Researching Pedagogy and Teaching Methodologies that Transform Student Learning in South Australian Classrooms

Filsell, J. and Barnes, A.

Education research should both inform and be informed by classroom practice. In a time of renewed commitment to education and computing, critical questions arise about the role of learning technologies in learning outcomes. This paper presents a systematic research program to investigate learning outcomes in the context of the Learning Technologies Project (1999-2001) of the South Australian Department for Education, Training and Employment. The department has commissioned six formal research projects (2000-2001) into the purposeful inclusion of technologies to transform student learning. The projects collectively research constructivist teaching methodologies to embed learning technologies in the curriculum, pedagogy and learning outcomes, professional development models, whole school change in technology rich environments, and the role of technology in the early years of education. This paper outlines the context and nature of the research program and presents findings to date. The acquisition of computer technologies is proceeding rapidly in Australian schools and internationally. Considerable commitments are being made to establish school computer networks, provide Internet resources, and to accelerate the adoption of learning technologies in the classroom. The size and scope of the commitment causes us to ask some important questions. Are learning technologies making a difference? If so, in what ways? Is learning being amplified, extended and transformed? How can a state or district maximise the impact of its highly prized low pupil to computer ratio? Does a technology rich classroom mean that students are being equipped to take their place in an information economy? An opportunity to systematically explore these complex questions is presented by the Learning Technologies Project detailed below

Cite as: Filsell, J. and Barnes, A. (2002). Researching Pedagogy and Teaching Methodologies that Transform Student Learning in South Australian Classrooms. In Proc. WCCE2001 Australian Topics: Selected Papers from the Seventh World Conference on Computers in Education, Copenhagen, Denmark. CRPIT, 8. McDougall, A., Murnane, J. and Chambers, D., Eds. ACS. 23-30.

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