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Category 2 - Other Public Sector Competitive and Non-competitive Research FundingSchool ReviewsAnita Forsyth, Dr Debbie Corrigan, Associate Professor Len Cairns and Professor John Loughran Department of Education and Training 2005-2009: $1,550,000 Project summary:The Faculty of Education has under contract to the Department of Education Victoria (DE&T), for the past eight years, undertaken external reviews of Victorian Primary and Secondary Government schools. DE&T is committed to continuous improvement in the quality of education provided in schools and to ensuring high levels of student achievement. As part of DE&T's school accountability processes, the Monash Faculty of Education School Review team undertake independent reviews that aim to identify the achievements of the school, issues emerging from the information, recommendations for improvement and priorities for inclusion in the next school Strategic Plan. This external review facilitates agreement between the school and DE&T regarding the directions to be incorporated in the next school Strategic Plan. Scope Our team of highly experienced reviewers have undertaken over 400 school reviews over the last eight years. Detailed attention to continuous improvement, quality assurance and strong project management of the school review program, coupled with highly experienced and talented reviewers has meant that the Monash team has enjoyed consistently positive feedback from all stakeholders in the process. In 2004, the Monash team conducted 57 Continuous Improvement Reviews and 8 Diagnostic Reviews. Monash reviewers also acted as “critical friends” in 12 negotiated reviews. In 2005, we re-tendered and won the School Review Contract to continue reviewing schools on behalf of DE&T for the next four years. The Monash team works closely with DE&T, the regions and schools to ensure that we build on the already strong foundations of performance improvement in schools established by the school review process to closely align the review process for the improvement of outcomes for students, teachers and schools. National Mapping of Teacher Professional LearningAssociate Professor Brenton Doecke Case Studies 2007 - Exemplar Schools using Innovative Learning TechnologiesBernard Holkner, Geoff Romeo, Glenn Russell, Wee Tiong Seah, Glenn Auld and Michael Henderson Department of Education, Science and Training, 2007-2008: $64,677 Project summary:Evidence suggests that Information Communications Technologies (ICTs) have an impact on the engagement and motivation of students which can lead to improved educational outcomes. While it is not possible to definitively establish a direct link between learning with technology and improved outcomes, there is a growing body of research investigating this issue from multiple perspectives. The Department of Education, Science and Training would like to further explore this issue through studies which highlight a small sample of schools that show improved learning outcomes through the sustainable and embedded use of learning technologies across the curriculum. This research is being conducted for DEST and will produce reports and video materials that ultimately can be used by all Australian schools to improve the ways that learning and teaching can use technology. Industry Demand for Higher Education ICT Graduates in VictoriaDepartment of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development, 2008: $37,620 Project Summary:This project is to assess the shortfall/surplus of Information Technology and Communication (ICT) graduates to meet industry demand in Specifically the project will:
Employment details, experiences of support and induction, self-efficacies, and career aspirations for short-term contract vs. permanent beginning teachers in Victoria, 2007Dr Helen Watt, Emma Richardson andDr Paul Richardson Victorian Institute of Teaching, 2007-2008: $30,000 Project Summary:This report for the Victorian Institute of Teachers involved data collected in August of 2007 from 1,365 beginning teachers who attended the V.I.T. seminars for people engaged in the process of seeking full teacher registration in Victoria, representing a 74% response rate. The report establishes a comprehensive picture for a group of beginning teachers in Victoria in relation to their employment situations, perceived effectiveness of employer induction and support programs, profiles of their confidence and perceived effectiveness as teachers, and planned career trajectories. Estimates of job turnover by occupation: Western AustraliaWestern Australian Department of Education & Training, 2008: $19,550 Project Summary:Information on turnover and vacancies by occupation is important for individuals looking for jobs or contemplating education and training options. It is also useful for policy development in education and training, employment services and career advice. This project, commissioned by the Western Australian Department of Education and Training, provides analyses on three types of labour turnover by occupation for Western Australia. These are:
Gross replacement is a measure of the total number of job openings resulting from individuals leaving an occupation, including those who change occupations or leave employment. They exclude flows of individuals leaving one job for another job in the same occupation. Net replacement needs in an occupation are job openings for new entrants resulting from individuals leaving the occupation net of those re-entering. Job vacancies filled in an occupation are the sum of all inflows into the occupation, including intra-occupational flows. Intra-occupational flows are of workers who change jobs but not occupation. The analyses use data from the ABS Labour Force and Labour Mobility surveys. The results are reported by occupation titles defined under the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupation (ANZSCO). Generating Multi-age Pedagogies with City of Melbourne's Early Childhood TeachersCity of Melbourne, 2008: $47,160 Project Summary:This project builds on findings from a previous study conducted with the City of Melbourne about stakeholders’ perspectives of multi-age grouping. This study sets out to document early childhood educators’ multi-age pedagogies, while supporting their professional learning about teaching, documentation, digital technologies, planning, and critical reflection. Five professional development workshops will be presented to early childhood educators about teacher inquiry and multi-age pedagogies. Groups of educators will then conduct teacher research about their multi-age pedagogies within the context of their settings and as a part of their everyday work. Emergent research methods will be used to document and support educators’ multi-age pedagogies. While taking part in this project, educators will dialogue with colleagues across five City of Melbourne early childhood centres through the use of digital technologies. Through the use of 'Researching Multi-age Pedagogies Kits', field visits, and on-line dialogues the Monash Research Team will support educators’ as they generate new knowledge about multi-age pedagogies. An Evaluation of the Early Years Literacy ProgramDr Judy Williams (Project Leader); Professor Marilyn Fleer; Dr Kertih Power; Dr Sarah Ohi; Dr Sue North; and Mr Mike Long South Australian Government Department of Education and Childhood Services (SA DECS), 2008: $99,340 Project Summary:The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of professional learning provided to teachers through their involvement in the EYLP, and the extent to which it has achieved its aims of assisting teachers to reflect on their literacy practices, to optimise the achievement of all learners through effective, inclusive literacy pedagogy, and to meet the needs of particular learners through the most effective intervention strategies. The key strategies to be evaluated are:
The evaluation will also include:
Mentoring Matters: Training Mentors for Victorian Government School LeadersDEECD, 2008: $180,817 Project Summary:Mentoring has long been used as a vehicle for training aspirant leaders in many types of organisations and the benefits of successful mentoring have been widely reported. In Victoria the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) has incorporated mentoring into the induction process for new principals, aspirant leaders and beginning teachers, establishing it as an important component of a systematic approach to leadership development. Within the education sector internationally, outcomes of mentoring programs vary widely. The significant impediments to successful mentoring identified in the literature are lack of time, mentor’s lack of professional expertise and personality mismatches. Lack of professional expertise was identified as placing a considerable emotional burden on mentors. Therefore adequately skilled mentors are more likely to undertake successful mentoring experiences with their protégés. Considerable research has been undertaken into the different mentoring approaches and subsequent outcomes for mentorees. However, very little research has been conducted into two significant aspects of the mentoring process identified as problematic in the literature:
This project been designed to train experienced school leaders to become expert mentors and to track their progress as they mentor peers and/or subordinates in school-based settings. The aim of the project is to teach the principles and practices of mentoring through a process called Contextual, Insight-Navigated Discussion (CIND) to approximately 100 experienced school leaders each year for three years, and to monitor their progress as they undertake mentoring within a school setting. The design of CIND directly addresses the two most important aspects of failed mentoring relationships: time and the professional expertise of the mentor.
Early Years Learning Framework Discussion ProjectDr Joce Nuttall, Professor Marilyn Fleer, Dr Susan Edwards & Ms Marie Hammer DEECD, 2008: $68,000 Project Summary:A consortium from Monash University, led by Dr Joce Nuttall (Editor of the best-selling Weaving Te Whāriki: New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum Framework in Theory and Practice and chief researcher in The Lady Gowrie Project: Enhancing Curriculum and Pedagogy in Early Childhood), whose members have extensive experience and expertise in early childhood education, were the successful respondents to a Request for Quote process. The consortium has developed a paper which includes: principles, the core components of a high quality learning framework; current research, practices and strategies on how children best learn and develop; and the facilitation of a symposium to provide the paper. Review of Transition InitiativesDr Jenny Miller and Dr Joel Windle DEECD, 2008: $40,000 Project Summary:Understanding models of pedagogy and curriculum materials that maximise engagement and success for low literacy refugee students in high school transition programs is a pressing need identified in A Fairer Victoria and The Blueprint for Government Schools. This review of transition programs in six Victorian schools is a response to this need. While ESL students are clearly not a homogeneous group, students in transition programs are there because their literacy and numeracy levels mean they can not move smoothly from new arrival programs for ESL students to the mainstream curriculum and context. The focus of this project is on curriculum and methodology practices which improve student outcomes. The study uses both quantitative analysis of existing school data on funding, student achievement and attendance, along with qualitative analysis based on interviews with key personnel in schools and also classroom observation of bridging/transition classes. |