Volume 1, Issue 3, May, 2014
ISSN 2201-1323
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Harnessing Professional Dialogue, Collaboration and Content in Context: An exploration of a new model for Teacher Professional Learning. David Lynch, Southern Cross Univeristy, Jake Madden,St Augustine's Primary School andBruce Allen Knight, Central Queensland University (Pages 8 to 24) This paper investigates a new model for teacher professional learning that harnesses professional dialogue, the power of collaboration and a series of teacher learning contents, which occur in the teacher’s teaching context, for whole of school teaching practice effect. In more specific terms the paper examines the Collaborative Teacher Learning Model (CTLM) at St Augustine’s Primary School for key points of reference. In examining the model the paper reveals a series of key elements, which when orchestrated through a process that teachers feel comfortable with, generates capacities for teachers to improve their teaching practices. |
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An Examination of an Approach to Teacher Professional Learning Dr Tina Doe, Education Consultant,www.Tinadoe.com (Pages 39 to 55) This article reports research finding into an initiative known as the Teacher Professional Learning Initiative (TPLI). The TPLI was developed in an Australian teacher education faculty with the express purpose of preparing classroom teachers (who acted as ‘mentors’ for undergraduate teacher education students while on practicum) for; a new partnership arrangement that underpinned a rethought teacher education program at that university and the new realities of classroom teaching practice, circa 2005, as an adjunct to this new teacher education program partnership arrangement.
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Educational Innovation: Transforming Teacher education in England Dr David Spendlove, The University of Manchester, UK. (Pages 25 to 38) This article offers a personal insight into the rapidly evolving area of teacher education in England over the last few years from 2010. In particular has been the significant move to a ‘school led’ system which provides opportunities for “a larger proportion of trainees to learn on the job by improving and expanding the best of current school-based routes into teaching….Our strongest schools will take the lead and trainees will be able to develop their skills, learning from our best teachers” (Gove, 2010 p.23). |
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‘Recognising the Blind Spot’: An edge for growth and transformation through Strengths Based Supervision. Gerard Moloney (Centacare, NQ) and Dr. Abraham Francis,James Cook University (Pages 74 to 95) The “blind spot” may be regarded as a paradox for strengths. However, in this chapter the “blind spot” specifically refers not to typical deficits of supervisees, but to supervisees’ unawareness of their strengths that, given the right circumstances, can be recognised, facilitated and developed. When this awareness occurs there is transformation within the supervisee as their strengths grow and develop. So rather than conceptualising “recognising of blind spots” as adisabling or deficit concept, this chapter sees it is anenabling strategythat can assist in identifying strengths and skills, and in the supervision of practitioners and their interventions with clients. |
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Receptive Accountability: Guiding the growth of teacher professionalism in an international school. Ken Sell Head of School Shen Wai International School China (Pages 144 to 129) This Article describes a case study and presents findings on teacher’s changing perceptions of their professional identity in an international school. The purpose of the research was to identify whether planned spaces for teacher learning contributed to a change in the school’s dysfunctional teacher work conditions.Analysis and findings demonstrate thatthere is an association between providing planned, sequenced and organised teacher professional learning spaces and a perceived growth in teacher professionalism. Our understanding of how receptive accountability when used to guide the design and implementation of learning spaces for teachers provides the working conditions that can enable the teacher to actively participate in strengthening their professional identity and the implications this has for school leadership are considered. |
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Innovative Teaching in Social Work with Diverse Populations: Critical Reflections from South Australia Heather Fraser Flinders University and and Joanne Baker; Ending Violence Association of British Columbia (Pages 96 to 113) In social work education, the use of self sits alongside other professional hallmarks such as social justice and self-determination. With other processes, self-reflection and peer reviews of practice are crucial parts of critical reflexivity but also innovation. In this article, two social work educators from Flinders University in South Australia critically reflect on the design, delivery and review of a third year Bachelor level topic;SOAD3103 (Social Work with Diverse Populations). We reflect on the opportunities but also challenges and constraints as we try to be ‘innovative’ social work educators, committed to social justice oriented praxis. |
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A Postgraduate Course for Engineers Finds its Form Astrid M. Sølvberg, Marit Rismark, Olav Bjarte Fosso, (NTNU) Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim Norway In this article we explore how teaching may find its form, based on the assumption that the core elements of teaching are Teacher, Student and Content. In the following we analyze how a postgraduate course for engineers finds its form according to these three core elements of teaching.
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Creativity. Is Sky Really the Limit? :Interrogating the shifting paradigms of creativity in the globalised world of today. Sukhpreet Bhatia, MCM DAV College for Women, Chandigarh.India. (Pages 66 to 73) Creation, we believe, has always taken place as an outcome of chaos and turmoil .It has also always led to peace, gratification and a fulfilling sense of achievement, be it the poetic, artistic, architectural creation or the creation of human life or even the creation of the world .The results of true and soulful creativity have been evidently admirable and have brought about a metamorphosis of the planet earth. But unfortunately, the endless and at times mindless quest for innovation, originality and supremacy has given man to believe he can play God .Not cognizant of the fact that human capacity is limited, but rather intoxicated with the taste of stupendous success accomplished, Man in the mad race of advancement to rule the world has been interfering with the basic principles of Nature and has crossed all bounds. |
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Towards the Greening of Social Work Practice Dr. Venkat Pulla, University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia. (Pages 141 to 165) Since social work‘s emergence as a profession there has been a sustained interest in the metaphor of ‘person-in-environment’. In reality, however, to date, despite the frequent use of the term ‘environment’, social work literature remains largely silent on ecological domains (nature) as being a fundamental aspect of ‘environment’. This paper reviews social work writings that address the nexus between ecological concerns and social work as a profession towards identifying the emerging environmental consciousness and its contribution to what this paper identifies as ‘green social work thinking’. |
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Ressentiment in Australian Policy Debate Dr Mark Sinclair, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia and Professor Richard Smith, Southern Cross University, Australia (Pages 130 to 140) This paper argues Australian policy debate is characterised by an unwarranted sense of dissatisfaction and grievance. The argument is illustrated with reference to key policy issues under debate in Australia at present. The concept of ‘ressentiment’ is used to show how the trend of focusing on perceptions of wrong and injury among policy protagonists may preclude crucial constraints from future policy discussion.
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