School-based Learning for Individual Diversity in Education: The SLIDE Project

Whole-School Professional Development (PD) days held regularly in schools are designed to promote and up-skill school staff on relevant areas of educational policy and practice. An aim of PD days is to empower participants with new knowledges and skills, and to confirm that current practices and interpretations of education policy and procedure are correct. In determining the nature of the professional development content, school executives make decisions based on their perceived needs of the staffing group, available speakers, current departmental policy and practice requirements. Deciding the topics for the professional development day for school staff has tended to adopt a ‘one size fits all’ general approach that is rationalised as being broad in nature and of benefit to all. In adopting such an approach to a diverse teaching cohort, one may question just how valuable and meaningful this training day is in meeting the individual needs of all participating teachers. This paper reports on the benefits a more individualised approach to a whole-school PD training day had for one government primary school in Australia. Foundational to the detailed design of the PD days, the ‘School-based Learning for Individual Diversity in Education’ (SLIDE) project proceeded by identifying the individual needs of each staff member in the school community through an interview prior to the delivery of the two-day training. Embedded in an action research model, the SLIDE project reported evidence of improved teacher self-confidence, improved communication between all levels, and a boost to the level of whole-school staff cohesion and morale

“When the Wattle Comes Out, the Turtles are Ready”: Success of the Enhanced Teacher Training Program

Teacher preparation and preparedness have been the focus of much research connecting quality teaching and learning, retention, and teacher satisfaction (Halsey, 2005; Hayes, Mills, Christie, & Lingard, 2006; MCEETYA, 2006). The successful recruitment and retention of teachers to rural and remote schools Australia-wide has been problematic for all states and territories (Vinson, 2002). Education departments have implemented a number of immersion programs with success (Halsey, 2005) in order to empower new teachers with the cultural and classroom awareness necessary for teaching in Indigenous communities. In 2006, the New South Wales (NSW) Department of Education and Training (DET) implemented the Enhanced Teacher Training (ETT) scholarship program. This paper reflects on the experiences and retention of the first five teachers to graduate through the UNE ETT scholarship program, three years since successfully entering the teaching profession in indigenous communities in NSW

Message from the Editor-in-Chief

We continue to be confronted by ongoing global challenges that require educators and students to conform to learning that requires greater patience, application, flexibility, and a willingness to learn differently. It would appear that no corner of the globe is exempt from the implications to their daily life of the actions and relationships between countries. Years on, the full ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic are still evident in the practices and policies of tertiary educators, as evidenced by the many articles that continue to discuss their experiences. What has remained a constant for higher education educators is their duty to ensure that they provide opportunities for their students to develop and experience a sense of belonging, community, and 'place' in the virtual classroom. Another challenge is ensuring that the design of educational offerings taps into and nurtures the development of student learning styles and approaches to learning, that can lead to a successful, meaningful, productive and enjoyable student learning experience

Message from the Editor-in-Chief

To all our Journal's readers and followers, a warm welcome to our first issue of 2022! I hope this year promises to be more fulfilling, enjoyable and productive than 2021 for us all. In this issue, 16 papers on higher education practices by authors from Australia Canada, United States, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Portugal, Israel, and Bangladesh just to name a few, share their focus on teaching, learning and assessment in education, and issues of training and human resources in industry and learning institution

Message from the Editor-in-Chief

To all our Journal's readers and followers, a warm welcome to the May Special Issue with a focus in higher education in South Africa. Traditionally, we have a strong reader and authorship across South Africa, which we recognise and are immensely proud of. This Special issue comprises 10 papers on higher education practices by South African researchers, who share their findings on teaching, learning and assessment in education, and issues of training and human resources in industry and learning institutions

Message from the Editor-in-Chief

As the COVID pandemic continues to disrupt our daily lives in the form of lockdowns, curfews and other constraints on liberty now being extended in time and place, there can be little doubt that we are all struggling with the deep challenge of combatting nature at its aggressive, biologically-engineered best. Differences in opinion are firmly drawn around access to and participation in vaccination programmes, and the cultural shift to a model of societal engagement that preserves health and safety for everyone. Thus, we are all reminded about how complex the democratic processes are in real life practice, and what responsibility we carry for preserving freedom of speech

Message from the Editor-in-Chief

To all our Journal's readers and followers, a warm welcome to the August issue of 2022! In this issue, 19 papers discuss higher education practices, contributions and perspectives from South Africa, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, the USA, Saudia Arabia, Australia and Portugal. This issue has a strong focus on learner pedagogy, gender performance, student teacher experiences, and post-COVID adaptations. Research in these areas provide interesting and informative reading on how global educators continue with their core business of delivering relevant and meaningful education to their students in challenging times

Message form the Editor-in-Chief October 2023

I am proud to introduce our 2023 Special Issue focusing on university and college Thai graduates. In an increasing complex global set of events, we are reminded of the importance and value the role of education has in securing our futures. It is important that our scholars of tomorrow maintain their trust and faith in how their contribution will encourage others to pursue their hopes and dreams. To that end, this issue provides numerous strategies, program suggestions, personal development, teacher and peer support systems, and guidelines to empower upcoming educators, supervisors and managers. We are proud to present this Special Issue with a focus on sharing the latest research findings that may assist in improving student retention rates and improving the overall tertiary student experience, through contributions from China and Thailand

Message from the Editor-in-Chief

Common to all tertiary educators in current times have been to re-think and recalibrate existing learning and teaching offerings, so they are appropriately aligned with the opportunities and promises of openness and flexibility. This may manifest as allowing technology to dominate, scaffold and drive our educational classrooms, rather than the more traditional personalised comfort of face-to-face instruction. Challenges abound for educators to ensure that they develop for their students a sense of belonging, community, and 'place' in the virtual classroom. Another challenge is ensuring that the design of their educational offerings tap into, and nurture the development of student learning styles and approaches to learning, that can lead to a successful, meaningful, productive and enjoyable student learning experience

School-based Learning for Individual Diversity in Education: The SLIDE Project

Whole-School Professional Development (PD) days held regularly in schools are designed to promote and up-skill school staff on relevant areas of educational policy and practice. An aim of PD days is to empower participants with new knowledges and skills, and to confirm that current practices and interpretations of education policy and procedure are correct. In determining the nature of the professional development content, school executives make decisions based on their perceived needs of the staffing group, available speakers, current departmental policy and practice requirements. Deciding the topics for the professional development day for school staff has tended to adopt a ‘one size fits all’ general approach that is rationalised as being broad in nature and of benefit to all. In adopting such an approach to a diverse teaching cohort, one may question just how valuable and meaningful this training day is in meeting the individual needs of all participating teachers. This paper reports on the benefits a more individualised approach to a whole-school PD training day had for one government primary school in Australia. Foundational to the detailed design of the PD days, the ‘School-based Learning for Individual Diversity in Education’ (SLIDE) project proceeded by identifying the individual needs of each staff member in the school community through an interview prior to the delivery of the two-day training. Embedded in an action research model, the SLIDE project reported evidence of improved teacher self-confidence, improved communication between all levels, and a boost to the level of whole-school staff cohesion and morale