This paper examines the current shape of teacher professional learning, or in-service teacher education, in Australia. Increasingly, teacher professional learning is positioned as both a sure-fire solution to some of the intransigent educational problems of our time, as well as a policy problem in and of itself. In this paper I explore some of the…

The major aim of this study was to examine the relationship between teachers' curriculum preferences in the primary school and the relative value they place on PE compared to other key learning areas (KLAs) of the primary curriculum. Data were collected from 422 pre-service and 63 in-service classroom teachers. Results suggested that most…

This article presents an Australian case study of the experiences of curriculum workers involved in professional development for primary school teachers in the New Social Studies and their perceptions of the curricular and pedagogical challenges facing those teachers in the 1970s and 1980s. It draws on data gathered primarily through "oral…

With the advent of new technologies, methods of blended learning are used in online mathematics classrooms to facilitate interactions and provide a richer experience for students. This paper analyses data obtained from practising teachers during their participation in two postgraduate mathematics courses. We conclude that discussion forum…

The implementation of the Australian Curriculum: Science across the compulsory years of schooling (F-10) in most Australian states this year, requires science teachers to address the teaching of scientific argumentation in their classrooms. To attend to this challenge, we conducted an argumentation professional development program with practicing…

This article reports on a study that investigated a professional development initiative in Australia to address a decline in reading comprehension scores in the middle and upper years of Primary school. It describes the professional learning journey of a middle primary teacher and his literacy coach over a period of 12 months as they worked to…

While the ready-made Lego[TM] Robotics kits are popular in schools and are used by students at both primary and secondary year levels, using the Picaxe microcontroller (chip) to create simple electronic devices, including robotic devices is less popular. The latter imposes an additional challenge as a result of the need to construct the universal…

This paper explores the formative basis of the professional reflective practice of in-service science teachers through their reconstruction of their pre-service interaction with lecturing staff. It reports through the voice of graduates of the Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Teaching double degree program of Avondale College, NSW who are currently…

This paper takes up an ongoing dialogue in the educational literature regarding the relationship between complexity theories and action research. Recognising the contributions of other writers in this field and building on arguments made previously by the authors, this paper argues that there "are" multiple synergies between complexity…

This article develops an expanded, collaborative and structured view of the process of critiquing observed lesson fragments and shows how this process can be used as a model for developing students' understanding and thinking about teaching and learning processes. The authors introduce Carter's (2007) notion of a meta-genre, "[a] way of doing…

This paper considers the professional development of a group of 75 primary and secondary teachers in Melbourne, Victoria, who had been charged with the responsibility of leading the professional learning of their colleagues in their schools. To support these leaders of professional learning in their roles, the Victorian state government's…

Argues that the responsibility for the productivity of teachers must be shared by preservice institutions, professional teachers' associations, the school, and the individual teacher. Lists in-service activities used in a specific school district and presents a brief account of a review of reading-related language activities undertaken in that…

This study discusses innovation in the inservice education and training of teachers (INSET) in Australia. Section I discusses the background of the structure of the Australian school system, the role INSET plays in the educational system, national, state, and local policy and structuring, and various other aspects of Australian education. Section…

Concludes that the majority of Australia's teachers colleges have adapted to the need for literature courses that prepare students to be teachers rather than scholars. (Author/RB)