Irina Verenikina

• University of Wollongong

This chapter investigates the dynamic life of ideas in online discussion by revisiting an earlier study and reflecting upon Alexander’s conceptualisation of dialogic teaching. The study sought to address the challenge of how to engage students in productive online discussion, which was motivated by our experiences of shifting from face-to-face to o...

This chapter investigates the dynamic life of ideas in online discussion by revisiting an earlier study and reflecting upon Alexander’s conceptualisation of dialogic teaching. The study sought to address the challenge of how to engage students in productive online discussion, which was motivated by our experiences of shifting from face-to-face to o...

Evidence shows oral language development in early childhood plays a critical role in social, behavioural and academic development and Australian research indicates that speech development difficulties are relatively common. Research suggests that participating in high quality music education from early childhood not only helps develop musical skill...

In the field of special and inclusive education, using research to inform decisions about practice and policy has been reflected in the field’s efforts to identify and use evidence-based practices (EBP) as a gold standard for the profession. However, there has been increasing acknowledgement of the “wicked problem” of implementation. Fixsen and his...

The increasing internationalization of education has brought diversification to university student populations. The demographic changes pose great challenges to interview practice as interviews are increasingly occurring in cross-cultural contexts and often involve participants from diverse cultural backgrounds. Recent research has demonstrated tha...

This presentation outlined the quantitative and qualitative results of the Making Music Speak study. A quasi-experiment was conducted in four early childhood education and care centres situated in low-socioeconomic status areas. A five-month music intervention was implemented in two centres, using the Tuning In music program. A qualitative multiple...

Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are increasingly being educated in mainstream classroom environments. Commonly students commence their education in a segregated setting, transitioning to mainstream education after a process of skills development. For each student, transition is a unique and complex process. In NSW Australia, Autism Sp...

This presentation outlined the Making Music Speak research and discussed some of the multiple case study findings in relation to the Early Years Learning Framework (Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, 2009).

This chapter reports on our exploration of families’ perspectives on the role and place of the tablet technologies in their children’s educational and recreational activities. We report on interview data from parents within 17 purposively sampled families with children aged between 3 and 5 years who regularly used various tablet technologies in the...

This guide articulates a set of principles to help University lecturers, and other teaching academics in the Higher Education sector, to set up and conduct successful asynchronous online discussions for the students in their distance or flexible delivery courses. These principles are based on theory, a review of the literature and research trials c...

This study builds on and contributes to research on digital play with young children. Previous research has examined digital play from different viewpoints, but no studies have specifically addressed young children’s perspectives as they interact with applications (apps) that have been designed specifically for their age group. While our review of...

Research on the international student experience in Australia has highlighted the challenges that international students face when obtaining tertiary qualifications in an Australian university [AEI. (2012). Student voices: Enhancing the experience of international students in Australia. Canberra, Australia: Australian Education International]. Spec...

Families and educators have turned to digital tablets to support the unique needs of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), due to their ease of use, social acceptance, low cost, and portability. While school-based trial programs are emerging, there is very little research examining collaborative partnerships between families and educators...

Teachers in isolated schools are often unable to access the same opportunities for professional development as teachers in metropolitan schools. Attendance at face-to-face courses takes these teachers out of the classroom for additional days due to the extended travel required. Information and expert advice about classroom behaviour management is a...

This paper reports a study-in-progress examining interactions in the asynchronous discussions of a post-graduate TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) distance subject, focusing on the impact of scaffolding collaborative knowledge construction. Two complementary theories were used: sociocultural theory, which views interaction as...

Teachers in isolated schools are often under-resourced and overwhelmed with additional pressures. Teaching in an isolated community can sometimes challenge teachers’ skills and knowledge, particularly when additional pressures such as behavioural issues associated with students with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) like behaviours are present. T...

This review focuses on three interconnected socio-emotional aspects of online learning: interaction, sense of community and identity formation. In the intangible social space of the virtual classroom, students come together to learn through dialogic, often asynchronous, exchanges. This creates distinctive learning environments where learning goals,...

The ways educators incorporate technologies into their classroom literacy experiences and the implications these present for professional practices have been the focus of discussion for some time. We believe it timely to re-examine these debates in a period of ‘digital reform’ as we consider the realities teachers report as they use technology as a...

This paper reports on a self-study undertaken by the author to better understand the educational practices of scaffolding in pre-service teachers’ collaborative group work. The method included student interviews, conversations with a critical friend, and the researcher’s diary. The self-study allowed for fine-tuning theoretical understanding and pr...

Although the term self-study may suggest an individual teacher educator studying his or her own practice, most self-studies involve pairs or small groups of teacher educators working together in what is often called collaborative self-study. An extension of an informal collaboration is to formalize self-study as professional learning for teacher ed...

This article presents part of a five-year Australian study, the purpose of which was to look at learning singing in a pedagogical environment designed using sociocultural theory. The classroom environment was transformed over 5 years in consultation with other staff members and used the reflective journals that students wrote during that time as a...

What can arts‐based learning offer to adult, work‐related education? A study was undertaken that explored the benefits of learning with the arts for professional development of an adult learner in Australia. The individual experiences of nine adults who participated in arts‐based workshops to build work‐related skills were examined using the contex...

This paper describes a research study that is a stepping stone to further research on the affordances of digital technologies in the learning of students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The study is framed around the modern understanding of technologies as cognitive tools for learning based on the theory of social and cultural mediation of ch...

This paper explores the implementation and the use of the Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) in literacy teaching in an Australian primary school. A socio-cultural approach (Vygotsky, 1978) and Activity Theory (Engestrom, 2001) are used to explore the integration of the IWB in the literacy classroom environment where the individual, classroom and the who...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a case study of a newcomer to the practice of policing to explore conceptualisations of learning through practice. It aims to position learning as the intersections of trajectories of being and becoming within a community of practice. The paper seeks to argue that learners need to be understood with r...

This chapter describes the experience of using iPods with preservice early childhood educators in an introductory ICT course. The approach taken was to use the mobile devices, not as the object of study in themselves, but as cognitive tools to be used to complete a complex and authentic task. Students used the iPods in groups to create digital stor...

Mobile technologies are making inroads in many aspects of education. The potential of many of these devices is being explored in a range of educational environments but early childhood educators are not commonly early adopters of these new technologies. This paper examines the process and impact of iPods on these students’ creation of original digi...

Theories of play have identified many ways in which play may advance children's development. Yet, much traditional childhood play is being replaced by time spent on computer play. However, such computer programs are often produced without theoretical foundation, using animations, colour, sound, and surprise as the basis of their design rather than...

The purpose of this paper is to consider the relevance and consistency of socio-cultural theory to inclusive practices and the implementation of current government policy on inclusion. The policies of the NSW DET for the development of inclusive schooling will be examined. The implications of recent legislation as well as the recent initiatives suc...

The current emphasis on rising educational standards in Australian society (eg A Commonwealth Government Quality Teacher Initiative, 2000) has stimulated a growing interest in Vygotsky's socio-cultural theory widely renowned for its profound understanding of teaching and learning. The metaphor of scaffolding commonly viewed as underpinned by socio-...

Computer interface design has the primary purpose of assisting information technology users in their professional activities. In order to accomplish this, users need to be able to work 'through the interface' to complete the tasks which achieve the goals associated with an activity. Although this is the conceptual province of psychology, very littl...

Scaffolding has become increasingly popular as it provides teachers with an appealing alternative to traditional classroom techniques of teaching. Recent research identified a number of different ways that scaffolding can be used in the classroom to improve students' numeracy levels in primary schools. However, despite the importance of scaffolding...

This research examines the ways that highly ranked, competitive Scrabble players develop their skills and expertise. It focuses on the role of social interactions in the development of their expertise as members of the community of practice of Scrabble players. Using nine case studies and semi-structured interviews as a primary source of data, the...

Recently created NSW Institute of Teachers (NSWIT) put the quality of teaching at the top of its agenda. The Framework of Professional Teaching Standards emphasises the importance of teachers' effective communication with their students (NSWIT 2006, pg3). The importance of teacher - student communication in learner's achievements is strongly emphas...

The results of a comprehensive review of the body of research concerning the developmental and educational value of computer gaming for children is reported. Based on the review, design criteria are proposed for educational and edutainment computer games. In addition, a hierarchy of educational, edutainment, and entertainment game categories is int...

The widespread proliferation of computer games for children as young as 6 months of age, merits a re-examination of their manner of use and their facility to provide opportunities for developmental play. This paper describes a research study conducted to explore the use of computer games by young children, specifically to investigate the affordance...