UniSA Open Journal System (Univ. of South Australia)
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An Infiltrative Approach to Reform Mathematics Teaching:An Analysis of Chinese Middle School Teachers’ Lessons
No full textThe newly established mathematics curriculum and teaching standards in the U.S. and many other countries direct mathematics teachers to transform their lesson structure, focus, and activities from the popular teacher directed instruction to student inquiry-oriented teaching. An appropriate understanding about how mathematics teachers implement the above change constitutes an important knowledge base for relevant policy making to mathematics teaching reform. Framed by the constructivist and the situated assumptions about teacher reform, this study examines the changed structural patterns, focuses, and activities of mathematics lessons and the teaching contexts shaping these changes drawing on mathematics lessons that 30 Chinese teachers taught and the interviews with some of them about their lessons. The study found that most of these teachers designed their lessons by infiltrating the ideas and activities envisioned by the reform curriculum standards into their existing teaching structure without undergoing a lesson overhaul transformation. The centralized curriculum standards and materials, contrived teaching organization, and accountability assessment in China impacted importantly on the patterns, focuses, and activities of their lessons designed to reflect their ideas of mathematics teaching reform
Learning to Live
No full textAs a white educator in New Zealand I am haunted by my past and in turn haunt others. This is one response to Derrida’s directive ‘Speak to the Ghost’
Using Student Knowledge to Enhance Inquiry: A Theoretical and Practical View of Negotiation in a Science Classroom
No full textThe purpose of this paper is to discuss the role of negotiation in a science classroom, specifically how teachers can improve their student's ability to construct a scientific claim by focusing on their students' knowledge and how it changes throughout the unit. The paper will attempt to define key aspects of negotiation, the student’s role in negotiation, the teacher’s role in promoting negotiation, and how negotiation can potentially increase the opportunity for conceptual change in students. Negotiation will be discussed as a notion of assimilation, accommodation, and a relationship of construction and critique
Repurposing performed research texts for new audiences: the ‘Colin’ monologue
No full textThis article is based on my recent work as an ethnodramatist where I have been exploring the benefits of repurposing existing performed research texts for new audiences. I have found that a sense of audience and its requirements primarily dictate the modifications that need to be made to the original ethnodramatic text. Other important considerations that inform the repurposing process include who will perform the text and in what context the performance will take place. The script on which this article is based is a monologue I wrote and performed to teacher candidates. It is about ‘Colin’, a drama teacher candidate. His story first appeared in an educational ethnography I wrote for my doctoral studies
Pedagogies for inclusion of students with disabilities in a national curriculum: a central human capabilities approach
No full textA national curriculum for all students suggests curriculum design that can make a difference in academic opportunity for the 15-20% of the Australian school population verified with a disability (Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations [DEEWR] 2013). The Australian Curriculum from its inception has been challenged for how it caters for the needs of students with disabilities. The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) claim responsibility for designing the intended curriculum however responsibility for the enacted curriculum has been delegated to states and territories. It has been argued that how one teaches cannot be separated from what is being taught and learnt (Lusted 1989) with curriculum defined as what teachers enact in their classroom (Boomer 1991, 1999). It is timely to explore the Australian curricula in light of pedagogical justice, particularly for students with disabilities.
In thinking about these issues, this paper argues that the capabilities approach of Amartya Sen (1985) and Martha Nussbaum (2003) provides a powerful theoretical framework for advancing curricula and pedagogical justice for students with disabilities. Nussbaum’s ten Central Human Capabilities are used as a lens to assess how the learning needs of students with disabilities are being met in relation to the literacy capability of the Australian Curriculum. These case studies analyse two teacher perspectives of their interpretation and understanding of the literacy capability across both special education and mainstream school settings located in Adelaide, South Australia. The paper concludes by proposing ways in which the Australian Curriculum can better ensure that education contributes to developing some or all of Nussbaum’s 10 central human capabilities: life; bodily health; bodily integrity; senses, imagination and thought; emotions; practical reasoning; affiliation; other species; play; and control over one’s emotions. These need to be developed at least up to a threshold level for students with disabilities and ultimately advance pedagogies for their inclusion in a national curriculum.
Key words: Students with disabilities; national curriculum; central human capabilities; inclusive pedagogies; special education; teacher perspectives; literacy capabilit
(Re)Discovery: Accepting, Enduring & Surviving
No full textThe tragic reality is that more people today are succumbing to various forms of eating disorders. This article focuses on the experiences of enduring an eating disorder through a dramatic monologue followed by a critical reflection. The monologue is based on personal experiences with the disorder and provides an inner reflective voice through various events. This is followed by a discussion on the writing process, collaboration and presentation, and a brief discussion on research-based theatre. The purpose of this article is to add a voice to the disorder. Research-based theatre can provide a deeper layer of understanding about the complexities of an eating disorder and offer solace to those who are suffering and /or to those who have survived
Performing identity through research-based theatre: Brothers
No full textOver the last few decades, performed research has emerged as a dynamic methodological approach where artist/scholars experiment with using performance to inquire and mobilize new knowledge. This article includes the autobiographical monologue Brothers as well as a critical reflection on the development and performance of the piece. The creation of the monologue incorporated a reflexive drama-based process to generate, analyze, and disseminate pivotal moments in the lives of the two brothers. Photo-albums, letters, journals, newspaper clippings, along with social media, provided data and stimuli. A discussion about the collaborative approach to writing and rehearsing the piece is included, as well as how performing the monologue in a theatre space during an academic conference shed new light on this approach to educational research
Commentary on ‘Inquiry is no mere conversation’
No full textThere is a long standing controversy in education as to whether education ought to be teacher- or student- centered. Interestingly, this controversy parallels the parent- vs. child-centered theoretical swings with regard to good parenting. One obvious difference between the two poles is the mode of communication. “Authoritarian” teaching and parenting strategies focus on the need of those who have much to learn to “do as they are told,” i.e. the authority talks, the child listens. “Non-authoritarian” strategies are anchored in the assumption that youngsters ought to be encouraged to develop their natural interests and talents and hence that it is important to allow the children to do the talking and that adults listen. Both strategies seemed flawed due to the absence of the inherent wisdom of its opposing view.This chasm can be overcome. The Community of Inquiry, a pedagogical method used in Philosophy for Children, demands a method of communication which is able to bridge this gap. A Community of Inquiry is neither teacher-centered and controlled nor student-centered and controlled, but centered on and controlled by the demands of truth. Truth is absolutely essential to this method; it is only because of progress toward truth that participants are ultimately convinced of the fruitfulness of the process. Truth, however, is a hard taskmaster; it places severe restrictions on participants and puts exacting demands on the facilitator. These inherent restrictions and demands are too often underplayed, overlooked and sometimes seemingly overtly denied (see Reed 1992a) by those who, quite correctly emphasize that ultimately this method depends on maintenance and enhancement of student autonomy. This underrating of the role of the facilitator has led to a severe undervaluing of this otherwise brilliant pedagogical method, but worse, it has left novice teacher/facilitators ill prepared to utilize this method successfully
LANGOS RESPONDS TO SPYROU: CHANGING GROUP NORMS MAY FOSTER POSITIVE RESPONSES TO VICTIMISATION
No full textThis article is a comment on Peta Spyrou’s article in this volume entitled ‘Civil Liability for Negligence: An Analysis of Cyberbullying Policies in South Australian Schools’. It highlights some of the original contributions made in the primary article before moving on to consider the importance of changing student norms about cyberbullying and victimisation generally. It identifies themes for future research that aims to change social norms around bystander intervention in instances of bullying and cyberbullying
SADOMASOCHISTS UNSHACKLED?
No full textThis article provides a response to the article in this volume entitled ‘Is Society Still Shackled with the Chains of a 1993 England?: Consent, Sado-masochism and R v Brown’ by Jordan Moulds. It takes issue with the primary article’s claims that consensual infliction of pain and physical harm is now acceptable and may even possess some social value as recreation. It offers three reflections on the topic of criminal liability for consensual harms. The first has to do with the absence of principle in the South Australian legislative developments. The second casts doubt on the cogency of the primary article’s enquiries into the social utility or benefit of sadomasochism. The third draws attention to another peculiarity of South Australian criminal law, which arises because of the fact that the CLCA offences against the person do not include an offence of causing harm by negligence