Healthward ho! : How to keep healthy and happy grades 1 and 2

A book of ideas in stories and rhymes on how to help keep children healthy

School Improvement Tool Elaborations: Student engagement and wellbeing

What happens in schools can have a great and lasting impact on the future wellbeing and outcomes for young people. Schools therefore play an important role in supporting students’ engagement and wellbeing. These elaborations are intended to support the work of schools by providing further specificity about the practices in each of the nine domains of the School Improvement Tool (previously National School Improvement Tool) that optimise student engagement and wellbeing and, in turn, impact on achievement. Commissioned by the Queensland Department of Education, the elaborations provide an evidence-based framework to guide practice by teachers, school leaders and education systems in ensuring equitable outcomes for all students, particularly those most at-risk of disengagement, or for whom there are wellbeing concerns. The elaborations have been developed directly from the research evidence on student engagement and wellbeing by the Australian Council for Educational Research and refined in consultation with key stakeholders

オーストラリア ショウ チュウガクセイ ノ カナ ガクシュウ : ソノ キョウジュホウ ト モンダイテン ヲ サグル

オーストラリアで最多の日本語学習者を要するクイーンズランド州では、小学校での日本語学習者の数は現在27,000人と推定されている。この数は、外国語(LOTE:Languages Other Than English)教育が政府の方針として奨励されるに従って、急速に伸びつつある。このLOTEの中でも日本語は最も学習者数が多い。 外国語教育では、四技能のバランスを保ちながら、コミュニケーション能力を伸ばしていくことが大切である。とくに、読み書きの分野に力を入れることは、話す、聞くことに集中しがちな現代の外国語学習において、その重要性が増しているといえよう。この問題は、学習者が新しい表記法を学ばなければならない。非漢字圏での日本語教授においてとくに重要な点であると思われる。 本稿では、585名の小・中学生を対象に 1)「かな」の認知能力、2)かなに対する学習態度、3)その教授法との関連、について行なった調査のついて報告する。この調査は、さまざまなかな教授法とその効果 についての研究プロジェクトの第一段階として行なったものである。この研究プロジェクトは次の二点に焦点をおいている。1)かな学習の初期段階を過ぎた時点から、読みの能力が伸びない学習者が多い。読み書きの学習に対して否定的な態度が現れるのもこの時期である。2)かなの教授法、とくに、ローマ字を介しての教授は、英語圏では議論が絶えない。しかし、どのような教授法が効果 的なのか、ローマ字の使用は果たしてかなの学習を実際に妨げる要因なのか、また、そうであるならば、どのような点においてなのか、などについての教室研究の例、その実証が非常に少ない。かな学習は一見容易になされているようであるが、非漢字圏の学習者、とくに、低学年の学生にとっては一つの「ハードル」であり、後の学習全体に及ぼす影響も大きい。ここでは、調査結果 を報告するとともに、かな教授の現状と問題点、また、小学校での日本語教授における今後の研究課題についても考察している。It is estimated that over 27,000 students are learning Japanese in primary schools in the state of Queensland, which represents the highest enrolment of Japanese learners in Australia both at primary and secondary schools. This figure is growing rapidly, as LOTE (Languages Other Than English) programs are promoted strongly at government level. Among all LOTEs, Japanese has the greatest number of students. It is our belief that all LOTE programs should facilitate the development of communicative competence in a balanced way, that is, using all four skills. To achieve this balance, it is particularly important to promote reading and writing skills in today\u27s LOTE classrooms, where the emphasis has tended to be on oral / aural skills. This point is particularly relevant to the learning of the Japanese language, in which orthographical change can be a major problem for many learners. This paper reports on a study conducted on 585 primary- and secondary-school Japanese-language learners to examine: 1) their kana proficiency (mainly recognition); 2) their attitude toward learning written forms of the language; and 3) how these two factors are affected by different teaching approaches. This study is the first stage of a project which investigates teaching approaches to reading / writing in Japanese as a LOTE. This project was conceived to investigate two problems: 1) after the initial learning of kana (mostly at primary schools), students\u27 reading proficiency does not develop as smoothly as desired: and 2) the effect of different teaching approaches, particularly the use of romaji, has been an issue of debate. However, there is no concrete classroom evidence that clarifies which approach is more effective and whether the use of romaji (or any alphabet-based code) actually hinders students\u27 mastery of kana. Kana learning is often regarded as an easy task; however, for Japanese learners of non-character-based language background, it can be a major \u27hurdle\u27 which may affect their future learning. As well as the discussion of the outcomes of the sdudy, further research questions will be raised specifically on the teaching of reading and Japanese teaching at the primary-school level

School Centres for Teaching Excellence (SCTE): understanding new directions for schools and universities in Health and Physical Education

This paper critically analyzes a community collaborative approach for implementing Health and Physical Education (HPE) lessons within Gippsland primary schools (Victoria, Australia). The rural community collaborations reflected upon are embedded within the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) ‘School Centres for Teaching Excellence’ (SCTE) initiative and are timely with the current curriculum reform in Health and Physical Education. The purpose of this paper is to reflect on and share the experiential learning offered where the curriculum is relevant, engaging, contemporary, physically active, enjoyable and developmentally appropriate for all stakeholders; namely university pre-service teachers, primary school children and primary teachers. It is envisaged that through sharing the various dynamics involved in a SCTE program, educators may benefit and subsequently consider the suitability and possibility of establishing similar collaborations within their context

Assessment for learning in the accountability era: Queensland, Australia

Developments in school education in Australia over the past decade have witnessed the rise of national efforts to reform curriculum, assessment and reporting. Constitutionally the power to decide on curriculum matters still resides with the States. Higher stakes in assessment, brought about by national testing and international comparative analyses of student achievement data, have challenged State efforts to maintain the emphasis on assessment to promote learning while fulfilling accountability demands. In this article lessons from the Queensland experience indicate that it is important to build teachers' assessment capacity and their assessment literacy for the promotion of student learning. It is argued that teacher assessment can be a source of dependable results through moderation practice. The Queensland Studies Authority has recognised and supported the development of teacher assessment and moderation practice in the context of standards-driven, national reform. Recent research findings explain how the focus on learning can be maintained by avoiding an over-interpretation of test results in terms of innate ability and limitations and by encouraging teachers to adopt more tailored diagnosis of assessment data to address equity through focus on achievement for all. Such efforts are challenged as political pressures related to the Australian government’s implementation of national testing and national partnership funding arrangements tied to the performance of students at or below minimum standards become increasingly apparent

Gender politics in 21st century literacy reform

From 2001 to 2004 Education Queensland undertook significant literacy reform in schools through the Literate Futures Project. Research into the impact of this reform has revealed that significant demands were placed on women at all levels, from those producing resources to those leading change within schools. Although the reform was a government response to globalisation, many women were driven by a commitment to a collaborative approach to professional learning that addressed equity and improving educational outcomes for all students. But what was the cost of this commitment to the project? Failure to acknowledge the emotion work demanded by educational reform effectively silences women and the significant contribution they make. This paper examining a 21st century literacy reform draws on the work of Fraser and Boler to argue for gender justice and acknowledgement of emotion work

Investigating child participation in the everyday talk of a teacher and children in a preparatory year

In early years research, policy and education, a democratic perspective that positions children as participants and citizens is increasingly emphasized. These ideas take seriously listening to children’s opinions and respecting children’s influence over their everyday affairs. While much political and social investment has been paid to the inclusion of participatory approaches little has been reported on the practical achievement of such an approach in the day to day of early childhood education within school settings. This paper investigates talk and interaction in the everyday activities of a teacher and children in an Australian preparatory class (for children age 4-6 years) to see how ideas of child participation are experienced. We use an interactional analytic approach to demonstrate how participatory methods are employed in practical ways to manage routine interactions. Analysis shows that whilst the teacher seeks the children’s opinion and involves them in decision-making, child participation is at times constrained by the context and institutional categories of “teacher” and “student” that are jointly produced in their talk. The paper highlights tensions that arise for teachers as they balance a pedagogical intent of “teaching” and the associated institutional expectations, with efforts to engage children in decision-making. Recommendations include adopting a variety of conversational styles when engaging with children; consideration of temporal concerns and the need to acknowledge the culture of the school

Universities and public libraries supporting student success: an exploratory study

As universities seek new ways to engage and support students in their learning, in Australia, students from regional and remote areas pose a challenge for universities given their geographical, social and technological isolation compared with their metropolitan counterparts. Much of the literature that address challenges associated with distance learning focus on teaching, course design and ways of accessing learning materials. Little is known about the provision of learning support services. Public libraries are well placed within their communities to assist university students with their learning needs. The aim of this research was to explore the idea of universities and public library services working together to support regional student success. The University of Southern Queensland, provided the context for this study. Semi-structured interviews with representatives from public library services in regional areas of Queensland were conducted to find out what service is currently being provided to students; challenges, opportunities and related issues. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes that told the ‘story’ within the data. Findings suggest there is an opportunity for universities and public libraries to work together to support regional student success, and that this opportunity is worthy of further discussion and exploration