Creating effective learning environments in print: A guide for lecturers and designers of independent study materials

This book is about providing the assistance that you need to create effective printed learning materials. It focuses on the needs of the writer of a distance unit, but the principles apply equally to any self-directed study materials. The book has been developed to assist you with the preparation of your study materials, and to describe some of the many support services available to you. It also provides guidelines on non-discriminatory writing and a useful editorial style, sometimes described as a \u27house style\u27. Above all, Creating Effective Learning Environments in Print will help to ensure that documents you produce are of the highest quality

Investigating teaching strategies in mathematics classrooms : a CD-ROM resource enabling teachers to explore teaching strategies in mathematics education

Teaching mathematics has traditionally followed a standard pattern across the world. Students are placed in classrooms where they are seated individually, are required to listen passively and observe the teacher demonstrating mathematical procedure and then s1 end extensive time practicing the newly acquired ski ll s. Generally the content being taught comprises mathematical facts and skills taught sequentially in the order presented by a textbook. Students are then assessed by unseen pencil and paper tests for the purpose of grading and ranking. This cycle is then repeated with another mathematical topic which is viewed by students as discrete from the previous one. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics offers a new vision of mathematics teaching and learning..

The page in print: designing better documents with desktop publishing: second edition

The ready availability and sheer power of desktop publishing has forced many users and producers of documents to look beyond the mere presentation of words on a page. Even the most rudimentary of word processors gives the user the power to produce professional documents that command the reader\u27s attention. This book was originally published in 1994 in response to the growing demand for guidance in producing documents in the face of an abundance of choice. This new edition has included extra material on electronic publishing, including a chapter on designing electronic documents for applications such as the World Wide Web. The book has been produced to offer an easy and painless introduction to desktop publishing and its principles, regardless of the medium. The Page in Print: Designing Better Documents with Desktop Publishing is supported by the smaller reference book A Thumbnail Guide to Desktop Publishing which provides a ready reference guide to terminology and concepts central to document production. Although designed to work together, both books can be used independently as a standalone resource. The package has been produced for anyone who regularly works with words and images on a page or screen: business people, students, lecturers, teachers, and writers

Collaborative foreign language learning practices and design principles for supporting effective collaboration in a blended learning environment

This paper describes a research study that investigated foreign language students’ collaborative practice in a blended, authentic learning environment. A group of intermediate and advanced level students of Italian at an Australian university interacted and collaborated with each other and with a group of native speaker mentors through a web-based learning management system and in face-to-face mode. As part of the project, students were required to complete two authentic tasks designed according to an authentic learning framework. In order to complete these tasks, students assigned themselves into small collaborative groups and negotiated their roles and responsibilities with little or no intervention from the class teacher apart from the requirement that communication took place in the target language. This paper describes the different phases of the collaborative process and the strategies employed by learners to overcome some of the challenges and problems encountered. The paper concludes with a series of recommendations for language educators seeking to support student collaboration and foreign language development in a blended language learning environment

ePortfolio-Based Learning Environments: Recommendations for Effective Scaffolding of Reflective Thinking in Higher Education

In addition to providing a useful repository for learning products, ePortfolios provide enhanced opportunities for the development of advanced learning skills. It can be argued, however, that ePortfolios are not being implemented effectively towards fulfilling this important function. This paper presents an investigation of an ePortfolio environment that scaffolded the learning of pre-service teachers. The environment was embedded within the PebblePad platform and utilised the Blog function to provide students with activities that were designed to enhance and support the skills and dispositions required to undertake action research. Prompts were provided to students to scaffold the completion of an action research project and provide additional activities that supported the enhancement of reflective thinking. The research study utilised an eLearning Lifecycle that provided a cyclic framework of review and implementation. The purpose of this model was to identify design principles for future iterations of ePortfolio-based learning environments. Findings suggest that the prompts and the ePortfolio environment were effective in scaffolding students’ reflective thinking. Additionally, design principles are suggested to ensure this research has both practical and theoretical significance for implementation in similar environments

The case studies: authentic learning

Moving from theory to practice in higher education is deeply challenging. While exploring pedagogical models in the literature may lead to tacit understanding of general principles, actually implementing these principles in practice can be an entirely different matter

Skilling Up: Providing Educational Opportunities for Aboriginal Education Workers through Technology-based Pedagogy

Over the past decade Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies and perspectives have been mandated across the Australian national curriculum and all teachers are now required to demonstrate strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and have a broad knowledge of Aboriginal histories, cultures and languages. This paper describes a project focused on enabling Aboriginal Education Workers (AEWs) to play a critical role in transforming these initiatives into real and sustainable change through authentic, technology-based pedagogy. Indigenous research methodologies and design-based research (DBR) were used to investigate the potential educational roles for AEWs enabled by e-learning and new technologies. The project, called Skilling Up: Improving educational opportunities for AEWs through technology based pedagogy was funded by the Office of Learning and Teaching. This paper reports on the findings of the study conducted in Western Australia, including pre-study survey results, together with a description of a unit of study to provide opportunities for AEWs to use technologies in their work, and to create authentic digital stories for use in teacher education. The development of design principles for the design of such environments is also discussed

Skilling Up: Providing Educational Opportunities for Aboriginal Education Workers through Technology-based Pedagogy

Over the past decade Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies and perspectives have been mandated across the Australian national curriculum and all teachers are now required to demonstrate strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and have a broad knowledge of Aboriginal histories, cultures and languages. This paper describes a project focused on enabling Aboriginal Education Workers (AEWs) to play a critical role in transforming these initiatives into real and sustainable change through authentic, technology-based pedagogy. Indigenous research methodologies and design-based research (DBR) were used to investigate the potential educational roles for AEWs enabled by e-learning and new technologies. The project, called Skilling Up: Improving educational opportunities for AEWs through technology based pedagogy was funded by the Office of Learning and Teaching. This paper reports on the findings of the study conducted in Western Australia, including pre-study survey results, together with a description of a unit of study to provide opportunities for AEWs to use technologies in their work, and to create authentic digital stories for use in teacher education. The development of design principles for the design of such environments is also discussed