http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/services/Feed ${session.getAttribute("locale")} 5 http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:3073 This paper discusses theoretical and empirical foundations for a focus on pedagogy during teacher induction. Our research project for exploring this possibility, with the working title of 'the impact of quality teaching on the socialisation of early career teachers' is outlined. This study follows a group of teachers who received strong grounding in 'productive pedagogy' during their teacher education program. During this first year of employment as teachers, NSW public schools have adopted a version of productive pedagogy, 'Quality teaching', as a long term strategic priority. Through observations and semi-structured interviews, the study will explore the potential impact of Quality teaching, as a framework both in teacher education and in schools, particularly during the process of induction to professional practice. Our research reveals that while there is a neglect of pedagogy during their induction period, a substantive understanding of quality teaching has assisted a small group of early career teachers to sustain what they have learnt about 'teaching better' as they begin their teaching practice in schools. 2013-03-01T04:40:01.286Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:8848 The conceptualisation of English teaching differs greatly between and within elementary and secondary contexts. Framed as the instruction of literacy, literature, language arts and more, the teaching of English is shaped by often conflicting opinions regarding what matters in the teaching of English and how English can best be taught. Drawing on Smagorinsky’s (2002) discussion of the principled practice of English, and on characteristics of good teaching that research has demonstrated to enhance student authentic achievement (Newmann, Marks, & Gamoran, 1998; Author, 2003), this paper presents the findings of a large crosssectional analysis of the nature and quality of the teaching of English in elementary and secondary schools as represented in assessment practice. Three strands of analysis inform this critique. First, the analysis identified statistically significant differences in the quality of assessment practice between elementary and secondary samples, with secondary teachers demonstrating significantly higher assessment practice than elementary teachers. Second, we conducted content analysis to examine the different ways in which English subject matter was conceptualised by elementary and secondary teachers in assessment practice. Finally, we conducted an analysis of variance between the quality of classroom and assessment practice and the ways in which English subject matter was conceptualised by participants, revealing a significant relationship between the sophistication, (or lack) of teachers’ conceptualisations of English subject matter and the quality of their assessment practices. We conclude the paper by examining the implications of these analyses for educators who grapple with the perennial question of what matters, in terms of subject matter and pedagogical practice, in the teaching of English. 2013-03-01T04:28:16.759Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:12134 Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) 2012-11-28T22:30:13.869Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:11722 Despite rhetorical and financial investments in professional development, much professional learning activity fails to generate the intended improvements in teaching quality and student learning. In this paper, we examine the impact of Quality Teaching Rounds as a specific form of ongoing professional learning designed to address such weaknesses in professional learning experiences, as inadequate time, the absence of an agreed knowledge base, and cultural norms of privatism. Drawing primarily on questionnaire data, we compare the views of teachers who participated in Quality Teaching Rounds with the views of teachers who were not part of the Rounds process. Statistically significant differences were found for seven of eleven scales including Quality Teaching Support, Quality Teaching Reception, Professional Learning Satisfaction, Quality Teaching Coherency, Teacher Responsibility, Quality Teaching Importance, and Professional Learning Coherency. These findings indicate the potential of QT Rounds to substantially impact on teacher professional learning. 2012-11-13T05:27:59.352Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:11711 This paper explores the impact of Quality Teaching Rounds, a specific approach to professional learning, on how teachers see themselves as teachers and how they see their teaching. In this analysis, three key themes are drawn from interview and reflective journal data for 28 teachers: teaching publicly, shared language, and collegial relationships. The teachers who participated in Quality Teaching Rounds reported that this approach provided serious opportunities for collegial learning through focused professional dialogue. Moreover, our evidence suggests that teachers participating in this activity have been able to create new professional relationships characterised by respect, support, and critical analysis in well under a year. 2012-10-12T05:12:34.160Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2335 Much has been invested in the capacity of professional learning to support teacher growth and improve schooling outcomes (Vandenberghe, 2002). In relation to the NSW Quality Teaching reform, the view is that teachers must engage in professional learning activities that deepen their understanding of Quality Teaching, if Quality Teaching is to improve pedagogy (and student outcomes). Drawing on survey and interview data from SIPA, we examine the range of professional learning experiences in which approximately 900 teachers have been engaged during the past two years, and examine the effectiveness of that professional learning as judged by the teachers. We also consider differences and similarities between schools and draw conclusions to guide ongoing efforts to conduct meaningful professional learning to improve pedagogy. We include quantitative analyses of the relationship between the amount, type, and level of satisfaction with QT professional learning and the quality of pedagogy found in SIPA schools. Qualitative data are also used to shed light on what it takes for professional development to have a positive impact on pedagogy. The research reported in this paper is designed to enhance our empirical understanding of the relationship between professional development and the improvement of pedagogical practice. 2012-04-03T06:40:06.314Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2336 This paper explores the potential of Quality Teaching in supporting the professional learning and pedagogical success of early career teachers. Much of the literature and many policies focus on matters other than pedagogy in teacher induction. Given the low retention rates for early career teachers (Strong & St John, 2005; Ingersoll, 2001; Ramsey, 2000), we argue that attention to pedagogy is not only critical to supporting new teachers and ensuring their classroom success, but is also in the public interest. This paper discusses the induction and mentoring experiences and the pedagogical performance of a small group of teachers who undertook substantial studies in pedagogy in their teacher education program and entered NSW public schools in a context of heightened focus on pedagogy through the Quality Teaching initiative (Cohort 1). The paper also draws on data from the SIPA study to explore the experiences and performance of early career teachers who may not have had a strong grounding in Quality Teaching but who are in schools where a focus on pedagogy is expected (Cohort 2). The data from both studies highlight the need for a clear and substantial focus on pedagogy to better support the professional growth of early career teachers. 2012-04-03T05:50:06.637Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2338 This paper reports on the distribution of pedagogy as received by student cohorts in the SIPA study, with a focus on two of the most persistent dimensions of educational disadvantage: socio-economic status (SES) and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) status. Drawing on data from classroom observations and the coding of tasks received by students, we analyse the distribution of pedagogy at the school and classroom levels. Our results show predictable, but mild, correlations between pedagogy, the percentage of ATSI students and the mean SES at the school level, the strength of these increasing at the classroom level. Further analysis finds a strong, positive correlation between prior achievement on standardised assessments and the quality of tasks received. Our analysis demonstrates that the quality of pedagogy received, particularly when it comes to tasks and teachers' assessment practice, varies considerably in line with SES and the percentage of ATSI students at the classroom level. Drawing on interview data from teachers, we argue that these findings accord with general (though not universal) expectations about students' capacity to learn, and highlight the potential of the Quality Teaching framework to assist teachers in changing their practice as a strategy for changed expectations and improved outcomes. 2012-03-07T23:09:13.617Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:9245 Emphasising the professional development of early career teachers, with an emphasis on pedagogy, is an obvious priority in improving student outcomes. Surprisingly then, in all the rhetoric around mentoring early career teachers (ECTs) this emphasis appears to be missing. This study explores the implications of professional development for ECTs in a particular pedagogical skill, in this case cooperative learning (CL), and the impact of this on the quality of teaching of two early career teachers. An abundance of research literature, over a significant number of years, argues that by focussing on cooperative learning as a pedagogical strategy, students’ social and academic outcomes will improve. This paper advocates ECTs expert use of CL to ensure this increase in both social and academic outcomes. The importance of this focus on pedagogy for ECTs as they use CL more in their classrooms is explored by analysing pre and post classroom observations, both in CL and in Quality teaching, as well as semi-structured teacher interviews. These are analysed to investigate teachers’ implementation of the cooperative learning strategy, to evaluate their understanding of classroom practice in CL and its impact on the quality of their teaching. The teacher with more years of experience made gains in both cooperative learning and quality teaching demonstrating an emphasis on pedagogy was significant in enhancing her professional accomplishment. The teacher with less experience struggled with other aspects of beginning teaching, such as school context and burnout, which had an effect on the overall quality of her teaching. 2012-01-30T05:24:02.783Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:6887 Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) 2012-01-30T05:22:46.600Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:4861 Recent research into factors impacting on student attainment has exposed the potential of 'quality teaching' to exercise a positive influence on their achievement. Extending the notion of teacher beyond surface and factual learning, quality teaching, as defined in the literature, has posited conceptions of "intellectual depth", "communicative competence" and "self-reflection" as being central to effective learning. Implicit in these conceptions are values dimensions reflected in notions of positive relationships, the centrality of student welfare, school coherence, ambience and organization. The influences of these on student learning, welfare and progress have been observed widely across all sectors, confirming earlier studies of similar phenomena in religious schools. At the same time, new research insights are challenging some of the assumptions held by religious schools in earlier times that part of the religious school's distinctiveness was to be found around the values agenda. Evidence from the Australian Government's Values Education Good Schools Project (VEGPSP) (AGDEST, 2006) indicates the benefit to schools, religious or otherwise, of reflecting on, reevaluating and rethinking the implications of 'values education', as defined, for curricula, classroom management and school ethos in the interests of student well-being and progress. Hence, it is proposed, values education is being seen increasingly as having outgrown any earlier conceptions of dependence on religious education and, in turn, yet another of the cosmetically defined differences between religious and public schooling is being stripped away. 2012-01-30T04:18:09.742Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:9665 The experiences of the developed countries reflect that estahlishing the supporting organization in the university is a key approach to improve the teaching quality in higher education. The authors investigated the Centre for Learning aud Teaching in Newcastle University with the qualitative research method, aud draw some useful conclusions. 2012-01-30T01:06:49.833Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:856 Awareness of the potential of quality teaching (or teacher excellence in content, knowledge and pedagogy) to impact upon student achievement is an outcome of recent school-effectiveness research. This research has extended the understanding of the conception of 'teacher' beyond surface factual learning to that of induction into learning of intellectual depth, which engages the more sophisticated skills of 'communicative capacity' and 'self-reflection'. Habermas provides a conceptual framework for this expanded notion through the awareness that knowing extends beyond factual knowledge to the challenge of 'communicative knowledge' and 'self-reflectivity'. Quality teaching alerts educators to the potential of the role of explicit teaching in values education and, in turn, the capacity of values education to complement and even enhance the learning goals implicit in quality teaching. By this is meant that values education has potential to remind individuals and systems that it is the affective and relational aspects of teaching that ultimately give it its power and positive effect. Data from the Australian Government's Values Education Good Practice Schools project are offered as evidential support for this hypothesis. 2011-12-01T23:50:05.611Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2334 This paper presents SIPA's initial, cross-sectional, analysis of the relationship between pedagogy and student outcomes, when measured in terms of the Quality Teaching model and in-class student performance respectively. Following the school effects tradition, the analysis is based on multi-level modelling in which students' prior achievement, socio-economic status, gender, race and NESB status are taken as background variables. Measures for pedagogy are based on classroom observations and task coding of the three dimensions of pedagogy defined in the Quality Teaching model, Intellectual Quality, Quality Learning Environment and Significance and the Authentic Pedagogy constructs on which the Quality Teaching model was based. The outcome variable in this modelling is Newmann and Associates' (1996) Authentic Achievement scale, applied to student work samples gathered from observed classes. This is the first quantitative analysis of the efficacy of the Quality Teaching model for predicting student outcomes and has implications for the viability of the model and its predecessors. In essence this is a replication and expansion of the work reported by Newmann, Marks and Gamoran (1996), Newmann, Lopez & Bryk (1998) and Newmann, Bryk, & Nagaoka (2001). As such, it offers the first rigorous test of the cross-national transportability of Authentic Pedagogy. 2011-11-10T04:20:04.756Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2340 This paper draws on data from approximately 350 interviews and 1800 surveys from teachers across NSW to explore their understandings of and commitment to quality teaching (in both the generic sense and in terms of the NSW Quality Teaching model). Our analysis of the data focuses on links between measures of the quality of teachers' pedagogy and their commitment to and understanding of QT, some school characteristics, and teachers' fundamental beliefs about themselves, their work and their students. Looking first at teachers' commitment to the QT initiative we find while this is important, as is the case with any reform initiative, there is no clear correlation between their expressed support for QT and measures of their performance. Second, no consistent patterns are found between the highest and lowest performances and a school's SES, its proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, or teachers' years of experience. Rather we find that the better practice in line with QT, leading to improved student outcomes, is linked to teachers' deep understanding of QT, teachers' fundamental commitment to their students' learning and belief that their teaching makes a difference, as a basis for their efforts to teach well. 2011-11-10T04:20:03.470Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2337 One of the central research questions addressed throughout the SIPA research project is an examination of the equity implications of the Quality Teaching model. By analysing each of the three dimensions of Quality Teaching and their combined contributions to students' learning outcomes, we examine the production of achievement differences between two key equity groups, namely, students from low socio-economic backgrounds and students of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. These analyses respond directly to standing equity debates on the relative importance of pedagogical strategies focusing on the different dimensions included in the NSW model for students of traditionally underachieving social groups (Halsey et al., 1997; Karabel & Halsey, 1977; Rowan et al., 2002). This analysis is one of the first attempts to test pedagogical hypotheses of the Bernsteinian tradition, suggesting that differential effects of pedagogy should be expected for students from differing social backgrounds, using large-scale quantitative data. Guided by these analyses, we challenge popular misconceptions about what matters most for students who are traditionally disadvantaged by schooling and suggest how school reform efforts to close achievement gaps need to be mindful of the differing effects of different dimensions of pedagogy. 2011-11-10T04:10:04.275Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:8855 Emerging from work on quality assessment in NSW public schools, and drawing upon work in authentic pedagogy and assessment, this paper presents the final analysis from a two-year project, funded by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council, which was designed to (a) enhance the quality of assessment in the social sciences in the tertiary sector and (b) refine and evaluate a model for analysing and improving the quality of assessment tasks in the social sciences. In this paper we present the findings from our audit of the quality of assessment practice in the social sciences and of the relationships between the quality of assessment tasks and student achievement according to the criteria for performance (a) provided in course materials; and (b) in our authentic achievement scales. Our analyses identified a significant correlation between the quality of assessment tasks and student authentic achievement. As a result of our analyses, we present a case for the use of an effective tool with which to analyse and discuss the quality of assessment practice in the social sciences in the tertiary setting. 2011-11-10T04:00:12.511Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:9073 While substantial energy has gone into understanding the mechanics of assessment in higher education, little attention has been paid to developing means by which university lecturers can monitor the quality of the assessment tasks they develop. This paper introduces a research project, funded by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council, which was designed to (a) enhance the quality of assessment in the social sciences in the tertiary sector and (b) refine and evaluate a model for analysing and improving the quality of assessment tasks in the social sciences, primarily in first year courses. The research has its foundation in the NSW Quality Teaching model, with the major focus on the link between task quality and student performance. Initial findings are reported in the paper. We discuss the validity of the Quality Teaching model for the tertiary setting. We report a strong positive correlation between task quality and student work as measured by our instruments. We share some of the tasks before and after refinement to illustrate the kinds of gains to be made when diagnosing and redesigning tasks with reference to the detailed specifications provided by the Quality Teaching model. 2011-11-10T04:00:09.833Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2893 This paper details a study tracking three academics as they worked as partners to 11 schools undertaking the NSW Quality Teaching Action Learning (QTAL) program through a school based action research/learning approach aimed at improving the quality of teaching and learning. Action research/learning is a popular strategy used by teachers and schools to develop insights and understandings to make their work more professional and improve their teaching. It has the potential to empower teachers and lead to changes in teaching practice and school reform (Ewing, 2004). Throughout the project the academic partners conducted their own action research study as a means of recording this process from both their and the teachers' perspective with the aim of analysing the impact of their role on the evolution, progress and outcomes of the projects. This paper uses data collected from a questionnaire which was administered to teachers pre and post projects and personal reflective journals completed by the three academic partners throughout the duration of the projects. Results indicated the outcomes for the academics were collaborative skills, self efficacy and a sense of achievement through the relationships and research skills developed in the school-based settings and with colleagues. The schools cited specialist knowledge, strategies and resources together with the leadership provided by the academic partners as vital to the success of the school projects and professional development achieved. Limitations encountered will also be discussed. 2011-11-02T04:24:57.113Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:8469 The motivational implications of an educational reform in the Australian state of New South Wales are explored. The quality teaching model has been designed to improve teachers' pedagogical skills. The model is examined from the perspective of achievement-goal theory. I argue that the intention of the authors of the model is that its implementation will encourage students' adoption of a mastery achievement goal. However, there is a danger that the model may be less successful with those students who have been specifically targeted by the authors of the model, namely, under-achieving students from traditionally disadvantaged groups. I suggest that the model does not take into sufficient account the way in which students' social goals, or even a less conscious need to feel related to others, can work simultaneously with academic goals. 2011-07-29T06:50:48.972Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:1375 School leaders seeking to improve teaching in their school often apply models of pedagogy that are unclear, unstated or assumed. Vague concepts such as ‘student-centred learning’ or pedagogy based on ‘learning styles’, although very popular, are not supported by coherent theories or a solid evidence base. School leaders need to use a model that defines goals explicitly in order to develop meaningful measures of performance, guard against subjective judgements and expose gaps in the evidence needed for evaluation. While a useful model needs to allow for local conditions, some general qualities apply. The model needs a defensible definition of student learning outcomes. It should challenge the ‘we already do that’ response from teachers yet also make changes seem attainable to them, recognising factors such as morale and ‘change fatigue’. Unnecessary jargon should be avoided, but unfamiliar terms may be needed for unfamiliar but important concepts. The model needs to fit within existing information about the quality of pedagogy in a school. These qualities have been incorporated in the New South Wales Quality Teaching model (QT). The QT was formulated by the author and others, and draws on their work with the productive pedagogy approach developed in Queensland. The QT measures pedagogy through the dimensions of intellectual quality, or pedagogy focused on imparting deep understanding; of the quality learning environment, through which teachers set high expectations and foster positive relationships among students; and of intellectual significance, through which teachers make learning meaningful and important to students. Each dimension is broken down into a range of ‘items’ that describe specific aspects of the dimension. Each item has an accompanying rating scale. A school needs to audit existing practices against the model. The audit is both a ‘reality check’ and a review of the distribution of school resources. The quality of existing evidence needs to be closely examined. Evidence might be collected by classroom observation, but as this method can be confronting for teachers, school leaders may prefer to begin with a study of assessment tasks and lesson designs. An ethic of mutual respect and trust is essential. 2010-04-27T06:51:40.836Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2341 While the Quality Teaching framework and recent syllabus reform efforts in NSW assert the importance of valuing non-dominant cultural knowledges and values in pedagogical practice, there has been little empirical examination of the ways in which non-dominant cultural perspectives are integrated in students' learning experiences and the implications for such perspectives on students' learning outcomes. The SIPA research study draws on data from classroom observations and assessment tasks to address three questions in relation to these issues. First, in what ways are non-dominant cultural knowledges legitimised in students' classroom and assessment experiences? Second, what factors influence students' engagement with non-dominant cultural knowledge? Third, to what extent are students' learning outcomes affected by the inclusion of non-dominant cultural knowledge in pedagogy? Recent debates focused on questions such as these have been informed primarily by theoretical assumptions rather than empirical findings. By examining these theoretical assumptions in light of the NSW curriculum context, this paper will outline the framework through which the SIPA research study may inform current understandings of the practices and practicalities of pedagogies that value non-dominant cultural perspectives. 2010-04-27T06:47:01.225Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2331 In this paper we outline key theoretical concerns relating to the professional learning interests of the SIPA study. In particular, we draw on the release of the NSW model of pedagogy, Quality Teaching, as an opportunity to examine issues of power in professional learning and school reform agendas. In this context, we explore such issues as (1) the operation of the Quality Teaching framework as a regime of truth, (2) discourses surrounding schools' implementation of the Quality Teaching framework, and (3) the circulation of power as teachers engage with the Quality Teaching framework. Working hypotheses are posited and some preliminary data are analysed in relation to these questions. We also consider implications of this specific case (Quality Teaching and SIPA) for teacher professional learning in general. In so doing, we offer some preliminary ideas on how commonly accepted principles of professional development both produce and constrain teacher learning and impact on the accomplishment of reform goals including, in this case, the substantial goals for pedagogical improvement that underpin the Quality Teaching framework. 2010-04-27T06:46:54.621Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2342 In the past decade there have been several well publicised school reform initiatives in Australia designed to improve the quality of what happens in classroom, as a means of improving student learning outcomes. While there remains heated public debate about the implications of these initiatives, there is wide consensus about the importance of pedagogy and the need to focus on classroom practices as the core business of teachers. Central to these developments has been an attempt to develop models of pedagogy for both research and professional development purposes. This paper provides an empirical overview and assessment of the development of the Productive Pedagogy model used in Queensland and the NSW Quality Teaching model, a summary of their immediate origins. Included in this paper will be an analysis of the limitations of prior Australian research using these models and an outline of how the current research (SIPA) will address some of these limits. 2010-04-27T06:46:49.419Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2438 While much international research has examined students' engagement with multiethnic literary texts, little attempt has been made to develop an understanding of the implications of such research for the Australian context. To meet this end, research was conducted to examine the responses of 308 Year 7 to Year 10 students to an anthology of Australian multicultural writing. Informed by the development of a theoretical framework through which the students' work was analysed, this research identified interesting trends regarding the ways that students from dominant and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds engage with ethnically diverse literary texts. Findings of the research challenged commonly held assumptions regarding student engagement with multiethnic literary texts, leading to important implications for pedagogical practice. 2010-04-27T06:12:30.695Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:3856 As we saw in the previous chapter we now know from the school effectiveness research that the single most influential factor regarding student improvement is the classroom teacher. We also know that teachers' subject "content" knowledge and their "pedagogical" knowledge play a crucial role in enabling student improvement. With regard to the latter, the literature suggests that values are not an "added extra" to education, but rather, that values are at the very core of quality teaching in that students learn best in a learning situation consciously structured around positive values of care and concern for student progress. From a quality teaching perspective the focus of schooling has to be on student achievement and providing those conditions where students are best able to achieve. This implies a role for values in any quality teaching effort. It is self evident that values permeate every aspect of schooling, the selection of content, the way the school is organised, staff selection and many other things. Thus, there is a prima facie case for values playing a part in quality teaching. In considering the relationship between values and quality teaching, this review of research and practice addresses three main questions: What is the essence of, and what constitutes, quality teaching? ; How might it be nurtured? ; What is the nature of the relationship between values and quality teaching? The appeal of these questions grew out of our collective experience with the VEGPSP Stage 1 that was described earlier. They arise from the conception of quality teaching and its relation to Values Education outlined previously and they are designed to "tease out" support for the links that are to be found in the literature. 2010-04-27T04:52:11.673Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:3855 This work is building on important research carried out from the mid 1990s that has contradicted the pessimistic findings of Parsons, Jencks and Plowden. Some key figures in this research are the Americans, Fred Newmann (1996) and Linda Darling- Hammond, (1997; 2000; & Youngs, 2002). Newmann's work centred heavily on the effects of 'pedagogical dynamics' in impacting on student achievement. These dynamics were a mixture of technical craft on the part of teachers through to more subtle features like 'school coherence' and the creation of a 'trustful, supportive ambience'. Darling-Hammond's work built further on these notions to demonstrate the power of pedagogy to make a difference in student potential, including its capacity to overcome disadvantage owing to student background and even disability of sorts. In their own ways, both works overturned the earlier assumptions about the limited capacity of the agency of teaching and schooling to impact on student achievement. At the same time, they demonstrated the vast difference between the teaching broadly described as 'quality teaching' and regular, more limited teaching, described as'ineffective teaching'. In both Newmann's and Darling-Hammond's work, quality teaching is partly about the teacher's technical competence around issues of content knowledge and strategies, but is also heavily about the teacher's (and indeed the whole school's) capacity to form positive relationships and to provide positive modelling. This is the vital clue concerned with the part to be played by Values Education. 2010-04-27T04:52:11.572Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:5578 This article examines the impact of implementing participatory school administration, leadership and management (PSALM) as a model of school-based management, on the commitment levels of Advisory School Council (ASC) members in Philippine public secondary schools. Complementing the experimental method with two empirical surveys, documentary analysis and interviews, this study involved 76 secondary schools in one of the 185 school divisions in the Philippines. Results of analyzing quantitative and qualitative data revealed that after one year of implementing PSALM, the experimental group had higher levels of commitment, compared with the control group. The experimental group perceived the ASC operation in their schools as effective. Significant factors that affected the development of the stakeholders' commitment to school improvement have been identified. This research indicates that the Philippines should expedite the process of establishing school councils in the public schools. 2010-04-27T04:39:54.780Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:5828 A values-based classroom enables students to exercise ethical judgement and social responsibility - the expectations embodied in human rights legislation. The nine values for Australian schooling identified in the National Framework for Values Education in Australian Schools - Care and Compassion; Doing your Best; Fair Go; Freedom; Honesty and Trustworthiness; Integrity; Respect; Responsibility; and Understanding, Tolerance and Inclusion underpin the human rights that are the foundation of an 'open and just' society. When the values of human rights are embedded in content and pedagogy, classrooms become more productive learning environments. 2010-04-27T04:31:29.216Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:5827 A values-based classroom enables students to exercise ethical judgement and social responsibility - the expectations embodied in human rights legislation. The nine values for Australian schooling identified in the National Framework for Values Education in Australian Schools - Care and Compassion; Doing your Best; Fair Go; Freedom; Honesty and Trustworthiness; Integrity; Respect; Responsibility; and Understanding, Tolerance and Inclusion underpin the human rights that are the foundation of an 'open and just' society. When the values of human rights are embedded in content and pedagogy, classrooms become more productive learning environments. 2010-04-27T04:31:25.952Z ]]>