Sunata 2014 - St Margaret`s Anglican Girls School

s nata
The Staff Journal of St margaret’s
Edition 3
s nata
The Staff Journal of St margaret’s
Edition 3
Contents
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From the Editor
Michelle Carroll Deputy Principal
Using Technology to Support the
Teaching and Learning of Mathematics
Merrilyn Goos School Council
The importance of financial literacy for young women and girls Ros Curtis Principal
Creating the conditions for optimal learning
Samantha Bolton Dean of Academics
Reading the Rocks: A pilgrimage to the Holy Lands Wayne Singleton Secondary Teacher
When too much is too much Susan Shaw Head of Secondary School
The influence of technology on traditional methods of surveillance
in the Music classroom Head of Year 10, Coordinator of Music Curriculum
Integrated learning and assessment for a differentiated class:
A school-based project within the QELi Future Leaders program
Chris Farrelly Head of Faculty - Science
Broadening Horizons through Community Service
Lesa Fowler Head of Boarding
The benefits of participating in a global exchange: you can gain more
than you may think
Lucy Downey Head of Year 11
Are you being served? A report on Year 9 Community Service
Rev Di Murphy School Chaplain
Movement in the eye of the beholder
Joseph Shorter Head of Faculty - English
Wellbeing: An important part of education that should not be forgotten
Marcia Brumpton Head of Faculty -Business and Technology
Teaching Mandarin in the classroom: Equipping our students with
international competencies Lisa Chadwick Coordinator of International Education
Miscreants, Misfits & Martyrs: Ever noticed that the teachers
gracing screens seem to be the same tired typecasts?
Meg Payze Secondary Teacher
A critical evaluation on the suitability and effectiveness of professional
development in Queensland schools
Naomi Holley Head of Year 9
Home Economics: more than just cooking and sewing
Nikki Anderson Coordinator of Home Economics
Does the end justify the means? One step of the counselling journey in
today’s schools (an extract)
Trish Barlow School Counsellor
A light in the city of Cochin: experiences of the Toc H Public School
Ray Geise OAM KJS Secondary Teacher
Podcasting in Senior Biology
Stacey Kelly Coordinator of Biology
The Eureka moment: I’ve got it (or at least getting there) Therese Garrahy Coordinator of Chemistry
History Teachers’ Association of Victoria – Annual Conference 2013
Bruce Bullpitt Coordinator of History
From the Editor
Michelle Carroll
Deputy Principal
It is with much pleasure that I commend to you the 2013 edition of the St Margaret’s Anglican
Girls School Staff Professional Learning Journal, Sunata. Throughout this year, St Margaret’s staff
have continued to share an ethos of commitment, dedication and strive for excellence in their
knowledge and practice. As an integral component of the School’s Strategic Plan, unveiled at the
commencement of 2013, the goal of Outstanding Staff aims to ensure members of St Margaret’s
staff are known for the quality of their work and their exceptional contribution to the School and
their profession. The ongoing commitment to developing Outstanding Staff within the Strategic Plan
provides a strong focus on quality teaching, professional learning and the creation and sharing of
knowledge throughout the School.
In 2013, the School has endeavoured to foster a professional learning community that enables a
stimulating working environment that creates innovative and reflective teaching and pedagogy.
As such, Sunata serves to share professional practice amongst staff, create an aspirational model of
scholarship for students and is a snapshot of the wider educational framework. This edition captures
the breadth of experiences and interests of our staff with contributions ranging from reflections of
professional learning seminars, scholarly articles on teaching practice and research completed to
achieve post-graduate qualifications.
The 2013 Edition also highlights the academic strength of the members of our School Council.
Professor Merrilyn Goos, School of Education (Mathematics), The University of Queensland,
currently completing research at the Mathematics Education Centre, Loughborough University,
United Kingdom has contributed a feature article on how technology is represented in the Australian
Curriculum: Mathematics.
Further articles of interest focus on the wellbeing and education of girls in the 21st Century.
Principal, Ros Curtis, highlights the need for financial literacy; School Chaplain, The Reverend Di
Murphy, details service learning; and Dean of Academics, Samantha Bolton, discusses the need for
engagement and connection to establish a positive mindset and academic resilience. Many readers
will also enjoy Wayne Singleton’s ‘pilgrimage to the holy lands’.
Secondary teacher of English and History, Meg Payze kindly offered her services to assist editing
the articles for this journal and the photographs are the creative work of our Head of Science, Chris
Farrelly. I invite you to read the pages of this journal and be inspired by the extent of the professional
undertakings of our staff.
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Using Technology to Support the
Teaching and Learning of Mathematics
Merrilyn Goos
School Council
What counts when it comes to using digital
technologies in school mathematics? Is
technology there to help students get “the
answer” more quickly and accurately, or to
improve the way they learn mathematics?
The way people answer this question is
illuminating and can reveal deeply held
beliefs about the nature of mathematics and
how it is best taught and learned.
Digital technologies have been available in school mathematics
classrooms since the introduction of simple four function
calculators in the 1970s. Since then, computers equipped with
increasingly sophisticated software, graphics calculators that
have morphed into “all-purpose” hand held devices integrating
graphical, symbolic manipulation, statistical and dynamic
geometry packages, and web-based applications offering virtual
learning environments have changed the mathematics teaching
and learning terrain. Or have they? This paper considers the
extent to which technology-related research, policy and practice
might usefully inform each other in supporting effective
mathematics teaching and learning in Australian schools.
The first part of the paper considers key messages from
research on learning and teaching mathematics with digital
technologies. The second part offers some snapshots of practice
to illustrate what effective classroom practice can look like
when technologies are used in creative ways to enrich students’
mathematics learning. The third part summarises the technology
messages contained in the Australian curriculum – Mathematics
and the challenges of aligning curriculum policy with research
and practice.
Key Messages from Research on Learning and Teaching
Mathematics with Digital Technologies
Fears are sometimes expressed that the use of technology,
especially handheld calculators, will have a negative effect
on students’ mathematics achievement. However, metaanalyses of published research studies have consistently found
that calculator use, compared with non-calculator use, has
either positive or neutral effects on students’ operational,
computational, conceptual and problem solving skills (Ellington,
2003; Penglase & Arnold, 1996). A difficulty with these metaanalyses, however, is that they select studies that compare
treatment (calculator) and control (non-calculator) groups of
students, with the assumption that the two groups experience
otherwise identical learning conditions. Experimental designs
such as this do not take into account the possibility that
technology fundamentally changes students’ mathematical
practices and even the nature of the mathematical knowledge
they learn at school.
Their words encapsulate the contrasting purposes of technology
that were foreshadowed in the opening paragraph of this paper.
For learners, mathematical knowledge is not fixed but fluid,
constantly being created as they interact with ideas, people, and
their environment. When technology is part of this environment,
it becomes more than a substitute for mathematical work
done with pencil and paper. For example, dynamic geometry
software allows students to transform a geometric object by
“dragging” any of its constituent parts and thereby to investigate
its invariant properties. Through this experimental approach,
students make predictions and test conjectures in the process of
generating mathematical knowledge that is new for them.
Technology and Mathematical Practices
Learning mathematics is as much about doing as it is about
knowing. How knowing and doing come together is evident
in the mathematical practices of the classroom. For example,
school mathematical practices that, in the past, were restricted
to memorising and reproducing learned procedures can be
contrasted with mathematical practices endorsed by most
modern curriculum documents, such as conjecturing, justifying,
and generalising. Technology can change the nature of school
mathematics by engaging students in more active mathematical
practices such as experimenting, investigating, and problem
solving that bring depth to their learning and encourage them to
ask questions rather than only looking for answers (Farrell, 1996;
Makar & Confrey, 2006).
Students and teachers may imagine their relationship with
technologies in different ways. Goos, Galbraith, Renshaw
and Geiger (2003) developed four metaphors to describe
how technologies can transform teaching and learning roles.
Technology can be a master if students’ and teachers’ knowledge
and competence are limited to a narrow range of operations.
Students may become dependent on the technology if they
are unable to evaluate the accuracy of the output it generates.
Technology is a servant if used by students or teachers only as a
fast, reliable replacement for pen and paper calculations without
changing the nature of classroom activities. Technology is a
partner when it provides access to new kinds of tasks or new ways
of approaching existing tasks to develop understanding, explore
different perspectives, or mediate mathematical discussion.
Technology becomes an extension of self when seamlessly
integrated into the practices of the mathematics classroom.
Pierce and Stacey (2010) offer an alternative representation
of the ways in which technology can transform mathematical
practices. Their pedagogical map classifies ten types of
pedagogical opportunities afforded by a wide range of
mathematical analysis software. Opportunities arise at three
levels that represent the teacher’s thinking about:
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Technology and Mathematical Knowledge
Olive and Makar (2010) analysed the influence of technology on
the nature of mathematical knowledge as experienced by school
students. They argued as follows:
If one considers mathematics to be a fixed body of knowledge to
be learned, then the role of technology in this process would be
primarily that of an efficiency tool, i.e. helping the learner to do
the mathematics more efficiently. However, if we consider the
technological tools as providing access to new understandings of
relations, processes, and purposes, then the role of technology
relates to a conceptual construction kit. (p. 138)
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• the tasks they will set their students (using technology to
improve speed, accuracy, access to a variety of mathematical
representations);
• classroom interactions (using technology to improve the
display of mathematical solution processes and support
students’ collaborative work);
• the subject (using technology to support new goals or
teaching methods for a mathematics course).
Snapshots of Classroom Mathematical Practice
Two snapshots are presented here to illustrate how technology
can be used creatively to support new mathematical practices.
Changing Tasks and Classroom Interactions
Geiger (2009) used the master-servant-partner-extension-of-self
framework to analyse a classroom episode in which he asked his
Year 11 students to use the dynamic geometry facility on their
CAS calculators to draw a line √45 units long. His aim was to
encourage students to think about the geometric representation
of irrational numbers. The anticipated solution involved using
the Pythagorean relationship 62 + 32 = (√45 )2 to construct a right
angled triangle with sides 6 and 3 units long and hypotenuse √45
units long. Figure 1 summarises the flow of the episode and how
technology was used.
Classroom interaction
Role of technology
Students find the square roots of
various numbers.
Servant
Students pass calculators back and
forth to share and critique each
other’s thinking.
Partner
Teacher invites student to present
calculator work to whole class.
Audience identifies misconceptions
about how calculators display
decimal versions of irrational
numbers.
Master (prior group
work) then partner
(whole class display
and discussion)
Teacher hint: think about triangles.
Students search for Pythagorean
formulation without geometric
representation.
Servant
Partner
Teacher redirects students to
consider geometry, not just numbers.
Student interrupts group discussion
to propose geometric solution; passes
his calculator around group to share
and defend his solution.
Figure 1. Draw a line √45 units long
In this episode, technology was initially used as a servant to
perform numerical calculations that did not lead to the desired
geometric solution. It became a partner when students passed
their calculators around the group or displayed their work
to the whole class to offer ideas for comment and critique.
As a partner it gave the student who found the solution the
confidence he needed to introduce his conjectured solution
into a heated small group debate. In terms of Pierce and
Stacey’s (2010) pedagogical map, this episode illustrates
opportunities provided by a task that links numerical and
geometric representations to support classroom interactions
where students share and discuss their thinking.
Changing Course Goals and Teaching Methods
Geiger, Faragher and Goos (2010) investigated how CAS
technologies support students’ learning and social interactions
when they are engaged in mathematical modelling tasks. In this
snapshot, Year 12 students worked on the following question:
When will a population of 50,000 bacteria become extinct if the
decay rate is 4% per day?
One pair of students developed an initial exponential model
for the population y at any time x y = 50000 x (0.96)x. They then
equated the model to zero in order to represent the point at
which the bacteria would be extinct, with the intention of using
CAS to solve this equation. When they entered the equation into
their CAS calculator, however, it unexpectedly responded with a
false message. The students thought this response was a result of
a mistake with the syntax of their command. When they asked
their teacher for help, he confirmed their syntax was correct but
said they should think harder about their assumptions.
Eventually, the teacher directed the problem to the whole class and
one student spotted the problem: “You can’t have an exponential
equal to zero”. This resulted in a whole class discussion of the
assumption that extinction meant a population of zero, which they
decided was inappropriate. The class then agreed on the position
that extinction was “any number less than one”. Students used
CAS to solve this new equation and obtain a solution.
In this episode the teacher exploited the “confrontation” created
by the CAS output to promote productive interaction among the
class (technology as partner). Using this pedagogical opportunity
allowed the teacher to refocus course goals and teaching methods on
promoting thinking about the mathematical modelling process
rather than on practice of skills.
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Aligning Curriculum with Research and Practice?
The brief research summary and classroom snapshots presented
above show how digital technologies provide a “conceptual
construction kit” (Olive & Makar, 2010, p. 138) that can
transform students’ mathematical knowledge and practices. To
what extent does the Australian curriculum – Mathematics support
this transformative view of technology?
The shape paper that provided the initial outline of the K-12
mathematics curriculum (National Curriculum Board, 2009)
made it clear that technologies should be embedded in the
curriculum “so that they are not seen as optional tools” (p. 12).
However, early versions of the Foundation-Year 10 Mathematics
Curriculum and the four Senior Secondary mathematics
subjects gave only superficial and inconsistent attention to
the use of technology, which was treated as an add-on that
replicated by-hand methods. The current versions of the
curriculum offer a more consistent message. For example, all
four Senior Secondary mathematics subjects have the aim of
developing students’ capacity to choose and use technology
appropriately and efficiently. Nevertheless, in both the F-10 and
Senior Secondary curricula the majority of statements referring
to technology limit its use to that of a servant that speeds
up, but does not really change, the tasks of the mathematics
classroom (e.g., performing calculations, producing graphs and
data displays, solving equations). The pedagogical opportunities
afforded by the curriculum are still restricted to the level of
tasks in Pierce and Stacey’s (2010) taxonomy, and teachers are
not encouraged to transform the subject itself, by (1) supporting
curriculum goals that increase emphasis on concepts,
applications, and mathematical thinking, or (2) changing the way
that mathematical topics are approached and sequenced.
Although the technology messages contained in the Australian
curriculum – Mathematics do not do justice to what research
tells us about effective teaching and learning of mathematics,
it is almost inevitable that there are gaps between an intended
curriculum and the curriculum enacted by teachers and
students in the classroom. Many teachers are already using
technology effectively to enhance students’ understanding
and enjoyment of mathematics. In their hands lies the task of
enacting a truly futures-oriented curriculum that will prepare
students for intelligent, adaptive, and critical citizenship in a
technology-rich world.
Acknowledgement. An earlier version of this paper was presented
at the annual research conference of the Australian Council for
Educational Research, Melbourne, 15-17 August 2010.
References
Ellington, A. (2003). A meta-analysis of the effects of calculators on
students’ achievement and attitude levels in precollege mathematics
classes. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 34, 433-463.
Farrell, A. M. (1996). Roles and behaviors in technology-integrated
precalculus classrooms. Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 15, 35-53.
Geiger, V. (2009). Learning mathematics with technology from a social
perspective: A study of secondary students’ individual and collaborative practices
in a technologically rich mathematics classroom. Unpublished doctoral
dissertation, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
Geiger, V., Faragher, R., & Goos, M. (2010). CAS-enabled technologies
as ‘agents provocateurs’ in teaching and learning mathematical modeling
in secondary school classrooms. Mathematics Education Research Journal,
22(2), 48-68.
Goos, M., Galbraith, P., Renshaw, P., & Geiger, V. (2003) Perspectives
on technology mediated learning in secondary school mathematics
classrooms. Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 22, 73-89.
Makar, K., & Confrey, J. (2006). Dynamic statistical software: How are
learners using it to conduct data-based investigations? In C. Hoyles,
J. Lagrange, L. H. Son, & N. Sinclair (Eds.), Proceedings of the 17th Study
Conference of the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction.
Hanoi Institute of Technology and Didirem Université Paris 7.
National Curriculum Board (2009). Shape of the Australian curriculum:
Mathematics. Retrieved 31 October 2013 from http://www.acara.edu.au/
verve/_resources/Australian_Curriculum_-_Maths.pdf
Olive, J., & Makar, K., with V. Hoyos, L. K. Kor, O. Kosheleva, & R.
Straesser (2010). Mathematical knowledge and practices resulting
from access to digital technologies. In C. Hoyles & J. Lagrange (Eds.),
Mathematics education and technology – Rethinking the terrain. The 17th
ICMI Study (pp. 133-177). New York: Springer.
Penglase, M., & Arnold, S. (1996). The graphics calculator in
mathematics education: A critical review of recent research. Mathematics
Education Research Journal, 8, 58-90.
Pierce, R., & Stacey, K. (2010). Mapping pedagogical opportunities
provided by mathematics analysis software. International Journal of
Computers for Mathematical Learning, 15(1), 1-20.
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The importance of financial literacy
for young women and girls
Ros Curtis
Principal
Financial Literacy can be defined as the
ability to make informed judgements
and to take effective decisions regarding
the use and management of money
(Australian Securities and Investments
Commission, 2003, p.10) and for many
years there has been calls to teach Financial
Literacy in schools. I can even look back
on my own childhood, and remember the
Commonwealth Bank Passbooks in primary
school which were designed to encourage
saving. Nevertheless, as an experienced
educator, I have not promoted education in
Financial Literacy; I have tended to put it in
the same category as other initiatives such as
Driver Safety Education and Active School
Programs. They are important and valuable
but cannot be introduced at the expense of
the ‘set’ curriculum.
The banks, obviously, retain a great interest in teaching Financial
Literacy. Westpac Financial First Steps and the Commonwealth
Bank Foundation – Start Smart are just some examples of
Financial Literacy programs. In 2003, the Australian Securities
and Investments Commission (ASIC) prepared a Discussion
Paper on Financial Literacy. This was ahead of the development
of a policy and strategy to ensure that in Australia people are
taught from a young age about how to manage their money. In
2008, ASIC was appointed the Australian Government Agency
responsible for co-ordinating financial literacy. The National
Financial Literacy Strategy was developed in 2011 to provide
direction for this priority area and is currently being reviewed.
This strategy has led to the development of government
endorsed programs such as the MoneySmart Teaching program,
Helping Our Kids Understand Finances initiative and The
National Consumer and Financial Literacy Framework. The
teaching programs provide excellent resources for teachers
and students. Despite the Federal government endorsement of
these programs, there is no set and comprehensive curriculum
to which all students may be exposed. In other words, there is
no systematic approach to its teaching and it is up to individual
teachers and schools to find opportunities to teach elements of
financial literacy in their curriculum.
The importance of financial literacy for all
There are many reasons why financial literacy is important. This
type of literacy allows people to budget appropriately to meet
expenses; to identify financial products or services that meet their
needs; to know how to get and assess independent financial advice;
and, be less likely to fall victim to abusive practices and scams.
All young people need to know these skills – the younger one
has the knowledge, the less likely that poor financial judgement
will result. Yet, as the Commonwealth Bank sponsored research
indicated, Financial Literacy is at its lowest in the 16 to 25 year
age group; it peaks at about 40 years of age and then declines
after that (2010, p. 8). The area that those with poor financial
skills have the most problems with are:
• superannuation;
• investment fundamentals (eg risk and return);
• planning for retirement;
• understanding of financial records;
• knowledge of fees and charges; and
• use of new payment methods.
The Commonwealth Bank report indicates that ‘trial and error’
is the main means of learning about managing money – relying
more on experience than quality information (2010, p. 12). It is
in this context that the value of school-based literacy programs
is supported. Surprisingly, the results from Bank surveys do not
indicate that students reflect their parents’ knowledge about
money matters. For example, participants in the research who
rated their parents as having poor money management skills had
significantly higher financial literacy scores than those who felt
their parents were good at managing money (2010). Therefore,
we cannot assume that students are always learning prudent
financials from parents.
Financial Literacy as a gender issue
There are many important reasons for teaching financial
literacy; however, ensuring gender equity in this area is a
strong motivator for my interest in this area. According to the
Australian Bureau of Statistics data, a woman’s average weekly
earnings are 80 per cent of their male counterparts. Concerns
about the financial competence of girls and women all sit in this
context - that over their lifetime of working, their earnings will
be less.
In Australia, the average life expectancy of women is 84 and
men is 79. However, the average age of widowhood is 75. On the
surface, this means that for the last ten years (on average) of
a woman’s life, she will be solely responsible for her financials.
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The results of the ANZ Survey of Adult Financial Literacy in
Australia (2003) have led to a framework for what constitutes
necessary financial skills and knowledge. The recommendations
from this survey can be used as an outline of the topics to be
taught in any Financial Literacy program. In addition to having
essential mathematical, reading and comprehension skills, the
framework refers to financial understanding which includes an
understanding of what money is and how it is exchanged, and
where money comes from and goes. It also refers to financial
competence which includes understanding the main features
of basic financial services, including financial records and
appreciating the importance of reading and retaining them;
attitudes to spending money and saving; and an awareness
of the risks associated with some financial products and an
appreciation of the relationship between risk and return. Such
understandings should lead to a greater sense of financial
responsibility. This includes the ability to make appropriate
personal life choices about financial issues, knowledge of
consumer rights and responsibilities, and the ability and
confidence to access assistance when things go wrong.
Yet, a closer look at the nuptiality tables of the Australian
Bureau of Statistics tells us that a girl in Australia currently
could expect to live 42 years in a non-married state. This
reflects an increase in the number of women never marrying,
an increase in the median age at their first marriage and longer
life expectancy. Discounting time as a girl in the care of family,
this still doubles the number of years a woman could be solely
responsible for her financial security. The nuptiality tables also
reveal that approximately 33 per cent of all marriages will end in
divorce and that for a woman an average time spent divorced is
approximately 24 years.
Given that the average woman could spend 15 per cent of her
working life outside of the workforce, there is also a gender gap
in superannuation savings. The benefits of the Australian super
guarantee, where the employer contributes to superannuation
while one is earning (generally at about 9%), are diminished by
this absence from the work force; those who are temporarily
not earning are going slow in superannuation growth. It appears
that women tend to retire on approximately one to two thirds
of a male’s superannuation payout (Australian Human Rights
Commission cited in Verender, 2012). This reflects greater
workforce participation by men and higher male earnings in a
similar field. It also reflects the compound effect of having time
out of the workforce and limits on access to the superannuation
guarantee. According to research by The Australia Institute
of Management, a woman who works full-time and earns
the average wage for her gender will miss out on $207,181 of
superannuation when compared to a man working full time
on the average age for his gender (AIM, p. 7). Given that most
women will be solely responsible for their finances at some point
in their life, this is area of concern.
While it is difficult to say how much superannuation is enough
for retirement but to last 25 years, it has been suggested by
the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia that one
will need to retire on approximately $610,000 per year. This
generates an income of approximately $40,000 per year. One to
two thirds of that amount will have a significant effect on one’s
standard of living and secure financial future. Financial literacy
has been highlighted as a significant factor relating to the
gender gap in retirement savings. Women need to understand
the effect of their choices – time out of the workforce for any
reason, the effect of part-time and casual work options and also
the fact that women also tend to aim lower when they ask for
salary increases.
In 2008 the Australian Government Financial Literacy
Foundation conducted research through the Office for Women
comparing the attitudes and behaviours of women and men
when it comes to using and managing money. In their final
report it was noted that investing and planning for the future
and retirement are key learnings that women and young girls
need (2008). A significant percentage of girls and women do not
feel prepared to make wise financial decisions in this area.
This is another important reason to teach financial literacy.
However, it was not until I attended the American National
Coalition of Girls Schools in Boston in 2013 and a session on
financial literacy of girls and young women, that I fully understood
the importance of financial literacy for young girls in particular.
I attended a session led by The Archer School in Los Angeles
with the opening line: ‘If you want to do big things, you need
big money.’ Their argument is that although it is admirable and
desirable to be the doctor or nurse on the ground assisting in an
African village, let us not forget how significant it would be to have
the wealth to build a hospital or clinic for a community in need.
Schools like St Margaret’s with compassion and the Christian
faith at its heart, have been successful in developing a sense of
responsibility for those less fortunate and in need. The number
of past students who are involved in the not for profit industry
is testament to this. However, one should not underestimate the
significance of money in assisting others, as well as service, and
encouraging girls to have ambitious money goals so that they are
in a position to be philanthropists.
We have been effective at teaching girls to donate funds but
not necessarily taught them about how to earn the money to
be able to make a difference in people’s lives and to become
philanthropists. Specifically, this relates to understanding wise
investment opportunities, superannuation, credit and saving.
Some good news
According to Visa’s International Barometer of Women’s Financial
Literacy, Australian women are one of the best informed in this
area in the world. Australia came in second after Brazil. Mexico,
United States and New Zealand followed Australia to make
the top five countries. Visa surveyed a total of 25,000 people in
27 countries to assess the strength and weaknesses of financial
education around the world (Bahudur, 2013).
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Participants were assessed on budgeting, emergency savings,
frequency in talking to children about finances, perception of
young people’s financial literacy and desired age to begin formal
personal finance lessons. According to Visa’s research just over
half (51 per cent) of Australian women talked to their children
about money on a weekly basis, compared to 31 per cent of
Australian fathers. Unfortunately, Australia ranked poorly in
terms of perception of young people’s money skills, coming last
among the countries.
This all confirms that women are less likely to have ambitious
money goals which will enable them to secure for themselves a
very high standard of living, or to be the philanthropists of the
future impacting significantly on the lives of those less fortunate.
Visa found that in Australia, women’s financial literacy was
significantly higher than men. However, this was based on the
fact that Australia was the only country where women saved
more money for emergencies than men — but only by a fraction.
Visa said emergency savings to cover expenses of at least three
month were a key indicator of an individual’s financial stability.
Certainly the findings from the report from the Australian
Financial Literacy Foundation confirm women and men have
similar day-to-day money management behaviour (2008).
Conclusion
So, what happens next for St Margaret’s? The purpose of
this paper was to raise awareness of the issues and hope that
others may be similarly motivated. In 2014, I will be looking
at opportunities to develop curriculum opportunities which
encourage girls to learn about investment and the concept of
risk and return on investment. Other financial literacy skills, of
course, will be developed in this process. In addition, I hope to
explore the opportunity to develop a philanthropy society. Our
sister school in New York State, the Emma Willard School, has
one such club. They generate all fundraising towards the one
charity for that year only and are able to understand the outcome
of a ‘big money approach’ to support those in need. My concern
is that many will be oblivious to the effect of a lack of financial
literacy on the girls we teach and that in educating the whole
child, some attention needs to be paid to this area.
The following findings emerged from this Foundations report:
• around a half report that they don’t regularly budget for dayto-day expenses;
• around a fifth report that they are not easily able to keep
track of everyday spending, could not get by for some time
in case of a financial emergency, or do not think about ways
to reduce their
• around a fifth don’t save;
• around a fifth would get into debt buying something they
can’t afford;
• around a quarter don’t pay the total balance owing on their
credit card when it is due; and
• less than a third would consider both risk and return when
making an investment decision.
In this report it was noted that women’s confidence in their
ability to manage money is generally high; however, confidence
is higher for day-to-day money management issues than it is for
more complex and less frequently encountered issues. These
issues included investing, ensuring enough money for retirement
and understanding financial language. Although women claim
to be highly confident in their ability to recognise scams, given
they are relatively less confident when it comes to investing and
understanding financial language, their confidence in their ability
to recognise scams may not be well founded (2008). This may, in
turn, indicate a higher degree of vulnerability to scams.
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2013, viewed 23 September 2013, <http://
www.abs.gov.au>.
ANZ Bank 2003, ANZ Survey of Adult Financial Literacy in Australia: Final
Report, viewed 23 September 2013, <http://www.anz.com/australia/
aboutanz/anzinthecommunity/financial_literacy/default.as>.
Australian Institute of Management 2013, ‘Retirement not as Super for
Women’, Management Today, September, pp. 7.
Australian Securities & Investments Commission 2013, Review of the
National Financial Literacy Strategy: Background Report, viewed 23 September
2013, <http://www.financialliteracy.gov.au/media/424934/review_of_the_
national_financial_literacy_strategy_background_report.pdf>.
Australian Securities and Investments Commission 2011, National
Financial Literacy Strategy, viewed 23 September 2013, <http://www.
financialliteracy.gov.au>.
Australian Securities and Investment Commission 2003, Financial literacy
in Schools (Consultation Paper 45), viewed 23 September 2013, <http://
www.asic.gov.au/asic/pdflib.nsf/LookupByFileName/FinLit_schools_
DP.pdf/$file/FinLit_schools_DP.pdf>.
Australian Government Financial Literacy Foundation and the Office of
Women 2008, Financial literacy Women understanding money, viewed 23
September 2013, <http://www.financialliteracy.gov.au/media/209296/
women-understanding-money.pdf>.
Bahudur, N 2013, Financial Literacy for Women: Visa International Barometer
of Women’s Financial Literacy Show How Women Handle Their Money, viewed
23 September 2013, <http://www.superreview.com.au/news/financialadvice/visa-australian-women-finance-literacy-world-best>.
The Commonwealth Bank Foundation 2010, Improving financial
literacy: benefits for all Australians, viewed 22 September 2013, <
https://www.commbank.com.au/about-us/download-printedforms/2010commbankfoundation-improving-financial-literacy.pdf>.
Lynn, J 2008, The Case for Financial Literacy, viewed 23 September 2013,
<http://ezinearticles.com/?Women-and-Money---The-Case-ForFinancial-Literacy&id=1238432>.
Verrender, I 2012, Women in a Super Crisis, viewed 3 October 2013,
<http://www.eurekareport.com.au/article/2012/11/9/superannuation/
women-super-crisis>.
sunata 9
The report also showed that women are more likely to invest
in the home they live in but less likely to invest in investment
properties; that they are much less likely than men to have
investments such as shares, bonds, managed funds, debentures
and unit trusts; and while women are more likely than men
to agree that the risks and returns of an investment are
unpredictable, they are also much less likely to consider risk
and return when making an investment decision (2008). In
addition to this, women are much less likely than men to have a
significant superannuation fund and much less likely to report
that they have the ability to plan for their long-term future and
ensure enough money for retirement; women are less likely to
have personally thought about long-term financial plans for the
future and for retirement.
References
Creating the conditions for
optimal learning
Samantha Bolton
Dean of Academics
Learning is the core business of schools. For
this business to flourish, the main objective
must be for students to engage in deep
learning so they are able to make meaningful
intellectual progress and simultaneously
build the skills and attributes necessary for
success in its broadest terms. There are a
very small group of students who will learn
regardless of the conditions they are in. Some
of these students may even excel, but there are
many who will not make significant progress
even if they are achieving seemingly pleasing
marks, unless careful consideration is given
to the conditions in which they are operating.
There will also be students who are lost. They
may be lost in terms of their achievement,
their desire to learn or in terms of their
emotional well-being. The aim of excellent
education is to reduce the number of students
who are lost and provide the context for
optimal learning. Schools and the teachers
within them can create the conditions
necessary for students to make progress and
develop intellectually and emotionally.
It is my belief that the most important condition for effective and
enjoyable learning is student engagement. Engagement with
the teacher, with the environment and with the process is critical
for learning success. This assertion is based on the premise that
learning is an affective journey which requires a thoughtful
and varied approach by all involved. It is a given that successful
learning is complex requiring a differentiated approach to cater
for individual needs. Notwithstanding this need for adaptability
and flexibility, there are fundamental conditions which, when
managed effectively, maximise the opportunities for excellent
learning to occur in schools. Each of the characteristics dealt
with here can be linked to the concepts of engagement and
motivation. Similarly, they do not sit separately but rather form
part of a complex web of factors which when combined can have
a powerful influence on a student’s capacity to learn well.
sunata 10
The first and fundamental element of an environment which
promotes learning for all relates to connection. Connection,
that is the quality of the relationship between a teacher and a
student, is the key factor in an optimal learning environment.
This relationship, when based on the teacher’s genuine belief in
the worth of the student as a human being and a commitment
to fostering her learning, is fundamental to motivation and
the building of academic capacity. It is more important
than the teacher’s mastery of content, more important than
varied teaching strategies and more important than the latest
technological advance. That is not to say that these other
elements are not important, just that without a connection
between student and teacher there is nothing upon which to
base them. Of course some students are easy to connect with
because they demand personal attention and ensure that they
are noticed at every opportunity. It is students who are more
difficult to connect with who reinforce the importance of the
teacher-student relationship. It is important at this point to be
clear that for such a relationship to be positive and enabling
it must not be confused with friendship or with a classroom
devoid of consequences, which may actually inhibit authentic
connections. Students need to feel able to trust their teachers to
be teachers. In his work, The Quality School Teacher, psychologist
William Glasser refers to the importance of a trusting
relationship when endeavouring to foster excellent learning.
He writes,
“Quality schoolwork (and the quality life that results from it) can
only be achieved in a warm, supportive classroom environment.
It cannot exist if there is an adversarial relationship between those
who teach and those who are asked to learn… Above all there must
be trust: they all have to believe that the others have their welfare in
mind. Without this trust, neither students nor teachers will make
the effort needed to do quality work.” (in Sullo 2007, pp.17)
This idea is also developed by Bryk and Schneider (2003) who
undertook a study based in Chicago, involving about 400
schools. This study resulted in the conclusion that relational trust
can be nurtured and maintained for the betterment of students.
Rowe and Rowe (2002) found that “class or teacher effect on
success surpasses the impact made by student background,
school factors and administration factors” (in Nadge 2005,
pp.29). Marzano and Marzano (2003) concur, stating that “the
quality of teacher-student relationship is the key to all other
aspects of classroom management” which in turn is the key to
student achievement (in Sullo 2007, pp.18). Sax (2005) takes
these ideas further, suggesting that such a connection is even
more important for girls than for boys. He illustrates this by
suggesting that it is important for teachers “to smile and look
(girls) in the eye” (p. 86) when they are working with them, as
their ability to learn well is strongly related to the relationship
they have with their teachers. He refers to the work of
psychologist, Eva Pomerantz who asserts that girls are at greater
risk of being harmed by a negative assessment from a teacher
(Sax 2005, pp.81). Finally, there is clear evidence in Hattie’s work
(2009) that teacher-student relationship is critical to students’
learning success. One aspect of this relationship is the climate
that it creates in the classroom.
A safe but challenging environment which motivates students
is a prerequisite for learning excellence. Complex learning is best
facilitated in a challenging yet non-threatening environment
(Caine & Caine 1994; Dweck 2013, Martin 2010, Hattie 2009).
The removal of fear from the learning environment is imperative
for students to achieve their potential. Challenges cannot be
embraced unless students feel safe enough to risk being visible
and to fail. The stereotypical teacher who inspires fear in students
is more than just intimidating; she/he is actually inhibiting
students’ learning. Sylwester (1998) says “…fear may result in
the physical deterioration of memory systems”. Caine and Caine
(1994) reinforce this idea, asserting that the brain learns optimally
when not subjected to negative emotional excitation and that
challenging learning experiences in an environment where
appropriate risk taking is encouraged enhance learning. In his
book, Teaching with the Brain in Mind, Jensen (1998) discusses the
importance of providing challenge for all students, not just those
who have been identified as “gifted”. He cites the work of William
Greenough, who has twenty years’ experience in studying the
effects of enrichment on the human brain, identifying that the
two conditions necessary for “growing a better brain” (Jensen
1998, pp.32) are challenging learning experiences and consistent
interactive feedback. The recent work of Carol Dweck (2013)
relating to fear of failure and its impact on a student’s willingness
to embrace challenge reinforces the importance of fostering a
climate of safety within a classroom.
As well as feeling able to engage in the learning challenges
available to them, students need to have the desire to do so.
That is, they must be motivated to engage in the learning
process. Generations of teachers have grappled with the issue of
motivating students. Many of these teachers have experienced
considerable success in their classrooms using the sheer force
of their personalities or techniques ranging from an appealing
looking lolly jar to the equally unappealing prospect of detention.
Glasser (1990) addresses the issue of motivation with his theory
of internal control psychology. In essence he asserts that effective
learning environments must endeavour to motivate students
by providing for their essential human needs – connection,
competence, freedom and fun. He believes that these intrinsic
forces are far more powerful and successful in inspiring a
commitment to learning, than attempting to win students over
with extrinsic rewards and punishments. Jensen supports this
view, stating that researchers have developed “better tools to
understand the inner workings of the motivated brain” (1998,
pp.70) which have allowed them to identify elements of the
brain’s internal reward system. The findings of these wellregarded educators can be linked to the idea that students are
motivated when they believe that they are able to learn and feel a
sense of control over their learning.
Professor Andrew Martin (2010) has focused on the importance
of providing students with a feeling of power in terms of their
learning. He suggests that girls in particular can feel powerless
when confronted with academic challenges and refers to the
importance of reminding girls of the three areas where they do
have control over their learning: attitude, effort and strategy
(2012). By drawing students’ attention to these areas where
they can have an impact we are essentially promoting their
academic fitness, the term Martin uses to refer to the readiness
and preparedness of a student for learning. Equating academic
learning with fitness, which conjures up notions of training and
practice, is a powerful way to emphasise the control girls can have
over their learning. This in turn can motivate them to refine their
approach to learning and build more productive behaviours.
Students will be more engaged with the learning process if they
understand its complexity. An understanding of the nature of
learning can be used to promote a positive learning mindset
and develop academic resilience. The importance of developing
the resilience of young people informs many currently operating
student care programmes and much of the literature related to
adolescent well-being (Martin 2010). Thus, the idea of resilience
as a determinant of well-being has wide acceptance. Nadge (2005)
explores the relationship between student well-being
sunata 11
and learning through her work related to academic care. This
work is grounded in studies based in several schools in the
NSW Independent sector and its focus has been on “learning
and psycho-social development as the domain of all teachers
in all classrooms”. The most crucial message of Nadge’s article
is the symbiotic relationship between learning and well-being
in a school context. Thus the promotion of resilience, like the
management of stress, should not be relegated to the fortnightly
pastoral care lesson. Academic resilience relates specifically
to the learning context and can be seen as best promoted by
subject teachers in classrooms. In fact for an optimal learning
environment to exist, teachers must make the promotion of
resilience part of their responsibilities and where possible make
it specific to their discipline. In real terms this means that
failure becomes an opportunity for learning and is seen as part
of the learning process. This is particularly important in the
education of girls as they tend to “generalize the meaning of
their failures because they interpret them as indicating that they
have disappointed adults and thus they are of little worth. Boys,
in contrast, appear to see their failures as relevant only to the
specific subject area in which they have failed” (Pomerantz in Sax
2005, pp.81).
An understanding of the learning process facilitates student
engagement because it allows the development of a growth
mindset. Professor Carol Dweck of Stanford University has been
involved with a significant amount of research about the different
levels of success experienced by students who view intelligence
as a quality “that can be developed and expanded” (Trei 2007) as
compared to those who see it as a fixed trait. She says that “people
who believe in an expandable or growth theory of intelligence
want to challenge themselves to increase their abilities, even if
they fail at first” (Trei 2007). Dweck’s research which has involved
studies in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions has
revealed that the way a student thinks about her capacity to learn
makes a difference to her academic outcomes (Dweck 2013). The
students in her studies who demonstrated high levels of resilience
and consequently were highly motivated were those who
“believed they could have an impact on their mind” (Blackwell,
Trzesniewski & Dweck, 2007). This is an empowering notion for
educators as it provides much scope for developing the learning
potential of students who have hitherto been lost.
sunata 12
Neuroscience has provided evidence of the plasticity of the
human brain (Doidge 2007; Goswami 2008). That is, its
capacity to change in response to circumstances. Simply
put science indicates that if an action or a thought process is
practiced repeatedly the part of the brain being used grows new
connections and becomes stronger. Giving this information
to students is important as it reinforces their own role in their
learning success, acting as a motivating force. Thus, science
provides evidence to support the “truth” of a growth mindset. By
using the research on mindset and the available neuroscientific
understandings in a way which is relevant to students and
learning, schools can assist them to build their academic fitness.
Reinforcing what Dweck calls the “transformative power of
effort” cements girls’ beliefs in their ability to learn and make
meaningful academic progress.
Understanding how the brain learns and how learning can
be maximised is the first step in a continuous and difficult
journey. The theory needs to be put into practice by educational
institutions and by individual teachers. By focusing on
addressing the fundamental characteristics of an optimal
learning environment schools are able to provide rich and
meaningful learning opportunities for all students.
References
Blackwell, L, Trzesniewski, KH & Dweck, CS 2007, ‘Implicit Theories
of Intelligence Predict Achievement across an Adolescent Transition: A
Longitudinal Study and an Intervention’, Child Development, vol. 78, no. 1,
pp. 246-263.
Bryk, A and Schneider, B 2003. ‘Trust in schools: A core resource for
school reform’, Educational Leadership, vol. 60, no. 6, pp. 40-44.
Caine, RN & Caine, G 1994, Making Connections: Teaching and the Human
Brain, Innovative Learning Publications, Menlo Park, CA.
Doidge, N 2007, The Brain That Changes Itself, Scribe, Melbourne.
Dweck, C 2013, Mindsets: Helping Students Fulfil Their Potential, paper
presented at the 2013 Walter N. Ridley Lecture, Virginia, 19 March.
Glasser, W 1990, The Quality School: Managing Students without Coercion,
Perennial Library, New York.
Goswami, U 2008, ‘Principles of Learning, Implications for Teaching: A
Cognitive Neuroscience Perspective’, Journal of Philosophy of Education,
vol. 42, no. 3-4, pp. 381-399.
Hattie, J 2009, Visible Learning, Routledge, London.
Jensen, E 1998. Teaching with the Brain in Mind. Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development, Virginia.
Martin, A 2010, Building Classroom Success, Continuum International
Publishing Group, London.
Nadge, A 2005, ‘Academic Care: Building Resilience, Building Futures’,
The Journal of the National Association of Pastoral Care in Education, vol. 230,
no. 1, pp. 28-33.
Sax, L 2005, Why Gender Matters, Broadway Books, New York.
Sylwester, R 1998, ‘Student Brains, School Issues: A Collection of
Articles’, in Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority 2004, Social,
emotional and cognitive development and its relationship to learning in school
Prep to Year 10, Inyahead Press, Melbourne.
Sullo, B 2007, Activating the Desire to Learn, Association for Supervision
and Curriculum Development, Alexandria.
Trei, L 2007, New Study Yields Instructive Results on how Mindset affects
learning, viewed 3 July 2008. <http://news-service.stanford.edu/
news/2007/february7/dweck-020707.html>.
Reading the Rocks: A pilgrimage to
the Holy Lands
Wayne Singleton
Secondary Teacher
We worship and journey with a surprising
God. I had other plans for my summer break
this year. It was just another recess in my
staffroom. One hand held the cold coffee
that I had made before school but had not
yet had the time to drink, my other hand was
scrolling through the mountain of e-mails
that now are part of our work life. Opening
only those that I could not put off until after
school, I was about to skip over the email
from the Anglican Board of Mission (ABM)
but I thought no; that will be a quick read.
Among the items on the e-mail was a simple line that read,
“Pilgrimage to the Holy Lands”.
You know how you can be walking along deep in thought, then
for no apparent reason trip over your own feet? It was one of
those moments. I sat for a moment before I heard myself saying,
“I think I am going to Jerusalem”. My colleagues in our small
staffroom responded with things like, “That’s a good idea!” and,
“Why don’t you?” and, “Buy me a Camel!” (Oh yes, I neglected to
mention earlier that it is an Arts staffroom that I inhabit!)
It just felt right. That “one day” of going to Jerusalem that I had
promised myself all my life had arrived.
Now, for me the word Pilgrim has always conjured up images of a
man in a hairshirt walking with a stick and sandals along a dusty
road. Consequently, I used the word visit to describe my trip
before I went. However, now I know the power of the word, I use
the word Pilgrim. I have learnt that whilst a tourist visits to learn
and be entertained, a Pilgrim walks with different eyes. It is a walk
in contemplation with our God, and with the right guide making
straight the path before you, it is faith affirming, faith challenging,
at times totally bewildering and at times totally awesome.
You may notice I mentioned a guide. I cannot begin to say
how important it is to have one. Going to St George’s College,
Jerusalem with ABM’s John Deanne and a small group of other
Australian Anglicans for the Jesus of Palestine Pilgrimage,
enabled me to journey with spiritual and cultural guides who
knew ‘how to read the rocks’. It is not a place for a novice to
easily travel alone.
There is a saying that you do not just travel to the Holy Lands,
you return. It could not be truer. Anglicans of my generation
have been in wonder of the place since we were in Sunday
School. It is the cradle of the three great monotheistic faiths.
Spiritually for me, it is the centre of the world.
We walked from St George’s College down through a gate of
the Herod’s Old City, past the crowded Bazaar, past the Via
Dolorosa, out to the square facing the Western Wall with its
rows of people at prayer, past the families parading with their
children on their Bar Mitzvah, out through another gate down
to the excavations of David’s Old City. Then to have a passionate,
articulate Jewish Historian explain the Tel and its ‘finds’ and to
walk us far underground through tunnels to the ancient city’s
water source – that was not an ordinary day!
Taking some contemplation time gazing out over the Sea of
Galilee, up to my ankles in water, I was reminded of a definition
of contemplation that called it a “long, loving look at the real”.
For the first time I really heard the word “long” in the definition.
I knew that I was not there to run where Jesus had walked! A
long, loving look requires a saunter, not a sprint. It is the pace
to experience the soil and the people of the Holy Land, the land
that some have called the “fifth Gospel”. I am reminded of a
moment of meditation in Capernaum, the ministry base of Jesus.
In a moment of just being, I suddenly became consciously aware
of the bird song around me and realised that these were the same
songs that Jesus would have heard. How wonderful.
Of course you cannot have 3,000 to 6,000 years of history and
three major world religions in a country without acknowledging
the history of conflict and the present day problems that face
its people. I actually came away with more hope than I took
with me. I saw many signs of community groups wanting to
work together in good faith. As an outsider there is no place for
judgement or side taking; I could only listen and pray that all
community groups can find ways to “enlarge their tent”.
The first evening that we arrived, the Dean of St George’s College
asked the question, “Why have you come?” We were asked to
sleep on it. The question surprised me and I realised that I had just
responded to what I felt was a call or opportunity from God and
that I had not any real expectations. I began to fret that my answer
might sound lightweight in the morning. After all, the majority of
the Pilgrims doing the course were Seminarians from the United
States and I did not want to let the other Australians down. That
evening as we sat in the cathedral waiting for the Eucharist to
begin, I read the introduction in their Prayer Book. In it, the
Archbishop had written an extraordinary statement, which in part
read, “God’s not finished with you yet”. I had my answer.
So I say to you, if like me Jerusalem is on your “one day” bucket
list, I encourage you brother/sister to just do it … let go, let God.
sunata 13
St George’s College offers a variety of courses throughout the
year. The Palestine of Jesus course that I did enabled me to
explore the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth, by exploring
his life in the physical and historical contexts in which he lived. It
also enabled me to share this Pilgrimage with other Australian,
American and British members of the Anglican Communion
and that in itself was a blessing. To drive what would have been
the half-day walk for Mary and Jesus from Nazareth to Cana
with a Palestinian Christian explaining why they would have
made that journey and how communities celebrated and still
celebrate events like marriages, was a real privilege.
When too much is too much
Susan Shaw
Head of Secondary School
Over the course of a generation there
has been a seismic shift in the pattern of
relationships between parents and their
children. When I was a young adolescent in
the 1970s, parents were by definition, ‘the
enemy’. They were the ones who stopped
you talking to your friends on the phone
for hours and worse, listened to your
conversations, as the one phone was located
in a communal area, usually the kitchen.
Parents were the ones who insisted on table
manners, curfews and writing thank-you
cards. Your friends called them Mr and Mrs
and they were about as unglamorous and
uncool as you could get. Potential boyfriends
were terrified of them, particularly my father
who loathed young men with long hair who
wore board shorts and drove panel vans.
sunata 14
In Australia, authors Kathy Lette and Gabrielle Carey went on
to capture the decade, with its fixation on surfing culture and
the quest for eternal summer, in their book, Puberty Blues. On
the whole, my friends and I would have died before going to
our parents to ask advice. We did not need to; we had Dolly,
Cleo and Cosmopolitan to answer all our questions about life
(or so we thought). My generation came on the heels of the
baby-boomers, that notoriously anti-establishment, antiauthoritarian generation who tore up their draft cards, marched
in demonstrations in support of a whole range of issues and
burned Paris in the summer of 1968. Like them, we believed that
youth had the answers to the problems of the world and that
anyone over the age of 30 was not only old but also sexist, racist
and always fascist.
When I started teaching in the 1980s, the status quo had not
changed too much. Students would beg you not to tell their
parents if they were “in trouble” because they knew what was
awaiting them at home; a phone call from a parent was a very,
very rare occurrence and usually revolved around a lost tennis
racket or a bad case of chicken pox. We would see parents
at Parent-Teacher interviews and sporting events but most
communication was via notes delivered by students, normally
accompanied by a smear of Vegemite. How times have changed.
Now instead of the teacher contacting home, the parents rings
the teacher demanding to know why their child is in trouble.
I recall first hearing the term ‘helicopter parent’ about 15 years
ago when I was having lunch with a group of primary school
teachers at a former school. They described a particular parent
who was always at the School – last to leave after drop-off, first
to be waiting in the afternoon prior to collection, always on the
phone to the Head of Primary demanding particular teachers
for her child and at the door of the classroom to see the teacher
about every aspect of her child’s education.
Fast forward to now and the publication of an article from The
Atlantic by clinical psychologist Lori Gottlieb entitled, How
to Land Your Kid in Therapy. In the article she recounts how
in her early days of practice she most frequently had to work
with patients who had been poorly parented through too little
attention and too little affection. Then one day “Lizzie” walked
into her office. According to Gottlieb,
“… she was a bright, attractive 20 something woman with strong
friendships, a close family and a deep sense of emptiness. She
had come in because she was simply not happy. What was most
upsetting was that she didn’t have anything to be unhappy about.
She reported she had “awesome” parents, two fabulous siblings,
supportive friends, an excellent education, a cool job, good health
and a nice apartment. No family history of depression or anxiety.
So why was she having trouble sleeping at night? Why was she
indecisive, afraid of making a mistake, unable to trust her instincts
and stick to her choices? Why did she feel less amazing than her
parents had always told her she was?” (Gottlieb 2011)
Professor Jean Twenge, Professor of Psychology at San Diego
University and co-author of, The Narcissism Epidemic (Campbell &
Twenge 2009) believes that psychologists are seeing the first crop
of adults who have emerged from the self-esteem movement:
over-parented, over-protected kids who have reached adulthood
under the influence of positive psychology. Twenge says that in
her view, “what begins as healthy self-esteem can quickly morph
into an inflated view of oneself, a self-absorption and sense of
entitlement that looks a lot like narcissism” (Ibid). Furthermore,
narcissists are happy when they are younger because they are the
centre of the universe. Their parents act like servants, shuttling
them from A to B and meeting their every need and more
importantly, their every desire, while at the same time telling
them how special they are. As these pampered young people
grow into adulthood they discover something quite disturbing,
indeed they are not the centre of the universe and they are not
particularly special. The result according to Jean Twenge can be
both “shocking and disturbing” (Ibid).
Social researcher and commentator Hugh Mackay in his newest
book, The Good Life – What Makes Life Worth Living maintains that
we are:
“… living in a golden age – extraordinary advances in medical
technology; an explosion of information and technology that
stimulates, informs and entertains like never before, swift, cheap
international travel, efficient, reliable cars, plentiful year-round
supply of food that defies the seasons, European fashion that flows
like water from Chinese factories into warehouses around the world
and much, much more.” (Mackay 2013)
Yet this utopian world encourages us to strive even further to
realise our real or imagined dreams:
“… we must have perfectly white, straight teeth, we must track down
the perfect latte, the perfect investment, the perfect movie (uplifting,
funny and memorable) and now even a storm can qualify as the
perfect storm. Weekends must be “great” and holidays must be
“awesome”, fabulous has replaced “good” and “great” now means
“okay”. We are busy establishing places of excellence everywhere from
schools to car showrooms and we’re hooked on the idea of happiness
as a natural entitlement.” (Ibid)
Mackay concludes that the real victims of the utopian complex
are our children.
“We can learn to swallow disappointment; we can cope with the
realisation that we’ve made fools of ourselves by our pursuit of the
unreachable….but the children of parents in the grip of the utopian
complex might not get off so lightly, for they have been conditioned
to expect the best to be provided for them –admiration and rewards
for everything they do and constant support and guidance from
parents anxious to remove every obstacle from their path.” (Ibid)
References
Campbell, WK & Twenge, J 2009, The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the
Age of Entitlement, Simon & Schuster, New York.
Gottlieb, L 2011, ‘How to Land you Kid in Therapy’, The Atlantic, July/
August, pp. 64-79.
Mackay, H 2013, The Good Life: What Makes a Life Worth Living, Pan
MacMillan, Sydney.
Twenge, J 2006, Generation Me, Free Press, New York.
Lori Gottlieb (2011) says we treat our kids like adults and we
infantilize them when they are adults. She concludes with a
statement from a young patient she recently began treating who
said, “my parents would feel like failures if they knew I was here.
At the same time they’d be glad I’m here because they just want
me to be happy.”
sunata 15
The influence of technology on
traditional methods of surveillance
in the Music classroom
Angela Bowen
Head of Year 10, Coordinator of Music Curriculum
One of the most significant issues facing
educators in recent years is the explosion
of technology integration as it continues
to challenge the core values and physical
structure of modern schooling systems. The
use of computers and the constant presence
of the internet are threatening to dissipate
teaching and learning from the centralised,
traditional enclosure of the school, to
virtual spaces and limitless time domains
(Krejsler 2004). In particular, Music
Education is an area where technology
has radically changed both the content
and structure of the curriculum and the
way in which the student completes class
tasks and projects. As a result, traditional
mechanisms of surveillance tend to be less
effective in the application of discipline and
the exercise of power.
When discussing schooling systems of the 19th and 20th
centuries, the issue of surveillance is a central theme, and one
which has been explored at length by French philosopher,
Michel Foucault. His middle period of work in the 1970s focused
on relationships of power and historical ways in which man
governed populations to exercise this power (O’Farrell 2013).
Much of his research centred on the idealistic structure of the
Panopticon, devised by Jeremy Bentham, as an “all seeing” prison
(Gallagher 2010). The panopticon’s ability to individualise its
subjects makes it, by virtue, an instrument capable of exercising
power (Foucault 2006). Foucault discussed the concept of
panopticism as a surveillance technique in many areas of life
where discipline is used, such as schools (Brunon-Ernst 2012).
The very act of observing represents an attempt to exercise
power over the observed subjects (Gallagher 2011). In traditional
classrooms, surveillance occurrs in both visual and aural ways,
leading to effective power relationships that infiltrate into the
everyday life of schools, teachers and students (Deacon 2002).
sunata 16
The panoptic model as explored by Foucault exploits the
permanent visibility afforded to an individual under its gaze (Yar
2002). Moreover, the visibility of that visibility is as important,
as the observed individuals need to become so effective at
managing their own behaviour that the need for constant
surveillance is minimised (Foucault 1995; Gallager 2008; Yar
2002). Schools have, historically, done this very well. The
teacher would stand in front of their students and deliver their
government-mandated curriculum while constantly surveying
the room. If the teacher needed to turn their back to write on
a board, aural surveillance would commence (Gallagher 2011).
However, the silent nature of technology and the constant
interference of computer screens and the internet means this
surveillance is significantly compromised, particularly in the
Secondary School Music classroom where Music publishing
software and recording technology is utilised frequently.
Through messaging programs such as Skype or any number of
social media platforms, students can communicate with each
other, silently, while appearing to be working diligently on their
computer. Furthermore, as technology takes over as a learning
tool and infiltrates the lives of teachers and students, boundaries
between home, school, work and leisure become increasingly
blurred (Krejsler 2004). These factors combine to make
traditional methods of surveillance, in many ways, ineffective in
the management of discipline in educational institutions.
In a typical, contemporary Music classroom, students would
be involved in a variety of theoretical, practical and creative
activities. Students in a laptop school complete their analysis and
theoretical work on their own personal computer, obstructing
the panoptic gaze of the teacher with computer screens.
Composition work is completed using desktop computer
stations with piano keyboards (see Figure 1). Practical work is
rehearsed at various locations around the classroom, often with
the assistance of backing tracks played on the student’s personal
iPods or phones, while the teacher works with individuals and
small groups. These class structures represent a significant
change from the typical Music classroom of ten years ago where
most of the course content involved students working at desks
with pen and paper, or rehearsing in larger groups without the
assistance of backing tracks. This substantial shift within Music
education significantly changes the pedagogical practices of
teachers, yet ultimately leads to increasing student autonomy,
choice and self-reflection (Fejes & Nicoll 2008). Nevertheless,
mechanisms of surveillance must shift to support the classroom
teacher as they learn to manage these new educational tools.
To be effective in a classroom setting, panoptic surveillance
must be linked to behaviour modification through disciplinary
action whilst also teaching the students how to regulate
their own behaviour (Yar 2002). In modern society, panoptic
surveillance is present in many areas of our lives thanks to
technology such as video surveillance systems (CCTV), e-mail,
webcams and other internet-based tracking and monitoring
systems (Brunon-Ernst 2012). Software monitoring programs
such as DyKnow allow teachers to control and observe every
linked student’s computer directly from the teacher’s computer
(Zuger 2008). However, for this surveillance to be effective, the
teacher is unable to walk around the classroom and actively
engage with the students while they are working. Ideally, this
continuous movement by the teacher is required in order
to monitor student activities and focus wayward students’
attention to the task at hand (Krejsler 2004). Moreover, teachers
need to be aware that students can develop cunning strategies
to prevent detection and even shape their own conscience into
believing that any transgressions or distractions are legitimate
(Gallagher 2010). The constant allure of the internet leads some
students to take risks, regardless of the threat of punishment,
as they believe the benefit of the distraction outweighs any
perceived consequences for their behaviour (Hope 2009).
Furthermore, the ever-increasing influence of smart phones
in the lives of students is a constant source of frustration for
teachers and parents alike, yet they can be very useful tools in
the Music classroom as recording devices and as a tool for selfreflection. Foucault (1977, pp.173) believed that, “the perfect
disciplinary apparatus would make it possible for a single gaze
to see everything constantly.” In today’s Secondary Music
Classroom, this ideal seems to be difficult to attain.
Ultimately, teachers need to embrace the opportunities that the
integration of technology provides for teaching and learning.
Boundaries of time and space are no longer a limiting factor in
education and the internet and online learning grants schools,
teachers and students more autonomy than ever before (Selwyn
2000). Music students of today are able to watch performances
by the world’s greatest symphony orchestras, create professionalsounding film scores, record their own performances and upload
them for friends and family around the world to instantly view
and learn a multiude of instruments and repertoire all from
the comfort of their own home. Assessment tasks and learning
experiences are limited only by the imagination and the new
Queensland Studies Authority (QSA) Music Senior Syllabus
allows more freedom of content and delivery than ever before
(QSA 2013). In light of this, the role of the teacher can no longer
just be as an initiator of instruction. The teacher must take on
many roles, including mentor, guide, consultant, moderator
and inspirator (Krejsler 2004). In recent years, the focus of the
Queensland Senior Music Syllabus has been on the authenticity
of learning experiences and assessment tasks, rather than the
number of assessment tasks to be completed.
Students are also encouraged to incorporate technology into the
presentation of their assessment in unlimited ways. This allows
opportunities for project-based learning and encourages the
students to focus on and develop their own particular talents
and strengths. It also allows the teacher time to present new
repertoire or new genres to the students in greater depth and
in a context, whilst also allowing more time for self-reflection.
This emphasis, in turn, supports the concept of learning as a
life-long project as students become the guides to discovering
their own learning pathways, with the support of teachers
(Krejsler 2004). To this end, one of the greatest challenges faced
by teachers today is the need to relate curriculum content to
areas that genuinely excite and interest students (Krejsler 2004).
Technology is a powerful facilitator of this shift in pedagogical
focus, and teachers and students have more freedom than
ever before.
Continues over
sunata 17
In order to harness the increased freedom and autonomy
created by the integration of technology, teachers must govern
a classroom that encourages students to want to learn and
want to commit to class tasks. Self-governance will increasingly
become an important skill for all individuals to develop in order
to achieve success (Krejsler 2004). Deacon (2002) goes further,
stating that the processes used to discipline and govern are
intrinsincally related to identity constitution and self-discipline.
Schools with a strong focus on social values and community may
find it easier to maintain discipline and develop self-governance
in their students. However, in schools where social values are
challenged, individuals may still be punished for disobedience,
but they may not care enough to modify their behaviour (Hope
2009). Nevertheless, the influence of panopticism can still be
harnessed by educators as a feature of a system of punishment
and reward (Ball 1990). As a conscience-building device, it is
typical of the influence of disciplinary power in modern society
(Gallagher 2010).
Effective surveillance in today’s classroom relies on mutual
trust and student ownership and acceptance of the relevance
and importance of the task. Yet, there must be appropriate
discipline in place for breaches of this trust and for reluctance
to commit to the task at hand. Foucault (1977) discusses
the significance of corrective punishment and its important
function in reducing gaps of knowledge. Ideally, teachers should
find ways to discipline their students that become lessons in
themselves. When discussing issues of surveillance, it appears
Foucault’s primary interest in the panopticon was not in its
architecture, but its ability to subjectify individuals and make
them accountable (Selwyn 2000). With the increase in e-mail
communication and the permanent digital trail the internet
provides, it is now possible to gather evidence that can be used
against students who choose to disobey teacher instruction. This
evidence means that students can easily be made accountable for
their actions, yet this surveillance is only partially effective as it
can only be deployed reactively after initial suspiscion is raised
by the teacher or other students (Gallagher 2010). Power is
certainly exercised through this surveillance, however in school
settings, students can forget that their activities are constantly
being monitored. Therefore, surveillance and the consequential
exercise of power relies on constant vigilance and reminders by
the teacher of its presence (Gallagher 2010).
The goal of any educational institution is to impart the
transferable skills required to function as a citizen in an
increasingly globalised world (Krejsler 2004). While the influence
and integration of technology is a significant challenge for
educators and institutions to manage, through supporting
this influence and adjusting to the challenges it presents in
terms of surveillance and discipline, schools can help students
develop self-motivation and self-governance. The constant
presence of this technology significantly impacts on traditional
methods of surveillance used in the classroom setting to impart
discipline and maintain order. However, there are many tools
available now, such as surveillance software that teachers can
use in conjunction with other panoptic models of surveillance.
Education is increasingly reflecting a move to a knowledgebased society, characterised by individualised learning strategies
taking place in a variety of settings (Krejsler 2004). If schools
are to remain relevant and survive through this period of
radical change, they must embrace the opportunities that the
integration of technology provides to students and staff alike.
Educators must come up with new ways to inspire, motivate
and connect with students while supporting them in their quest
to discover and develop their own unique skills and talents. It
is only through this that education will remain relevant and
engaging for students, and the goal of creating lifelong learners
who will become truly significant citizens will be realised.
References
Ball, SJ 1990, Foucault and Education: Disciplines and Knowledge, Routledge,
London.
Brunon-Ernst, A (ed) 2012, Beyond Foucault: New Perspectives on Bentham’s
Panopticon, Ashgate Publishing Limited, Surrey.
Deacon, R 2002, ‘Truth, Power and Pedagogy: Michael Foucault on the
rise of the disciplines’, Educational Philosophy & Theory, vol. 34, no. 4,
pp. 435-458.
Fejes, A & Nicoll, K (eds.) 2008, Focault and Lifelong Learning: Governing the
subject, Routledge, London.
Foucault, M 1995, Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison, Random
House, New York.
Foucault, M 2006, ’Chapter Four: 28 November 1973’, in J Ewald & A
Fontana (eds), trans. G Burchell, Psychiatric power: Lectures at the College de
France, 1973-74, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke.
Gallager, M 2008, ‘Foucault, Power and Participation’, The International
Journal of Children’s Rights, vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 395-406.
Gallagher, M 2010, ‘Are Schools Panoptic?’, Surveillance & Society, vol. 7,
no. 3/4, pp. 262-272.
Gallagher, M 2011, ‘Sound, Space and Power in a Primary School’, Social
& Cultural Geography, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 47-61.
Hope, A 2009, ‘CCTV, School Surveillance and Social Control’, British
Educational Research Journal, vol. 35, no. 6, pp. 891-907.
Krejsler, J 2004, ‘Becoming Individual in Education and Cyberspace’,
Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, vol. 10, no. 5, pp. 489-503.
O’Farrell, C 2013, ‘Foucault’s Thought’, in B Kaldis (ed), Encyclodpedia of
Philsophy and the Social Sciences, Sage, London.
Queensland Studies Authority 2013, Music Senior Syllabus 2013, viewed
1 September 2013, <http://qsa.qld.edu.au/downloads/senior/snr_
music_2013_syll.pdf>.
Selwyn, N 2000, ‘The National Grid for Learning: Panacea or
Panopticon?’, British Journal of Sociology of Education, vol. 21, no. 2,
pp. 243-255.
Yar, M 2002, ‘Panoptic Power and the Pathologisation of Vision: Critical
Reflections on the Foucauldian Thesis’, Surveillance & Society, vol. 1, no. 3,
pp. 254-271.
Zuger, S 2008, ‘Interactive Math Classroom Adds Up to Success’, Tech &
Learning, vol. 29, no. 3, pp. 14.
sunata 18
Integrated learning and assessment
for a differentiated class:
A school-based project within the
QELi Future Leaders program
Chris Farrelly
Head of Faculty - Science
Introduction
As part of the Queensland Educational
Leadership Institute (QELi) course
“Future Leaders”, a school-based project
was undertaken which could serve as a
framework for personal development as a
school leader with the potential to benefit to
the School’s learning community, and which
connected with the professional standards
of the Australian Institute for Teaching
and School Leadership. In particular, I was
interested in the professional practices and
standards “Leading teaching and learning”,
and “Leading innovation and change”. I am
especially intrigued with the catchphrase
that assessment should be a learning
experience. It seems to me that often the only
learning some students gain from exams is
that they “can’t do tests” or “I’m just dumb!”
Formative assessment is championed by researchers like
Marzano (2010) as being highly effective at improving student
outcomes, but it is often difficult to identify the effect of the
formative assessment process from related, but separate
processes of feedback. Feedback, to the teacher on teaching, to
the student on learning, and to the teacher on student learning
has been shown to be quite effective at improving outcomes.
One of the most powerful approaches has been the technique of
providing formative evaluation of programs, typified as feedback
to teachers by Hattie (2009) (effect size = 0.9). But the process of
providing teacher feedback is highly dependent (in this author’s
opinion) on the willingness and readiness of the teacher to
accept and act on such feedback. However, through this project
another rather intangible achievement was made in the form an
affective dimension for the students. The class studied reported
significantly reduced anxiety when faced with their summative
exam, and even displayed a hitherto absent positive outlook
about the opportunity to show what they had learnt.
Description of Project
Aim
Teaching for learning across a range of abilities, incorporating
crafted web-based resources and incremental assessments as a
learning tool, and a truly differentiated supervised assessment
program whereby assessment is part of the learning process,
and serves to provide timely feedback to the teacher, and to the
student. Both teacher and student are positioned as learners,
albeit under different “curricula”.
Expected Outcomes
Students who typically achieve well will be challenged while low
achieving students are included and extended in curriculum
areas where they have typically disengaged. Improved outlook
for low achieving students would have significant beneficial
effects across curriculum areas.
Methodology
Teaching of the Chemistry unit in the Year 10 Science
curriculum would have the usual text, internet, and practical
resources supplemented by regular multiple choice quizzes.
These quizzes would be posted online via the school’s intranetbased learning system. The purpose was to provide low stakes
evaluation for the student on how well they were understanding
concepts, and also to provide timely feedback to the teacher on
the learning taking place. Examples of these quizzes are included
in the appendix. This approach is informed by the work of
several authors.
Hattie (2009) reported the effectiveness of providing formative
evaluation of programs as being very high, with an effect size of
0.9. While this is an extremely high effect size, the conclusion
was supported by comparatively few studies, and only two metaanalyses. This possibly speaks to the difficulty of fully enacting
such a program, whereby feedback is received by the teacher in
real time. Teacher intervention into learning can then be made
based evidence in an individualised way. The feedback provided
by formative evaluation was shown by Hattie to have increased
effectiveness with students with a mild learning disability, which
further supports the approach demonstrated in this report for
the class in question. Interestingly for my report, Hattie notes
that when the evaluation of the effectiveness of such teaching
approaches is based upon data and evidence based models, the
effectiveness was significantly more than when evaluated by
teacher judgement. Gaining some hard evidence and data would
be a desirable aim for future work in this area.
Marzano (2009) reiterates some of Hattie’s points, especially
about whether assessment is formative or summative and relates
a quote from Bob Skate that when the cook tastes the soup, it is
formative, but when the guest tastes the soup, it is summative
(Marzano 2009, pp. 27). The point here is that the only difference
between formative and summative might be the timing.
Marzano also argues for student-generated assessments. While
the multi-choice quizzes were not student-generated to any
large degree, the students contributed suggestions as to which
areas of the week’s work should be included in the quiz. In fact,
sunata 19
The project ran for one term, based around a low achieving
Year 10 Science class. Only anecdotal evidence is offered
at this point. The project did not run sufficiently long for
longitudinal information to be gathered, and a comparison with
a similar class following a more typical curriculum delivery is
inconclusive due to the highly variable skills of the students
involved. Nonetheless, student feedback on the approach was
very positive – more so than simple novelty would suggest. Two
critical learnings have flowed from this work. Firstly, it is very
important all relevant groups within the School are on-board
and appraised of the methodology (both teacher and support
staff), to avoid the project being derailed by well-intentioned
actions. The other critical learning I have gained is to be open to
unexpected results, in areas not consciously targeted. I refer here
to the positive affirmation received from the student body that
the approach of frequent, low-stakes quizzing was useful, even
enjoyable, and somewhat effective in improving outcomes.
the discussion about the previous week’s learning also formed
an invaluable guide to the teacher on the depth and breadth
of learning which had taken place, perhaps in contrast to the
designed depth and breadth of teaching.
Outcomes
The outcomes may appear equivocal when summarized in a
brutally blunt fashion: from a class of 14 students, four (28 per
cent) failed the final exam, compared to the comparison class
of 12 students where five (40 per cent) failed the exam. While
the class sizes appear comparable, the comparison class (let
us call it Class 2) is really significantly smaller at 12 students.
Class sizes, the short timeframe of the project, and the natural
variability between students, classes, and teachers may very well
explain the difference in pass rate seen here, and I do not present
these figures as being conclusive. However, they are strongly
suggestive of an improved learning outcome for this group.
Of greater value is a view of the incremental progress shown
through more regular quizzing (“the formative cook versus
summative guest”). Several students responded very positively
to the low stakes quiz approach, and performed significantly
better over time, with one student really demonstrating an order
of magnitude shift in graded performance. It is hypothesised
that the perceived higher stakes outcome from the final exam
re-established her (temporarily suppressed) exam anxiety.
This student was inadvertently withdrawn from the final exam
so as to sit the test in an alternative location with the “assistance”
of specialist learning facilitators, on account of her assessed
exam anxieties. Unfortunately, this exam paper was substantially
incomplete at the end of the assigned timeframe which severely
limited the student’s outcome from the test.
Suggested further work in this area would be to include the
specialist learning area staff into the process, to avoid situations
which may compromise the outcomes, and so that student
anxieties might be better managed.
One unanticipated outcome of this research is the increased
awareness of the author of the combined effects of timely (within
unit) feedback to the teacher for interventions or modifications
to the teaching program, and also the wonderfully enlightening
process of “student generated assessment” whereby the class
contributed to the structuring of the interactive quizzes. This
contributed to the low stakes view of the quiz, and really helped
alleviate student concerns towards being quizzed. Students
completed the quiz in silence, working on their own laptop
computers. The quiz was delivered as a “Survey” within the
SharePoint-based learning system used at the School. The quiz
was made visible to the students in class, and closed once they
had completed it.
Appendix: Examples of simple on-line quizzes which were viewed as low stakes, unintimidating, and useful. Such quizzes do take an effort
Appendix
Examples
of remain
simple online
quizzes
which wereclasses,
viewed or
as across
low-stakes,
unintimidating, and useful. Such
to create, 1:
but
thereafter
a resource
for successive
the cohort.
quizzes do take an effort to create, but thereafter remain a resource for successive classes, or across the cohort.
Quiz Week 3. 10 questions, answered by typing multiple lines of text.
Quiz
Week 3. Ten questions, answered by typing multiple lines of text.
Created By
Column1
In what
group
is
silicon?
How
many
electrons
are in
the
outer
shell of
silicon?
How
many
electrons
are
required
to fill
the
outer
shell of
silicon?
sunata 20
Teacher
student
1
14
4
4
14
4
4
2
14
4
4
3
14
4
4
4
14
4
4
5
14
4
4
6
14
4
4
7
14
4
4
8
14
4
4
9
14
4
4
10
14
4
4
11
14
4
4
Where might
these
electrons
come from in
carbon
tetrachloride?
Carbon
Carbon
atoms
Carbon
atoms
Chlorine
atoms
Tetra
Carbide
atoms
Carbon
atoms
Tetra
Carbide
atoms
Tetra
Carbide
atoms
Carbon
atoms
Chlorine
atoms
Carbon
atoms
In what
group is
chlorine?
Group
17
Group
17
Group
17
Group
17
How
many
electrons
are
needed
to fill
the
outher
shell of
Chlorine?
Where might
that/these
electron(s)
come from in
silicon
tetrachloride?
In a
moleculue of
silicon
tetrachloride
how many
silicon
atoms are
there?
In a
molecule of
silicon
tetrachloride
how many
chloride
atoms are
there?
What is the
formula of
silicon
tetreachloride?
out
of
10
1
Silicon
1
4
SiCl4
10
1
Chlorine
4
4
SiCl
8
1
Silicon
4
2
SiCl
8
1
Chlorine
4
4
Si2Cl
7
Group
17
Group
17
1
Chlorine
3
3
SiCl4
6
1
Silicon
2
2
Si2Cl
8
Group
17
1
Silicon
4
2
SiCl2
6
1
Silicon
4
2
SiCl2
6
1
Silicon
3
2
SiCl2
6
1
Silicon
1
4
SiCl4
10
3
Chlorine
3
3
SiCl4
5
1
Chlorine
1
4
SiCl4
9
Group
17
Group
17
Group
17
Group
17
Group
17
Further work
This research is at best a scoping study which can now be used
for discussion within the Science Faculty. I feel the approach has
the potential to significantly value add to the learning of students,
especially low achieving students.
A limitation of the survey process is that it is restricted to textbased questions, with either text based answers or check boxes.
It does not lend itself to questions including diagrams or images,
which would normally be included in a Science test. This aspect
needs to be addressed, so such quizzes better resemble standard
tests, and can be used to assess or practice skills and processes,
rather than knowledge alone.
References
Hattie, J 2009, Visible Learning, Routledge, London.
Marzano, R 2010. Formative assessment & standards-based grading, Marzano
Research Laboratory, Bloomington, Indiana.
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership 2011, Australian
Professional Standard for Principals July 2011, viewed 31 July 2013, <http://
www.aitsl.edu.au/verve/_resources/Australian_Professional_Standards_
for_Principals.pdf>.
Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and
Commerce 2010, RSA Animate – Changing Education Paradigms, viewed
30 April 2013, <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U>.
Rystad, M 2013, Assessment for Learning in Svedala, Sweden, viewed 13 June
2013, <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcLMIY6R7RM>.
Quiz 10D: Week 5. 13 Questions, increased complexity; multiple lines of text for answers. Red indicates incorrect response.
Quiz 10D: Week 5. 13 Questions, increased complexity; multiple lines of text for answers. Red indicates incorrect response.
1
2,1
loses 1
electron
1+
Li 1+
1
2,1
looses an
electron
1+
Li1+
1
2,1
looses an
electron
1+
Li 1+
1
2,1
looses an
electron
1+
Li1+
1
2,1
Loses 1
electron
+1
Li 1+
2
2,1
Looses 1
electron
+1
Lithium ion
1
Li 1+
2,1
looses 1
electron
1+
Li 1+
1
2, 1
loses 1
electron
1+
Li 1+
1
2,1
looses an
electron
1+
Li 1+
1
2,3
Loses an
electron
1+
Li 1+
1
2,1
Loses 1
electron
1+
Lithium ion
1
1+
2,1
losses an
electron
1+
Li 1+
2
2,1
looses 1
electron
1+
Li 1+
2
2,2
loses 2
electron
2+
Be 2+
2
2,2
looses two
electrons
Be 2+
2
2,2
looses 2
electrons
2+
Be 2+
2
2,2
losses 2
electrons
2+
Be2+
2
2,2
Loses 2
electrons
+2
Be 2+
2
2,2
Looses 2
electrons
+2
Beryllium ion
2
Be 2+
2,2
looses 2
electrons
2+
Be 2+
2
2, 2
Loses 2
electrons
2+
Be 2+
1
2,1
loses 1
electron
1+
Li 1+
1
2,1
looses one
electron
Li 1+
1
2,1
looses an
electron
1+
Li 1+
1
2,1
looses an
electron
1+
Li1+
2
2,1
Loses 1
electron
+1
Li 1+
2
2,1
Looses 1
electron
+1
Lithium ion
1
Li 1+
2,1
looses 1
electron
1+
Li 1+
1
2, 1
loses 1
electron
1+
Li 1+
1
2
2,1
2,2
looses an
looses 2
electron
electrons
1+
Be 2+
Li 1+
2
1
2,2
2,3
losses 2
Loses an
electrons
electron
2+
1+
Be 2+
Li 1+
2
1
2,2
2,1
Loses 2
Loses 1
electrons,
electron
+2
1+
Beryllium ion Lithium ion
2
1
Be 2+
Li 1+
2,2
2,1
loose 2
looses 1
electrons
electron
2+
1+
Be 2+
Li 1+
2
1
2,2
2,1
looses 2
1 electron is
electrons
lost
2+
1+
Be 2+
Li 1+
1
2,8,1
loses 1
+1
Na +1
2
2,8,3
loses 3
+3
Mg +3
3
2,8,3
loses 3
+3
Al +3
4
2,4
loses 4
+4
C +4
5
2,5
gaines 4
-4
N-4
6
2,6
gaines 2
-2
0 -2
7
2,7
gaines 1
-1
F -1
5
2,8,5
gaines 3
-3
P-3
6
2,8,6
gianes 2
-2
S-2
7
2,8,7
gaines 1
-1
Cl-2
1
2,8,1
looses one
electron
Na 1 +
1
2,8,1
looses an
electron
1+
Na 1+
1
2,8,1
looses an
electron
+1
Na+1
3
2,8,1
Loses 1
electron
+1
Na 1+
1
2,8,1
Looses 1
electron
+1
Sodium ion
1
NA 1+
2,8,1
looses 1
electron
1+
Na1+
1
2, 8, 1
loses 1
electron
1+
Na 1+
1
2,8,1
looses 1
electron
1+
Na 1+
1
2,8,1
losses an
electron
1+
Na 1+
2
2,8,1
Loses 1
electron
1+
Sodium ion
1
Na 1+
2,8,1
looses 1
electron
1+
Na 1+
1
2,8,1
looses 1
electron
1+
Na 1+
2
2,8,2
looses two
electrons
Mg 2 +
2
2,8,2
looses 2
electrons
2+
Mg 2+
13
2,8,3
looses three
electrons
Al 3+
13
2,8,3
looses 2
electrons
2+
Al 2+
14
2,4
looses four
electrons
C4+
14
2,4
looses 4
electrons
4+
C 4+
15
2,5
adds three
electrons
N 315
2,5
adds 3
electrons
3N 3-
16
2,6
adds two
electrons
o216
2,6
adds 2
electrons
2O 2-
17
2,7
adds one
electron
F117
2,7
adds 1
electron
1F 1-
15
2,8,5
adds 3
electrons
P 315
2,8,5
adds 3
electrons
3P 3-
16
2,8,6
adds two
electrons
S216
2,8,6
adds 2
electrons
2S 2-
17
2,8,7
adds two
electrons
Cl 217
2,8,7
adds 1
electron
1Cl 1-
2
2,8,2
looses 2
2+
Mg2+
3
2,8,2
Loses 2
electrons
+2
Mg 2+
2
2,8,2
Looses 2
electrons
+2
Magnesium
2
ion Mg 2+
2,8,2
looses 2
electrons
2+
Mg2+
2
2, 8, 2
loses 2
electrons
2+
Mg 2+
2
2,8,2
looses two
electrons
2+
Mg 2+
2
2,8,2
losses two
electrons
2+
Mg 2+
2
2,8,2
Loses 2
electrons
2+
Magnesium
2
ion Mg 2+
2,8,2
looses 2
electrons
2+
Mg 2+
2
2,8,2
2 electrons
lost
2+
Mg 2+
13
2,8,3
looses 3
3+
Al3+
3
2,8,3
Loses 3
electrons
+3
Al 3+
3
2,8,3
Looses 3
electrons
+3
Aluminium
13
ion Al 3+
2,8,3
looses 3
electrons
3+
Al 3+
13
2, 8, 3
loses 3
electrons
3+
Al 3+
14
15
2,4
2,5
gains 4
gains 3
43C4N32
2
2,4
2,5
Loses 4
Gains 3
electrons
electrons
+4
-3
C 4+
N 34
5
2,4
2,5
Looses 4
Adds 3
electrons
electrons
+4
-3
Carbon ion C Nitrogen ion
14
7
4+
N 32,4
2,5
Gains 4
gains 3
electrons
electrons
43C4N314
15
2, 4
2, 5
loses 4
gains 3
electrons
electrons
4+
-3
C 4+
N -3
16
2,6
gains 2
2O22
2,6
Gains 2
electrons
-2
O 26
2,8,6
Looses 6
electrons
+6
Oxygen ion
16
O 6+
2,6
gains 2
electrons
2O216
2, 6
gains 2
electrons
-2
O -2
17
2,7
gains 1
-1
F-1
2
2,7
Gains 1
electron
-1
F 17
2,7
Adds 1
electron
-1
Fluorine ion
9
F 12, 7
gains 3
electrons
3F317
2, 7
gains 1
electron
-1
F -1
15
2,8,5
gains 3
3P33
2,8,5
Gains 3
electrons
-3
P 35
2,8,5
Looses 5
electrons
+5
Phosphorous
15
ion P 5+
2,8,5
gains 3
electrons
3P315
2, 8, 5
loses 5
electrons
5+
P 5+
16
17
2,8,6
2,8,7
gains 2
gains 1
21S2Cl13
3
2,8,6
2,8,7
Gains 2
Gains 1
electrons
electron
-2
-1
S 2Cl 16
7
2,8,6
2,8,7
Looses 6
Looses 7
electrons
electrons
+6
+7
Sulphur ion S Chlorine ion
16
17
6+
Cl 7+
2,8,6
2,8,7
gains 2
gains 1
electrons
electron
21S2Cl116
17
2, 8, 6
2, 8, 7
loses 6
loses 7
electrons
electrons
6+
7+
S 6+
Cl 7+
13
2,8,3
13
2,8,3
loses 3
electrons
3Al 32
2,8,3
Loses 3
electrons
3+
Aluminium
3
ion Al 3+
2,8,3
looses 3
electrons
3+
Al 3+
3
2,8,3
3 electrons
lost
3+
Al 3+
14
2,4
14
2,4
gains 4
electrons
4C 41
2,4
Loses 4
electrons
4+
Carbon ion C
4
4+
2,4
looses 4
electrons
4+
C+
4
2,4
4 electrons
lost
4+
C 4+
16
2,6
16
2,6
gains an
electron
2O 21
2,6
Gains 2
electrons
2Oxide O 2-
17
2,7
17
2,7
gains an
electron
1F 11
2,7
Gains 1
electron
1Fluoride F 1-
15
2,8,5
16
2,8,6
6
2,6
gain 2
2O 26
2,6
2 electrons
added
2O 2-
7
2,7
gain 1
1F 17
2,5
3 electrons
added
3F 3-
15
2,8,5
gains 3
electrons
P 32
2,8,5
Loses 5
electrons
5+
Phosphorous
ion P 5+
5
2,8,5
gain 3
3P 35
2,8,5
3 electrons
added
3P 3-
16
2,8,6
gains two
electrons
S 22
2,8,6
Loses 6
electrons
6+
Sulphide S
6+
17
2,8,7
17
2,8,7
gains an
electron
-1
Cl 12
2,8,7
Loses 7
electrons
7+
Chloride Cl
7+
6
2,8,6
6
2,8,6
2 electrons
added
2S 2-
7
2,8,7
7
2,8,7
1 electron
added
1Cl 1-
15
2,5
15
2,5
gains 3
electrons
3N 31
2,5
Gains 3
electrons
3Nitrogen ion
N 35
2,5
gain 3
-3
N 35
2,5
3 electrons
added
3N 3-
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12
Broadening Horizons
through Community Service
Lesa Fowler
Head of Boarding
An education at St Margaret’s aims to provide
students with the opportunity to contribute
to the wider community and to develop a
deep understanding of their responsibilities
within local, national and international
contexts. In Boarding, girls are provided such
experiences through our Community Service
Program. Participation in Community
Service programs has shown to improve
character, values and responsible behaviour.
Students can generalise what they learn from
their experiences and learn the importance
of being respectful towards others and
public property, and to develop an awareness
of healthy life choices. Through a greater
understanding of cultural diversity, students
learn to show more tolerance of ethnical
diversity (Leming, 2001; Lerner et al., 2008).
Our Pastoral Care Coordinator within Boarding, Sandra
Johnson, has been instrumental in developing strong
relationships with Ronald McDonald House, The Pyjama
Foundation, Salvation Army Street Level Mission and the
Wesley Mission (Aged Care). This has now enabled our
Boarders to participate in Community Service on a weekly
basis. Through participation by volunteering in Community
Service projects, girls are able to explore the School’s values,
develop their personal beliefs and put them into practice.
These experiences have encouraged students to look beyond
themselves, and learn how best to understand and respond to
the needs of others. Community Service can promote a sense
of connectedness to the School and the community. A sense of
connectedness includes feeling valued by community members,
feeling responsible for the welfare of the community, having
pride in one’s community and a high tendency to take action for
the benefit of the community (Yamauchi et al., 2006). The girls
who participate regularly in these programs have become more
aware of the needs of marginalised people in our society.
sunata 22
At Ronald McDonald House, families of seriously ill children
are offered a “home away from home”, something to which the
Boarding girls can certainly relate. The girls help to clean, cook
and play with children being treated at local medical facilities.
The experience empowers the girls to see that as individuals,
they can impact positively on the lives of others. They bring
smiles to the faces of unwell children and offer their parents
some respite during a typically worrisome period. Participating
in such high quality, meaningful community service experiences
provides time for reflection, and as indicated in recent research,
students have been shown to make academic gains (RMS
Research Corporation, 2007; Biling & Sandel, 2003; Scales et al.,
2000; Billig, Root & Jesse, 2005).
All of these experiences help the girls appreciate the privileges
they enjoy and provide opportunities for them to exercise
responsibility, develop leadership skills and learn through
helping others. Research shows that community service
programs can promote students’ civic knowledge and
commitment to continue contributing to their community
and to society as a whole (Zaff & Lerner, 2010). The Pyjama
Foundation is a children’s charity helping to break the cycle
of disadvantaged experience by Australian children in foster
care. Our students help to pack supplies for children going into
foster care, as well as create beautiful handmade cards to let the
children know there are many people who care for them. Such
experiences help develop care for others, cooperation, feelings of
connectedness and exposure to diversity.
Developing empathy and cultivating an awareness of human
circumstances and differences are all attributes that are developed
in the girls through their service to the Salvation Army Street
Level Mission. This is a close-knit community-based centre,
offering regular activities aimed at developing physical and spiritual
wellbeing and opportunities for becoming proactive citizens.
Real life experiences often lead to improved empathy and better
understanding of others. Challenging some of our students’
previously held beliefs opens their minds and their sense of
responsibility. Through the Wesley Mission our girls enrich the
lives of those in aged care facilities and in return, develop a sense
of belonging and motivation to become more active in their
community. Researchers have found that there is a statistically
significant impact of community service programs on multiple
outcomes (Deakin Crick et al., 2005; Irby et al., 2001; Lerner et
al., 2008; Michelsen et al., 2002) including improved social skills,
lower levels of problem and delinquent behaviour, better cooperation in class, improved psychological wellbeing, and a better
ability to set goals and adjust behaviour to reach these goals.
The Boarders’ Community Service Program has provided
many of our students with an understanding of the world and
their place in it, and helps the girls realise that they can play a
meaningful and valued role in many areas of the community.
We hope to encourage a lifetime of commitment to community
involvement and empower our girls with the knowledge that as
individuals, they have the capacity to improve the lives of others.
References
Irby, M, Ferber, T & Pittman, K (with Tolman, J & Yohalem, N) 2001,
Youth action: Youth contributing to communities, communities supporting youth,
Washington DC, Forum for Youth Investment.
Leming, J S 2001, ‘Integrating a structured ethical reflection curriculum
into high school community service experiences: Impact on students’
sociomoral development’, Adolescence, vol. 36, pp. 33-35.
Lerner, RM, Lerner, JV & Phelps, E 2008, The 4-H Study of Positive Youth
Development: Report of the findings from the first four waves of data collection:
2002-2003, 2003-2004, 2004-2005, and 2005-2006, Tufts University,
Medford, MA.
Michelsen, E, Zaff, JF & Hair, EC 2002, Civic engagement programs and
youth development: A synthesis, Child Trends, Washington DC.
RMC Research Corporation 2007, Why districts, schools, and classrooms should
practice service-learning, National Service-Learning Clearinghouse, California.
Scales, PC, Blyth, DA, Berkas, TH, & Kielsmeier, JC (2000), ‘The effects
of service learning on middle school students’ social responsibility and
academic success’, Journal of Early Adolescence, vol. 20, no. 3, pp. 332-358.
Yamauchi, L, Billig, S, Meyer, S & Hofschire, L 2006, ‘Student outcomes
associated with service-learning in a culturally relevant high school
program’, Journal of Prevention and Intervention in the Community, vol. 32,
no. 1/2, pp. 149-164.
The benefits of participating in
a global exchange: you can gain
more than you may think
Lucy Downey
Head of Year 11
If it were up to me, I would make it
mandatory for all secondary school students
to leave their home and travel to a different
place to experience another culture, all on
their own. Why? It challenges them. It tests
their resolve in unfamiliar situations. It
drives them to question the status quo and
perhaps stimulate them to think laterally
about their own life ambitions. Most
importantly however, they meet new people,
hear new stories and have some fun along
the way.
A person close to me once told me: “Life is about people, meet
as many as you can, listen to their stories and ultimately just
get on with them.” Having travelled the world and experienced
a range of diverse cultures, this simple piece of advice has rung
true time and time again. The people I have met along the way
have defined my memories and shaped my character. They have
inadvertently taught me to appreciate what I have whilst also
opening up a whole new world of possibilities.
An exchange is such a rewarding experience. I know that many
of the girls at our School that have been fortunate enough to
participate in an exchange abroad feel enriched for it – just ask
them. My opinion? Go places, see things and meet as many
different people as you can. I promise you will learn more than
you thought about, well, everything.
That is of course not to say that the end of secondary school
should spell the end of seeking out new experiences. On
the contrary, I myself am still seeking out new experiences
whenever I get the opportunity. This year I was fortunate
enough to take part in an exchange to Adelaide at a school very
similar to St Margaret’s, The Wilderness School. It caters to a
similar demographic, educates a similar number of girls, with
comparable opportunities for academic and extra-curricular
pursuits and the staff are unique and inspiring.
One such member of staff is the Head of Physical Education (PE),
a passionate teacher who helped me gain a new appreciation of
the subject. Although our time together was brief, we were able
to work collaboratively to share and improve our knowledge
and skills. I was able to impart on him some knowledge of the
health component of PE, in readiness for the introduction of the
National Curriculum in South Australian schools. In return, he
offered his vision for a fresh take on the ways in which PE can
be taught and assessed. This professional relationship proved
mutually beneficial and it continues to this day.
Another inspirational person I had the pleasure of meeting and
learning from during my exchange was one of the Heads of
House at the School. This woman showed such compassion and
thoughtfulness in all her dealings with students that it drove me
to reflect on how I interact with my own students. Her patience
and level-headedness is something I admire and hope to emulate
on a more regular basis. These are two of many of the amazing
and talented people I was fortunate enough to meet and swap
stories with on a personal and professional level during my time
in Adelaide. I am thankful for this wonderful opportunity to try a
taste of something different and learn something new.
sunata 23
Are you being served?
A report on Year 9 Community Service
Rev Di Murphy
School Chaplain
St Margaret’s is a school with a compassionate
heart, shown so clearly in its long tradition
of service to others. Following the example
of hospitality for which the Sisters of the
Society of the Sacred Advent are renowned,
St Margaret’s embraces myriad charities
each year through House Charities, Toc H,
The Oaktree Foundation, the work of our
Community and Cultural Captains, Free Dress
Days and Diocesan charities and projects. It is
not unusual for the School to raise funds for
40 separate charities in a single year.
The questions arise:
• Why should we serve?
• Whom do we serve?
• Do we hand over money and leave our responsibility there?
• Do we get our hands dirty?
• How can we serve others as effectively as possible?
St Margaret’s girls who have been delegates to the One World
WonTok conference in the past two years have been able to
spend time discussing the Millennium Development Goals (set
by the United Nations and scheduled for completion in 2015),
and have gained a greater understanding of service which should
be “thoughtful” rather than haphazard and ill-considered. They
have developed a maturity of serving.
Toc H continues to serve through hands-on activities which
are “transforming service”. The Induction Service for Toc H
members includes the following reading which sums up the
intention of their service to the community:
Romans 12: 1-2
Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service
and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you should offer.
Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let
God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind.
Then you will be able to know the will of God – what is good and is
pleasing to God and is perfect.
In 2012, Year 9 students were charged with the task of finding their
own “hands-on” community service. The range of activities which
they undertook was vast, including gardening, packing birthing
kits, helping out at the Salvation Army kitchen, walking dogs,
baking for neighbours, manning the St Vincent de Paul shop and
sorting out clothing, reading to Primary School students, making
toys for children with a disability, picking up litter, wrapping
Christmas gifts and helping out at a local nursing home.
sunata 24
The girls were asked to complete ten hours of community
service. 41 per cent completed more than ten hours with one girl
offering 60 hours service to the community. In response to the
question, “Will you continue this community service in 2013?”,
13 per cent said “No”, 57 per cent said “Yes” and the remaining 30
per cent said they were unsure. (Some of the “No” and “Maybe”
students expressed a desire to try something different next time.)
What was the best part of the community service?
• Getting out there and helping people and working with the great
people who help others every day.
• Meeting lovely new people.
• Cleaning my grandmother’s garden because I loved seeing her
happy.
• Being able to see and meet all kinds of people and hear their stories.
• Knowing that I have made people’s lives easier by helping in the
smallest of ways. Being able to make someone smile.
• I liked volunteering at Ronald McDonald House…because all the
children were so brave and sweet.
• I enjoyed helping others who don’t have the same opportunities as I do.
• I enjoyed packing the birthing kits because I got to be with my friends
and you felt a sense of community.
• Helping the environment and making my neighbourhood a nicer
place.
• Seeing the reaction of a pensioner when I came back from walks
with his dog.
• Hearing people’s stories and getting to know them better week after
week.
• Feeling that I gave back to my home town.
• Making the toys with a group of friends who also enjoyed making
them.
• Taking responsibility for cleaning up the local park.
• The feeling you get once you help people, knowing that you’re
helping, forming new relationships.
• Using my spare time efficiently to help others.
• Helping to think about someone other than ourselves.
What was the worst part about community service?
• I broke something.
• Knowing that these people are struggling and seeing their sad faces.
• Having to pick up some disgusting things and seeing how dirty the
parks and streets were.
• Sorting through people’s dirty clothes.
• Trying to fit in the hours between school work and extra-curricular.
• I got a sore arm from being a waitress.
• Hearing the disease the children had and knowing that not all of
them would recover.
• Having to plan and organise.
• It could sometimes be quite confronting.
• Realising the struggles people had to go through.
• Looking at the people at the Salvation Army and knowing that they
don’t have a home to go to.
• Trying to find places to volunteer.
• Seeing small children with their parents at the homeless shelter. They
were so young and it made me feel bad for taking things for granted.
• Saying goodbye to the people we helped.
• Having to talk to strangers as I’m not very confident with doing that.
After a while that fear went away though.
•
•
•
•
St Margaret’s students doing community service and was very
grateful.
When I was in Papua New Guinea we went to this island. It was
a village that was poor and its people had no money, only living off
the land. It was sad but the girls were so lovely, they gave me their
special necklaces. Really sweet! I gave them most of my clothes in
return, but what I realised was that the poorest people are the most
generous people. They will give you anything even though they need
it more than you need it.
I was so motivated by the community service that I decided to do
more over the Christmas holidays, particularly by helping those who
are lonely or homeless at Christmas.
On my last day, everyone waved goodbye and said that they’d
hope to see me again. It felt really nice to see that they enjoyed my
company.
When we first watched the video of the young children with the
quilts, it made me want to make some so that other children could
have the same experiences…I learnt to sew!
So, back to the questions posed at the beginning of the article.
Why should we serve?
Because there are people who could do with a helping hand.
Whom do we serve?
A variety of possibilities.
Do we hand over money and leave our responsibility there?
Sometimes, this is the best that we can do to help. However, the
Year 9 girls have certainly gone beyond this level of involvement
as they have interacted with others.
Do we get our hands dirty?
It seems that this was certainly the case with the Year 9 girls in
2012.
How can we serve others as effectively as possible?
By listening to them and searching for the best (rather than the
easiest) ways to help.
From reading the stories which the girls have related it seems
that, undoubtedly, in serving others, we are served as well.
sunata 25
Special stories
• When I was helping out at the Bridge to Brisbane, I met a man with
quadriplegia and briefly talked to him. He said he had walked the
whole race even though doctors said he wouldn’t be able to walk ever
again. It was so inspiring.
• When reading to the children, this girl talked to me about how
sometimes she gets bullied and that she misses her grandmother
back in Berlin, and I gave her some advice and made her laugh and
it felt really good to give her confidence.
• When we were at the Street Level kitchen and eating our meal with
the members, it reminded us boarders of home so much.
• I was at Ronald McDonald House and we were cleaning and
talking to some kids, and one of them said, “Only two of us have
cancer here.” It was really confronting. I’d never been exposed to that
kind of thing before and I believe it will stay with me for a long time.
• When I went to Ronald McDonald House, I played soccer with a
little boy with a brain tumour. Despite this, he beat me!
• I met a lovely elderly woman who loved telling stories about her time
as a child. It was great to hear that her life was so exciting and that
she had done so many things.
• A grandma from the nursing home saying, “I wish there were more
girls like you.”
• At the bowling activity, one very nice man told me that my daughter
and I were very helpful. He thought I was a Mum and my sister was
my daughter.
• The lady that I did Meals on Wheels with was a really cranky lady
and she was hard to get along with but now she is one of my good
friends and I even helped her out these holidays again.
• We had just finished cooking and we were eating and we went
around the table saying who we were and how our day was…and
then it struck me that I didn’t even know these people but I felt at
home…
• Shirley was a lovely lady that I met; she couldn’t get out of her bed
that day so I went in to visit her. She was telling me about her family
and what she had done. I told her about School and about myself.
Since she was in a retirement village and her family don’t live near,
there was no one to come and visit her for Christmas.
• There was a little boy, Julian, who did not like the sound of the
blender, so they asked me to come down and read to him. Julian was
two years old and he picked a book for me to read. He sat in my lap
and by the end the whole class had come and were listening.
• When I went on Meals on Wheels, my friend and I met an
ex-St Margaret’s pupil, who was in Tennyson. She was so proud of
Movement in the eye of the beholder
Joseph Shorter
Head of Faculty - English
We live in a world saturated with the visual,
with a proliferation of the sublime and the
superficial. Few of us, however, stop to think
about the ways in which images themselves
are underpinned by a type of language, or
that the construction of our visual worlds
is as ordered and precise as the structures
which underpin any written text. The
communication of information through
visual language is a largely invisible process,
since images generally communicate their
intent in ways which, being direct and
imperative, are mostly unquestioned - a
picture, as the saying goes, is better than a
thousand words.
Picture books provide a useful means of examining the ways
visual texts draw upon implicit cultural understandings that
we share as readers, and most particularly, as Western readers.
In the classroom, therefore, they can serve as a useful means
of introducing students to more critical ways of reading visual
language and of understanding their own thought processes as
they attempt to make meaning of a given text. A particularly
useful focus in this regard is an exploration of the ways in which
picture books, as static printed texts, are able to convey to the
reader an impression of physical and emotional movement,
which is in stark contrast with the stillness and fixed nature of
the medium.
The movements which a picture book conveys occur primarily
in the mind of the reader. A picture book must work on its
reader to evoke a sense of movement contradictory to the
realities of its fundamental form, which is a series of bound,
printed and permanently-stable images. The picture book must,
in short, imply what cannot be depicted literally (Nodelman
1988, pp. 159). As readers, our approach to such a text is
therefore open to interpretive scrutiny. We bring a schema to
our reading of the text, one which is not inherent, but which
has its basis in our social and cultural backgrounds as readers:
“Visual language is not transparent and universally understood,
but culturally specific” (Kress & Leeuwen 1996, pp.3).
sunata 26
One of the ways in which we, as readers, apply a schemata to
our reading of visual texts, is through the body-text relationship
we establish with the subject of an illustration. This subjective
reality is difficult for many Western readers to appreciate, given
that in the Western literary tradition, we tend to value a form
of knowledge which is disembodied, which values knowledge
connected to the intellect and to reason, over knowledge
grounded in the physical and emotional realities of our own
bodies (Seidler 1988, pp. 15). The picture book illustration
communicates directly to the embodied knowledge of the
reader, a code of language which has its primacy in the physical
and embodied reality inherently familiar to all readers. It is this
communication which allows the reader to “infer something
which remains unstated both visually and verbally” (Happonen
& Stephens 2003, pp. 186), using bodily postures and gestures
as “recognisable schemata” (pp. 186) to “read” the types of
movement depicted in an illustration.
This relationship, between embodied knowledge and visual
text, is particularly visible in an analysis of two picture books,
The Butterfly by Roger Vaughan Carr and Ann James, and Lucy’s
Bay, by Gary Crew and Gregory Rogers. In their unpublished
paper on the subject of bodily gesture, Happonen and Stephens
point to two significant movement shapes which function as an
indication of emotional state for the reader, representations of
bending and reaching (pp. 187). These two shapes carry with
them a variety of meanings, both positive and negative, but their
recognition allows for the establishment of a sense of “bodily
resonance between viewer and represented figure” (Happonen &
Stephens 2003, pp. 186).
In reading The Butterfly,
for instance, readers
are able to identify
instantly with the
youthful exuberance of
Malani, whose joyful
dance, as an expression
of “reaching out,” is a
movement of childish
naivety and overreaching confidence
(see Plate 1). This
outward movement is
a movement of freedom without restraint, and when a terrible
wind sweeps across the world, driving Malani and her father to
seek shelter, the movement from reaching out to one of bending,
as Malani is gathered up into her father’s arms, speaks of more
than just physical movement: Malani’s move from a sense of
naive confidence (reaching) to security and safety (bending)
mirrors the message of the verbal text, that strength and
destructive force can have their origin in the most innocuous of
things, such as a butterfly’s wings.
Plate 1
A similar emotional
movement can be
discerned in the
book Lucy’s Bay, in
the character of Sam.
Depicted early in
the book in a pose of
reaching out (see Plate
2), his movement to
a very different style
of reaching at the
book’s end (see Plate
3) reflects a period
of emotional movement and change. At the start of the book,
Sam’s movement, a tentative reaching for the window, reflects
his own emotional constraint at this point in the text. This is a
movement of reaching, but it is only as far as the windowsill, not
beyond. Sam is constrained by the physical limits of his home,
and the reader is therefore acutely aware of the fact that there
Plate 2
Plate 4
is more going on, at
this point in the text,
than they are initially
aware. Sam’s reaching,
at this early stage, is
for something which
remains ungraspable,
perhaps a desire for
“release and freedom”
(Happonen & Stephens
2003, pp.195), but this
is simply the beginning
of a movement which
is to have its culmination much later in the book. The transition
to a very different style of reaching out at the close of the text is
reflective of the growth which has occurred between these two
moments, a moving beyond which is visible in the upwards flight
of the gossamer seeds which Sam blows into the wind. This is
true “reaching as transcendence,” invoking Western expectations
about such movements as heading upward and beyond
(Happonen & Stephens 2003, pp.195-96). That Sam’s eyes are
not here visible, and that the literal upwards-pointing movement
of his hands is instead given prominence, as in prayer, works
upon the reader to highlight this gesture as a climactic moment
of transcendent flight away from the body. In interrogating such
changes, of Sam in Lucy’s Bay, and of Malani in The Butterfly,
the reader therefore draws upon bodily schemata to interpret
the actions being depicted, entering “into a dialogue with the
pictorial elaboration of the emotions and feelings of characters in
relation to their setting” (Happonen & Stephens 2003, pp.202).
Plate 3
The interpretive power that can be established through such
careful selection and control of the sequence of images is quite
apparent in The Butterfly. The images in this story are quite
disparate in terms of their subject matter, and the sense of
movement in the story therefore reliant on the links which the
Interestingly, this manipulation of sequencing occurs in quite
a different way in Lucy’s Bay, which employs the effective use of
dynamic framing as a means of controlling the movement of
the story. The effect here is almost as though each picture must
stand on its own, since they themselves are framed not only
by the “scrapbook” background of the picture book itself, but
also by the changing size and shape of each illustration, from
one to the next. The result is to create for the reader a feeling
of stop-motion stasis, as of a collection of moments taken out
of time and preserved in photographic form. This concentrates
the reading of the images in the stillness of the main character,
forcing the reader to confront the deep well of emotions that
the character has hidden, even from himself, in the stilted
movement of each isolated moment.
Such visual conventions, as previously noted, are not universal,
but are part of the cultural situatedness of the reader. Nowhere
is this more apparent than in the way that a Western reader
relates to visual media, since like reading written text, a visual
text will also be read from left to right: “we seem to learn
pictorial direction in relation to the direction of the language
we know best” (Nodelman 1988, pp.166). This has a number of
implications in the interpretation of movement and stasis, since
for the Western reader a left-to-right movement of the eyes also
conveys the (conventional) assumption of a movement forward,
or a movement through time. As Nodelman has also noted, a
move to the right can also carry the connotation of an outward
journey, whilst a leftward movement indicates a return home
(Nodelman 1988, pp.164). With this in mind, the movements
of the wind in The Butterfly, as described earlier, carry in their
depiction a further movement. Not only is there the movement
created by a unity of shape from one page to the next, but the
rightward flow also works to build a sense of growing speed and
danger. Whilst the trees at the book’s beginning evoke a feeling
of calm and quiet (see Plate 1), the manner in which the reeds
wave to the right and the bullocks run in the same direction in
a later illustration (see Plate 4), indicate the growing speed of
the wind, and with it a growing sense of dread. The climax of
the book, as the wind returns to where it has begun, depicts a
stout tree torn from the ground. Unlike the book’s beginning,
sunata 27
The conventions associated with bodily gestures, however,
are not the only schemata which inform our interpretation
of movement in visual texts. As Nodelman has indicated, the
sequence of illustrations is itself a schema, forcing the reader to
establish a relationship with the pictures by “guessing about what
must come before and after what [they] actually see” (Nodelman,
1988 pp.159). Whilst a single depiction of an object can only
communicate information about one particular moment in
time, a sequence of images forces the reader to “invent a story
that will explain the change” (Nodelman 1988, pp.176). It is the
manipulation of the reader’s assumptions which establishes
this kind of movement through the text, since it forces them
to establish links between one picture and those which follow.
In this manner, reading visual texts implies different forms
of motion by “manipulation of viewers’ assumptions about
context” (Nodelman 1988, pp.159), since we use each picture
as a means of interrogating the succession as a whole. A picture
book will therefore function differently than a film, since the
reader will see “carefully selected moments out of numerous
possibilities” (Nodelman 1988, pp.183), forcing them to relate to
the changing images, to establish links between moments, rather
than focusing on “what the person experiencing the change feels
about it” (Nodelman 1988, pp. 184).
reader must establish
between one image
and the next. Without
a human character to
follow, since Malani’s
experiences bracket
the story (but she is not its subject), the reader must instead
establish links between each image on the basis of a rather
different “character” - the wind. The use of lines is quite effective
in this regard, beginning with the vertical straightness of the
solid trees at the book’s beginning, when the wind is quite still
(see Plate 1), and growing to rolling curls and eddies as it picks
up across the following pages, building in strength as it moves
over the world (see Plate 4). There is no continuity in colour or
subject as the story travels from one image to the next, instead
it is the evolution of shape which works to create rhythm and
connection, implying a unity which would otherwise not be
evident. The effect is almost as though the wind itself spills from
one page across to the one following.
Plate 5
this tree is almost
completely horizontal,
its right-pointing
trunk indicating the
speed and ferocity
of the wind which
has uprooted it.
The same left-right
convention appears, to different purpose, in Lucy’s Bay, where the
protagonist’s leftward look (see Plate 5) indicates a reluctance to
move, a looking backwards which is mirrored on the following
page, where, though he has paused at the open gate, his leftwardlooking body, facing back towards home, indicates not only fear,
but an unwillingness to begin the journey.
These kind of
movements draw upon
the reader’s implicit
knowledge of the
patterns associated
with text, but another
convention associated
with movement is
connected to the way
in which images are drawn. As Lewis has noted, sometimes the
visual illustration of a movement occurs in a manner which is
quite at odds with what such a movement would look like in
reality: “sometimes the postures in which artists freeze their
subjects to gain the most animated effect are not even found in
the real world” (Lewis, 110). He draws upon Arnheim to point
out the way in which rapid movement will often be depicted in
a such a manner as to illustrate the full extension of the subject’s
limbs, “even when such extension is ‘unreal’.” (Lewis 2001, p.110)
This is certainly apparent in the image where Malani and her
father flee the coming storm, the elephant they escape upon
depicted with the penciled ghost-images of extra legs to indicate
the speed of their retreat (see Plate 6). Such blurring can also
work effectively to indicate a lack of order, of chaotic energy
and purpose where “disconnected lines are emphasized over
the solidity of shapes” (Nodelman 1988, pp.161). At the start
of The Butterfly, for instance, the reader views the butterfly in
untroubled flight, the movement evident in a slight extension
of the wings (see Plate 7). By the book’s end, the butterfly has
been whirled into a circular wash, its colours blurring violently
and painfully across
Plate 7
the page (see Plate 8).
The lack of solidity,
combined with the
unnatural extension
of the butterfly’s form,
evokes a sense of the
wind’s fast-paced
destructive force.
Plate 6
Visual language works
by establishing a
personal link with the
reader, a link based
on the reader’s lived
embodied experience,
and one which has its
basis in the reader’s
social and cultural
reality. As Nodelman
comments, “The
dynamics by which
pictures convey
relationships among their parts demand activity of the mind”
(pp. 161). Visual language is not universal and innate; it has its
origins in the understanding of the socially-situated reader. And
in this sense, the movement that the picture book conveys is
itself a language, one whose signs and symbols must be decoded
by the reader in order that transition and change can become
apparent. Movement is an activity of the mind; it is not implicit
in the stroke and dance of the artist’s pen, but more truthfully in
the gaze of the image’s reader.
Plate 8
References
Barthes, R 1993, Mythologies, Vintage Classics, London.
Crew, G & Rogers, G 1992, Lucy’s Bay, Jam Roll Press, Brisbane.
Happonen, S & Stephens, J 2003, ‘Bending and Reaching – Emotion
and the Expressive Body in Some Australian and Finnish Picture
Books’, paper presented at International Research Society for Children’s
Literature conference, Norway, August.
Jauss HR 2010, ‘Literary History as a Challenge to Literary Theory’, in V
B Leitch (ed), The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism, pp. 1406-1420,
Norton, New York.
Kress G & Van Leeuwen, T 1996, Reading Images : The Grammar of Visual
Design, Routledge, London.
Lewis, D 2001, Reading Contemporary Picture Books : Picturing Text,
Routledge, London.
Nodelman, P 1988, Words about Pictures: The Narrative Art of Children’s
Picture Books, University of Georgia Press, Georgia.
Seidler, VJ 1998, ‘Embodied Knowledge and Virtual Space: Gender,
Nature and History’, in The Virtual Embodied: Presence/Practice/Technology,
pp.15-29, Routledge, London.
Vaughan Carr, R & James, A 1997, The Butterfly, Random House, Sydney.
sunata 28
Wellbeing: An important part of
education that should not be forgotten
Marcia Brumpton
Head of Faculty -Business and Technology
What is making the news regarding
education in Australia? You can pick up
any newspaper or listen to the radio and
you hear or see the same stories – “How
does your school rate in NAPLAN?” (The
Courier-Mail, 27 January 2012), “Good and
Bad of our Education revealed” (The CourierMail, 27 January 2012), “Parents have every
right to transparency” (The Courier-Mail,
1 February 2012). Similarly, The Australian
(7-8 April 2012) featured a list of the nation’s
“top” 100 Primary and Secondary Schools,
as well as the top 50 schools in Queensland.
Such articles reflect the ways in which
Australian media outlets attempt to answer
the question of what makes a top school,
an issue that has been hotly debated for
decades. In such news pieces, readers are
lead to believe that it is a school’s NAPLAN
(National Assessment Program – Literacy
and Numeracy) results which solely make it
a “top” educational institution. Journalists
produce league tables using data collated
by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment
and Reporting Authority (ACARA). This
information is readily accessible on the My
School website, a platform set up by the
Australian Federal Government to make
schools more accountable for their actions
and results.
Data obtained from the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ National
Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing (2008) shows that many
schools are struggling with students who cannot cope with the
demands of life, and thus affecting their capacity as successful
• Young people are more likely to experience a mental illness
with the prevalence of mental disorders declining with age.
In 2007, 26 per cent of 16 to 24 year olds had experienced a
mental disorder in the previous 12 months, while only 5.9
per cent of people aged 75 years and over had experienced a
mental disorder during that time.
• During a 12-month period, 7 per cent of Australian children
and adolescents aged 0 to 17 were experiencing mental
health problems. This rate of mental health problems was
similar across both gender groups.
• In 2004-2005, one in ten young Australians had a long-term
mental health or behavioural problem.
• Only one out of every four young persons with mental
health problems had received professional health care.
• Even among young people with the most severe mental
health problems, only 50 per cent receive professional help.
Parents reported that help was too expensive or they did
not know where to get it, and that they thought they could
manage on their own.
• Adolescents with mental health problems report a high
rate of suicidal thoughts and other health-risk behaviour,
including smoking, drinking and drug use.
These statistics demonstrate to us as educators that we are often
dealing with students who have some serious health issues.
As noted previously in the statistics, many schools have up to
one-tenth of their population experiencing a long-term mental
health or behavioural problem. This does not include those
students who have to deal with at least one parent who too is
experiencing mental health problems. This survey also revealed
that:
• Many of those who experience mental health problems will
experience more than one mental illness at the one time,
such as depression and anxiety, which commonly occur
together.
• In 2004-2005, mental and behavioural problems were one of
the most common reported long-term health conditions of
socially and economically disadvantaged people.
• Anxiety disorders are most common, affecting one in
seven adults, followed by affective disorders at 6.2 per cent
(of which depression is 4.1 per cent), and substance use
disorders at 5.1 per cent (of which 6.5 per cent is alcohol
related).
• Mental illness has the third highest burden of disease in
Australia, followed closely by cancer and cardiovascular
disease. Among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
peoples, this figure is higher again, second only to
cardiovascular disease.
These alarming statistics indicate that a school should not only
be measured by its academic success on high-stakes exams
like NAPLAN, but also by the ways in which it promotes and
supports a student’s overall wellbeing. Whilst many Australian
school communities have already established values education
programs aimed at improving the resilience of their students,
this is often eschewed by the media when covering what makes
a “top” school.
sunata 29
My argument is not that schools should be less accountable.
However, I am concerned that the media has hijacked the
“educational agenda” in Australia and as such, the Government
is at a crossroad when comparing the other two big educational
agenda items: the nationalised Australian Curriculum, and
the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young
Australians. The Melbourne Declaration was released in
December 2008, which sets the direction for Australian
schooling up to 2018. Goal one states that, “Australian schooling
promotes equity and excellence”, with goal two that, “All young
Australians become successful learners, confident and creative
individuals, and active and informed citizens”. The following
paper will investigate the impact of high stakes testing on the
ability of these Melbourne Declaration goals to be achieved.
learners. For example, data on the mental health of young
Australians reveals the following:
Research in this area has emphatically shown that schools that
explicitly teach values and wellbeing increase social cohesion
and overall happiness, and hence, academic diligence (Neilsen
2011; Seligman 2002; Lovat et al 2009). Looking at education
through such a lens positions academic success as a by-product
of a “whole-learner” approach, a finding which speaks loudly in
the present climate’s overemphasis on testing and school league
tables in many countries throughout the world (Neilsen 2011).
Globally, there is now a growing body of evidence showing that
service to others is a strong predictor of improved mental and
physical health in adulthood, and reduced adolescent depression
and risk of suicide (Post & Neimark 2007). It is also worth noting
that in a 35-year longitudinal study, Seligman (2002) found that
students who exhibit signs of low confidence and anxiety do not
have an increase in income over time, whilst the reverse is found
with highly confident children.
The American report, “Test, Punish and Push Out: How Zero
Tolerance and High-Stakes Testing Funnel Youth into the School”
(Advancement Project 2010) provides an interesting overview
of the relationship between zero-tolerance school discipline and
high-stakes testing, and the impact of laws and policies such
as the No Child Left Behind Act. Published by a group of civil
rights lawyers, the report investigates new ways to dismantle
structural barriers to inclusion, secure racial equity and expand
opportunities for all. The authors suggest that,
“… not only do test-driven reforms neglect the important role schools
have to play in helping students to become well-rounded citizens, they
also turn schools into a much less engaging, and even hostile place
for youth by eliminating the components of education they find most
interesting.” (Advancement Project 2010)
Again, this is a concern as schools become more NAPLANfocused, resulting in a reduction in curriculum that caters for the
whole person. That is, students who are not gifted in the skills
required for NAPLAN will find school a very demoralising place.
As an educator, I have generally found that once a student finds a
subject they are good at, school becomes a much more pleasant
place to be, and hence attendance, attitude and industry improves.
The “Test, Punish and Push Out” report also showed that the
emphasis placed on test results above all other priorities
has an alienating and dehumanising effect on young people,
who resent being viewed and treated as little more than test
scores. The effects can accumulate even more when additional
consequences are attached to the tests. For example, there is a
long record of research in the United States demonstrating the
consistent association of high-stakes exit exams with decreased
graduation rates and increased dropout rates (Advancement
Project 2010). Additionally, the results from standardised tests
are often used to retain students in particular year levels; that
is, repeat the previous year’s year level with the aim of passing
the test. Interestingly however, in the United States, year level
retention has proven to be the single largest predictor of student
dropout in schools (Advancement Project 2010).
Finally, the “Test, Punish and Push Out” report also found that
high-stakes testing such as NAPLAN has had a devastating
effect on teaching and learning in many schools, “driving
teachers out of the profession and students out of school”
(Advancement Project 2010). The impact has been particularly
severe for students of colour, students from a low socioeconomic background, learners of English as a second language
sunata 30
and students with disabilities. One could conclude that this is
the also similarly the case in Australia. If high-stakes testing is
having such a negative impact on Australia’s low-ability students,
it is frustrating that the media is able to access and publish
this data, especially when the statistics demonstrate that there
is a higher prevalence of child and adolescent mental health
problems among those living in low-income, step or blended
and sole-parent families. Similarly, a paper published by the
Queensland Studies Authority regarding student assessment
suggested that, “full-cohort testing often reduces the self-esteem
of lower-achieving students and makes it harder to convince
lower-achieving students that they can succeed in other tasks”
(Assessment Reform Group 2002; Griffin & Heidorn 1996;
Harlen & Deakin Crick 2002). Consistent evidence of poor
performance can also result in long-lasting loss of confidence
(Stiggins 2009). Furthermore, repeated practice testing reinforces
the low self-image of the lower-achieving students, ensuring
that the gap between their achievements and those of higherachieving students widens (Assessment Reform Group 2002;
Harlen & Deakin Crick 2002).
Bibliography
A study by Leigh (2010) analysed numeracy results for
Queensland students in Years 3, 5 and 7 from 2001-2004, to show
the effect of teachers on the gains made by students. It found that
a student with a high quality teacher could achieve in threequarters of a year what a student with a less effective teacher could
in a full year. Furthermore, a student with an excellent teacher
could achieve in half a year what a student with a poor quality
teacher could achieve in a full year. This points to the suggestion
that if the Australian Government is serious about changing
educational outcomes in Australia, it needs to put policies in place
that reward teachers in the country’s lowest ICESA (Index of
Community Socio-educational Advantage) schools for making a
positive difference to the learning of students.
Jennings, J & Rentner, DS 2006, ‘Ten big effects of the No Child Left
Behind Act on Public Schools’, Phi Delta Kappan, vol. 88, no. 2, pp. 110113.
It is common knowledge amongst educators that health and
wellbeing is an essential part of the school curriculum. The
statistics demonstrate that schools are faced with a huge
challenge when nurturing the wellbeing of so many individual
students. When used as a diagnostic tool to improve basic
literacy and numeracy, nation-wide exams like NAPLAN are
useful and important. However, they should not be used to solely
judge individual schools on their effectiveness as an educational
institute. There are myriad issues a school must deal with on a
day-to-day basis, without having to worry about the skewed and
potentially-damaging nature of the contents of a league table.
The media needs to refocus its agenda on what is important
in education – that is, values and holistic education that caters
for the attributes of whole child. If this was their focus, schools
would be certainly moving towards the fulfilment of the first two
goals of the Melbourne Declaration.
Advancement Project 2010, Test, Punish and Push out. How “Zero Tolerance”
and High-Stakes Testing funnel youth into the School-to-Prison Pipeline,
Advancement Project, Washington DC.
Assessment Reform Group 2006, The Role of Teachers in the Assessment of
Learning, Assessment Reform Group, Cambridge.
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2008, National Survey of Mental Health and
Wellbeing, Canberra.
Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority 2011, The
Tests, viewed 2 September 2013, <http://www.nap.edu.au/NAPLAN/
The_tests/index.html>.
Clark, M 2011, ‘Where do all the good teachers go?’, Professional Educator,
vol. 1, no. 1.
Griffin, BW & Heidorn, MH 1996, ‘An examination of the relationship
between minimal competency test performance and dropping out of
high school’, Educational Evaluation & Policy Analysis, vol. 18, no. 3, pp.
243-252.
Harlen, W & Deaken Crick, R 2002, A Systematic review of the impact of
summative assessment and tests on students’ motivation for learning (EPPICentre Review, version 1.1), EPPI-Centre, Social Science Research Unit,
Institute of Education, London.
Koretz, D 1988, ‘Arriving at Lake Wobegon: are standardised tests
exaggerating achievement and distorting instruction?’, American Educator,
vol. 12(2), no. 8-15, pp. 46-52.
Leigh, A 2010, ‘Estimating teacher effectiveness from two-year changes
in students’ test scores’, Economics of Education Review, vol. 29, pp. 480-488.
Linn, RL 1998, Assessments & Accountability, CSE Technical report 490,
Crest, University of Colorado, Boulder.
Popham, WJ 2001, ‘Teaching to the Test’, Educational Leadership, vol. 58,
no. 6, pp. 16-20.
Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth
Affairs 2008, Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young
Australians, Melbourne.
sunata 31
Teaching Mandarin in the classroom:
Equipping our students with
international competencies
Lisa Chadwick
Coordinator of International Education
Teaching Mandarin in the Classroom: Equipping our students with International Competencies Lisa Chadwick and to participate in the world as equals. While research on
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people
who speak
English Speaker held an advantage, are rapidly fading. Today’s world is one where people who are students are equipped to take on the demands of a world that is
Mandarin “use both temporal lobes of their brain to understand
starting
to
leave
monolingual
speakers
behind.
The
days
where
bilingual or multilingual are the norm. Ensuring our students learn a second language is a way of being just a native English Speaker held an advantage, are rapidly the language.” This is very different to English-language speakers
levelling the playing field and has advantages that reach far beyond those of being able to say good who use only the left temporal lobe (BBC 2003).
fading. Today’s world is one where people who are bilingual or
multilingual
thevisiting norm. Ensuring
oursstudents
a secondoffending a foreign business colleague. morning to are
the exchange tudent learn
or avoiding language is a way of levelling the playing field and has advantages The practise of writing characters has also shown to aid the
development of motor skills, learning shapes and letters, certain
that reach far beyond those of being able to say good morning
Dr Simone Smala, a researcher into bilingual education at The University of Queensland echoes this mathematical skills and the visual identification of graphics
to the visiting exchange student or avoiding offending a foreign
sentiment. (Bounds 2013). Mandarin characters are complex and strokes
business colleague.
are written in all four different directions (up, down, left and
right) and
contrast
to the left
right
writtenaform
“Australia’s r
ecent p
olicy i
nitiatives, l
ike t
he “
Australia in tare
he inAsian Century” Wtohite Paper, ll of
Dr Simone Smala, a researcher into bilingual education at The
English. Bounds has shown that “the sequential movement of
Universityfocus on the importance for all Australians to become proficient in a second language. The of Queensland echoes this sentiment.
the fingers and hand to form a character activates neural activity
new economy demands skills that link us with Asia and the world, to sand
ecure Australia’s lace in the
working,
thinking
spatial
memory ofpthe
brain of the
“Australia’s recent policy initiatives, like the “Australia
(2013).
in a Century”
world characterised by diversity emerging powers. If we do not invest in in the Asian
White Paper, all focus
on the and new learners”
importance
for all Australians to become proficient in a
language skills, we will be left behind by a world that is largely bilingual.” (cited in Modern New Zealand researchers, White et al (2000) observed that,
second language. The new economy demands skills that
Langauge Teachers Association of Queensland 2013a) “Asian children educated in their own language, appear to have
link us with Asia and the world, to secure Australia’s place
gained a greater understanding of mathematical concepts than
in a world characterised by diversity and new emerging
Learning language, particularly Mandarin, provides additional cognitive, cultural and English speaking
children,
and suggested
that “this
is because
powers. Ifa wesecond do not invest
in language
skills, we will
be left
during
the
natural
acquisition
process
of
Mandarin,
students are
behind by a world that is largely bilingual.” (cited in Modern
economic benefits to students and it enables them to see the world from other viewpoints and to learning and reinforcing basic mathematical concepts.” Tang et al
Langauge Teachers Association of Queensland 2013a)
participate in the world as equals. While research on the (2006,
correlation etween learning Mandarin nd cited inbAsia
Society
2013), drew
a similaraconclusion
and
found
this
was
also
the
case
for
the
majority
of
students
learning
academic benefits is not yet comprehensive, early studies indicate that the cognitive benefits of Learning a second language, particularly Mandarin, provides
Mandarin as a second language.
additional cognitive, cultural and economic benefits to students
learning Mandarin are numerous. Mandarin is a very different language to English; due to its tonal and it enables them to see the world from other viewpoints
nature, how a word is said determines its meaning. Mandarin is also written in characters rather than with a Roman alphabet. An article published by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), “Chinese ‘takes more brain power’”, reported on a study conducted by the researchers from the Wellcome Trust in the United Kingdom (2003), which found that people who speak Mandarin “use both temporal lobes of their brain to understand the language.” This is very different to English-­‐
language speakers who use only the left temporal lobe (BBC 2003). The practise of writing characters has also shown to aid the development of motor skills, learning shapes and letters, certain mathematical skills and the visual identification of graphics (Bounds 2013). Mandarin characters are complex and strokes are written in all four different directions (up, down, left and right) and are in contrast to the left to right written form of English. Bounds has shown that “the sequential movement of the fingers and hand to form a character activates neural activity in the working, thinking and spatial memory of the brain of the learners” (2013). sunata 32
New Zealand researchers, White et al (2000) observed that, “Asian children educated in their own language, appear to have gained a greater understanding of mathematical concepts than English While learning a second
language has clear cognitive
benefits as outlined above,
the choice of which language
to learn for the majority of
Australians today is becoming
more evident. China is
Australia’s largest and most
populous neighbour. With
foreign policy in Australia
increasingly involved in the
Asia-Pacific region, and
Australia moving away from
its more traditional trading partners and allies, knowledge of
Mandarin is not only beneficial it makes perfect sense. Mandarin
is not only used throughout Mainland China but also in
Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and parts of Malaysia, Vietnam
and Indonesia and is one of the six official languages of the
United Nations. Domestically, Mandarin speakers are the biggest
ethnic group in Australia. After English, Mandarin is the most
widely spoken language in Australia (Profile.id 2013).
Being able to speak Mandarin opens up a world of opportunities,
both in terms of access to a culture that is thousands of years old
and to an economy that is growing furiously. The Chinese
economy is on track to overtake the United States as the largest
economy by 2025 (China Internet Information Center 2013).
Many companies have manufacturing centres in China, and
Australia sends most of its coal and iron ore to China. In the
area of International Education, China continues as the largest
single nation contributor to Australia’s international student
population. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, in
2010–11, one fifth of all student visa applications lodged and
granted were from China. Now and in the future, companies
will be looking for people who have knowledge of China and the
Mandarin language for the dealings with the country.
Knowledge of language supports an understanding of cultural
expectations and intercultural communication. China itself has
begun a program of teaching English throughout its numerous
schools in order to be more globally active in today’s world.
The Chinese government now mandates that all college and
postgraduate applicants must have competency in English
regardless of their area of study (Yang 2013). In the younger year
levels, all Chinese students are taught English from Year 1. A
similar initiative recently mooted by the Queensland Minister
for Education, Mr John Paul Langbroek aims to mirror this
program in Queensland schools, by introducing mandatory
second language learning from Year 1 (Modern Language
Teachers Association of Queensland 2013b).
References
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2013, International Students, viewed 24
September 2013, <http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/Lookup/
4102.0Main+Features20Dec+2011>.
Asia Society 2013, Education, viewed 24 September 2013, <http://
asiasociety.org/education/Mandarin-language-initiatives/learningMandarin-pays-dividends-characters-and-cognition>.
Bounds, G 2013, How Handwriting Trains the Brain, viewed 24 September
2013, <http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB1000142405274870463150
4575531932754922518>.
Fernandez, S 2007, Promoting the Benefits of Language Learning, viewed
24 September 2013 <http://www.education.vic.au/studentlearning/
teachingresources/lote>.
Modern Language Teachers Association Queensland 2013a, Learning
Languages: Globalising outwards, enriching inwards, press release, 13
September.
Modern Language Teachers Association Queensland 2013b, Now you are
speaking our language, press release, 2 September.
British Broadcasting Corporation 2013, Chinese ‘takes more brainpower’,
viewed 24 September 2013, <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3025796.
stm>.
Profile.id 2013, Language Spoken at Home – Australia, viewed 24 September
2013, <http://profile.id.com.au/australia/language>.
China Internet Information Center 2013, China’s economy might be
No. 1 in 2030, viewed 24 September 2013, <http://www.china.org.cn/
business/2013-06/07/content_29057231.html>.
White, L, Allen-Rae, J & Fisher, D 2013, Asian Success in our Schools- A
Challenge?, viewed 24 September 2013, http://www.aare.edu.au/01pap/
whi01153.htm>.
Yang, Y 2013, Universities seek greater enrolment from abroad, viewed 24
September 2013, <http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/201308/26/c_132662886.htm>.
sunata 33
Real understanding of a culture can only be found through its
language, and this is no truer than with China and Mandarin.
The Chinese culture has a long history and the nuances of
which can only be completely understood through the language.
Knowledge of Mandarin opens up a whole world of culture and
history that are otherwise inaccessible and therefore cannot be
fully appreciated by the non-Mandarin speaker.
In order to be able to fully participate in the world of the future,
our students need to be investing now by learning Mandarin.
Technology is bringing the world closer and Mandarin is
now able to be more easily supported on the internet and its
use is growing rapidly. Even if the language is never used to
communicate or to understand another culture outside the
classroom, the cognitive benefits are very positive. Learning
any second language has advantages, but the choice to learn
Mandarin, is one that will reward learners for decades to come.
Miscreants, Misfits & Martyrs:
Ever noticed that the teachers
gracing screens seem to be the same
tired typecasts?
Meg Payze
Secondary Teacher
Like many teachers, one of the great
pleasures of my holidays is to catch up on
the reading and viewing that never quite
gets done amidst the maelstrom of termtime marking. Additionally, during this
time there seem to be more hours of the
day available to keep abreast of what is
holding the attention of the world outside of
the school community. Last mid-semester
break, there seemed to be one thing trending
in the social media sphere above all others:
the final episode of the American television
series, Breaking Bad.
As a non-consumer of ‘Pay TV’ on the one hand, and possessing
only limited skills of internet piracy on the other, my direct
knowledge of the program is limited. I am, however, aware of
two key points:
1) The show is about Chemistry teacher Walter White who,
after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, becomes a
producer and vendor of methamphetamine to safeguard his
family’s financial future, and
2) The series is very, very popular.
The buzz about both White’s criminal actions, and the
widespread popularity of the program, led me to ponder other
representations of teachers in film and television. And after
mentally collating a list, I came to the somewhat sad realisation
that few of them are particularly endearing. Why? Because they
all seem to fall in to one of three undesirable categories: the
misfit, the miscreant and the martyr.
This labelling was further reinforced during the holidays
when I stumbled across the new British television series, Big
School. Promoted as the latest comedic vehicle for the talents
of, Little Britain alumni David Walliams, the synopsis of the
series according to one source is “… a smart but dorky high
school science teacher trying to control an unruly mob while
contemplating the undergarments of the new French teacher.”
(Squires, 2013)
sunata 34
As someone who has always loved watching the narcissistic
Mr G and his sycophantic sidekick Rodney of Summer Heights
High fame, I thought that Big School might prove to be similarly
amusing. But half an hour into the show, I was bored enough
to switch-off, mainly because of the lack of originality in the
typecasting of the fictional teachers.
In addition to the peculiar protagonist, who is a figure of both
pity and mockery, the rest of the dramatis personae are similarly
unlikeable. Within 30 minutes, a wannabe-lothario Games
teacher, eccentric drama teacher and a middle-aged classroom
teacher in the throes of a perpetual nervous breakdown
had been introduced. And just when I thought most of the
stereotypes had been exhausted, insert scene showing the
universally disliked Head Teacher gleefully filling her car boot
on a Friday afternoon with booze bottles confiscated from her
naughty students.
As a teacher of English, I am well aware that the purpose of satire
is to be socially constructive, exposing the vices and follies of
people and institutions. When done well, it forces us to reflect
upon our own lives and practices. For example, while we cringe
at the self-absorbed antics of Mr G, his behaviour also makes
us question, ‘How often do I let my ego get in the way of a good
lesson?’ When satire is unoriginal, though, it merely perpetuates
damaging stereotypes.
Now, at this point, you may well be concurring with me that
there are indeed a lot of crooked, oddball educators disgracing
our screens. But what about the inspirers, those who overcome
gargantuan obstacles, conquer the incorrigible and light an
inextinguishable flame for learning? We can all rattle-off a list of
heroic teachers, such as the leads of Dangerous Minds,
Mr Holland’s Opus and the cherished Thackeray from To Sir with
Love. Surely such gallant representations go some way to atoning
for the sins of miscreants and misfits?
Unfortunately, closer analysis of these champions at the
chalkface reveals a pattern of martyrdom which many teachers
would deem equally unappealing. You see, in order to achieve
their professionals goals, these characters must make huge
personal sacrifices, selflessly foregoing family and leisure to fulfil
their pupils’ demands. So by the conclusion of these feel-good
films, the students have invariably benefited immeasurably.
Meanwhile, the teacher may experience the vicarious reward of
the students’ growth, but at what personal cost?
As evidence of the above, look no further than the iconic
Mr Keats of Dead Poet’s Society. While he may receive a standing
ovation from his students, he also loses his livelihood and
becomes an emotional loner in the process. To play the devil’s
advocate, one could even argue that Keats is more baddie
than goodie, manipulating his students to avenge the very
establishment which he personally opposes.
But why is this even worth writing about? After all, it is a
commonly held belief that one of the prerequisites of working in
education is that one must have a hide as thick as a mammoth to
shield us from the daily slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.
With that in mind, surely teachers and the general public should
not care too much about these unflattering portrayals? After all,
one could argue, it is all just a bit of good fun that no-one takes
too seriously.
Besides, conflict is the hub of drama and the unrealistic
representation of a profession is not confined to education. A
program depicting teachers marking assignments and planning
lessons would be as exciting as showing the police force fillingout paper work or nurses changing bedpans.
But here is where my point evolves into something a bit more
political. Teachers are constantly advocating for greater pay and
recognition. As a group, we persistently voice our belief that the
demands of the profession are increasing at an exponential rate
and consequently, that we should be more highly valued and
remunerated (here, here!). This is not dissimilar to the wants of
the nurses and police, but what is different is that these other
two professions seem to be portrayed on the screen in a far more
positive light.
One of the tenets of critical literacy is that our perceptions of
people, groups, places and institutions are shaped by the texts
that we absorb. So if the teachers on the tellie are invariably
unscrupulous, odd or a combination of both, it does little to
advance the status of the profession.
Representing teachers as martyrs is not particularly helpful
either. Depicting teaching as merely an altruistic vocation
implies that the students’ progress is reward enough. While most
teachers will speak of their pupils’ gains as the key reason why
they remain in the profession, there is still bread to be put on the
table. After all, if Walter White from Breaking Bad had been on a
decent salary, he would not need to turn to nefarious means to
ensure his family’s future prosperity.
So what is the solution? Brecht argued, “Art is not a mirror
held up to reality but a hammer with which to shape it”, but
showing the realistic side of the profession would not make
such interesting viewing. Instead, perhaps all that we can hope
for is greater invention and sharper satire in teacher shows.
Now that would be something I would be happy to spend my
holiday watching.
References
Squires, T 2013, ‘Little Britain Graduate goes Big School’, The Sydney
Morning Herald, 24 September.
sunata 35
A critical evaluation on the suitability
and effectiveness of professional
development in Queensland schools
Naomi Holley
Head of Year 9
Professional development is an integral
component of the continual learning
process required of educators in the 21st
century; it is central to the role of teachers
and the leadership roles of principals. The
term “professional development” refers
to all activities in which educators engage
during the course of their career and those
which have been developed to enhance
their teaching practice (Day & Sachs, 2004).
Professional development aims to raise and
maintain particular standards of teaching,
learning and achievement in educational
institutions, through the development of
individuals. Generally speaking, professional
development looks to target three outcomes:
aligning teachers’ practice with educational
policies; improving the learning outcomes
of students by improving the performance
of teachers; and enhancing the status
and profile of the teaching profession
(Sachs, 2003). These professional learning
opportunities can be instigated at a local
(school setting), state or federal level to solve
a particular perceived problem or to develop
partnerships between the educator and the
wider community. Regardless of the reasons
for professional development, it is important
that there is a balance between the learning
needs of the individual and the needs of the
organisation (Ehrich, 2011).
sunata 36
In 2006, the Queensland College of Teachers (QCT) introduced
the Professional Standards for Teachers, a public statement by
the profession of what teachers in Queensland schools need
to know, understand and be able to do, and to also provide a
common reference point for describing the varied nature of the
work of teachers. These standards also provide the benchmark
for continued teacher registration and are used as the basis for
designing teacher preparation programs and the provision of
ongoing professional development for teachers in Queensland
(QCT, 2006). At present, a minimum of 20 hours per year
must be devoted to continuing professional development
by teachers in Queensland schools. The QCT (2010) and
Education Queensland (2011) argue that teachers have the
greatest impact on their students’ learning. Therefore, it is
integral that the capabilities of teachers and their performance
within the classroom is valued, particularly in terms of expertise,
intellectual development, professional judgements and network
support. The use of ongoing professional development for
educators in Queensland schools will ensure that teachers are
effective educators and leaders; that educational institutions
maintain quality teachers; that professionalism amongst
educators is promoted and; a sense of scholarship within the
teaching community is achieved.
The QCT recognises that within the teaching profession,
maintaining professional knowledge and skills is an integral
component of the continuing professional development
requirements of teachers. This reflects research conducted by
the QCT which shows enhanced and sustained improvement
in outcomes for students’ results when the teachers within a
school community work collectively to pursue collegial goals and
development. Researchers Bubb and Earley (2007) agree:
“Continuing professional development is about on-going or lifelong
learning which will help us respond to ever-changing situations and
exercise judgements in informed and creative ways but … it should
also be seen as a means for us to rejuvenate practice, to expand our
professional repertoire, increase our self-esteem, self-confidence and
enthusiasm for teaching.” (p. 10)
Due to this, continuing professional development undertaken
must be spread across three areas identified by the QCT:
employee directed and supported; school supported; and
individually identified. “Support for the wellbeing and professional
development of teachers is crucial to the educational, economic
and social wellbeing of all countries, and the single most important
challenge facing schools today.” (Day, 1994) It is important that
principals, professional development coordinators, teachers and
support staff work together to create a climate where professional
development is an integral component of further learning for
both staff and students, which will, in turn, make educational
institutions more learning-centred and automatically prioritise the
learning of staff (Bubb and Earley, 2007).
A Blooms Taxonomy Professional Development session was
devised from a suggested need to professionally develop the staff
at a Years 7 to 12 coeducational college located on the north side
of Brisbane. The professional development program adopted was
one that utilised the skills of current staff members to showcase
their strengths and encourage interested peers to broaden
their teacher knowledge base. This was seen as a collaborative
approach to professional development where staff had some
control over their own professional development needs. Staff
were able to choose professional development sessions they
were interested in, or where they saw they could strengthen
their teaching skills. This was after staff had been consulted
about what types of professional development sessions they
would be interested in attending to create a program that would
effectively suit all staff members. Darling-Hammond (1998)
supports this approach by explaining that many educational
institutions are moving towards new models for ongoing
professional development that feature learning opportunities
and topics, which have been suggested by teachers and
principals to improve their current teaching and learning. Lester
(2003) agrees, arguing that “the implementation of collaborative
action plans increases the likelihood that teachers will accept
responsibility for continued professional improvement” (p. 50).
The fact that many staff members at the College took an interest
in their learning opportunities showed that they took a sincere
responsibility for their continued professional improvement.
The professional development session was created out of a desire
from the College’s Leadership Team to employ higher order
thinking skills in their classrooms. This came from research
which showed that, “schools that focused on higher-order
thinking skills achieved better both in terms of QCS [Queensland
Core Skills] Test performance overall and in terms of the QCSpolyscore difference.” (Queensland Studies Authority, 2007, p.
1) It was because of this that during the College’s consultation
period with staff regarding their professional learning needs,
it was requested that sessions focused on quality assessment
and teaching with the aim of challenging senior students and
preparing them for the QCS exam. The session provided an
overview of what Blooms Taxonomy and Higher Order Thinking
(HOT) Skills were, as well as a variety of activities that could be
utilised in a broad spectrum of subject areas and time for staff to
review their own unit of work and assessment tasks, individually
and then as part of a teaching team. Examples were also
provided to staff of HOT Skills in action for both the practical
and theoretical classrooms. Evaluations of these lessons were
also provided to staff so they could see what approaches were
successful and which needed further work.
After the professional development session, staff members
were able to go back to their classrooms and perform these new
skills over the course of several weeks. A month later, the group
reconvened and discussed their progress, thoughts and actions
regarding utilising Blooms HOT skills in their classrooms.
Informal discussions were held amongst smaller subject specific
groups which discussed further how the skills may, or may not,
have worked. Following that, action plans for improvement
were drawn up with the responsibility now placed upon the
subject specific groups to regularly meet to discuss how their
plans were working. Stiegelbauer (1992) supports this approach
to professional development. He explains that professional
development consists of conscious and planned activities which
are intended to be of both direct and indirect benefit to schools,
groups and individuals and which contribute overall to quality
education in classrooms. It is through this process that teachers
can review, renew and extend their commitment to being change
agents to teaching; whilst developing critical knowledge and
skills which are essential to good professional planning, thinking
and practice within the classroom. Steadman et al., (1992) agrees
that this particular approach to professional development should
involve both education which helps individuals to decide what
to do, and training which helps teachers to do what is necessary
more consistently, effectively and efficiently.
At times, teacher learning can be peripheral. Teachers are
not expected to initially be the leaders of the professional
development activity, however, there is intent that as they
become comfortable, they take over as leaders of the professional
development to ensure its sustainability. The Blooms Taxonomy
professional development activity was designed to actively
engage interested teachers in learning an ‘improved’ curricular
approach to their subject area, and within that, the teachers were
held accountable for accomplishing specific tasks, both within
the professional development session, and to implement later
within their own classrooms. Time was also provided during
later Student Free Days where members of the professional
development session were able to report back to the widerteaching group their experiences within the skills learnt and then
were encouraged to share this new data with other colleagues in
their staffrooms who were not in attendance initially. O’Sullivan
and Deglau (2006) agree that taking the time to allow teachers
to share their experiences in implementing their curricular ideas
allowed the teachers to reaffirm their work. It also serves as a
catalyst for other teachers to focus on why they are engaged in
this form of professional development.
It is clear that in this case the effective management of
continuing professional development at the College was
supported by the Leadership Team in that it allowed staff
to work together to develop and improve their workplace
performance. Professional development “is widely viewed
as the most effective approach to adequately preparing
practitioners and improving their instructional and intervention
practices after they enter the workforce” (Buysse, et al., 2009,
p. 235). O’Sullivan and Deglau (2006) explain that professional
development programs are designed as a set of experiences
where teachers have the opportunity to review, renew and
extend their commitments as change agents to teaching.
The use of effective professional development allows for
strong engagements in effective lifelong learning which assist
education professionals to respond to ever-changing situations
within educational institutions and exercise judgements
and knowledge in creative and informative ways (Bubb and
Earley, 2007). Professional development also has the capacity
to increase job satisfaction, self-esteem, confidence and
enthusiasm within classrooms and to encourage teachers to
expand their professional repertoire (Pachler and Field, 2001).
By having strong, relevant and interesting forms of professional
development made available and easily accessible to education
professionals, along with pertinent initiatives designed to
develop skills and knowledge, it will ensure that professional
planning, practice and thinking takes place within all interactions
with colleagues, parents and students.
References
Bubb, S & Earley, P 2007, Leading and managing continuing professional
development, Paul Chapman, London.
Buysse, V, Winton, PJ, and Rous, B 2009, ‘Researching Consensus on a
Definition of Professional Development for the Early Childhood Field’,
Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, vol. 28, no. 4, pp. 235-243.
Darling-Hammond, L 1998, ‘Teacher learning that supports student
learning’, Educational Leadership, vol. 55, no. 5, pp. 6-11.
Day, CW 1994, Planning for the professional development of teachers and
schools: A principled approach, paper presented at the Brisbane Catholic
Education Primary Principals’ Convocation, Brisbane, July.
Day, C & Sach, J 2004. International handbook on the continuing professional
development of teachers, Open University Press, Maidenhead, United
Kingdom.
Ehrich, L 2011, Theme 4: Professional development – some key concepts, course
notes, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove.
Lester, JH 2003, ‘Planning Effective Secondary Professional Development
Programs’, American Secondary Education, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 49-61.
O’Sullivan, M & Deglau, D 2006, ‘Principles of Professional
Development’, Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, vol. 25, pp. 441-449.
Pachler, N & Field, K 2001, ‘From mentor to co-tutor: reconceptualising
secondary modern foreign language initial teacher education’, Language
Learning Journal, vol. 23, pp. 15-25.
Sachs, J 2003, The Activist Teaching Profession, Open University Press,
Buckingham.
Steadman, S, Eraut, M, Fielding M & Horton, A 1992, Making school-based
INSET effective, University of Sussex Institute of Education, Sussex.
Stiegelbauer, S 1992, Why We Want to be Teachers: New Teachers Describe
Their Reasons for Entering the Profession, paper presented at the American
Educational Research Associating Meetings (AERA), San Francisco, April.
Queensland College of Teachers 2006, Professional Standards
for Queensland Teachers, viewed 20 October 2011, <http://
www.qct.edu.au/Publications/ProfessionalStandards/
ProfessionalStandardsForQldTeachers2006.pdf>.
Queensland College of Teachers 2010, Policy: Continuing Professional
Development Framework, viewed 20 October 2011, <http://www.qct.qld.
eduau/renewal/documents/CPDFrameworkPolicyupdatedAug2010.pdf>.
Queensland Studies Authority 2007, How schools prepare students for the
Queensland Core Skills Test, viewed 10 October 2011, <http://www.qsa.qld.
edu.au/downloads/publications/research_qsa_qcs_prep.pdf>.
sunata 37
It is important to note that this professional development session
was one of a cluster of two-hour sessions offered during a
student free day. Due to this, there were time restraints, which
significantly affected the overall delivery and understanding of
the program. On reflection, there was an over-estimation of what
could be implemented in the short time period of two hours.
There was a strong necessity for limitations to be placed on what
teachers and the presenter needed to accomplish during the
time frame. O’Sullivan and Deglau (2006) argue that “more is not
always better”, and that it is important that teachers do not try to
do too much in the time they have. Professional development
should not only be about content; particularly when you are
providing a new approach for teachers to consider. Further,
the professional development session consisted of several staff
members who had been teaching in the same educational
setting for in excess of thirty years; they did not feel that they
needed to ‘examine’ and ‘improve’ their teaching styles and unit
content to teach students in their care and therefore were not as
accommodating as other staff members during the session.
Home Economics: more than just
cooking and sewing
Nikki Anderson
Coordinator of Home Economics
Home Economists from around the globe
converged on Melbourne Convention Centre
for the four-day International Federation
for Home Economics (IFHE) XXII World
Congress. This event was an opportunity for
practitioners of Home Economics to come
together to continue their ongoing global
conversation and embrace the dictum, “We
are the instruments of change” (Geraldine
B. Hodelin, IFHE President). It is unlikely
that anyone who attended the congress did
not feel a sense of belonging to a powerful
and vital force that can make a difference in
their immediate and external interactions.
The challenge for Home Economists is clear;
that is, “What can I do to link knowledge
with skills to promote the wellbeing of
individuals, families and the community?”
The IFHE World Congress has occurred every four years since
1908. This year the leadership changed hands from Jamaica to a
representative from Australia. Fifty countries were represented,
and there were over 200 oral presentations, various exhibits
and poster displays. Since its inception, the IFHE has addressed
issues relating to food, textiles and living environments. It has
embraced the United Nations (UN) Millennium Development
Goals, specifically targeting concerns relating to: poverty and
hunger, primary education, gender equality, reducing mortality
rates, maternal health, epidemic diseases, environmental
sustainability and global development. Addressing these
concerns requires discussion, research, goal setting and action.
An event such as the World Congress provides a forum
for sharing theoretical understandings and experience and
empowering Home Economics practitioners for the change that
is essential to making a difference in these areas.
sunata 38
The issue of sustainability is at the heart of most conversations
and practices in Home Economics. It is an integral part of
food choices, consumption of material products, and the
management of resources in the home and workplace. Each
of the presenters at the Congress had undertaken research and
shared their professional practice with the attentive attendees.
The breadth and interdisciplinary nature of Home Economics
was promoted, and encourages educators in the field to not
define themselves only by the longstanding preconception that
Home Economics is simply about cooking and sewing. Teaching
in this subject area is empowering and fulfilling, as its inquirybased model and design challenges induce the development
of skills in problem solving, analysis and reflection. Around
the globe, practitioners of Home Economics, whether they be
teachers, or in the industries of health, food, and textiles and
fashion, enjoy working with others to invest creative solutions
to solve sustainability issues and to produce functional and
beautiful things.
Throughout the presentations it was made clear that it is
fundamental to investigate historical and cultural perspectives
as we contextualise and move forward in this technological age.
Examples of this were elucidated in various presentations on
textiles. Students in Europe had invited Burmese refugees into
their classroom to share their cultural textiles, thus bridging the
cultural divide and establishing mutually beneficial relationships.
Also on the radar has been the resurgence in handicrafts
as consumers embrace the global Internet marketplace and
produce their own products for sale on websites such as etsy.
com or madeit.com. A South American researcher has worked
with market stallholders to develop products made from found
textile objects. Presenters from Finland and Australia spoke
about ensuring that the natural and dynamic fabric properties of
wool are being employed by not only those who are carrying on
traditional and cultural handicrafts but also being diversified into
new and innovative products. Non-governmental organisations
(NGOs) are working in India to collect and recycle fabric into
products such as molded car interiors, and much needed home
ware items for poorer communities. In these communities micro
finance options and education have improved the wellbeing of
individuals and families as they invest their enhanced skills in
working with textiles to earn a living.
In the Western world, investigations in textiles and fashion
have included the consumers’ of perception of how clothing
fits, in-store atmosphere and shopping behaviours. As the
average consumer is bombarded by messages in the media and
manipulated in the marketplace, these concerns of are great
interest in order to establish what textile and fashion items are
desirable, or discarded, and how the consumer is induced to
spend money. Concerns such as the source and production of
the textiles are rooted in social justice issues such as fair trade,
organic products, and the ethical or reasonable promotion of
fashion. Other presenters spoke about textiles as an art form,
connecting stories or producing emotive responses between
people and clothing or other textile items. The overarching
message was that Home Economics should aim to empower
individuals to make informed decisions or indeed join in the
production of textiles and fashion.
The topic of food can be diverse and polarising. The
representatives from countries such as Africa, Malaysia and
India spoke about food insecurity, the lack of food, poverty,
and malnutrition. On the other hand, affluent countries enjoy
excess, suffer obesity, get nostalgic about cupcakes, and ponder
‘organic versus pesticides’. Getting the balance right is on
the agenda of Home Economists as they attempt to educate
students about nutrition, experiment with food science, and
arm others with the skills of growing and making their own
food and being a discerning consumer. The practicalities of
making good food choices such as budgeting, sourcing fresh
ingredients, and presenting appetising meals can be enhanced
by explicit education in schools and through popular media
such as television cooking shows, internet sites and blogs,
newspapers and magazines, and most importantly, personally
passing on skills when sharing meals with family and friends.
Home Economics and addressing food issues draws individuals
together, encourages creativity, and fosters a sense of fulfillment.
The often marginalised aspect of Home Economics is the study
of families, communities, their interactions and managing
living. This was addressed in a provocative manner as a keynote
speaker from Japan discussed how disaster could destroy one’s
concept of safety. A comfortable yet dysfunctional, materialistic
existence can be readjusted to fulfill one’s capacity to survive.
In the wake of disaster one university Engineering student,
inspired by a Home Economics elective subject, created an
opportunity to advocate for change by organising a social event
in a local park. His initiative attracted a diverse group of people
who were able to connect by sharing food and rebuilding the
community spirit and the sense of belonging that had been
overshadowed by fear. Other presenters from India, China and
Africa each spoke about the power of women, their contribution
to their families, household management, food production, and
income generation. More often than not, women are the most
instrumental figure and care giver in the family and community.
Their knowledge and practices contribute to not only their
own wellbeing, but also those dependent on her. The continued
education and empowerment of girls can be enhanced through
Home Economics education.
The interdisciplinary nature of Home Economics is exciting,
and as the World Congress reinforced, worth promoting as it
draws from science and technology, health and fitness, design
and textiles, history and culture, ethics, values and human
relationships, and more. Students of Home Economics can look
forward to making a difference. As the diversity of the presenters
showed, careers in Home Economics can come in the form of
food and clothing stylists, community aid workers, finance and
resource management, or educators. As long as there is Home
Economics, there is lifelong learning – learning to do, learning to
be, learning to know and learning to live together.
sunata 39
Does the end justify the means? One
step of the counselling journey in
today’s schools (an extract)
Trish Barlow
School Counsellor
To counsel successfully, one must be:
Watchful, like men crossing a winter stream …
Courteous, like visiting guests
Yielding, like ice about to melt
Simple, like uncarved blocks of wood
Hollow, like caves
Opaque, like muddy pools
Tao Te Ching, traditional Chinese text
If only it was that easy in an institutional setting. There are
so many young people in our society who need our help, and
yet counselling adolescents in the school domain throws up
numerous challenges, including: those created by the adults,
and also those created by the client’s peers. In life, society
indoctrinates our children to believe that adults have all
the answers. The adolescent clients are schooled in a very
constructed environment where they are taught, mentored,
monitored and censured by the adults in their institutional world.
Certainly they are encouraged to use their cognitive abilities
proficiently; nevertheless they see the staff as controlling a large
part of their existence. The other part can often be controlled by
ambitious parents, or alternatively left to the institutional control,
by parents who are simply too busy to enjoy their child’s journey.
In too many schools, the unfortunate ‘mystique’ surrounding
the counsellor is often to the detriment of those who need
him/her the most. The challenge is to emphatically allow the
adolescent to see the Counsellor as a “non-authoritative” figure,
and in this way, the “triangular nature of therapy” (Reiner
& Treacher 1995) involving the therapist, the client and the
theories can be completed. Placing the role of expert back into
the hands of the young person offers them a shared role in
their own development. In a recent paper, Murilo dos Santos
Moscheta (2010), raises a very interesting point. She suggests
that, “development, instead of a linear progression, happens
simultaneously in a variety of directions.” If you were to mention
this to an adolescent they would look at you in amazement,
for to them there is no doubt. They know that they develop in a
multitude of directions. The speed of creative communication
and scientific knowledge in their world has left behind many of
their ‘significant other’ adults, and this is an ongoing challenge.
sunata 40
The student’s own peer group is also a powerful force and
subsequently a challenge for the adolescent to contend with.
Winslade and Monk (1999, pp.25) discuss the many and varied
discourses that are present in the school student systems and
how, “they are kept in place by surveillance and scrutiny”. Today
the students know it so well, and if it is coupled with the far more
benign ‘death stare’ of their peers, confidence disappears very
quickly. There are many and varied issues that arise, and one of the
most obvious is that most problems are aggravated by the student’s
age. They are neither child nor adult, and Adams (2000, pp.2)
captures the stage well when he describes the adolescent period
as when; “A combination of biological, psychological and social
influences merge into one”. The young people have the unfortunate
circumstance of having to cope with hormonal change at the same
time as dealing with societal and peer pressures.
A Social Constructionist counsellor will help the client identify
the fact that he/she is not the problem. As identified by Michael
White (2007, pp.9), “the problem is the problem.” The adolescent
needs to communicate clearly for all to hear; “I know that I am
not the problem!” However, before the young clients can say such
words, it is necessary for them to accept the counsellor as an
adult into their lives. The school system makes this a challenge to
overcome. Fortunately there are numerous tools
in the adolescent world that can be used to achieve this. Hinch,
(2010) reminds us that “Metaphor, Utilization and Competence
Transfer” are important resources. The world of media is an
ideal vehicle and that almost “any story, interest, [or] show
on television can be utilized as a metaphor for therapeutic
conversations.” By living and working with young people,
one becomes indoctrinated into the young person’s chosen
viewing habits. This provides a shared platform for metaphoric
experimentation. Modern technology is both a positive and
a negative, and the counsellor can employ the use of all new
technology in their counselling space, in the same way the teacher
does in the classroom. By allowing and using interaction with
iPads, iPods and interactive whiteboards the counsellor can show
the young clients that they have embraced the technology and
can relate to adolescents on an even playing field of familiarity.
Challenges for both the adolescent client and the counsellor can
be exciting, and by working together and listening to what each
has to offer, the journey will be that much more fulfilling. By
working with common tools the road becomes that much easier.
A carver’s creation is never finished; nor is the role of the
counsellor. Through the mediums of conversation and technology
the professional can work in a social constructionist way to guide
their young client forward until that adolescent recognises that
he/she is able to continue the journey on their own.
A pupil asks a teacher to take him on as a pupil. The teacher answers:
you are a pupil because your eyes are still closed. When the day comes
that you open them you will see that you cannot learn anything from me
or from others.” “But why then does one require a teacher?” asks the pupil
in amazement, to which the teacher replies: “In order to recognise that
you don’t need him.” De Mello in Sparrer 2007, pp. 8.
Reference List
Adams, Gerald R 2000, Adolescent Development: The Essential Readings,
Blackwell Publishing, Oxford.
Dos Santos Moscheta, M 2010, ‘Psychologist or artist: an invitation
to think about the challenges of creating a professional identity’, paper
presented at Psychology Celebration Week conference, Brazil, August.
Hinch, S 2010, Lecture notes: PowerPoint, Queensland University of
Technology, Kelvin Grove.
Tzu, L (n.d.), Tao Te Ching, trans. GF Feng, J English & T Lippe, Vintage
Books, New York.
Presbury, JH, Echterling, LG & McKee, JE 2008, Beyond Counselling and
Brief Therapy: An Integrative Approach, Pearson, New Jersey.
Reiner, S & Treacher, A 1995, Introducing User-Friendly Therapy, Routledge,
London.
Sparrer, I 2007, Miracle, Solution and System, Solutionsbooks, Cheltenham,
United Kingdom.
White, M 2007, Maps of Narrative Practice, W.W. Norton & Company,
New York.
Winslade, J & Monk, G 1999, Narrative Counselling in Schools: powerful and
brief, Thousand Oaks, California.
A light in the city of Cochin:
experiences of the Toc H Public School
Ray Geise OAM KJS
Secondary Teacher
A light in the city of Cochin,
The Toc H light, the Toc H School,
A light to shine, a life to illuminate,
The Toc H Public School.
Service is our asset, in service we grow,
Fully human and alive, being God’s glory
Purposeful and noble life is our aim.
With pride in our culture, India our land,
Answerable to duties, reverent to human rights
We strive for a better world tomorrow.
These are the words of the Toc H Public School Anthem, located
in Cochin in Southern India. These words say a great deal about
the mission of this school, an educational institution with some
2,400 students and over 220 staff. The school magazine, Flair
bears the subtitle for 2013, “Towards Greater Heights”. It reflects
the sentiments of the School Anthem in every way. Inside the
front cover are the words, “Service is the rent we pay for our room
on earth”, which have been used by Toc H members around the
world since 1915.
The beginning of a new day
From around 7.30 every morning the narrow streets of Vyttila,
the suburb in which the Toc H Public School is situated, are
filled with children either walking or catching all modes of
transport from various parts of Cochin to school. The school
has its own fleet of big yellow buses, but children also arrive
via motor bikes and scooters driven by parents (and often with
up to three children on each), or small pedi cabs with as many
as 12 children packed into them. Some students also arrive in
private transport. This busy scene could easily be one of chaos
and confusion, but in reality appears to happen in an orderly and
well-orchestrated manner.
The tone of the School
At 8.10am every day there is an assembly. The students form
up in their allotted areas, the Principal and staff take up their
positions and there is a single beat of a drum. The School
Captain then calls the student body to attention, followed by the
words, “Stand at ease”. These are intended to help everyone focus
on what follows.
A hymn, sung by the whole school, is followed by a reading
from the Scriptures by one of the students. The formal part of
the Assembly is completed with the School Prayer, a shortened
version of The Lord’s Prayer, and the Pledge, the words of which
are as follows:
“India is my country. All Indians are my brothers and sisters. I love
my country, and I am proud of its rich and varied heritage. I shall
always strive to be worthy of it. I shall give my parents, teachers
and all elders respect and treat everyone with courtesy. To my
country and my people I pledge my devotion. In their well-being and
prosperity alone lies my happiness.”
sunata 41
The daily notices are read by one of the Prefects, after which
the School Principal gives a short address which touches on
matters such as school spirit, values or citizenship. The assembly
concludes with the School Anthem. Loud speakers ensure that
what is sung and spoken on each assembly reaches far beyond
the precincts of the school campus.
There are other things that give an indication of the tone of the
School. At the entrance to its campus is a sign which reads,
“Welcome to our litter free and nature friendly campus”, and this
is exactly what it is.
On the outside walls of the main buildings are many
motivational quotes in bold print, and students are encouraged
to read and think about them:
• A day of accomplishments is a good day.
• A load of books does not equal one good teacher.
• Outside the classroom the student must live in the world:
inside the classroom the student owns the world.
• Seek and you will find: find and you will want to seek a
whole lot more.
• Give to the world the best you have, and the best will come
back to you.
Common courtesy and respect are expected at the School
and are evident in the day-to-day proceedings within every
classroom. When a student is asked a question he/she will stand
up before replying, and when someone enters a classroom
the whole class stands and says, “Good morning” or, ‘Good
afternoon’.
sunata 42
What does the School say about itself?
In order to collect information about the School and understand
its contribution to educating young people in India from
Primary through to Year 12, we looked to the model used by the
New England Association of Independent Schools in the United
States. This model was modified slightly for use at the Toc H
Public School. The information was collected under six main
headings:
1. The school’s Mission Statement
2. The student body – Selection and Support
3. Professional Teaching Staff and Support Staff
4. The school’s curriculum
5. School Governance
6.Funding
Discussions were held with a number of Stakeholders in the
School – the Principal and Vice Principal; the Head Mistress
and many of the teaching staff; the School Captains and House
Captains; students from most year levels and some parents. A
range of questions relating to each of the above headings were
discussed with Professor P.J. Joseph, the President of the Toc
H Public School and other Toc H Educational Institutions in
Kerala. All questions were responded to in writing by Professor
Joseph. Information gathered made it possible to discover and
understand what the stakeholders think about their School.
How the School operates
1. Mission Statement
• There was a time in the 1970s in Kerala State in India when
most of the schools were vitiated by indiscipline and political
interventions. Political interventions sometimes culminated
in physical violence. At this time, the Toc H Cochin
Branch wanted to open an ideal school, free from political
interventions and indiscipline. From these initial thoughts, a
few years later in 1978, the Toc H Public School opened for
business.
• The School’s philosophy is to provide high quality education
and to impart sound human values to the lower income
groups and economically poor who have academically
brilliant children.
The vision expressed in this Mission Statement is reflected in
the opening remarks of the Principal’s Annual Report for 2012
– 2013:
“We realize that the Toc H Public School is a fertile garden, a garden
filled with treasures and boundless riches. The Toc H management’s
social commitment to nurture and unearth these treasures on the
campus posted yet another year with impressive results.”
2. Student body – selection and support
• At Kindergarten level students are selected after an
interaction with parents and after students have been
checked to ensure they are both physically and mentally fit.
• At the higher level, students are selected on the basis of a
written test and an interview to determine if they are able to
maintain the expected standard.
• The decision to admit a student is made by the interview
panel after the assessment has been completed.
• There is a policy to assist financially disadvantaged parents of
academically brilliant children. In special circumstances the
full expense of the school fees is met.
• The School offers students the best education possible giving
equal emphasis to academic, sporting and cultural pursuits
and international interaction.
• Four times a year, the schoolchildren undergo testing
which is followed by an Open House. This opportunity
allows parents to come to the School and meet with any of
the teachers or members of the Senior Leadership, Team
including the Principal and Vice Principal. In addition to
the Open Houses, there are also two parent meetings every
academic year.
• The School joins with the local community to spread
messages to create public awareness of the importance of
issues such as green buildings, cleanliness and hygiene.
One example of how students create public awareness of
important social issues is by conducting bicycle rallies.
3. Professional staff
• Recruitment of new staff is affected after a personal
interview and a demonstration lesson. Competence is the
only criteria for the selection of new staff.
• The members of the Board of Directors, the Principal and
the Heads of the Departments are involved in interviewing
new staff.
• All teaching staff are required to undertake an orientation
program at the beginning of every academic year and
professional development courses are available for all staff as
required.
• There are five or six staff meetings held every academic year.
• A School Diary is given to all staff and students which
contains all the essential information about the School and
its proposed activities during each academic year.
4. The curriculum
• The curriculum is framed by the Central Board of Secondary
Education in the State of Kerala in conjunction with Kerala’s
main university.
• The formal academic offerings and the requirements for
graduation at the end of Year 12 are designed outside the
School by the External Board/University. The Graduation
Certificates are also generated by the External Board/
University.
• In the Junior School all assessment is internal.
• Independent study programs are available in the School,
such as computer studies, yoga, cooking, karate and
aerobics.
• The School employs counsellors for emotional issues and
Special Educators to assist students as required.
•
•
•
•
•
four well-established Houses – Red Ruby, Blue Diamond,
Yellow Sapphire and Green.
Class sizes are between 35 and 40 students, but there are
very few discipline problems.
The classrooms are not as well-resourced as classrooms
in Australian schools, however what happens in them is
impressive. There is a substantial amount of direct teacher
input into each lesson and the standard of teaching is very
high.
The School is a happy place to attend. Professor P.J. Joseph,
along with the School’s Founder Manager, Dr K. Varghese,
are both very visible on campus almost every day. They
communicate well with both the staff and the students and
are present at many of the events which take place in and
around the School.
There is a sense of purpose in all that happens within the
School. The students do not take education for granted: it is
something highly sought after in a developing country like
India.
The students have three school uniforms and they are
encouraged to wear them with pride. The Toc H insignia is
also on each of the uniforms. The aims of Toc H are:
o
To Think Fairly
o
To Love Widely
o
To Build Bravely
o
To Witness Humbly
It is a Christian school but it is encouraging that amongst the
staff and students there are many of other Faiths. It is even more
encouraging to see them all working happily and harmoniously
together. Toc H has, for many years, been known for its work in
‘building bridges’, bridging the gaps which so often divide people.
Toc H is certainly achieving this at its Public School in Cochin.
5. School governance
• The School is owned and run by a registered charitable
society, whose members render honorary service.
• There is a School Governing Body of nine members. The
main roles of this Body are:
o
To generate funds for running the School and
o
To lay down general principles for its operation
• Sub-Committees are set up as and when required, perform
specific tasks.
Conclusion
• The Toc H Public School in Cochin is modelled on the
Public School system in England. It focuses on academic
excellence and the importance of character-building in its
students. It has School Captains and Prefects and there are
sunata 43
6. Funding
• The School is funded entirely from the fees collected from
the students; it receives no Government or corporate
funding.
• The fees are determined on the basis of the expenses
anticipated.
Podcasting in Senior Biology
Stacey Kelly
Coordinator of Biology
In his presentation ‘Using Technology to
Humanise the Classroom’ at the St Margaret’s
and St Aidan’s Professional Development
Day in early 2013, Andrew Douch
demonstrated the potential that digital
communication technologies have in the
contemporary educational environment.
Douch explored real-world examples of
how teachers could change the way they
communicate with their classes, taking
advantage of social networking sites,
podcasts and mobile phones; these are all
tools that students have familiarity with and
skill in using.
Following the presentation, Douch’s philosophies resonated with
me. I was inspired firstly by his passion for my teaching area
of Biology and secondly, by his focus on incorporating simple,
yet effective technologies into the classroom. Douch’s intention
“is not to promote ‘high-tech’ skills in teachers, but rather to
encourage widespread adoption of easy-to-use technologies that
are ‘high-concept’ and have the power to transform classroom
interaction” (Douch, 2012). With the overwhelming array of
educational technologies available, it can be quite daunting
knowing which tools to use and how to best incorporate them.
Impressed by the simplicity of the podcasting process, I was
determined to incorporate podcasts into my teaching.
A podcast is a digital audio recording made available on
the Internet for downloading to a portable media player or
computer. The term is derived from an amalgamation of the
terms broadcast and the acronym for ‘Portable on Demand’.
Teachers can use podcasts to deliver content to students, and
this medium “has seen significant growth in education in recent
years driven by claims of its value in supporting mobile learning
and enhancing the student’s experience” (McGarr, 2009). When
developing podcasts for Senior Biology, I have found complex
topic areas, where students require repeated explanations of
biological processes, to be ideal content. Using the ‘easi-speak’
tool, I have recorded lecture-style podcasts that complement
diagrams and data on corresponding PowerPoint slides, such as
in my Year 12 Reproduction and Genetics unit. Making these
files available online provides easy access for students and creates
an invaluable, yet portable study aid.
sunata 44
Whilst podcasting in education is useful in disseminating
information, its use becomes more beneficial when students
are encouraged to take a more active role in their learning and
are challenged to create and record content themselves. “As
well as developing critical thinking skills, students must also
have a comprehensive understanding of the material in order
to create the podcasts” (Frydenberg, 2006). My Year 11 Biology
students created podcasts with the purpose of developing a
collaborative class glossary of cellular structures and processes
and also presented an evaluation of biological issues pertaining
to blood doping. The nature of these activities led to engaging
and worthwhile learning experiences that allowed students to
take control of an aspect of their education, to peer-teach and
to develop ICT skills. Additionally, as students realise that their
podcast assignments may be published for their peers, their
attention to the quality and detail of their assignments may
improve (Foster et al., 2012).
Perhaps one of the greatest pedagogic advantages offered
by educational podcasting is the chance to learn through
listening (Gray, 2013). Educational podcasts may be viewed as
a more enjoyable alternative for students who do not enjoy or
struggle with reading. Students with individual learning needs
appreciated that podcasts allowed them to learn at their own
pace. They are also highly useful where “visual impairment makes
traditional learning methods arduous” (Gray, 2013). Furthermore,
the educator profits from the time efficient features of reusability
and from peace of mind knowing that their class can continue
learning essential content during a teacher absence.
Through post unit surveys with Year 12 students, I was able
to gauge an impact of the effectiveness of podcasts on my
students’ engagement and learning outcomes. As a result, 60
per cent of the class utilised the podcast as part of their private
study and of these students, 100 per cent stated it was either a
helpful or extremely helpful tool. Interestingly, 75 per cent felt
they performed better in the corresponding exam questions as
a direct result of listening to the podcast during their revision.
Feedback indicated that they listened to the podcasts for a
variety of reasons, such as when they were finding the content
challenging, were absent from lessons or considered themselves
auditory learners. Most students primarily used the podcasts
to revise content leading up to the examination. This reflects
evidence from studies completed at a university level where
students perceived podcasting as an enhancement to their
classroom experience and tended to find the podcasts most
beneficial for revision purposes (Copley, 2007).
The following comments from Year 12 Biology students were
extracted from the survey:
• “It was engaging and became embedded in my brain soon after
listening to it a few times.”
• “I could listen to it whilst doing other things – multitasking.”
• “Sometimes listening to a different mode/version of information
allows for a better interpretation and understanding.”
• “I did well on the menstrual cycle question in the exam. I attempted
it first as I felt most confident with it as a result of the podcast.”
• “I think it helped me to subconsciously remember the complex
information – it only took a few minutes and was easy to revise with.”
The educational environment is evolving along with a need for
teachers to adapt to a new generation of learners and to the
technology available. Following Andrew Douch’s philosophy that
teachers do not need to be experts ‘computer skills’ to transform
their classrooms, I was inspired to give simple podcasting a
chance and am pleased with the positive outcomes to date. With
100 per cent of students surveyed requesting more podcasts in
future units, I certainly have the incentive and opportunity to
improve my skills and the quality of resources produced.
References
Copley, J 2007, ‘Audio and video podcasts of lectures for campus-based
students: Production and evaluation of student use’, Innovations in
Education and Teaching International, vol. 44, no.4, pp. 387-399.
Gray, C 2013, Podcasting in education: What are the benefits, viewed 1
September 2013, <http://www.thepodcasthost.com/blog/podcasting-ineducation/>.
Douch, A 2012, Redefining Classroom, viewed 1 September 2013, <http://
www.evolveducation.com.au/presentations-offered.html>.
McGarr, O 2009, ‘A review of podcasting in higher education: Its
influence on the traditional lecture’, Australasian Journal of Educational
Technology, vol. 25, no. 3, pp.309-321.
Foster, JS, Larmore, J & Havemann, SA 2012, The Basics of Educational
Podcasting: Enhancing the Student Learning Experience,viewed 1 September
2013, <http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mb004>.
Frydenberg, M 2006, Principles and pedagogy: The two P’s of podcasting in the
information technology classroom, viewed 1 September 2013, <http://proc.
isecon.org/2006/3354/ISECON.2006.Frydenberg.pdf>.
sunata 45
The Eureka moment:
I’ve got it (or at least getting there)
Therese Garrahy
Coordinator of Chemistry
How can I get my students to enjoy their
learning and problem-solve difficult tasks?
This question is constantly asked by teachers
when reflecting on their own practise or
in trying to understanding how and why
students approach tasks the way they do.
Motivation of students to learning is a key
investigation of many researchers.
In this area, Carol Dweck (1999) divided students into two
groups based on their beliefs of their own intelligence. This is a
determinate as to how students will approach novel, challenging
tasks. Her two main groups are:
a) Fixed IQ theorists: Students who believe that they have
ability and if they cannot do something easily, they will never
be able to do it.
b) Untapped Potential theorists: These students realise that
time and effort are required to develop skills and if necessary,
they need to ask for help if they cannot do a task. The more
they work and the harder the task, the better thinkers they
become.
Hattie’s research (2003) suggests there is a significant effect
associated with this practice. Both of these types of students
make up senior and junior classes, especially in Science where
the students think they cannot do the section or they are not
bright enough to do the work. Challenging learning tasks and
the depth of student processing are congruent. The ongoing
monitoring of student responses with effective feedback with
respect to effort on task can be a positive motivational factor for
students (Petty, 2013; Hattie, 2003; Trei, 2007).
sunata 46
According to Dweck (2006), the Fixed IQ theorists need a
different type of encouragement as they may avoid situations
or give up because of fear of failure. This group may include
students who have not reached their “glass ceiling of learning”
and as soon as they reach it may give up easily as, at an earlier
age, they have not developed the determination to succeed
given fear of failure at a task. This group of students can be
seen especially in some junior Science classes where the more
difficult areas of Physics and Chemistry are taught. Students
come into the class believing that they cannot do these sections.
With encouragement and development of simple to complex
tasks, students can be shown that they can achieve in the more
abstract topics (Petty, 2013). The affective dimension where
they begin to have belief in themselves is able to be seen in the
manner they approach the tasks, the way that they enter the
class, the way they interact within the class and the general
increase in effort that is displayed (Petty, 2013). It is difficult
to measure numerically the improvement in this domain, but
observations do show this change in behaviour.
The second group of students based on Dweck’s classification,
who have learned and developed the required determination to
keep trying harder tasks, may require less input to keep them
on task for a longer periods of time (Dweck, 2013). Both Hattie
(2003) and Dweck (2013) suggest that students need to develop
a positive learning disposition which causes them to engage with
novel, difficult tasks and continue on despite difficulties.
In the senior classes, there is a significant need to encourage
mastery and openness in trying the more difficult tasks. This
can be displayed by modelling the thinking involved in problem
solving, and indicating that it is not always possible to solve
difficult tasks easily (Hammonds 2009, Petty 2013). Praise or
feedback is given associated with the tasks and effort to produce
the required results and should be given in order to encourage
the student to develop into the second group of Untapped
Potential theorists (Petty 2013). Failure is needed to be seen as
a valued learning experience rather than a negative, and used to
encourage students to understand what is needed to overcome
the situation next time that challenge is taken. Many teachers
would argue that humour is an excellent way to encourage
students to take on the more difficult challenges they will meet
in participating in the senior courses.
As a teacher, it is necessary to take into account these
challenging tasks and help the students develop strategies they
can use to analyse and overcome similar challenges. Techniques
such as class discussions, student questions and responses can
develop tasks strategies that may turn the “failure” into a positive
learning experience – a “Eureka moment” (Hattie, 2003). It is
also important that when handing back assessment items where
the student has not performed well, that there is a significant
discussion as to how the student can improve (Hattie, 2003).
This individualised attention has been a positive in developing
relationships with students and helping them to develop positive
ideas when they are met with situations where their results have
not met their own expectations. Although this has not been
measured specifically, again the affective side of the teacherstudent relationship is seen to improve, and students continue
to strive and achieve especially in the most conceptually difficult
areas. As Dweck indicates, students realise that striving does
lead to success and improvement.
References
Hammonds, B 2009, Making learning visible (John Hattie), viewed 8
September 2013, <http://leading-learning.blogspot.com/2009/01/
making-learning-visible-john-hattie.html>.
Dweck, CS 2012, How the two mindsets influence behaviour and achievement,
viewed 8 September 2013, <http://www.mindsetworks.com/webnav/drdweck-interviews.aspx>.
Dweck, CS 2006, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, Random House,
New York.
Dweck, CS 1999, Self Theories: Their Role in Motivation, Personality and
Development (Essays in Social Psychology), Psychology Press,
Philadelphia, PA.
Elliott AJ & Dweck, CS (eds) 2005, The Handbook of Competence and
Motivation, Guilford, New York.
Hattie, J 2003, Teachers Make a Difference: What is the research evidence?,
Australian Council for Educational Research, Melbourne.
Self-Theories (Dweck) 2013, Learning-Theories, viewed 8 September 2013,
<http://www.learning-theories.com/self-theories-dweck.html>.
Krakovsky, M 2013, The Effort Effect, viewed 8 September 2013, <http://
alumni.stanford.edu/get/page/magazine/article/?article_id=32124>
Trei, L 2007, New study yields instructive results on how mindset affects
learning, viewed 8 September 2013, <http://news.stanford.edu/
news/2007/february7/dweck-020707.html>.
Petty, G 2011, Dweck’s Theory of Motivation, viewed 8 September 2013,
<http://www.teacherstoolbox.co.uk/T_Dweck.html>.
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History Teachers’ Association of
Victoria – Annual Conference 2013
Bruce Bullpitt
Coordinator of History
The History Teachers’ Association of
Victoria (HTAV) has long enjoyed a
reputation for the quality and educational
value of its conferences. The 2013 Annual
Conference, held at the Moorabbin
Hemisphere Conference Centre in July,
was no exception. The catchcry of this
gathering was “Ignite the Conversation” and
much of that conversation, as varied as the
contexts were, focused on the importance of
evidence and the way in which it is handled.
This included the fastidious evaluation of
evidence and less constraint on where such
evidence can lead the student of History.
The presentation of the opening keynote address, “Fromelles:
The Missing Found” highlighted the significance of these steps in
historical research. Lambis Englezos AM is widely regarded as a
foremost expert regarding Australia’s World War I experiences.
He described his obsession with finding and honouring missing
diggers from the Battle of Fromelles, the first of many battles
fought by Australian troops on the Western Front. Had he
accepted the official version of where these men lay, had he not
gathered further evidence, including written accounts, artefacts
and aerial photographs, and had he not obstinately challenged
French authorities, these soldiers would still today be listed as
missing. Instead, through painstaking assembly and comparison
of pieces of evidence, 250 Australian and British soldiers have
been discovered, recovered, identified and reinterred with full
military honours in a newly constructed cemetery.
A further session based on evidence relating to World War
I and the Western Front was conducted by Craig Deayton, a
Tasmanian school principal and author of, Battle Scarred. His
assertion is that the proper evaluation of evidence should lead to
student acquisition of a broader view of historical events. While
certainly not detracting from the importance of Gallipoli, he
is concerned that too great a concentration on this campaign
may have resulted in an inadequate knowledge and appreciation
of the other contributions by Australians during the war. In a
call for more emphasis to be placed on the corroboration of
evidence, Deayton drew attention to the possibility of official
records having been sanitised for various reasons and the failure
of many sources to acknowledge the huge part played by women
and the indigenous in the war effort. A full and unrestrained
evaluation of fragmented evidence should lead to a more
accurate record of Australia’s roles in wars of any age.
Deayton’s concerns were echoed by Dr Marina Larsson in a
workshop constructed around findings in her book, Shattered
Anzacs: Living with the Scars of War. This work examines the
impact of the war on families. Larsson too calls for a more
open approach to the evaluation of evidence and is critical
of the setting of any artificial barriers that may, for instance,
prevent students form considering war’s effect on those not
directly involved in the fighting. In particular, her focus is on
family members and sacrifices made by them. Both Deayton’s
and Larson’s sessions stressed the value of allowing evidence to
take the researcher to a much broader acknowledgement of the
significance of events that have shaped the world.
Encouraging a broader view of historical events can make
for an affective linking of the past to the present, thereby
helping students see history as relevant to their lives. Emeritus
Professor Richard Broome’s paper was entitled From White
Australia to Multiculturalism. He dealt first with Australia’s
Immigration Restriction Act of 1901 (usually referred to as
the White Australia Policy). In underlining the unfairness
and discriminatory nature of the way in which the policy
was implemented, he drew attention to the public fears and
misconceptions of the day that could be seen to have parallels
in the current debate over Australia’s asylum seeker issue. With
the abundance of newspaper, radio and television comment,
students cannot but acknowledge that History is not always
about the past.
In the words of Richard Smith, HTAV Executive Officer:
“History teachers are not stuck in the past and do not stick to rigid
orthodox practices. Methods and pedagogical practices are constantly
under review and change has become a part of modern teaching practice.”
The 2013 conference was indeed successful in illustrating his
point as well as in its aims to ‘ignite the conversation’. Nowhere
was this more obvious than in the promotion of a more critical
and more inclusive approach to historic evidence.
References
Broome, R 1986, The Victorians: Arriving, Fairfax, Syme & Weldon,
Sydney.
Deayton, R 2011, Battle Scarred, Big Sky Publishing, Sydney.
Larsson, M 2009, Shattered Anzacs: Living with the Scars of War,
UNSW Press, Sydney.
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DISCOVER the DIFFERENCE!
Invitation to
Open
day
Saturday
8 March
9:00am - NOON
’
n
o
i
t
c
a
n
i
l
‘see the Schoo
St Margaret’s warmly invites visitors to attend
Open Day on Saturday 8 March from 9:00am
to Noon. Principal, Ros Curtis will provide
a welcome address and senior staff will be
available to answer any questions. Students will
conduct tours of the School and classrooms and
facilities will be open; refreshments available.
We look forward to welcoming you!
For more information and to register,
visit www.stmargarets.qld.edu.au
or contact our Registrar on (07) 3862 0762
Pre-Prep - Year 12 • Boarding Years 7-12
Save this date
ARTS FESTIVAL
30 & 31
M AY
2014
Www.mayofestival.com.au
St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School
11 Petrie Street Ascot QLD 4007 Australia
Telephone: +61 7 3862 0777
Facsimile: +61 7 3862 0701
[email protected]
www.stmargarets.qld.edu.au
A School of the Society of the Sacred Advent
ABN: 93 492 310 839 CRICOS Code: 00511K