 n.3
Published: 2016
ISSN: 0046-8568
Abstract: The Glen Waverley Secondary College Victorian Student Representative Council (VicSRC) English Curriculum Project was conducted in 2016. The project worked to obtain Years 7-10 data on the English curriculum and teacher pedagogy. As a student-led and driven project, the students developed a survey for Years 7-10 English students exploring their interest and preferences on the curriculum. Students then ran year-level specific focus groups to further interpret these results. The student leaders then reported their findings to staff at the end-of-year English meeting, providing input for staff members as they worked on improving the curriculum for 2017. [Author abstract]
URL (conditional access) : https://library.acer.edu.au/document/?document_id=217401
Record No: 217401 From EdResearch online
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| Declining numbers? Really?
| Jennings, Michael | 2014 |
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Title: Declining numbers? Really?
Author(s): Jennings, Michael |
Journal Details: Teaching Mathematics v.39 n.2 p.10-14
Published: June 2014
ISSN: 0313-7767
Abstract: Much has been said in the Australian media in recent years about the lack of students studying science and mathematics in Grades 11 and 12. Of particular concern has been the apparent slide in numbers of students studying advanced mathematics (Mathematics C in Queensland). Barrington produced several graphs in 2011 and 2012 and the data show an increase in general mathematics (Mathematics A) but a decrease in both intermediate (Mathematics B) and advanced mathematics (mathematics C). The main reason for the decline in Queensland was universities' decisions to drop Mathematics C as a prerequisite for any degree program, beginning with the University of Queensland in 1995 which removed Mathematics C as a prerequisite for engineering. Looking at Barrington's figures, is it valid to compare the number of students studying advanced mathematics with the total number of students in Grade 12? If the data are interpreted differently, this gives much healthier figures. The situation in NSW looks even more dire, but again, the data can be re-interpreted to provide 'healthier' figures. [Author abstract ed]
URL (conditional access) : https://library.acer.edu.au/document/?document_id=209507
Record No: 209507 From EdResearch online
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| Pedagogical relations in the age of Big Data.
| McWilliam, Erica | 2014 |
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Title: Pedagogical relations in the age of Big Data.
Author(s): McWilliam, Erica |
Journal Details: Access v.28 n.1 p.6-12
Published: 2014
ISSN: 1030-0155
Abstract: A pedagogical relationship - the relationship produced through teaching and learning - is, according to phenomenologist Max van Maanen, 'the most profound relationship an adult can have with a child'. But what does it mean for a teacher to have a 'profound' relationship with a student in digital times? What, indeed, is an optimal pedagogical relationship at a time when the exponential proliferation and transformation of information across the globe is making for unprecedented social and cultural change? There is now ample evidence of a growing trend to displace face-to-face interaction by virtual connections. One effect of these technologically mediated relationships is that a growing number of young people experience relationships as 'mile-wide, inch-deep' phenomena. It is timely, in this context, to explore how pedagogical relationships are being transmuted by Big Data, and to ask about the implications this has for current and future generations of professional educators. The article discusses this issue by examining topics such as: the client as data; professionals as risk managers; Big Data, more to know; and, re-thinking relational priorities. In this paper the author comes some distance from Max van Maanen's framing of the pedagogical relationship as fundamentally one of adult-to-child. But much has changed in cultural terms in the 30 years since van Maanen expressed this idea. Big Data has made a big difference both to the nature of pedagogical work and to the types of relationships that may be forged within and through that work, for better and worse. Big Data may yet be a catalyst for big relational change across entire school communities. If we accept the evidence that 'alone together' is a sub-optimal mode of pedagogical engagement for both students and teachers most of the time, then perhaps it might be possible for all our pedagogical relationships to be re-shaped in more positive ways. [Author abstract, ed]
URL (conditional access) : https://library.acer.edu.au/document/?document_id=204863
Record No: 204863 From EdResearch online
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| A study of children's musical preference : a data mining approach.
| Yim, Hoi Yin Bonnie
Boo, Yee Ling
Ebbeck, Marjory | 2014 |
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Title: A study of children's musical preference : a data mining approach.
Author(s): Yim, Hoi Yin Bonnie | Boo, Yee Ling | Ebbeck, Marjory |
Journal Details: Australian Journal of Teacher Education v.39 n.2 p.21-34
Published: February 2014
ISSN: 0313-5373
Abstract: Musical preference has long been a research interest in the field of music education and studies consistently confirm the importance of musical preference in one's musical learning experiences. However, only a limited number of studies have been focused on the field of early childhood education. Further, among these limited early childhood studies, few of them discuss children's musical preference in both the East and the West. There is very limited literature which explores the data by using a data mining approach. This study aims to bridge the research gaps by examining children's musical preference in Hong Kong and in South Australia by applying a data mining technique, Self Organising Maps (SOM), which is a clustering method that groups similar data objects together. The application of SOM is new in the field of early childhood education and also in the study of children's musical preference. This paper specifically aims to expand a previous study by conducting deeper investigations into the existing datasets, for the purpose of uncovering insights that have not been identified through a data mining approach. [Author abstract]
URL (open access) : http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2014v39n2.5
URL (conditional access) : https://library.acer.edu.au/document/?document_id=203934
Record No: 203934 From EdResearch online
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| Applications of the iPad and Drone in the middle-school geography classroom.
| Dodson, Andrew | 2013 |
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Title: Applications of the iPad and Drone in the middle-school geography classroom.
Author(s): Dodson, Andrew |
Journal Details: Interaction v.41 n.2 p.47-49
Published: June 2013
ISSN: 0310-7949
Abstract: The technological revolution is now well advanced: it is into its fifth decade and pervades all aspects of the developed human landscape. Young people are now required to have an additional skill-set in addition to literacy and numeracy: a high level of digital skills and familiarity with the digital world, in order to succeed educationally and socially. This new skill-set requires each learner to construct his/her own path in prioritising and ordering which online information should be read. Through blogging, messaging and texting, readers can interact with online text and this feedback keeps the text itself relevant and up-to-date for the users. Young people are active constructors of new knowledge and Australian students are highly engaged by working in online environments. Engaging with a computer is largely autonomous; students thus do not feel pressured when they realise they have made mistakes: they can always 'undo' their work. As a consequence, the ability to learn from mistakes makes the iPad an excellent educational tool. Do these observations do enough to quell fears that by incorporating technology into the classroom it is just simply to keep educators at the forefront of one part of their profession - to entertain? If that is so, there is a danger that using so much technology in classrooms of the future could diminish learning to a 'fascination with gadgetry' and a distraction to the teaching. Or, does a rapid uptake of technology have its place in the modern classroom? This paper examines the literature surrounding the positive and negative aspects of mobile technology within the geography classroom and how some applications can specifically add to the learning of middle school students in geography. [Author abstract, ed]
URL (conditional access) : https://library.acer.edu.au/document/?document_id=201040
Record No: 201040 From EdResearch online
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| Beginning the year with data : a great way to get to know each other.
| Macardy, Heather | 2013 |
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Title: Beginning the year with data : a great way to get to know each other.
Author(s): Macardy, Heather |
Journal Details: Prime Number v.28 n.4 p.12-13
Published: 2013
ISSN: 0816-9349
Abstract: Normally, when thinking about primary mathematics, the natural place to start is with number and place value. However, this article reports an unusual trialling of a unit on data in term 1 of a Year 1/2 class. It was felt that a data unit was inherently interactive and the beginning of the school year was the perfect opportunity to get students talking to each other, learning names, finding out what they like and don't like or do they have things in common. Each day would start with a 'daily question'. This involved the students asking a question, and then as a whole class collecting data and representing it in different forms such as pictographs, bar charts, column graphs and pie charts. It was found that starting the school year with a unit exploring data was an engaging and rich way for students to both learn about each other and about concepts of data collection, representing data and analysing data.
URL (conditional access) : https://library.acer.edu.au/document/?document_id=202679
Record No: 202679 From EdResearch online
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| Data generation in the discovery sciences : learning from the practices in an advanced research laboratory.
| Roth, Wolff-Michael | 2013 |
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Title: Data generation in the discovery sciences : learning from the practices in an advanced research laboratory.
Author(s): Roth, Wolff-Michael |
Journal Details: Research in Science Education v.43 n.4 p.1617-1644
Published: August 2013
ISSN: 0157-244X
Abstract: General scientific literacy includes understanding the grounds on which scientific claims are based. The measurements scientists make and the data that they produce from them generally constitute these grounds. However, the nature of data generation has received relatively little attention from those interested in teaching science through inquiry. To inform curriculum designers about the process of data generation and its relation to the understanding of patterns as these may arise from graphs, this 5-year ethnographic study in one advanced research laboratory was designed to investigate how natural scientists make decisions about the inclusion/exclusion of certain measurements in/from their data sources. The study shows that scientists exclude measurements from their data sources even before attempting to mathematisise and interpret the data. The excluded measurements therefore never even enter the ground from and against which the scientific phenomenon emerges and therefore remain invisible to it. This paper concludes by encouraging science educators to squarely address this aspect of the discovery sciences in their teaching, which has both methodological and ethical implications. [Author abstract, ed]
URL (conditional access) : https://library.acer.edu.au/document/?document_id=199375
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11165-012-9324-z
Record No: 199375 From EdResearch online
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| Intentions and behaviours : record-keeping practices of pre-service teachers during professional experience.
| Shaw, Simon G.
Pedersen, Scott
Cooley, Dean
Callingham, Rosemary A. | 2013 |
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Title: Intentions and behaviours : record-keeping practices of pre-service teachers during professional experience.
Author(s): Shaw, Simon G. | Pedersen, Scott | Cooley, Dean | Callingham, Rosemary A. |
Journal Details: Australian Journal of Teacher Education v.38 n.6 p.71-87
Published: 2013
ISSN: 0313-5373
Abstract: The current expectation of teachers in Australia is that they are able to collect, interpret, and use data related to teaching and learning. Digital technologies in schools, such as electronic methods of record-keeping, offer enhanced opportunities for teachers to perform this skill, and its application has been growing steadily in education. This exploratory study examines fourth-year preservice teachers' behaviour in record-keeping whilst on their final professional experience placement. Using Ajzen's 1992 theory of planned behaviour, this study found that most preservice teachers exhibited positive attitudes toward the behaviour of recording, using, and analysing classroom data. Despite this positive attitude, many preservice teachers were unable to maintain any system of record-keeping whilst on placement. For many, this was due to a number of external influences or perceived external influences, which acted as a constraint to their behaviour. [Author abstract, ed]
URL (open access) : http://ro.ecu.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1905&context=ajte
URL (conditional access) : https://library.acer.edu.au/document/?document_id=198955
Record No: 198955 From EdResearch online
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| Magisterium perspectives on Catholic school identity.
| Sultmann, William F.
Brown, Raymond | 2013 |
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Title: Magisterium perspectives on Catholic school identity.
Author(s): Sultmann, William F. | Brown, Raymond |
Journal Details: Journal of Religious Education v.61 n.1 p.4-14
Published: 2013
ISSN: 1442-018X
Abstract: Australian-based research in 2011 on the identity of the Catholic school generated key pillars to depict the dynamic, complex and unique life of the school. Notwithstanding this, a limitation of findings lay on particularising theoretical perspectives and generation of a wider discussion as to their theological implications. Within this context, Post Conciliar Magisterium literature on the Catholic school was examined more exclusively. This documentation was exposed to a Leximancer analysis to extract identity concepts which, in turn, were subjected to Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to detail identity themes, narrative expression and principles of integration. Findings from the Magisterium perspective confirmed and expanded the significant dimensions of Catholic school identity established previously. The discussion of findings proposes definitional criteria for these pillars and offers a practical theological reflection on their associated themes narratives and integrative principles. [Author abstract]
URL (open access) : https://www.acu.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/679487/Journal_of_Religious_Education_61_1_2013.pdf
Record No: 198744 From EdResearch online
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| The statistic literacy needed to interpret school assessment data.
| Chick, Helen
Pierce, Robyn | 2013 |
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Title: The statistic literacy needed to interpret school assessment data.
Author(s): Chick, Helen | Pierce, Robyn |
Journal Details: Mathematics Teacher Education and Development v.15 n.2 p.5-26
Published: 2013
ISSN: 1442-3901
Abstract: State-wide and national testing in areas such as literacy and numeracy produces reports containing graphs and tables illustrating school and individual performance. These are intended to inform teachers, principals, and education organisations about student and school outcomes, to guide change and improvement. Given the complexity of the information, it is of interest to determine the critical statistical skills required to make sense of such data. This article examines the statistical literacy necessary to interpret the graphical presentations of school assessment data for the Australian NAPLAN testing process. A framework for professional statistical literacy that acknowledges the importance of context is used to identify different levels of data interpretation. The implications for helping users make better use of such data and for teacher education more broadly are discussed. [Author abstract]
URL (open access) : https://mted.merga.net.au/index.php/mted/article/view/182/173
URL (conditional access) : https://library.acer.edu.au/document/?document_id=201771
Record No: 201771 From EdResearch online
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| Teachers' perceptions of the factors influencing their engagement with statistical reports on student achievement data.
| Pierce, Robyn
Chick, Helen
Gordon, Ian | 2013 |
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Title: Teachers' perceptions of the factors influencing their engagement with statistical reports on student achievement data.
Author(s): Pierce, Robyn | Chick, Helen | Gordon, Ian |
Journal Details: Australian Journal of Education v.57 n.3 p.237-255
Published: November 2013
ISSN: 0004-9441
Abstract: In Australia, as in other countries, school students participate in national literacy and numeracy testing with the resulting reports being sent to teachers and school administrators. In this study, the Theory of Planned Behaviour provides a framework for examining teachers' perceptions of factors influencing their intention to engage with these data. Most teachers perceived the data to be useful, but there were some negatively held views. For both primary and secondary teachers, males were more positive and had weaker perceptions of barriers to their use of data from system reports compared to females. Teachers who had studied statistics at the post-secondary level and/or attended relevant professional learning generally felt more capable of using the data, and senior teachers and principals were more favourably disposed to using these kinds of statistical reports. Many teachers had concerns about the timeliness of the data's release and the effort required to interpret them. [Author abstract]
URL (conditional access) : https://library.acer.edu.au/document/?document_id=199505
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0004944113496176
Record No: 199505 From EdResearch online
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| Workplace statistical literacy for teachers : interpreting box plots.
| Pierce, Robyn
Chick, Helen | 2013 |
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Title: Workplace statistical literacy for teachers : interpreting box plots.
Author(s): Pierce, Robyn | Chick, Helen |
Journal Details: Mathematics Education Research Journal v.25 n.2 p.189-205
Published: June 2013
ISSN: 1033-2170
Abstract: As a consequence of the increased use of data in workplace environments, there is a need to understand the demands that are placed on users to make sense of such data. In education, teachers are being increasingly expected to interpret and apply complex data about student and school performance, and, yet it is not clear that they always have the appropriate knowledge and experience to interpret the graphs, tables and other data that they receive. This study examined the statistical literacy demands placed on teachers, with a particular focus on box plot representations. Although box plots summarise the data in a way that makes visual comparisons possible across sets of data, this study showed that teachers do not always have the necessary fluency with the representation to describe correctly how the data are distributed in the representation. In particular, a significant number perceived the size of the regions of the box plot to be depicting frequencies rather than density, and there were misconceptions associated with outlying data that were not displayed on the plot. As well, teachers' perceptions of box plots were found to relate to three themes: attitudes, perceived value and misconceptions. [Author abstract]
URL (conditional access) : https://doi.org/10.1007/s13394-012-0046-3
Record No: 220454 From EdResearch online
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| Beyond the course : revealing evidence of student learning in institutional websites study.
| Ellis, Damon | 2012 |
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Title: Beyond the course : revealing evidence of student learning in institutional websites study.
Author(s): Ellis, Damon |
Journal Details: DEQuarterly v.11 p.6-8
Published: 2012
Abstract: The question of evidence is often asked relating to unsubstantiated claims about the value of online learning. Online learning is missing many of the implicit feedback mechanisms that lecturers rely on in face-to-face study. Informal cues and immediate student reactions are relatively hidden, unless explicitly articulated by the student. However, online learning also offers an opportunity to gather a large amount of quantitative data about student behaviour that is not available in offline contexts. The burgeoning field of educational data mining can establish which materials and activities students access, what paths they use to access those materials, how long they spend interacting with the site, and much more. [Introduction, ed]
URL (archived) : http://web.archive.org/web/20130410120832/http://www.dehub.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/DEQuarterly-Winter-2012-Edition-No-11.pdf
Record No: 1781D From EdResearch online
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| Data governance and data quality : is it on your agenda?
| Young, Anne
McConkey, Kevin | 2012 |
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Title: Data governance and data quality : is it on your agenda?
Author(s): Young, Anne | McConkey, Kevin |
Journal Details: Journal of Institutional Research v.17 n.1 p.69-77
Published: October 2012
ISSN: 1443-2110
Abstract: Data governance is a relatively new and evolving discipline. It encompasses the people who are responsible for data quality (the stewards); the policies and processes associated with collecting, managing, storing and reporting data; and the information technology systems and support that provide efficient infrastructure. Higher education institutions are paying more attention to data governance as they move into a funding environment that focuses on performance measures, targets and accountability. This article describes the establishment of the university-wide Data Governance Advisory Group (DGAG) at the University of Newcastle and highlights some of the short-term achievements as well as the longer-term goals of the group. The DGAG is responsible for providing advice to senior management on data governance policies, standards and strategic approaches; data quality initiatives; data privacy, compliance and security; data architecture and integration requirements; and data warehouse and business intelligence priorities. Membership of the DGAG includes key stakeholders from planning, quality and reporting; student and academic services; human resources (HR); finance; information technology (IT); research services; library; facilities management; external relations and corporate services. The monthly meetings have provided a forum for discussion of data quality and governance across the whole life cycle from collection to reporting to decision-making for a range of teaching and learning, research, administration and services data collections. Outcomes include the establishment of a register of data collections, a mapping of how data are used in official reports and benchmarking/ranking projects; the development of a common data dictionary, the sharing of good practices and promoting a collaborative culture. [Author abstract]
URL (open access) : http://www.aair.org.au/app/webroot/media/pdf/JIR/Journal%20of%20Institutional%20Research%20in%20Australasia%20and%20JIR/Volume%2017.%20No.%201/JIR17-1YoungMcConkey.pdf
Record No: 198275 From EdResearch online
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| Does NAPLAN tell us something about our students, or do our students tell us something about NAPLAN?
| Snartt, Mark | 2012 |
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Title: Does NAPLAN tell us something about our students, or do our students tell us something about NAPLAN?
Author(s): Snartt, Mark |
Journal Details: Australian Educational Leader v.34 n.2 p.51-53
Published: 2012
ISSN: 1832-8245
Abstract: The National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN), an Australia-wide mandated test, was introduced in 2008. While generally recognised that NAPLAN test only a small part of the total curriculum in just three days, NAPLAN is described as 'high stakes'. While students' individual NAPLAN scores are single numbers intended to represent their learning, they cannot represent the multidimensional outcomes of learning. That being true for individual students, how much more misleading, then, is an apparently simple and single school average based on the results of perhaps hundreds of students? Professor Margaret Wu (2011) has outlined, from a statistical basis, the pitfalls of misusing individual NAPLAN scores, and there are additional fundamentals to take into account when considering tests and test results. This article analyses several of these factors, such as test 'validity' and 'reliability' and 'face validity', which is captured by the lay terms 'authenticity' and 'legitimacy'. 'Authenticated' data are those about which groups of experts have conforming views. Data that are not 'authentic' or 'authenticated' cannot be considered to be 'legitimate'. School leaders and teachers need to have robust confidence that NAPLAN tests actually test an Australian intended curriculum that has been nationally implemented, and that NAPLAN contributes to authentic diagnostic utilities contributing to improved pedagogical accountability. NAPLAN item writers do not yet have a more authentic intended curriculum base to work from. In conclusion, teams of educators collaboratively analysing NAPLAN data and seeking to understand the 'shapes' and 'patterns' in their own data need to first make visible and understand the 'shapes and patterns' in their state averages data. [Author abstract, ed]
URL (conditional access) : https://library.acer.edu.au/document/?document_id=193339
Record No: 193339 From EdResearch online
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| 2011 : already a year to remember.
| Bonnor, Chris | 2011 |
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Title: 2011 : already a year to remember.
Author(s): Bonnor, Chris |
Journal Details: Professional Voice v.8 n.3 p.13-17
Published: Winter 2011
ISSN: 1445-4165
Abstract: In the years to come, public educators might look back on 2011 with some affection. After decades we are starting to see some of the dividends of years of advocacy for the children, the teachers and our public education schools and communities. It did not happen as one might expect but 2011 has already seen a couple of landmark events which have had a considerable impact, with the promise of more to come. These events have surprised many observers. Yet the Australian framework of public and private schools has carried its own seeds of unravelling if not destruction for decades. It is almost a tribute to the lobbying capacity of private school groups that the current framework - with its changing rationale, special deals and overlapping responsibilities - has lasted so long. The first event is the Review of Funding for Schooling. This is gathering considerable steam after years of lost opportunities and an extended timeline. The second event is My School 2.0. Who could have imagined that the My School website would start to challenge the urban myths pedalled for years by those who have devoted their lives and careers to dismantling public education? There is also a third event which happened in 2010, when the results and findings of PISA 2009 were released. Who could have imagined that the OECD would gather and give a high profile to data which question three decades of market-driven 'reform' of schools going back to Reagan and Thatcher? All these things: the Review of Funding for Schooling, the My School 2.0 website and PISA 2009 have combined to give public education its best break in years. It will be interesting to see how these events impact on the Gillard Government and the education community in 2011. [Author abstract, ed]
URL (archived) : http://web.archive.org/web/1000/http://www.aeuvic.asn.au/pv_8_3_complete.pdf#page=15
Record No: 187492 From EdResearch online
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| Data-driven accountability in Australia : an unfolding story with lessons for leaders.
| Smeed, Judy
Ehrich, Lisa C.
Kimber, Megan
Perry, Lee-Anne | 2011 |
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Title: Data-driven accountability in Australia : an unfolding story with lessons for leaders.
Author(s): Smeed, Judy | Ehrich, Lisa C. | Kimber, Megan | Perry, Lee-Anne |
Journal Details: Australian Educational Leader v.33 n.2 p.17-20
Published: 2011
ISSN: 1832-8245
Abstract: This article argues that Australia is a case study in the making when it comes to data driven accountability. This case lies in contrast to the United States where data driven decision making has been used for many years by school and system leaders to interpret and analyse data across a range of areas in education including professional development and student learning outcomes. It seems that school leaders in Australia have a real opportunity to learn from the experiences of their colleagues in other countries regarding data driven accountability. This article distills some key messages from the literature and research for school leaders regarding the ways that can establish data cultures within schools that work towards improving learning for all students. The authors see that improved learning is more than simply improvement via test scores; their view is holistic as it holds that schools should provide rich and valuable learning opportunities for all students, that improve their life chances so that they can live productive and fulfilling lives. They also recognise that not all learning is measurable. Eight messages for the consideration of school leaders in regard to improving student learning are given.
URL (conditional access) : https://library.acer.edu.au/document/?document_id=188072
Record No: 188072 From EdResearch online
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| Giving teachers a voice : using interpretive phenomenological analysis in music education research.
| Bainger, Lucy | 2011 |
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Title: Giving teachers a voice : using interpretive phenomenological analysis in music education research.
Author(s): Bainger, Lucy |
Journal Details: Music Education Research and Innovation v.14 n.1 p.32-38
Published: 2011
ISSN: 1832-7141
Abstract: IPA is still very new to the education research field, and this paper explores how IPA is being used in a current phenomenological study into how a small group of participant early childhood teachers engage with, and respond to, a collaborative model of professional development (PD) in music. This phenomenological study referred to in this paper involved a 12-month music collaboration between the researcher and three early childhood teachers in three different preschools, consisting of fortnightly visits that included observation of the teacher at work followed by a workshop discussion. In addition, periodic interviews were conducted over an 18-month period, making this a longitudinal study. The participants kept reflective journals which were submitted as part of the data. IPA was used throughout the field work of the study to interpret the data as it was collected. This paper explores how the process of using IPA in an education research study has led to some surprising insights and has proved particularly valuable in dealing effectively with large amounts of qualitative data. [Author abstract, ed]
URL (archived) : http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/134643/20120727-1253/MERI_2011.pdf
http://web.archive.org/web/20120320111838/http://asmeqld.org.au/attachments/article/20/Bainger_MERI_2011.pdf
Record No: 193398 From EdResearch online
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| The use of NAPLAN data for English language teaching.
| Wu, Margaret | 2011 |
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Title: The use of NAPLAN data for English language teaching.
Author(s): Wu, Margaret |
Journal Details: Idiom v.47 n.1 p.38-41
Published: 2011
ISSN: 0046-8568
Abstract: A discussion of the appropriate interpretations and uses of NAPLAN data as well as its limitations.
URL (conditional access) : https://library.acer.edu.au/document/?document_id=206591
Record No: 206591 From EdResearch online
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| Bursting the MySchool bubble.
| Ludowyke, Jeremy | 2010 |
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Title: Bursting the MySchool bubble.
Author(s): Ludowyke, Jeremy |
Journal Details: Professional Educator v.9 n.2 p.16-19
Published: June 2010
ISSN: 1447-3607
Abstract: Does MySchool have relevance to your school? Is it credible, accurate, fair and necessary? In this article Melbourne High School's principal busts some of the myths surrounding the MySchool website. He discusses some of the key propositions and inadequacies of the 'experiment'. (1) 'The community is entitled to comprehensive data on school performance'. But MySchool provides no more comprehensive or more accurate reporting when compared with what is already made available by individual schools. The only thing these data do not provide is the capacity to create league tables. (2) 'But parents want access to league tables'. Every peak school-parent organisation has rejected this claim. Parents are, in fact, far more interested in information about their children's progress than in information about school performance. (3) 'The government needs access to this information to provide support to failing schools'. The federal government has access to these data regardless of whether MySchool exists or not. (4) 'NAPLAN is a reliable measure of student and school performance'. MySchool relies almost entirely on one measure of performance, yet NAPLAN bears no direct relation to the curriculum program of any state or territory. (5) 'MySchool provides reliable comparisons between schools'. One myth perpetuated by the media is that the ICSEA provides an accurate profile of the characteristics of every school. In fact the ICSEA is not based on school data at all but is extrapolated from census data for the home address neighbourhood of each student. ACARA acknowledges that ICSEA is a proxy rather than the real thing. (6) 'MySchool has nothing to do with league tables'. The government said it could not tell media not to publish league tables and that if they did MySchool could not be held responsible. But without MySchool there can be no league tables, so this is not only an abnegation of responsibility hut a complete disavowal of earlier assurances that this would not be permitted. (7) MySchool represents best international practice'. This is incorrect. The two nations with the most comparable systems, the UK and the US, are now abandoning league tables high-stakes national testing as failed experiments. [Author abstract, ed]
URL (conditional access) : https://library.acer.edu.au/document/?document_id=183751
Record No: 183751 From EdResearch online
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| From data-informed to data-led? : school leadership within the context of external testing.
| Pettit, Philip | 2010 |
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Title: From data-informed to data-led? : school leadership within the context of external testing.
Author(s): Pettit, Philip |
Journal Details: Leading & Managing v.16 n.2 p.90-107
Published: Spring/Summer 2010
ISSN: 1329-4539
Abstract: There is an expectation at system and national policy levels that data on student achievement are collected for the purposes of improving student learning, program accountability and public reporting. This article reports on a recent study that explored how the experience of external literacy and numeracy testing and data utilisation affects attitudes to the tests, teaching practice and school leadership. The research employed a 'mixed methods' approach to obtain both qualitative and quantitative data from participants in 55 systemic Catholic primary, central and secondary schools in one Australian diocese. The study found differences in the way that leadership in using data from external testing of literacy and numeracy is perceived within the school. This was particularly in relation to how data is analysed and used, the degree of staff involvement in the process, and associated issues surrounding whole-school planning using the testing results. There was evidence that schools were not effectively using such data and that accountability for testing results was viewed according to their perceived purpose. The findings from the study demonstrate the importance of the perceived value of such data in informing decisions about student outcomes, and the central role of evidence-based leadership at the school level in utilising such evidence of learning. [Author abstract]
URL (conditional access) : https://library.acer.edu.au/document/?document_id=184259
Record No: 184259 From EdResearch online
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| How high is the tramping track? Mathematising and applying in a calculus model-eliciting activity.
| Yoon, Caroline
Dreyfus, Tommy
Thomas, Michael O. J. | 2010 |
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Title: How high is the tramping track? Mathematising and applying in a calculus model-eliciting activity.
Author(s): Yoon, Caroline | Dreyfus, Tommy | Thomas, Michael O. J. |
Journal Details: Mathematics Education Research Journal v.22 n.2 p.141-157
Published: September 2010
ISSN: 1033-2170
Abstract: Two complementary processes involved in mathematical modelling are mathematising a realistic situation and applying a mathematical technique to a given realistic situation. The authors present and analyse work from two undergraduate students and two secondary school teachers who engaged in both processes during a mathematical modelling task that required them to find a graphical representation of an anti-derivative of a function. When determining the value of the anti-derivative as a measure of height, they mathematised the situation to develop a mathematical model, and attempted to apply their knowledge of integration that they had previously learned in class. However, the participants favoured their more primitive mathematised knowledge over the formal knowledge they tried to apply. The authors use these results to argue for calculus instruction to include more modelling activities that promote mathematising rather than the application of knowledge. [Author abstract, ed]
URL (archived) : http://web.archive.org/web/20110218230237/http://www.merga.net.au/documents/MERJ22(2)-YoonDreyfus&Thomas.pdf
URL (conditional access) : http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF03217571
Record No: 185476 From EdResearch online
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| The inappropriate use of NAPLAN data.
| Wu, Margaret | 2010 |
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Title: The inappropriate use of NAPLAN data.
Author(s): Wu, Margaret |
Journal Details: Professional Voice v.8 n.1 p.21-25
Published: Winter 2010
ISSN: 1445-4165
Abstract: The federal government repeatedly claims that parents can use the MySchool website to see 'how schools are going'. At the same time, principals and teachers continue to provide examples of how the website does not reflect school performance. Just who is right? How confidently can we use MySchool to judge schools? It is important to find answers to these questions, given that the website leads to stress and hardship for many individuals in the teaching profession, as well as its wider impacts on education. This paper discusses the accuracies of the NAPLAN data which form the core of the MySchool website, with respect to the kinds of conclusions that can be drawn. It can be easily demonstrated that NAPLAN data do not provide the power to reflect school performance. Consequently, the current MySchool website should be deemed to provide false information for as long as the public is encouraged to use the information to judge schools. The government's key justification for MySchool is that there is a need to be transparent about school performance. The assumption is that student performance, as measured by the NAPLAN tests, can be used to infer school performance, after student background factors are accounted for. Currently a socio-economic index (ICSEA) is sued, so when schools with similar ICSEA scores are compared, differences between schools are attributed to school effect. Further, for future NAPLAN results, there is a plan to use student growth measures as a proxy for school effect measures, since growth measures for individual students already control for the variations in student scores, so background factors will not need to be controlled for. This paper demonstrates that neither of the two methods (i.e., using ICSEA or growth measures to control for student background factors) provides sufficiently accurate measures of school effect. [Author abstract, ed]
URL (archived) : http://web.archive.org/web/1000/http://www.aeuvic.asn.au/pv_8_1_complete.pdf
Record No: 183743 From EdResearch online
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| Making sense of MySchool.
| Gurr, David | 2010 |
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Title: Making sense of MySchool.
Author(s): Gurr, David |
Journal Details: Australian Educational Leader v.32 n.1 p.40-42
Published: 2010
ISSN: 1832-8245
Abstract: For schools that already have access to extensive data and a high level of data literacy amongst staff (perhaps through established school accountability process), these data are likely to confirm and support current school directions; as is the case for the schools that the author has used in this article, there should be no surprises in the MySchool data. For schools with minimal data, it might be a call to the school leadership to gather data literacy amongst staff so that the data can be used to inform school improvement. Whatever the case, school leaders need to respond to the MySchool data, relate these to the school context, and use this to the advantage of the school as MySchool and other sources of public data seem likely to be a feature of the larger Australian school context for many years to come. [Author abstract]
URL (conditional access) : https://library.acer.edu.au/document/?document_id=183157
Record No: 183157 From EdResearch online
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| Making the most of NAPLAN test data.
| Thian, Deidre | 2010 |
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Title: Making the most of NAPLAN test data.
Author(s): Thian, Deidre |
Journal Details: Independence v.35 n.1 p.42-43
Published: May 2010
ISSN: 1324-2326
Abstract: Independent schools in Queensland can access two data analysis tools to help interpret the data available from NAPLAN tests. One has been developed by the Queensland Studies Authority (QSA) and is available on the QSA web site, while the other - developed by the author - has been created for Independent Schools Queensland (ISQ) member schools. While the two tools have similar core elements, their differences are complementary. Together they provide schools with a comprehensive and flexible system to analyse and interpret their student data, and identify the next steps to take for effective instruction to address identified areas of need. ISQ's tool (or 'datapak') comprises a series of Excel spreadsheets. While it is similar to other packages available there are some key differences in the way in which the data are arranged. These differences enable schools and teachers to more easily identify areas where individuals or groups of students are experiencing difficulties. The author outlines some of the unique features of the ISQ tool. [Author abstract, ed]
URL (open access) : http://ahisa.zooclients.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Assessment-Reporting.pdf#page=11
URL (conditional access) : https://library.acer.edu.au/document/?document_id=182086
Record No: 182086 From EdResearch online
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| The My School myths.
| Reid, Alan | 2010 |
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Title: The My School myths.
Author(s): Reid, Alan |
Journal Details: AEU (SA Branch) Journal v.42 n.2 p.12-13
Published: March 2010
ISSN: 1440-2971
Abstract: It is only a month since the My School website was launched with great fanfare at the end of January. In the short time since, the warnings issued prior to the launch by many educators about the possible negative effects of the website are being realised. The dominant information that appears on the current version of My School about each school is its annual NAPLaN (national assessment program - literacy and numeracy) results. NAPLaN is used currently by schools as a diagnostic tool to assess standards and to target areas for improvement in literacy and numeracy. This is a useful function. However, now that My School has been introduced, NAPLaN has moved from being an aid for assisting teaching and learning, to being a high stakes test which purports to measure the quality of a whole school and then compare it with other schools. We are told that more information about schools may be added in the future. But since we don't know what that might look like, we can only assess the version of My School that currently exists. This task is made more difficult by a number of myths which need to be dispelled if we are to move to a situation where My School can become a useful tool in Australian education.
URL (open access) : http://issuu.com/aeusabranch/docs/journal02_2010_web/13
URL (conditional access) : https://library.acer.edu.au/document/?document_id=182015
Record No: 182015 From EdResearch online
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| NAPLAN and My School : shedding light on a work in progress.
| Masters, Geoff N. | 2010 |
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Title: NAPLAN and My School : shedding light on a work in progress.
Author(s): Masters, Geoff N. |
Journal Details: Teacher n.213 p.22-25
Published: August 2010
ISSN: 1449-9274
Abstract: Debate about NAPLAN and the MySchool website has generated plenty of heat. This article provides the background to NAPLAN and the use of its results data on the MySchool website. The introduction of NAPLAN in 2008 followed considerable work over a number of years to explore the feasibility of replacing the various state and territory literacy and numeracy testing programs with a single national assessment. The NAPLAN program provides valuable information about the literacy and numeracy levels of all Australian Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 students. It provides a systematic basis for identifying individual students who are not meeting national minimum standards. NAPLAN also allows growth across the years of school to be measured, across systems, sectors and schools, and over time. The NAPLAN tests are evolving and there are a number of future opportunities and challenges: improving the precision with which students' literacy and numeracy levels are measured; developing measures of growth; acknowledging limits to confidence; improving diagnostic feedback; minimising inappropriate coaching for NAPLAN; and, addressing generalised opposition to tests. The MySchool website has the potential to become a valuable single source of comparable information about every Australian school, but at this very early stage in its development provides a relatively narrow range of information, with a focus on student performance measures, NAPLAN, school means and comparisons across schools with similar student intakes. Many of the current concerns about MySchool are likely to be addressed by broadening the range of information provided and increasing levels of user choice. [Author abstract, ed]
URL (conditional access) : https://library.acer.edu.au/document/?document_id=183762
Record No: 183762 From EdResearch online
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| The systematic bias of ICSEA.
| Preston, Barbara | 2010 |
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Title: The systematic bias of ICSEA.
Author(s): Preston, Barbara |
Journal Details: Professional Voice v.8 n.1 p.27-33
Published: Winter 2010
ISSN: 1445-4165
Abstract: The Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (ICSEA) is the index used to determine the socio-educational level of disadvantage (or simply the socio-economic status or SES) of a school so that it can be compared with schools of purportedly similar SES on the MySchool website, according to results from the NAPLAN tests. Whether or not the SES measure is accurate is of vital importance: it is a matter of high stakes for individual schools and school sectors. The federal government has stressed the importance of using the information on MySchool to judge the performance of schools and take action, and justifies its existence for the sake of 'transparency'. But what value is 'transparency' if the measure to determine like schools is systematically biased? The author addresses this question by first looking at ICSEA and its application, then examines the possibility of ecological fallacy with area-based measures of SES, before addressing the systematic bias in ICSEA. The author concludes that ICSEA is systematically biased against public schools. That is, it is likely that public schools in general have inflated ICSEA scores and independent and Catholic schools have deflated ICSEA scores. Thus, when MySchool compares 'statistically similar' schools, public schools are on average being matched with non-government schools that actually enrol higher SES students than reflected in their ICSEA scores. This would tend to indicate that public schools are 'performing' more poorly than in fact they are. [Author abstract, ed]
URL (archived) : http://web.archive.org/web/1000/http://www.aeuvic.asn.au/pv_8_1_complete.pdf
Record No: 183744 From EdResearch online
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| Teaching with examples and statistical literacy : views from teachers in statistics service courses.
| Gordon, Sue
Nicholas, Jackie | 2010 |
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Title: Teaching with examples and statistical literacy : views from teachers in statistics service courses.
Author(s): Gordon, Sue | Nicholas, Jackie |
Journal Details: International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education v.18 n.1 p.14-25
Published: 2010
ISSN: 2200-4270
Abstract: Statistical literacy is essential for science students as a tool in their professional lives as well as an essential competency for their citizenship in the contemporary world. Reforms in teaching statistics call for pedagogy that addresses the links between statistics as a topic of study and evaluating and communicating about data in the field. In this paper the authors present a model of statistical literacy and relate it to university statistics teachers' reports about their pedagogy. One core practice is to use examples in instruction, yet teachers' goals for using examples tend not to be well articulated. The authors categorise how teachers use examples, drawing on data from an empirical investigation on teaching service statistics at university. Three overlapping categories are proposed: examples are developed and presented by educators in basic instruction, examples are generated by students, under teacher direction, and examples connect statistics with students' future professional work. The authors present excerpts from three statistics educators in the sciences to illustrate further how respondents promote statistical literacy in their teaching. The authors relate the ways teachers use examples to Gal's (2002) model to provide a framework for enhancing pedagogical development and to address challenges of engaging science students in learning statistics. [Author abstract, ed]
URL (open access) : http://openjournals.library.usyd.edu.au/index.php/CAL/article/view/3527/5424
Record No: 189583 From EdResearch online
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| Value added measures of school performance.
| Jensen, Ben | 2010 |
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Title: Value added measures of school performance.
Author(s): Jensen, Ben |
Journal Details: Independence v.35 n.1 p.32,34,36
Published: May 2010
ISSN: 1324-2326
Abstract: The publication of Australian school performance data on the federal government's My School website on 28 January 2010 must be viewed as a great success given the interest shown by parents and families previously starved of evaluative information about schools. But evaluative information fails to be effective if it is not accurate. Evidence from similar moves in education systems in other countries shows that the school performance measures on My School are prone to mismeasurement and may be biased against schools serving poorer communities. My School measures school performance by comparing the average NAPLAN scores of students in a school with those of students in 'like' schools and against a national average. Creating school groups is an improvement from looking solely at raw test scores, but can produce the bias against low socio-economic areas because an array of student background characteristics influences student performance. If these are not fully captured the school performance measures are biased. The Grattan Institute report, 'Measuring what matters: student progress', argues for replacing the current My School measures with value-added performance indicators that measure the contributions made by schools to student progress. The Grattan Institute also recommends that a new national data collection be implemented to collect student-level background information of the areas that affect student performance (e.g. parental education levels). Similar data have been successfully collected in Victoria and this could be easily extended nationally. Opponents of such a move are hurting low-achieving students and schools in poorer communities whose situation is misrepresented with the current measures. [Author abstract, ed]
URL (open access) : http://ahisa.zooclients.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Assessment-Reporting.pdf
URL (conditional access) : https://library.acer.edu.au/document/?document_id=182302
Record No: 182302 From EdResearch online
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| What NAPLAN doesn't address (but could, and should).
| Ladwig, James G. | 2010 |
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Title: What NAPLAN doesn't address (but could, and should).
Author(s): Ladwig, James G. |
Journal Details: Professional Voice v.8 n.1 p.35-39
Published: Winter 2010
ISSN: 1445-4165
Abstract: The author pushes the debates about NAPLAN and MySchool onto what he considers is crucial ground for Australian educators. If we are serious about improving student academic learning outcomes, we must start addressing within-school differentiation in the quality of teaching, curriculum and assessment. Over the past decade or so, educational policy has started to make use of 'multi-level' analyses, in which all students are 'nested' - within classrooms, within schools. From these multi-level analyses some well-known patterns apply. One is just how much of the differences in achievement between students are related to each level of nesting. If we use only three levels in a multi-level analysis, we find that differences between schools account for 10-15% of student achievement variance, whereas differences within schools account for about 40-45% of variances, and differences between individual students account for roughly 40-50%. The policy implications of this are very big. In Australia there are several policy conditions of significant consequence: (1) since the 'devolution' policies of the 1980s and 1990s, systems have essentially purged the main means of monitoring quality of classroom practice: the inspectorate, and no systemic alternative has been put in place. (2) Only in the past decade have state and territory systems developed the database technologies and techniques to match individual students effectively. (3) A very limited interpretation of the knowledge about within-school variance has been inherited. Having realised the relative size of this variance, Australia has taken a near singular focus on teaches themselves as the ostensible source. While there is some truth in this, it is only a partial truth. (4) Any attempt to deal with socio-economic and racial disparities requires direct policy action. At some point we have to find ways to address these inequities within schools. In the current regimen, NAPLAN and MySchool will do little to address the situation of within-school variance in curriculum and pedagogy - but they could, if professionals could report more data and if the NAPLAN data were included in a broader national research agenda. [Author abstract, ed]
URL (archived) : http://web.archive.org/web/1000/http://www.aeuvic.asn.au/pv_8_1_complete.pdf
Record No: 183745 From EdResearch online
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| What we give them.
| Jensen, Ben | 2010 |
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Title: What we give them.
Author(s): Jensen, Ben |
Journal Details: Professional Educator v.9 n.2 p.12-15
Published: June 2010
ISSN: 1447-3607
Abstract: The MySchool website has proved popular with the public, but could it be better? The author argues that by including measures of the value added by schools, the website could be improved to build on the success of the national assessment program NAPLAN. The website furthers three main policy objectives: school accountability; school choice, and school improvement. The author believes that the third of these objectives - school improvement - should be the main objective. However, the design of the MySchool website does not sufficiently allow school principals and teachers the ability to use performance information to develop, monitor and assess the effectiveness of different aspects of the education they provide. In addition, three key facets of Australian school education drive the greater need for transparent information about student and school performance, and the effectiveness of government programs and policies, particularly those aimed at addressing inequality: (1) a large percentage of students have only minimum levels of literacy and numeracy; (2) a large number of schools are failing to lift the performance of at least some of their students over time; and, (3) increases in education expenditure have not been matched by improvements in student performance. The Grattan Institute report, 'Measuring What Matters: Student progress', details a number of recommendations to improve the MySchool website. Chief amongst these is that the issues surrounding like-school groups should be addressed and the current measures of school performance on the site should be replaced with value-added measures of performance. A school's value-added score is different from its NAPLAN score; it represents the contribution the school makes to the progress of its students. Using school value-added measures on the MySchool website would greatly improve the accuracy of the information presented and meet the overall objective of the site: school improvement. [Author abstract, ed]
URL (conditional access) : https://library.acer.edu.au/document/?document_id=183750
Record No: 183750 From EdResearch online
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| The age of reason : being an investigation of verbal, quantitative and abstract reasoning skills.
| Hunt, Malcolm | 2009 |
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Title: The age of reason : being an investigation of verbal, quantitative and abstract reasoning skills.
Author(s): Hunt, Malcolm |
Journal Details: Teacher n.207 p.26-29
Published: December 2009
ISSN: 1449-9274
Abstract: Most tests in schools are curriculum-based achievement tests, designed to determine whether students reached a benchmark of sufficient knowledge to enable them to progress to the next stage of their education. Gaining ground as a complement to achievement tests are scholastic ability tests. These are designed to measure whether students are able to think logically and work their way through problems they have not encountered in a classroom. Since these tests are not based on any particular curriculum, the information needed to understand the questions is supplied as part of the test. Under these conditions, a test of recall ability becomes pointless. Instead, these tests emphasise reasoning skills. Reasoning goes beyond rote learning as it takes as its base assumption that memorising something is not the same as thinking about it. The skills cited in Bloom's taxonomy have long been acknowledged as being a useful framework to direct education, enabling the tailoring of learning activities. The assessment of reasoning skills, however, is only now catching up to pedagogy. To address the need for tests of students' reasoning skills, ACER developed a series of Monitoring Skills Development (MSD) tests. This article outlines the aims of the tests, how they are administered and how the scoring is effected through the construction of a single scale onto which the difficulties of all items from all tests, regardless of year level, can be mapped and reported. The author discusses the comparison of ability versus achievement, the uses of the MSD tests, and how Year 10 results can be used as a predictor of likely results in Year 12 skills tests. All schools participating in the MSD program receive individual student reports and a database of results with students' raw and scaled scores. ACER also provides interpretive services. [Author abstract, ed]
URL (conditional access) : https://library.acer.edu.au/document/?document_id=179728
Record No: 179728 From EdResearch online
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