The Ministry of Teaching

Different people want different things out of life but one of the things that most people want is to be happy. This, however, can be an elusive thing. In his recent book, Authentic happiness, Martin Seligman explores what it takes to really make us happy

Databases and Student Learning: A Multilevel Analysis of the Use of Databases in the Classroom

This study investigated the use of computerised databases to enhance student learning in the secondary school classroom, and included student factors and classroom processes that influenced their success. Students worked through a course in which they used computers and database management software to solve problems requiring them to work with information. Based on a constructivist pedagogy the course aimed to help students construct knowledge, develop skills in information processing, develop higher order thinking skills, and develop positive attitudes to computers. Data were collected from 541 students in 25 classrooms at 12 schools in New South wales using a series of tests, questionnaires and classroom variables. Multilevel regression analysis was used to test hypothesized causal model linking presage, process and product variables. Students successfully learned to use databases during the course, acquiring content knowledge of the databases and increasing their information processing skills. Students reported positive attitudes to computers and these attitudes directly influenced their achievement. The latter served to emphasise the importance of developing appropriate attitudes in computer classroom learning activities. A number of other factors were found to influence the success of database activities. Gender and student approaches to learning influenced both cognitive and attitudinal outcomes directly. Students\u27 previous computer experiences were found to influence approaches to learning, information processing ability, and attitudes to computers. Several classroom contextual variables were also found to be important, including peer interaction, time on task and the type of database software used. Other teaching methods were of interest because of their negative or lack of influence on learning outcomes. The use of a heuristic was found to have a negative effect, while direct instruction of strategies and teacher modelling of strategies failed to affect learning outcomes. Overall, most students used databases to collect and analyse data successfully. Most teachers were pleasantly surprised at the level of work completed by their students during the database course

Student Attitudes to Computers in the Classroom

Student attitudes toward computers are important to the success of the many computer-assisted programs that are currently being run in Australian schools. This study of 379 Year 10 students examined the effects of age, sex, personality, previous computer use (home, school, and other), attitudes to school subjects (English, Mathematics and Science), attitudes to teachers, and attitudes to technology on students\u27 attitudes to computers (computer liking, and computer confidence). Previous computer use and attitudes to technology were found to be significantly related to more positive attitudes on each of the two computer scales. Attitudes to science was found significantly related to computer confidence. Sex, age, and personality, were found to indirectly affect students\u27 attitudes to confidence. No relationship was found between students\u27 attitudes to teachers and their attitudes to computers

School Choice: What Parents Choose

The educational system in Australia allows parents to have a choice when it comes to selecting a school for their children. Parents have become consumers in an educational market, and schools, including Christian schools, now find themselves operating in a competitive space. The research reported in this two-part article sought to explore the factors that influence parents’ choice of school for their children using a mixed methods approach. Parents with students attending Christian schools in an Australian urban environment completed a total of 102 School Choice questionnaires, and 17 families with children in schools were interviewed

School Choice: What Motivates Parents

The educational system in Australia today is radically different from the school systems of the past. As Mark Porter (2010), Chairman of the Independent schools Council of Australia writes: The expanding role of the federal government in school education and the sustained growth of the independent sector are major developments which have influenced the nature of schooling in this country. (p. 2) The rise of the independent sector has given parents choice when it comes to selecting a school for their children. This increase in choice has been accompanied by a change of focus in Australian education. There has been a move in two major policy directions, marketisation and school performance. Both of these policies can be seen through a lens of competition, choice, the increasing emphasis on accountability, value adding to the curriculum through the addition of extra curricular activities, and the move to make the consumers of education bear the costs (English, 2009)

Can the Use of Web 2.0 Tools Help Deliver 21st Century Learning?

It has long been recognized that people need to be literate to function optimally within society. The 21st century has seen technology increase the complexity of environments, so that a literate person must now possess a wide range of abilities, competencies, and literacies. These have often been referred to as “21st-century skills” and while many of them are not new, the extent to which individual success depends on having such skills is new. The current study seeks to explore ways in which technology can be used to increase literacy and enhance 21st century skills in students. 1193 students attending Sahmyook University in Seoul, South Korea were placed in small groups and asked to make a movie in English. This constructivist, real-world, group-based project required students to collaboratively negotiated their way through a variety of language, technical and social challenges using a wiki. We can conclude from this study that collaborative projects, supported by web 2.0 tools, can deliver worthwhile learning. Students reported that the project; was interesting and rewarding, improved their relationships with classmates, encouraged teamwork, improved English skills, facilitated positive attitudes and the development of ICT skills. Students experienced improved technical, collaborative, leadership, critical thinking and problem solving skills that enhanced knowledge and contributed to their personal 21st century skill set

Podcasting in the Classroom: A Case Study

The world is changing. Many students now fi ll their world with mobile phones, text messaging, MP3 players and computers that they use for social networking. They have really become the iPod generation. Due to the ubiquitous nature of iPods, and other mp3 players, digital music is everywhere and podcasting has become a mainstream activity of the web 2.0 age

Mindset, Perseverance, and Learning

209 junior school students, ranging from year four to year six, and their nine teachers participated in this study that explored how the psychological factors of growth mindset: the belief in one’s ability to learn and succeed, selfcontrol: the ability to resist temptation and remain focused on a goal, and grit: applying passion and perseverance for long term goals, impact junior school students’ academic achievement. This study found that growth mindset, selfcontrol and grit can all play a part in helping students to achieve academically in primary schools. The two factors, grit and growth mindset were found to have a direct, significant influence on academic achievement. Grittier students were more likely to outperform their peers in academic achievement. Students with a higher growth mindset were also more likely to outperform their peers. Growth mindset had a significant positive relationship with grit. Although the present study did not find a significant difference in grit based on gender, the structured equation model indicated that boys had a significant direct link to grit, but girls compensated through the significant indirect link to grit via self-control. The present study found a highly positive correlation between self-control and grit. Students with higher levels of self-control were more likely to exhibit higher levels of grit

Flourish: The Impact of an Intergenerational Program on Third-grade Students’ Social and Emotional Wellbeing with Application to the PERMA Framework

Intergenerational programs are increasingly being recognised as a means of promoting wellbeing through connecting communities, promoting caring relationships, and combating loneliness and isolation. While existing research provides evidence of the positive benefits of intergenerational programs for the elderly, there is limited research on the impact that these programs have on children’s wellbeing. The aim of this study was to measure the impact of the intergenerational program, ‘Flourish’, on student social and emotional wellbeing

Increasing Life Effectiveness

The iPod, more than any other device, is indicative of the times in which we live. It provides entertainment and information at the click of a wheel, whenever, and wherever we want it. The iPod is tool of choice for many of the current generation of youth who fill their days with electronic devices, computer games, Youtube, Myspace, Facebook and talking to friends on MSN. These youth have been referred to as the iGeneration, or Google Generation; whatever you choose to call them, they are the young people in our schools. Life is not simple for many of these students. They are growing up in a world vastly different to that of their parents. Today’s world features “cultural pluralism, increased anxiety about personal and environmental risks, precarious employment, rampant consumerism, the information deluge, greater individualisation and increased instability in families” (Hughes, 2007). Within this quickly changing world, there is a need for students to develop the capacity to cope with their ever-changing environment. They need to be resilient. Outdoor education activities have been proposed as one way of increasing a person’s resilience through increasing ‘Life Effectiveness’ skills. These skills equip students to handle the demands of life and impact a person’s capacity to adapt, survive, and thrive (Neill, 2008). They will enhance a person’s resilience and their sense of wellbeing