Science and Mathematics Education News
Master of Numeracy Course launch success - July 2010
From Friday 23 July to Sunday 26 July, participants in the first intake of the DEECD sponsored Master of Numeracy course enjoyed their introductory intensive sessions. The course began with two subjects. Dr Max Stephens led discussions on “Building Teacher Capacity”, a subject which examines lesson study, instructional rounds and coaching, all strategies which participants can consider implementing in their schools to improve the teaching of mathematics and numeracy. Dr Stephens has extensive experience of lesson study, a highly praised tradition in Japanese schools. Professor Kaye Stacey led an examination of the relationship between numeracy and mathematics, which participants will follow up in August with an audit of numeracy demands on students across the curriculum. The new course has been successfully launched.
For more information about this course and other courses available please refer to our 2010 Subjects Page
Post-graduate Certificate in Mathematics Teaching receives media coverage in Shine Magazine - March 2010
The March issue of the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development's (DEECD) magazine, Shine, contains an article about the Post-graduate certificates in Mathematics Teaching, which are being offered for the first time in 2010.
For more information about the Energising Science and Mathematics Education in Victoria initiative visit: http://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/directions/mathsciencestrategy.htm
For a full copy of Shine Magazine visit: http://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/news/shine/shine13march2010.htm
John Dowsey receives the Bernard Neumann Award - February 2010
John Dowsey was awarded with the Bernard Neumann Award at a ceremony on February 5th, 2010. The award, which is presented annually, recognises contributions over many years to the enrichment of mathematics learning in Australia and its region. These Awards are to honour the influence of Professor Bernhard H Neumann AC) (1909 to 2002), who, after his arrival in Australia in 1962 provided outstanding leadership, support and encouragement for mathematics and the teaching of mathematics at all levels. For 8 years until 2002 John was a member of the Problems Committee of the Mathematics Challenge for Young Australians, much of which time was spent as Deputy Chair, closely working with the Chair in developing the materials.
Since 2002 John has maintained his role in this work as a moderator, but he has also continued with his work in a number of other roles, particularly as a member of the committee of five mathematicians who compose the problems for the Australian Intermediate Mathematical Olympiad (AIMO), which is essentially the national Olympiad for students up to year 10. The award was presented by Peter Taylor, the Executive Director of the Australian Mathematics Trust.
John Dowsey displays his Bernard Neumann Award
ARC Success for Dr Robyn Pierce and Helen Chick - October 2009
Dr Robyn Pierce and Dr Helen Chick are the recipients of a 2010 Australian Research Council Linkage Grant for their project " Statistical literacy in the education workplace: Barriers and enablers for school personnel making data-driven decisions" In partnership with the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority, Robyn and Helen will undertake research with other academics from the University of Melbourne's Mathematics and Statistics Department into the better use of quantitative data to monitor processes and improve quality in the workplace. The project will study data usage by school personnel, which will provide evidence from which to enhance professional learning in data interpretation for both pre- and in-service teachers. The resulting research template has application for examining (a) statistical literacy needs in other sectors and (b) workers' perceptions of quantitative data used to inform decision-making.
Science and Maths Education inspires international students - September 2009
This year, as with other years, a diverse range of international academics and students have visited the Science and Mathematics Education Cluster. From March to September the Cluster hosted a student, named Hwa Tee Yong, who was a recipient of Malaysia's 2009 Endeaver Research Fellowship Awards. He chose to write about his experience and how it has inspired him to continue his study and pursue a career in Education:
"I am honoured to be one of the Malaysian recipients of the 2009 Endeavour Research Fellowship. This award had given me a golden opportunity to carry out a research study in Australia entitled “Development and Validation of Mathematical Thinking Assessment Framework: A Comparison Study between Australia and Malaysia Perspectives” in order to build upon my doctorate study at Universiti Sains Malaysia. I had chosen The University of Melbourne as my host university because it is a leading Australian research university. Under the guidance and supervision of Professor Kaye Stacey and Dr. Max Stephens from Mathematics and Science Education cluster within the Faculty of Education, I completed my research work in several Melbourne secondary schools. This was an unusual and valuable experience as the research culture here is very different from my home country, particularly in obtaining ethics approval and negotiating with each teacher. I had learnt to interact with the teachers and students involved and gained much knowledge throughout the study.
I arrived in Melbourne on the 26th March 2009 with my family looking forward to a new experience abroad and six months later I am writing this article with warm feeling and fond memories of the city. During the six months stay, I got to know the friendly and helpful staff of University of Melbourne especially the Mathematics Education staff better. There were moments of joy, excitement, fun, happiness, triumph and surprise which spiced up our lives in Melbourne city.
I had attended lectures and seminars conducted by the university lecturers as well as visiting lecturers from other countries which enriched my knowledge on mathematics education. In addition, I had also presented seminars related to my research studies at The University of Melbourne, Monash University and the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia (MERGA) conference in Wellington, New Zealand and received constructive comments from the audience. All these had widened my horizon as a researcher and opened doors for future cross cultural collaborations.
My two daughters, Amanda and Zofia, attended Victorian Government Schools for two school terms and really enjoyed their experiences of schooling in Australia. The Victorian School Education System has much to offer even though it has a different focus as compared to Malaysian schools. Both Amanda and Zofia adapted well to the new environment. They made new friends and flourished in their respective schools. Indeed, their experiences in Australia are going to be life time memories for them to share among their peers in Malaysia.
As my family travelled around different parts of Australia, we were fascinated by the beauty and ruggedness of the Australian nature and landscape. The famous Sydney Opera House, the magnificent Great Ocean Road including The Twelve Apostles rock formations, the cute little penguins of Phillip Island, the historical site of Port Arthur in Tasmania and many more. The biodiversity of the Australian flora and fauna also amazed us a lot; in fact, we are particularly impressed with the environmentaly friendly way of managing the various tourist attractions that we had visited.
After concluding the Endeavour Research Fellowship Award, I will continue pursuing my doctorate degree in my home country. Upon completion of the doctorate degree, I will serve as a lecturer with Universiti Teknologi MARA Malaysia. I would like to thank the Endeavour Award Team for making my dream come true, I believe that my experiences with Endeavour Awards is a never ending story."
Strong Melbourne Representation in Hamburg at ICTMA14 – July 2009
The Australian contingent at ICTMA14, the fourteenth International Conference on Teaching Mathematical Modelling and Applications held in Hamburg, Germany, in July. MGSE staff and students made a strong impression on the international mathematical modelling and applications community. Dr Gloria Stillman gave a keynote address on Applying Metacognitive Knowledge and Strategies in Applications and Modelling Tasks at Secondary School. Together with Associate Professor Peter Galbraith, Gloria also reported on the Evolution of Applications and Modelling in a Senior Secondary Curriculum, namely, the Queensland senior secondary mathematics curriculum. Others from SME included Dr Max Stephens and postgraduate students and former students such as Dr Dawn Ng.
Dr Gloria Stillman gives her keynote address (above)
|
|
Photos: copyright ICTMA/ Raupach www.thomas-raupach.de
Photo: copyright ICTMA/ Raupach www.thomas-raupach.de
The Australian delegation was resplendent in their black T-shirts (above) which sported the logo of ICTMA 15 to be held in Melbourne in July, 2011.
ICTMA15 – Melbourne, July 2011
In 2011, ICTMA15, the fifteenth International Conference on Teaching Mathematical Modelling and Applications will be held in Melbourne jointly at the University of Melbourne, Parkville, and the Australian Catholic University, Fitzroy. It will be co-chaired by Gloria Stillman of the University of Melbourne and Jill Brown of the Melbourne campus of ACU. In the lead up to the conference, it is intended to publish collections of modelling tasks for primary and secondary schools. ICTMA was last in Australia in 1997 when ICTMA 8, chaired by Peter Galbraith and George Booker, was held in Brisbane. Teachers and students are expected to play a big role in ICTMA15 with a Mathematical Modelling Challenge on the lines of the annual AB Paterson Mathematical Modelling Challenge on the Gold Coast to be held in Melbourne in July. Interstate teams will be invited to attend.
Gloria Stillman invited as a keynote speaker at the AME Mathematics Teachers’ Conference in Singapore - June 2009
On June 4, 2009, the Singapore Association of Mathematics Educators held its fifth Mathematics Teachers Conference organised jointly with the Mathematics and Mathematics Education Academic group at the National Institute of Education (NIE). The theme of the conference was Mathematical Applications and Modelling. Mathematical modelling is one of the processes introduced in the 2007 revised mathematics framework for Singapore. The ICTMA president, Professor Gabriele Kaiser, set the tone for the conference when she gave the opening keynote lecture on Mathematical Modelling in School - Examples and Experiences. Dr Gloria Stillman of SME was also an invited keynote speaker. Gloria spoke on Implementing Applications and Modelling in Secondary School: Issues for Teaching and Learning. She followed this up with a workshop, Designing and using modelling tasks at the secondary school level. Other keynote lectures were presented by Barry Kissane (Using ICT for Applications of Mathematics) and Jayuthsing Dindyal (Models and modelling in mathematics at the primary level). The conference was very successful with many teachers and academics attending. For more details of the Association of Mathematics Educators in Singapore visit their website, http://math.nie.edu.sg/ame/. Keynote presentations are available for download from this site.
President of AME, Berinderjeet Kaur, with Keynote and other invited speakers.
Photo Source: Association of Mathematics Educators, Singapore
Science and Maths Education to play major part in ISDDE conference in September 2009
This year the University of Melbourne and the Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers are organising the 5th Annual Conference of the International Society for Design and Development in Education (website http://www.isdde.org/isdde/index.htm) from Monday 28 September 2009 - Thursday 1st October, 2009 in Cairns, Queensland, Australia. The conference chair is Professor Kaye Stacey of the Melbourne Graduate School of Education.
This conference will bring together outstanding designers, design project leaders and curriculum innovators from around the world. There is a general, but not exclusive interest, in science and mathematics educational design. The conference is intended to foster interaction and discussion, and will be organised around five working groups: (i) Design of classroom materials (ii) Design of curriculum documents (iii) Design of educational software (iv) Design of assessment and (v) Designing for system change (including teacher development). On the first night, the ISDDE prize for excellence in educational design, commonly called the “Eddy”, will be awarded.
To encourage interaction, pllaces are limited, so attendance at the conference by non-ISDDE members is by invitation only. However we would encourage designers, researchers and curriculum leaders in this field who feel affinity with the goals of the society to submit a short (about 150 words) account of how their work relates to the focus of one of the working groups. Invitations will be issued on the basis of these. Submissions should be emailed to Melinda Pearson (admin@aamt.edu.au) with the subject line "Request for ISDDE09 invitation".
The Mathematics Education team embarks on "phase three" for the Department of Education and Early Childhood Develpoment - March 2009
The Mathematics Education team have just entered into another project on the Mathematics Developmental Continuum P – 10. This project will see Level 1-3 enhancements with indicators of progress, teaching strategies and accompanying materials specifically linked to the Mathematics Online Interview questions.
Work will be done to develop new indicators of progress which will include the areas of:
- Counting with a focus on skip counting from x by a single digit number
- Counting strategies with a focus on four digit numbers, using for example ‘ten more’ and ‘one hundred less’
- Counting and manipulating money
- Manipulating large numbers up to 1 million
- Multi-digit addition and subtraction with a focus on mental strategies & estimation
- Multi-digit multiplication & division with a focus on mental strategies & estimation
- Time with a focus on linking digital and analogue time
- Measurement with a focus on formal quantities
It is expected that the project will be completed by the end of May, 2009.
Research Funding Success for Dr Robyn Pierce and Dr Helen Chick - March 2009
After submitting an application in December 2008, Dr Robyn Pierce and Dr Helen Chick were selected as successful recipients of the Melbourne Graduate School of Education's Staff Competitive Research Grants. With a project title of "Statistical literacy for teachers: Making the most of system data" Dr Pierce, Dr Chick and others aim to classify the statistical literacy teachers need to gain value from reports, and pilot items to ascertain the attitudes and perceptions that enable or pose barriers to teachers’ engagement with statistics. Statistical literacy will be gauged using a current Australian framework. It is hoped that the theory of planned behaviour will provide a fresh approach to identifying the affective factors, with the results to be used to form the development of a research instrument for a future ARC-Linkage project. The project had an official start date of March 4th and work is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Knowledge Transfer in action; Melbourne University and Monash University Research Forum - February 2009
On February 6th, Science and Mathematics Education hosted a day-long event aimed at fostering the sharing of knowledge and research interests between staff and postgraduate students from Melbourne University and Monash University as well as the DEECD, VCAA and the Catholic Education Office. The emphasis was on interaction, with attendees being able to take part in open forums as well as choose between interesting presentations by academic researchers and postgraduate students. Subjects covered included:
- Using mathematical competencies to fight syllabusitis: A matrix structuring of teachers work and development. Presented by Tomas Hojgaard, Aarhas University, Denmark.
- Exploring the relationship between tasks, teacher actions and student preferences. Presented by Peter Sullivan, Doug Clarke and Barbara Clarke, Monash University.
- Helping Teachers To Make Effective Use of Real-World Examples in Statistics. Presented by Helen Chick and Robyn Pierce, University of Melbourne
For a copy of the abstracts please click here. The event was such a great success that similar days are already being planned.
(above: some photos from the days' events)
Dr Gloria Stillman receives an Australian Award for Excellence in Educational Publishing - August 2008
The book "Teaching Secondary School Mathematics: Research & Practice for the 21st Century" has been announced as the Scholarly Reference Category Winner 2008 at the Australian Awards for Excellence in Educational Publishing. The judges have stated that the book, authored by Merrilyn Goos, Gloria Stillman and Colleen Vale and published by Allen and Unwin, contains "fundamental pedagogy that is brilliant, and research and content that is current" and that its "research base is excellent for upskilling teachers."
Dr Gloria Stillman secures Joint Research Grant with University of Hamburg - January 2008
Dr Gloria Stillman was successful at securing a
University of Melbourne Joint Research Project grant which will see her collaborate with Professor Dr Gabriele Kaiser at the University of Hamburg to study preservice secondary mathematics teachers’ knowledge to teach lower secondary mathematics in Australia and Germany. Entitled "Professional competencies of pre-service lower secondary mathematics teachers in Australia and Germany: links to beliefs and teaching context" the project aims to look at the issue of raising the quality of mathematics teacher education to improve mathematics secondary school teaching and its impact on the economic development of countries such as Germany and Australia. Both countries will survey and interview pre-service teachers using tasks and teaching situations to determine their capacity to make relevant decisions and suggest appropriate actions and to ascertain how their decisions are influenced by beliefs, teaching and mathematics knowledge. The Australian data will be collected at several universities in the eastern states. Findings will benefit researchers and teacher educators as they inform further development of secondary mathematics teacher education.
ARC Linkage Project Success - November 2007
Professor Kaye Stacey, Dr Vicki Steinle and Dr Helen Chick were successful applicants in the 2008 round of ARC Linkage Grants. The project, entitled 'Supporting personalised learning in secondary schools through the use of specific mathematics assessments that reveal thinking' (SMART) will run until the December 2010. Working with the support of the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, the project aims to markedly improve the information available to teachers by creating research-based assessments that reveal students' mathematical thinking. The tests will be supported by an on-line environment linked to targeted teaching resources resulting in numerous benefits including improved student achievement and improved teacher pedagogical content knowledge, as well as removing barriers associated with geological location, with rural schools being able to access the web content.
Syzygy project receives additional support - August 2007
Earlier this year, Science and Mathematics Education reported on the successful funding application of the Syzygy project; a collaboration between the celebrated artist Harry Nankin of the International College of Contemporary Art, the distinguished historian, writer, cultural theorist and artist, Professor Paul Carter from the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning (UoM), and Science and Mathematics Education's Dr Maurizio Toscano. The funding received earlier in the year was through the Arts Victoria Arts Innovation grant scheme and was for an amount of $39,000. Recently an additional $20,000 in the form of an Inter-Arts grant from the Australia Council for the Arts was secured for the project. Dr Toscano is extremely happy with the additional funding success and sees it as acknowledgement by funding bodies that science is relatively limitless in its application. This project is an excellent example of how collaborations across research areas and across areas of expertise can produce outcomes that benefit the community as a whole.
Professor Stacey selected to advise WA Government on new syllabuses - June 2007
Professor Stacey is one of only a few academics who have been chosen to provide input into the development of new syllubses for students from kindergarten to year 10 in Western Australia.
In a media statement issued on June 6th Mr Mark McGowan, WA's Minister for Education, noted the fact that the National Advisory Panel was made up of 'some of Australia's most outstanding academics' whose expertise in the areas of literacy, numeracy, science and history would be invaluable to the development of the syllabuses. The panel, chaired by Professor Gordon Stanley, Honorary Professor of Education in the Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Sydney, will meet for the first time in July and again later in the year for a final time to endorse the final versions of new syllabuses.
Website:
WA Government media statements
Can children be taught multiplication in 30 minutes? Professor Stacey provides insights into so-called 'fast' methods – May 2007
Professor Kaye Stacey was recently interviewed by Channel Nine’s ‘A Current Affair’ program as part of a story which assessed the methods proposed in the book 'Teaching your kids multiplication in 30 minutes'. The story went to air on Monday, May 14th, and showed how it is possible for children to learn to multiply numbers such as 93 x 97 very quickly, as is suggested in the book written by Bill Handley, a Victorian-based author and teacher. In his book, Mr Handley states that you can ‘cram learning into minutes not hours.’ He also states that the difference between high achieving students and low achieving students is not due to having what some people refer to as a more 'mathematical brain'; their level of achievement is a reflection of the actual method they use to solve problems.
Quick methods of calculation have been used for centuries. In the interview Kaye commented that in today’s classroom, quick calculation methods often provide students with a real sense of achievement and fun, and can stimulate interest in mathematics. However, and perhaps more importantly, she also highlighted that it is essential that students learn methods for calculation that make sense to them, and support this knowledge by appreciating the patterns involved; “when the reasons why methods work are too difficult for children to understand, then the quick success of shortcut methods can backfire as students forget them very quickly.”
Excellence Awards for Science and Mathematics Education Academic Staff – May 2007
Dr Vicki Steinle and Professor Kaye Stacey were recognised for their outstanding achievements at the Faculty’s recent Awards Evening, an event which is held annually. This year, Dr Vicki Steinle received the Faculty Teaching Excellence Award for her outstanding work, particularly in the Bachelor of Education (Primary). Professor Kaye Stacey shared the 2007 Faculty Research Excellence Award with Professor Glenda McNaughton. The awards each consist of a grant of $3000 as well as an engraved medallion and citation.
 |
 |
Vicki is well known for her research into childrens mathematical learning, and has made a significant contribution to the Mathematics Developmental Continuum recently published by the Department of Education. Her citation reflected this by highlighting her passion for nurturing excellent teachers of mathematics, her innovation in lecture content, multimedia and on-line feedback for students and her exemplary organisation for teaching. Vicki’s work is an excellent demonstration of knowledge transfer in action: her research feeds into her teacher education courses, and is also used by schools
Professor Stacey’s citation highlighted her outstanding research productivity over the 5 year period from 2001 to 2006, her success in winning competitive grants to fund research and the way in which the research has been used to improve mathematics teaching and learning. Special mention was made of the mentoring which Kaye has provided for new researchers in the faculty.
Both Professor Stacey and Dr Steinle plan to use their grants to further support their academic work in both teaching and research. Past Science and Mathematics Education recipients include Dr Rod Fawns, who received his award in 2005, in recognition of his work in science education driven by a passion for teaching that has sustained a career spanning 40 years.
New textbook supports Japanese lesson study as a key to long-term improvement in teaching - March 2006
Dr Maxwell Stephens (pictured below) is one of the authors of a new book entitled "Japanese lesson study in mathematics: Its impact, diversity and potential for educational improvement' which, as the name suggests, focuses on how Japanese lesson study is proving to be a successful way to improve the quality of mathematics education. The book looks at how Japanese educators are engaging in lesson study in mathematics for professional development and curriculum implementation as well as illustrating several projects related to lesson study in other countries. For more information or to purchase the book, please click on the link provided below.
Website:
World Scientific Books
Dr Stephens during his recent visit to Thailand.
Science education promotes chocolate as a learning tool - March 2006
Chocolate Chemistry is bound to encourage enthusiasm from even the least science-curious student. Dr Christine Redman is hosting an evening on the 27th of March as part of an ongoing program run by the Royal Australian Chemistry Institute (RACI) to make Chemistry fun, alive and accessible. The night will involve an exploration of the story behind chocolate and a guide to its different crystalline structures, the role synchrotron has played in determining these structures and how appropriate treatment of the chocolate can modify its structure so it has that smooth velvety feel on your tongue. It will also look at how chocolate can make a great classroom lesson for junior and senior secondary Chemistry and will provide an opportunity for participants to network with other teachers, chemistry lecturers and industry representatives. All participants are advised to bring their tastebuds along, as there will be a vast array of chocolate available to sample!
Please note that bookings must be made by no later than March 16th, 2007. Other important details are as follows:
When: Tuesday 27th March 2007
Where: William Angliss College, La Trobe Street, between Kings Way & Spencer Street.
(Parking is available around the Flagstaff Gardens or at the Car Park in Dudley St.)
Program:
5.30 pm - Reception
6.00 pm - Presentations and tours
7.30 - 9.30pm - Dinner with a chocolate theme!
Cost:$20 RACI members ($25 non-members)
This cost includes all materials and dinner and must be paid with your application. Drinks will be subsidised.
More information as well as a registration form are included in the March 07 RACI newsletter for the Victorian Branch. Simply follow the link below and click on the 'Mar 07' newsletter. Alternatively, to obtain an electronic copy of the application form/tax invoice form please contact:
Jenny Sharwood, Secretary, Chemical Education Group, RACI Victorian Branch: Email: jenny.sharwood@thomson.com
Website:
Royal Australian Chemical Institute
Science and Mathematics Education has more success with the ASISTM project - February 2007
Dr Christine Redman, Dr Gloria Stillman and Dr Max Stephens have been selected as Critical Friends for round 3 of the ASISTM project. The ASISTM project is part of the Australian Government's Boosting Innovation, Science, Technology and Mathematics Teaching (BISTMT) Programme, aimed at encouraging innovation in Australian schools, promoting world class teaching and learning and improving teacher attraction and retention rates. Christine, Gloria and Max were selected from a large pool of academic applicants for their expertise and will provide valuable contributions to the two projects that each are involved in. Their success follows Dr Rod Fawns' selection as a round 2 Critical Friend in April last year. Round 3 friends were announced in Late November 2006 and, with all the formalities being completed in late January 2007, work on the projects is now well underway.
Although the focus of each differs, all the projects look at challenging the boundaries associated with traditional classroom-based education;
Christine will be involved in two projects which are both aimed at providing middle primary teachers with scientific, pedagogical and curriculum support to develop chemistry-themed learning modules. The project will involve chemists being paired with teachers and visiting classrooms throughout the year, which will help to provide new insights and greater scientific experience to developing modules that can be catered towards upper and lower level primary students.
One of Gloria's projects will be involved in a project investigating sustainable energy and the needs of developing communities. Using Overnewton Colleges experiences in the past three years with helping a Zambian orphanage attain self-sufficiency, the project will create a model for an education program using real world problem-solving, install a sustainable energy system in the community in Zambia and follow up with the community to monitor the system’s impact and effectiveness.
One of Max's will be involved in a project aimed to motivate students to continue studying science, maths and technology and to increase their awareness of career opportunities within the resources sector through linking cluster schools to a local gold mine. The project will involve Education Officers from Minerals Education Victoria, University of Ballarat, School of Science and Engineering staff and undergraduates, Ballarat Goldfields personnel, and students and staff from the cluster schools. Secondary students will have the opportunity to model mining techniques within specialised laboratories. Primary students will work with real geologists and scientists, creating relevant experiences for students at both levels with the rapidly expanding technology of the modern minerals industry. One innovative element of this project is its use of a local gold mine as a real life model through which to teach contemporary, relevant science and to provide cross-curricula learning opportunities.
More information :
ASISTM Website
Mathematics Education's secures second contract for the Department of Education and Training's Mathematics Development Continuum P-10 (December 2006)
Professor Kaye Stacey, Dr Helen Chick, Dr Vicki Steinle, Lynda Ball, Cath Pearn and Dr Jill Vincent received news in December that their proposal for the Mathematics Development Continuum P-10 - Phase 2 project for DET was successful. This project comes after their successful completion of Phase 1 of the project in September 2006, which received an extremely positive response from teachers. The project is aimed at developing new indicators of progress for the Mathematics Development Continuum P-10, aligned to the progression points and standards of the five dimensions of the Mathematics domain of the Victorian Essential Learning Standards including 'number', 'measurement, chance and data' and 'working mathematically.' Phase 2 will also see the development of guides to appropriate teaching strategies for each of the new indictors based on contemporary evidence-based research. The project will be completed by the end of March 2007.
More information:
Department of Education, Victoria
Science Education receives two Early Research Career Grants - December 2006
Dr Maurice Toscano and Dr Christine Redman received notification that their applications for a 2007 University of Melbourne's Early Career Research Grant were both successful. Every year the University of Melbourne offers support to early career researchers to undertake high quality projects and pilot projects, develop their track record and compete for external funding. The Early Research Career Grant is a one year project grant ranging between $5,000 and $40,000. Applicants should normally be in the first five years of an academic or research appointment at the University and have not previously held an Australian Competitive Grant. Jointly funded by the Deans of Faculties.
Dr Redman's research project, entitled 'Investigating cognitive modeling in science education; using the Interactive Whiteboard,' will investigate students’ thinking with models of the earth’s rotation and the related effects. This qualitative study aims to develop Harré’s (2004) theory of the ‘model’ in science education. It will use the Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) to investigate teacher and student cognitive models and their interaction with satellite images from the website, Google Earth. Knowledge and insight gained will ultimately have significance for understanding students’ and teachers’ thinking and learning with new technologies contributing to the effective design of curriculum, pedagogy and research in science education.
Dr Toscano will concerntrate on investigating the nature, extent and effectiveness of thought experimentation in the science classroom. His research project, entitled 'Investigating Thought Experiments in the Science Classroom,' will undertake field work needed to fill the gap in our understanding about the importance of imagination, analogic reasoning, metaphor and modeling learning in science. It will begin a program to re-define what counts as science in the classroom and produce new learning tools for science students and teachers.
Science Education's grant success with Arts Victoria - November 2006
Dr Maurice Toscano has received one of only two Arts Innovation grants through Arts Victoria. The grant is for the Syzygy project: a collaboration between the celebrated artist Harry Nankin of the International College of Contemporary Art, the distinguished historian, writer, cultural theorist and artist, Professor Paul Carter from the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning (UoM), and Dr Toscano. The Syzygy project will literally collect the 'light of the universe' with a parabolic array of mirrors in order to create a sequence of exquisite jewel-like translucent photographic images on film metaphorically reflecting Lake Tyrrell (in the Victorian Mallee) as it is, as it once was and as it might be imagined.
Science Drama performance receives top prize - September 2006
University of Melbourne lecturer, Ann Smith and classroom teacher Margaret Kentler were happy to let Doncaster Primary School students take the spotlight last month when they were presented with the Archimedes Award for Most Outstanding Performance by a Primary School in the Science Drama Awards this year. Ann Smith and Margaret Kentler worked together to develop the concept and script for the school’s entry into the Science Teacher’s Association of Victoria’s (STAV) Science Drama Awards. The competition was open to all primary and secondary schools in Victoria. Thirty-five children from Grades 1-6 at Doncaster Primary appeared in the 10-minute play, entitled ‘Classification is the Name of the Game’. It explored the importance of scientists using classification to identify all living things. Ms Smith and Ms Kentler are now veterans of the Science Awards, having worked in partnership to submit Doncaster Primary School’s entry into the Science Drama Awards for 6 years. These performances have covered many of the big ideas of science in the physical, biological and environmental areas. Ms Smith has said, “Participating in a play which explores science concepts is a unique and interactive way for students of all ages to learn science and motivate them to continue learning long after the play is over”. Ms Kentler sees other benefits as well. “I’ve found that Science Drama is a really useful way to involve students with special needs, and those who have English as a second language – it’s very inclusive”. The Faculty of Education was lucky enough to see a repeat performance of the play on Friday 17th of November.
More information:
Science Teachers Association of Victoria website
Faculty of Education media releases