Based on a three-semester design research study, this paper argues the need to redesign online learning environments to better support the representation and sharing of factual, procedural, and conceptual knowledge in order for students to develop their design capabilities. A web-conferencing environment is redesigned so that the modalities…

Open educational resources (OER) have become new buzzwords in the glocalization of education. While OER are often espoused as enabling educational equity, the reality is not always the case. Looking only at the positives of new educational methods can mask perpetuating challenges, which makes the open aspect of OER a misnomer. Taking an…

Federal, State and school-based professional development has become a multi-million dollar educational enterprise in Australia. Yet there are no published models for the making of systems-level professional development policy. Reviewing the literature on the characteristics of effective professional development programs, this paper proposes a…

This paper discusses a recent Australian study of boys' education using case studies to determine successful practices. It focuses on an early childhood site where access to "discourses of power" for students and parents and a valuing of students' "action knowledge" created a particular democratic culture achieving improved…

Conductive education (CE) is an educational approach for children with cerebral palsy. This paper describes the history of conductive education, and the characteristics of current programs that exist in many countries. The underlying principles and the unique techniques used in CE programs are described. These include the role of the conductor or…

Course completion and student satisfaction is likely to be influenced by how realistic the expectations of students are when they enroll. This report explores the idea that students' expectations would be more realistic if students have well developed career management competencies. Recent research argues that lack of information is not the…

A psycho-medical discourse that explains behavioural dysfunction through neurological deficit has dominated debate about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, if only medical questions are asked, only medical answers will be found, resulting in more or less drug treatment. When behavioural dysfunction results in impairment…

This article offers an analysis of religious education practice through the literature that informs it. It engages Derrida's critique of the "metaphysics of presence" (1982a) to develop a theoretical framework for a new look at the ways in which different approaches to religious education represent religion and racial difference. The…

Article reveals the different kinds of educational programs that are being used in Australia and New Zealand and suggests that England might implement some of them. (ML)

Course completion and student satisfaction is likely to be influenced by how realistic the expectations of students are when they enrol. This report explores the idea that students' expectations would be more realistic if students have well developed career management competencies. Appended are: (1) Participant Information and Interview Protocol;…

Outcomes based education (OBE), which emphasises a radical reinterpretation of the enterprise of education, is a phenomenon enveloping the Australian compulsory education sector. This paper examines the theoretical tenets of OBE as articulated by its chief exponent, William Spady. It then explores the effects that OBE implementation is having on…

Since the mid 1990s "boys" as an equity concern have come to dominate the gender and education agenda in many countries. This has been particularly the case in Australia where substantial funding has been invested in research to investigate boys' issues, into a federal parliamentary inquiry into boys' education and into schools that have…

The Western Australian schooling system is in the final phase of the move towards Outcomes Based Education with the Post Compulsory Geography Course of Study commencing in 2007. This move has been somewhat controversial amongst politicians, teachers and parent groups, partly because of the negative press Outcomes Based Education has received in…

The paper reviews the history and considers future aspects of providing education to intellectually gifted children in Australia. The period of 1960-1975 is seen as one of limited interest in gifted education, while the years 1976-80 are classified as times of greater experimentation on a state by state basis. The third and current phase is…

This article explores some different ways of providing vocational qualifications, specifically for young people who do not go directly to university from school. The examples of Germany and Australia are discussed and show that historical, political, economic and social factors influence the preferred modes of training and their relative perceived…