Academic literature on the topic 'Teacher effectiveness Victoria Melbourne'

Des English was a person of great charm, innovation, and inner strength. His early death at the age of 44 in 1977 came as a bitter blow not only for his family but for the many teachers and parents he had influenced and guided in respectively providing and in seeking educational opportunities for children with disabilities. Des grew up in a small town in Victoria called Donnybrook, north of Melbourne. He was educated by the Marist Brothers at Kilmore College, and in the 50’s trained as a primary teacher at Geelong Teachers College, from which he gained an extension of one year to study as a Special Teacher at Melbourne Teachers College. His first appointment was as an Opportunity Grade teacher at North Melbourne State School. His talent for leadership surfaced early and in his second appointment he became Principal of Footscray Special School for children and adolescents with intellectual disability. Throughout the rest of his career he gained one promotion after another to the Principal positions at Ormond, Travencore and St. Alban’s Special schools. I was fortunate to work as a deputy principal with him throughout his last two appointments.

The brush-tailed phascogale (Phascogale tapoatafa tapoatafa) is a marsupial threatened in Victoria by habitat fragmentation and modification. As part of the development of infrastructure in phascogale habitat, Melbourne Water was required to improve habitat for the phascogale. We aimed to develop and test a method for monitoring phascogales on Melbourne Water land, and to assess the effectiveness of habitat improvements. Trapping, nest boxes, and cameras were all successful in detecting phascogales; however, cameras had the highest detection per unit effort. We suggest that future monitoring should favour camera surveys with trapping potentially every 3–5 years for acquisition of physical data.

This year marks the first decade of operations for the Gene Technology Access Centre (GTAC). The decade has seen a grassroots initiative by a small group of eminent research scientists and dedicated personnel from the University High School in Melbourne grow into a specialist education centre in cell and molecular biology that attracts over 6000 students and their teachers each year. GTAC has not only refocused student and teacher attention on the interdisciplinary nature of contemporary biology, but has also highlighted how a ?centre model for learning?, based upon collaboration and partnerships, can exist within ?the school system? and meet the needs of students and teachers from across Victoria and beyond.

In a desperate 2020 Covid-inspired pivot, the early childhood team at Victoria University, Melbourne, introduced remote placements for their early childhood teacher students. This was represented through RPEC @ VU (Remote Placements in Early Childhood at Victoria University), and when an online blog post about RPEC@VU reached Ireland, the VU team were contacted by the early childhood team at Dublin City University, who were similarly introducing remote placement for their students. On opposite sides of the world, each team working in isolation in their own country, these educators connected to share ideas, insights and inspiration. From the redesign of thinking and practice in response to the pandemic, unforeseen opportunities were generated. This paper presents a case study exploring the shared values that brought the early childhood teams from these two institutions together and that continue to sustain the partnership. A vibrant international collaboration continues to be built across the two institutions.

Corrective feedback has been studied for decades in classrooms both for children and adults. Among different subjects, language learning, especially second language (L2) learning is one of the significant targets of corrective feedback studies. Compared to English and other European languages, however, Chinese as L2 classroom has get little attention. This paper investigates what types of corrective feedback (CF) a teacher of Chinese working at a secondary school in Melbourne provided to what kinds of errors made by students, and the effectiveness of each CF type. The data was obtained from 2 random lessons and the parts involving CF were transcribed to further analyze. The results suggest that Chinese beginners made more mistakes in pronunciation and vocabulary than in grammar, however, the teacher provided feedback to all of the lexical and grammatical errors, ignoring nearly half of the phonological mistakes. In addition, the overall effectiveness of CF was not satisfactory, especially for elicitations and recasts, which were used the most commonly by the teacher. Some pedagogical implications for Chinese teaching and Chinese teacher training are also provided.

This paper examines how the British administration of the Federated Malay States (FMS) developed Normal Class to improve teacher training in English schools from 1906 to 1917. The 1902 Education Act, which made significant provisions for secondary and technical education and led to the rapid growth of training colleges in England and Wales, had an effect on the development of teacher training for English schools in the FMS. Following the suggestion of R.J. Wilkinson, Normal Classes for the training of assistant teachers commenced in January 1905 at the Victoria Institution. Initially, students from Victoria Institution and the Methodist Boy’s School were used to test the effectiveness of Normal Class. The success of Normal Class at Victoria Institution led to the opening of more such classes in the states of Perak, Melaka and Penang. Teacher training was emphasized to not only improve the quality of education in English schools but also to attract foreign investors to advance the economy especially of urban areas. This article focuses on the implementation of Normal Classes in Selangor and Perak. It has been found that, prior to the First World War, Normal Classes in Kuala Lumpur turned out to be more successful than in Perak. Teacher training in Kuala Lumpur, the administrative centre of the FMS, was desired to increase the number of local officials capable of speaking English in government departments. There was also considerable demand among capitalists for Normal Classes in English schools.

Beberapa tahun belakangan ini telah terjadi krisis pembelajaran bahasa Indonesia di Australia. Padahal, pembelajaran bahasa Indonesia berperan sebagai soft diplomacy yang memanfaatkan strategi kebahasaan guna membangun pengertian dan akhirnya terjalin kerja sama antarnegara. Masalah penelitian ini adalah bagaimana eksistensi program bahasa Indonesia dan krisis pembelajaran bahasa Indonesia di Australia? dan bagaimana keterlibatan diaspora Indonesia di Australia dalam menguatkan pembelajaran bahasa Indonesia di Australia. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah mengungkapkan eksistensi program bahasa Indonesia dan krisis pembelajaran bahasa Indonesia di Australia, serta keterlibatan diaspora Indonesia dalam penguatan pembelajaran bahasa Indonesia di Australia. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode deskriptif kualitatif dengan pendekatan pembelajaran bahasa kedua untuk menggali kegiatan program bahasa yang diikuti oleh diaspora dalam meningkatkan minat dan pemerolehan bahasa pemelajar bahasa Indonesia di Australia. Sumber data utama yang digunakan adalah program kegiatan diaspora Indonesia di Australia, khususnya di Melbourne, Victoria pada tahun 2017, antara lain Huntingtower Immersion day, Victorian Indonesian Language Teacher Association Immersion Day, Indonesian Food and Trade Festival, perayaan Hari Batik Nasional di KJRI Melbourne, dan program bahasa Indonesia di The University of Melbourne. Sementara itu, data pendukung yang digunakan, yaitu buku dan referensi lain terkait dengan kegiatan diaspora Indonesia dan pembelajaran bahasa Indonesia di Australia. Pengumpulan data dilakukan melalui dokumen, observasi langsung, dan wawancara mendalam dengan diaspora Indonesia di Australia. Proses analisis data, antara lain mengklasifikasi data kegiatan diaspora yang mendukung pembelajaran bahasa Indonesia; menganalisis data sesuai dengan topik penelitian; dan menyimpulkan hasil analisis. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa telah terjadi krisis pembelajaran bahasa Indonesia di Australia dengan adanya penutupan program bahasa Indonesia seiring dengan penurunan minat pemelajar bahasa indonesia. Diaspora Indonesia turut mendukung penguatan pembelajaran bahasa Indonesia, antara lain melaksanakan immersion day (kelas imersi/pembauran); pemahaman budaya Indonesia melalui pagelaran batik dan festival makanan Indonesia; dan Indonesian language teacher assistant atau dosen tamu di program bahasa Indonesia. Program kegiatan yang dilakukan oleh diaspora Indonesia, baik melalui sekolah, universitas, organisasi pengajar bahasa Indonesia di Australia, maupun perkumpulan orang Australia dan Indonesia tersebut diharapkan dapat menarik minat pemelajar bahasa Indonesia.

AbstractThree delivery modes (facilitated by a teacher alone, facilitated by a teacher and supported by psychologist and delivered by the psychologist only) and two formats (paper and pencil vs. computer) of a coping skills program were compared and assessed for outcomes. The sample of 222 Year 8 students was drawn from a large government school in metropolitan Melbourne. Results indicated that a significant change was present across time, independent of delivery model. Analyses showed that the delivery groups changed differently across time. A significant change was obtained for the coping style Reference to Others. Participants in the Supported Teacher and Computer-based groups increased their usage of the coping style Reference to Others, whereas the Teacher Facilitated group decreased the use of this style. A significant change was obtained between time and delivery group for the strategies seeking social support and seeking professional help. The Supported Teacher and Computed-based groups increased their use of these strategies, while the Teacher Facilitated group decreased. The results suggest that implementation support may have enhanced program effectiveness.

Teacher effectiveness has a powerful impact on student performance and a teacher evaluation process that supports professional growth can be a key lever for improving teaching quality. The purpose of this study was to examine teacher perspectives on the use of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, when used as part of their evaluation process, and, to determine what other factors may need to be considered in the design and implementation of such a process. A single case study of a school in Victoria, Australia was conducted, using a pre and post interview approach with six teachers. Responses were analysed using a thematic network methodology. Findings reveal that the inclusion of The Standards as part of any evaluation mechanism is secondary to a range of other factors, including the relationship the teacher has with their evaluator; the skills of the evaluator; and the addition of a developmental plan post evaluation.

This paper shows that bilingual education has a long tradition in Australia. In the 19th century, primary and secondary schools operating German-English, French-English or Gaelic-English programs, or ones with a Hebrew component, existed in different parts of Australia. The most common bilingual schools were Lutheran rural day schools but there were also many private schools. They believed in the universal value of bilingualism, and some attracted children from English-speaking backgrounds. Bilingual education was for language maintenance, ethno-religious continuity or second language acquisition. The languages were usually divided according to subject and time of day or teacher. The programs were strongest in Melbourne, Adelaide and rural South Australia and Victoria. In Queensland, attitudes and settlement patterns led to the earlier demise of bilingual education. The education acts led to a decline in bilingual education except in elitist girls or rural primary schools and an increase in part-time language programs. Bilingual education was stopped by wartime legislation. It is intended that bilingualism can flourish unless monolingualism is given special preference.

AbstractFatal and Severe Injuries (FSI) to vulnerable road users is a major road safety problem internationally. Recent resolutions by the Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety called for a blanket 30 km/h speed limit in urban areas to address this problem. A project undertaken in Melbourne, Australia, set out to evaluate the effectiveness and benefits of a lower speed limit in a local residential area in the City of Yarra. The intervention comprised replacing 40 km/h speed limit signs in the treated area with 30 km/h signs with an adjacent untreated control area. A before and after study was employed with speed, resident surveys, and estimated safety benefits as measures of its success. Modest reductions in mean speed were observed in the after-phase of the study while benefits were impressive for vehicles travelling at higher speed levels where the risk of severe injury or death is greater. These findings represent an estimated 4% reduction in the risk of severe injury for pedestrians in the event of a collision. Questionnaire responses showed an increased degree of support for the 30 km/h speed limit in local streets in the trial area. The implication of these findings for road safety is discussed, along with the challenges and potential hurdles. Lower speed limits in local streets and municipalities is one important measure to help address vulnerable road users in residential local streets.

AbstractFatal and Severe Injuries (FSI) to vulnerable road users is a major road safety problem internationally. Recent resolutions by the Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety called for a blanket 30 km/h speed limit in urban areas to address this problem. A project undertaken in Melbourne, Australia, set out to evaluate the effectiveness and benefits of a lower speed limit in a local residential area in the City of Yarra. The intervention comprised replacing 40 km/h speed limit signs in the treated area with 30 km/h signs with an adjacent untreated control area. A before and after study was employed with speed, resident surveys, and estimated safety benefits as measures of its success. Modest reductions in mean speed were observed in the after-phase of the study while benefits were impressive for vehicles travelling at higher speed levels where the risk of severe injury or death is greater. These findings represent an estimated 4% reduction in the risk of severe injury for pedestrians in the event of a collision. Questionnaire responses showed an increased degree of support for the 30 km/h speed limit in local streets in the trial area. The implication of these findings for road safety is discussed, along with the challenges and potential hurdles. Lower speed limits in local streets and municipalities is one important measure to help address vulnerable road users in residential local streets.

This chapter explores the human element in the learning space through the notion that once a learning space is inhabited, it becomes a learning place of agency, purpose and community involving both staff and students. The School of Languages and Learning at Victoria University in Melbourne has initiated a multifaceted peer learning support strategy, ‘Students Supporting Student Learning' (SSSL), involving the deployment of student peer mentors into various physical and virtual learning spaces. The chapter discusses the dynamics of peer learning across these learning space settings and the challenges involved in instituting the shift from teacher- to learning-centred pedagogies within such spaces. Both physical and virtual dimensions are considered, with the SNAPVU Platform introduced as a strategy for facilitating virtual learning communities of practice in which staff, mentors, and students will be able to engage in mutual learning support. The chapter concludes with calls for the explicit inclusion of peer learning in the operational design of learning spaces.

This chapter explores the human element in the learning space through the notion that once a learning space is inhabited, it becomes a learning place of agency, purpose and community involving both staff and students. The School of Languages and Learning at Victoria University in Melbourne has initiated a multifaceted peer learning support strategy, ‘Students Supporting Student Learning’ (SSSL), involving the deployment of student peer mentors into various physical and virtual learning spaces. The chapter discusses the dynamics of peer learning across these learning space settings and the challenges involved in instituting the shift from teacher- to learning-centred pedagogies within such spaces. Both physical and virtual dimensions are considered, with the SNAPVU Platform introduced as a strategy for facilitating virtual learning communities of practice in which staff, mentors, and students will be able to engage in mutual learning support. The chapter concludes with calls for the explicit inclusion of peer learning in the operational design of learning spaces.

The Australian Catholic University (ACU National at www.acu.edu.au) is a public university funded by the Australian Government. There are six campuses across the country, located in Brisbane, Queensland; North Sydney, New South Wales; Strathfield, New South Wales; Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT); Ballarat, Victoria; and Melbourne, Victoria. The university serves a total of approximately 27,000 students, including both full- and part-time students, and those enrolled in undergraduate and postgraduate studies. Through fostering and advancing knowledge in education, health, commerce, the humanities, science and technology, and the creative arts, ACU National seeks to make specific and targeted contributions to its local, national, and international communities. The university explicitly engages the social, ethical, and religious dimensions of the questions it faces in teaching, research, and service. In its endeavors, it is guided by a fundamental concern for social justice, equity, and inclusivity. The university is open to all, irrespective of religious belief or background. ACU National opened its doors in 1991 following the amalgamation of four Catholic tertiary institutions in eastern Australia. The institutions that merged to form the university had their origins in the mid-17th century when religious orders and institutes became involved in the preparation of teachers for Catholic schools and, later, nurses for Catholic hospitals. As a result of a series of amalgamations, relocations, transfers of responsibilities, and diocesan initiatives, more than twenty historical entities have contributed to the creation of ACU National. Today, ACU National operates within a rapidly changing educational and industrial context. Student numbers are increasing, areas of teaching and learning have changed and expanded, e-learning plays an important role, and there is greater emphasis on research. In its 2005–2009 Strategic Plan, the university commits to the adoption of quality teaching, an internationalized curriculum, as well as the cultivation of generic skills in students, to meet the challenges of the dynamic university and information environment (ACU National, 2008). The Graduate Diploma of Education (Secondary) Program at ACU Canberra Situated in Australia’s capital city, the Canberra campus is one of the smallest campuses of ACU National, where there are approximately 800 undergraduate and 200 postgraduate students studying to be primary or secondary school teachers through the School of Education (ACT). Other programs offered at this campus include nursing, theology, social work, arts, and religious education. A new model of pre-service secondary teacher education commenced with the introduction of the Graduate Diploma of Education (Secondary) program at this campus in 2005. It marked an innovative collaboration between the university and a cohort of experienced secondary school teachers in the ACT and its surrounding region. This partnership was forged to allow student teachers undertaking the program to be inducted into the teaching profession with the cooperation of leading practitioners from schools in and around the ACT. In the preparation of novices for the teaching profession, an enduring challenge is to create learning experiences capable of transforming practice, and to instill in the novices an array of professional skills, attributes, and competencies (Putnam & Borko, 2000). Another dimension of the beginning teacher experience is the need to bridge theory and practice, and to apply pedagogical content knowledge in real-life classroom practice. During the one-year Graduate Diploma program, the student teachers undertake two four-week block practicum placements, during which they have the opportunity to observe exemplary lessons, as well as to commence teaching. The goals of the practicum include improving participants’ access to innovative pedagogy and educational theory, helping them situate their own prior knowledge regarding pedagogy, and assisting them in reflecting on and evaluating their own practice. Each student teacher is paired with a more experienced teacher based at the school where he/she is placed, who serves as a supervisor and mentor. In 2007, a new dimension to the teaching practicum was added to facilitate online peer mentoring among the pre-service teachers at the Canberra campus of ACU National, and provide them with opportunities to reflect on teaching prior to entering full-time employment at a school. The creation of an online community to facilitate this mentorship and professional development process forms the context for the present case study. While on their practicum, students used social software in the form of collaborative web logging (blogging) and threaded voice discussion tools that were integrated into the university’s course management system (CMS), to share and reflect on their experiences, identify critical incidents, and invite comment on their responses and reactions from peers.