Interviews, project documents, and parent responses provided information for an interim evaluation of the Primary Itinerant Teacher Service, a pilot project designed to improve educational opportunities of children in the South-West Priority Country Area. In 1978, 3 itinerant teams of 2 teachers each contacted 238 students in 164 families and…

The implementation of an educational reform and the subsequent reconfiguration of curricula in a competency format prompted research into the learning experiences of students within a newly reconfigured competency-based curriculum. The curriculum was the technical and further education (TAFE) New South Wales (NSW) Tertiary Preparation Certificate…

Discusses adult education in Australian aboriginal communities, highlighting the contested place of English in curriculum and assessment and advocating a more complex understanding of these communities' dynamism. Raises questions of culture, identity, and colonialism while focusing on the teacher's role in critical literacy programs. (Eight…

Discusses the concept of transitions in early childhood classrooms, illustrates their usefulness for staff and children, and discusses the suitability of such activities in an early childhood program. Suggests that provision for active participation by the child, together with a planned child-centered outcome, allows transitions to be a most…

Examines praise as one of the ways children learn how to play an appropriate role in the school environment. Presents an analysis of praise during group discussion in four child-care centers. Suggests that in all four centers, children were being schooled in passivity rather than being encouraged to be active problem solvers and knowledge seekers.…

Employed an interpretive methodology to examine interrelations between teacher and student actions in a context of teaching and learning in a grade-11 chemistry class. Teacher and student goals, beliefs about teacher and learner roles, and constructions of the context were coherent to such an extent that there was little impetus for change. (24…

A survey of 172 Australian teacher educators investigated perceptions concerning the future research and teaching roles of teacher educators, status of teacher education in the universities, and relationships between teacher educators, schools, and government. Forecasts were generally pessimistic, especially concerning autonomy of teacher…

Presents a study of the effect of differences in reading strategies on the construction of meaning from novel length text. Discusses relevant psychological theory. Hypothesizes effects of differing strategies in reading the book "Animal Farm." Concludes that teacher-directed reading provides a depth of meaning not found when students…

An Australian oral/aural program for students with hearing impairments fosters independence and independent learning by teaching cognitive and metacognitive skills. Factors attributing to the program's success include careful planning for integration, a clear understanding of support teachers' roles, special programs to meet individual needs, and…

Presents a case study of power relationships among four- and five-year old girls in Australia that illustrates how the roles that children may use in play can contribute to the analysis of race relations between children. Understanding parallels between racial power distributions in society and in play requires careful observation. (SLD)

Presents the author's personal experiences teaching art to Australian children of Vietnamese background. Most Vietnamese art students feel most comfortable with a formal approach to schooling and to artwork. Understanding students' culture assists the teacher in planning projects that affirm their skills and talents. (SLD)

Identifies two frameworks that limit teachers' vision: (1) a transmission perspective on learning; and (2) a limiting conception of and anxious approach to technology. This study helped teachers break free of these restraints by providing an opportunity to become learners in a technological context based on developmentalist views of teaching and…

Reports on an innovative program that allowed preservice and classroom teachers to have personal experience with a constructivist approach to learning science. Preservice and classroom teachers collaborated to prepare, implement, and evaluate a simple hands-on science-teaching project that focused on learner acquisition of knowledge through active…

Discusses the effect of extreme trauma on the ability of students to learn and ways for teachers to effectively help survivors. The article suggests some practical strategies and insights, using principles of effective language acquisition to inform a range of teaching and learning styles. (22 references) (Author/CK)

The paper reports some of the findings of a qualitative case study that examined the perceptions of the role of cooperating teachers as they supported pre-service teacher colleagues. The study revealed a number of significant issues related to professional learning and teachers' "ways of knowing". One of the most significant results to…