The teaching portfolio has been proposed as a useful management tool for monitoring and improving teaching. It is one of the accountability mechanisms that universities have introduced in a market-oriented environment. However, there has been considerable resistance to the compulsory introduction of teaching portfolios from a wide range of…

Part 3 of this five part project asks students of the Tasmanian region of Australia to explore the history of Port Arthur, a 19th century penal colony located in Tasmania. The project is based on three ideas: (1) studying history can be educational and enjoyable; (2) imagination is an essential part of studying history; and (3) history is most of…

The studies reported in this paper provide evidence that the introduction of self-paced curriculum materials into learning environments where they had not been previously used produces changes in pupils' perceptions of their environments and in the manner in which these function, even when the teachers' beliefs about effective teaching are…

This resource review is designed to assist secondary school teachers in Queensland, Australia. It describes 19 science resource materials for use in grades 8-10. The information presented on each resource includes: (1) Background of resource material; (2) Student material; (3) Teacher material; (4) General description; (5) Readability; (6)…

Because of geographical isolation, a number of Queensland children cannot attend regular primary schools, and their education must be based at home. In 1979, 1,528 children were enrolled in the Primary Correspondence School. Children in the program receive lesson papers, textbooks and audio-visual items in the major subject areas of language arts,…

This report presents an analysis of information about the teaching styles used by parents of children enrolled in the Queensland Preschool Correspondence Program in Australia. Structured interviews conducted with a sample of 47 mothers in their own homes provided the basis for analysis and categorization of teaching styles. Interviews cover such…

This resource review provides information on a wide range of mathematical aids currently available to teachers in Queensland (Australia) primary schools, and is arranged in the form of a report about each aid. The aids are classified as general aids, specific aids, or games. Each report contains details regarding suppliers and costs, a photograph…

This report presents an analysis of parents' perceptions and judgments of the Queensland Pre-School Correspondence Program in Australia. Through the correspondence program, resources and guides were offered to parents living in remote rural areas of Queensland to help them provide home learning experiences for their preschool-age children. A…

A first report on an attempt to introduce a second language, specifically German, in four state schools in Australia. The rationale, details about the program, a summary of the teaching, the relationship between FLES, bilingual education and general language programs, and the question of continuity are discussed. (AMH)

In the past, it has not been possible to "teach oneself to read" at home, because learners could not read the books to teach them. Videos and interactive compact discs have changed that situation and challenge current assumptions of the pedagogy of literacy. This article describes an experimental adult literacy project using video…

A cooperative venture between the University of New South Wales Faculty of Biological Science and the Department of Education is described, which has resulted in the setting up of a special unit within the university to supply teaching materials to New South Wales government high schools. (Author/JN)

Investigates changing teacher roles associated with two teachers' use of innovative mathematics materials at Grade Six. Findings indicate that one teacher demonstrated little change in either espoused beliefs or observed practice while the other teacher demonstrated increasing comfort in posing non-routine problems to students and allowing them to…

The effectiveness of federally sponsored curricular materials--ORIGINS (for 10- to 16-year-old students) and SMILE (for 5- to 7-year-old students)--designed to teach English to non-native English speakers within the Australian school system was studied. Results of the multimethod assessment indicate that the centrally produced materials were…

This paper discusses issues in instructional material development for rural gifted children in Australia. Issues include who should develop curriculum materials, what form should enrichment materials take, which theoretical frameworks are appropriate, and how should content be selected. Interdisciplinary materials used in developing a unit in…

Subjects forced to process redundant material or split their attention between multiple sources of information may encounter extraneous cognitive load. Results of 4 experiments involving 125 fourth graders in Sydney (Australia) provide evidence for the inadequacy of conventionally formatted instructional materials and emphasize debilitating…