Reconceptualizing beginning teacher induction as organizational socialization: a situated learning model

The process of beginning teacher induction has gained widespread attention in the literature as a means to help newly appointed teachers negotiate the early years of their careers, which are characterized by high attrition rates, due in part to stress, burnout, heavy workloads, and lack of support. While there is empirical evidence to suggest that comprehensive teacher induction can curtail teacher attrition by up to 20%, there exists a lack of understanding with regard to how to develop and implement effective programs. Although new teachers face some distinctive challenges, all new career starters, irrespective of their field, have a period of adjustment to go through. This article presents a conceptual framework for understanding beginning teacher induction as a situated learning process through an organizational socialization framework more commonly used in business. By conceptualizing beginning teacher induction through a common framework, culminating in a shared understanding of induction, it is envisaged that more effective programs may be implemented to help support teachers in the early years of their career

Understanding the need for Induction Programmes for Beginning Teachers in Independent Catholic Secondary Schools in New South Wales

This article reports on the initial findings and justification for research undertaken in a Doctor of Education course at the University of Wollongong regarding induction programmes for beginning teachers in New South Wales independent Catholic high schools in the Sydney region. A review of relevant literature has identified seven elements of effective induction that have been utilised to select six Catholic independent high schools in Sydney to participate in a collective case study, which seeks to ascertain the nature of effective induction in these schools. The purpose of the case studies is to better understand the successes and limitations of these programmes and prepare policy recommendations for relevant bodies, such as the Association of Independent Schools (AIS) and the Independent Schools Council of Australia (ISCA), to inform the development of training programmes for school leaders to implement effective beginning teacher induction in their schools. The research will involve purposive sampling of schools that meet the criteria specified for effective induction; interviews of administrators and beginning teachers in the selected schools to better understand their perceptions and expectations of the programme; and, a document review of relevant policies, both from the schools and pertinent agencies, both government and private, that are related to the independent education sector. This paper will present the initial findings from the literature review that has culminated in the seven elements of ‘best practice’ in beginning teacher induction and the justification and the necessity of this research to enhance student learning and improve teacher retention

The Importance of Induction Programmes for Beginning teachers in Independent Catholic Secondary Schools in New South Wales

Beginning teacher induction is an important process in acculturating teachers to their new profession (Kearney, 2010). Researchers argue that the first year of teaching is crucial in the success, retention and development of teachers (Smith & Ingersoll 2004). The aim of this research is to ascertain the effectiveness of induction programmes in Catholic Independent High Schools in NSW; establish whether those programmes are congruent with what the literature deems as best practice; and to determine the implications this has for policy for the independent school sector. The study will comprise: an extensive literature review; a document review of induction/mentoring policies in NSW and in the schools chosen for the research; and in-depth interviews with administrators and participants of induction programmes. Researchers point out that the support and guidance in the first year of teaching is critical in arresting growing attrition rates and enabling the capacity to establish beginning teachers as valuable members of the profession (Smith & Ingersoll 2004, Wong 2004). With a looming teacher shortage crisis in NSW, effective induction programmes could be the answer; however, there has been insufficient research, especially in the independent sector, with regards to these programmes

Improving Engagement: The Use of ‘Authentic Self and Peer Assessment for Learning’ to Enhance the Student Learning Experience

The University system in the United States has been criticized for depersonalizing education (Tae 2009). The depersonalization of learning shows a lack of engagement on the part of the educator and the student and consequently the university. We ask the question: Can incorporating self and peer assessment into tertiary studies help to reengage students in their education? Innovative assessment practices have the capacity to significantly change the perceptions of students with regard to their tertiary studies. Assessment drives learning (Boud, 1990); however, the wrong type of assessment drives the wrong type of learning. Traditional tests, meaningless essays, research projects that do not have value outside of the classroom reinforce surface learning and memorization (Gardner, 1997). What is needed is a reinvigoration of authentic assessment practices that foster useful metacognitive skills and are focused on deep, sustainable, authentic learning. While initiating innovative assessment practices might not solve the problem of overcrowded lecture theatres, it may be able to guide learning and encourage students to be more engaged. In a recent study conducted at a small private university in Australia, we found that by incorporating the ASPAL Model (Authentic Self & Peer Assessment for Learning) (Kearney & Perkins, 2010), students were more engaged, had increased efficacy and felt that they were a part of the educative process, rather than being subjected to it. This paper will present initial, qualitative findings, from research conducted in the School of Education at the University of Notre Dame, Australia where 280 undergraduate primary education students were surveyed prior to undertaking ASPAL and after undertaking ASPAL. While the quantitative results are still being analysed, the students’ perceptions of the process in the post survey will be reported and discussed in this paper and some broad conclusions drawn with regard to the use of self and peer assessment in engaging students in their studies. AABRI International Conference, Las Vegas, October 6 - 8, 2011

Developing Students\u27 Capacity for Innovation, Creativity and Critical Thinking through Contemporary Forms of Assessment

In continuing with the forms and methods of assessment that for decades have pervaded higher education, are we devaluing the education we provide and disengaging students in the process? Why do we assess? What is our purpose and for whose benefit do we assess? Are these benefits achieved through current practices? These are the questions that need to be addressed. The demands on educators to provide valuable, student-centred assessment and feedback have never been greater. Feedback is one of the most powerful influences on learning and achievement (Hattie, 2007), and how we construct and evaluate these tasks to provide feedback determines the potency of such feedback. The focus of tertiary education needs to be on developing students’ capacity for innovation, creativity and critical thinking. The perpetuation of the dichotomy in universities between traditional approaches and the ideals of critical and lateral thinking, autonomy, and thoughtfulness in education, make current traditional practices impractical and unacceptable. The arbitrary nature of creating, marking and providing feedback for tasks without consideration for the learning that should result from the task seems illogical and counter-productive to the purpose of assessment. Peer assessment, self-assessment and the democratization of assessment for learning all need to become part of the repertoire of the university tutor, lecturer and professor if we want students to be engaged with and value their learning

Engaging students through assessment: The success and limitations of the ASPAL (Authentic Self and Peer Assessment for Learning) model

In 2011 the authors created a model of self- and peer-assessment known as Authentic Self and Peer Assessment for Learning (ASPAL) in an attempt to better engage seemingly disengaged students in their undergraduate coursework. The model focuses on authentic assessment tasks and engages students by involving them in every step of the process from the creation of the criteria on which they will be marked, through to providing exemplars of work, pilot marking and providing peer feedback. This article examines the ASPAL process with regard to whether or not the students are better engaged in their studies as a result of taking part in this process. Although the results are not definitive, the present study shows that the majority of students who undertook the process found it beneficial and were open to try it again. This article seeks to open a discussion as to the capacity for a specific model of self- and peer-assessment to better engage students in their learning and discern the reasons why students found the model engaging so as to better inform future applications of the model and how it can be applied to a wider audience

Engaging Students through Assessment: The Success and Limitations of the ASPAL (Authentic Self and Peer Assessment for Learning) Model.

In 2011 the authors created a model of self- and peer-assessment known as Authentic Self and Peer Assessment for Learning (ASPAL) in an attempt to better engage seemingly disengaged students in their undergraduate coursework. The model focuses on authentic assessment tasks and engages students by involving them in every step of the process from the creation of the criteria on which they will be marked, through to providing exemplars of work, pilot marking and providing peer feedback. This article examines the ASPAL process with regard to whether or not the students are better engaged in their studies as a result of taking part in this process. Although the results are not definitive, the present study shows that the majority of students who undertook the process found it beneficial and were open to try it again. This article seeks to open a discussion as to the capacity for a specific model of self- and peer-assessment to better engage students in their learning and discern the reasons why students found the model engaging so as to better inform future applications of the model and how it can be applied to a wider audience

Pressure Monitoring Using Hybrid fs/ps Rotational CARS

We investigate the feasibility of gas-phase pressure measurements at kHz-rates using fs/ps rotational CARS. Femtosecond pump and Stokes pulses impulsively prepare a rotational Raman coherence, which is then probed by a high-energy 6-ps pulse introduced at a time delay from the Raman preparation. Rotational CARS spectra were recorded in N2 contained in a room-temperature gas cell for pressures from 0.1 to 3 atm and probe delays ranging from 10-330 ps. Using published self-broadened collisional linewidth data for N2, both the spectrally integrated coherence decay rate and the spectrally resolved decay were investigated as means for detecting pressure. Shot-averaged and single-laser-shot spectra were interrogated for pressure and the accuracy and precision as a function of probe delay and cell pressure are discussed. Single-shot measurement accuracies were within 0.1 to 6.5% when compared to a transducer values, while the precision was generally between 1% and 6% of measured pressure for probe delays of 200 ps or more, and better than 2% as the delay approached 300 ps. A byproduct of the pressure measurement is an independent but simultaneous measurement of the gas temperature

Predicting spatial-temporal patterns of diet quality and large herbivore performance using satellite time series

Adaptive management of large herbivores requires an understanding of how spatial-temporal fluctuations in forage biomass and quality influence animal performance. Advances in remote sensing have yielded information about the spatial-temporal dynamics of forage biomass, which in turn have informed rangeland management decisions such as stocking rate and paddock selection for free-ranging cattle. However, less is known about the spatial-temporal patterns of diet quality and their influence on large herbivore performance. This is due to infrequent concurrent ground observations of forage conditions with performance (e.g., mass gain), and previously limited satellite data at fine spatial and temporal scales. We combined multi-temporal field observations of diet quality (weekly) and mass gain (monthly) with satellite-derived phenological metrics (pseudo-daily, using data fusion and interpolation) to model daily mass gains of free-ranging yearling cattle in shortgrass steppe. We used this model to predict grazing season (mid-May to October) mass gains, a key management indicator, across 40 different paddocks grazed over a 10-year period (n = 138). We found strong relationships between diet quality and the satellite-derived phenological metrics, especially metrics related to the timing and rate of green-up and senescence. Satellite-derived diet quality estimates were strong predictors of monthly mass gains (R2 = 0.68) across a wide range of aboveground net herbaceous production. Season-long predictions of average daily gain and cattle off-mass had mean absolute errors of 8.9% and 2.9%, respectively. The model performed better temporally (across repeated observations in the same paddock) than spatially (across all paddocks within a given year), highlighting the need for accurate vegetation maps and robust field data collection across both space and time. This study demonstrates that freeranging cattle performance in rangelands is strongly affected by diet quality, which is related to the timing of vegetation green-up and senescence. Senescing vegetation suppressed mass gains, even if adequate forage was available. The satellite-based pseudo-daily approach presented here offers new opportunities for adaptive management of large herbivores, such as identifying withinseason triggers to move livestock among paddocks, predicting wildlife herd health, or timing the grazing season to better match earlier spring green-up caused by climate change and plant species invasion