Sarah Prestridge’s research while affiliated with Griffith University and other places

Standardwerk auf neuestem Stand. Als eigenständige wissenschaftliche Disziplin bearbeitet die Grundschulpädagogik und Grundschuldidaktik in Forschung und Lehre die spezifischen Aufgaben und Probleme der Grundschule. Dieses Handbuch spiegelt die thematische Breite der Grundschulpädagogik und Grundschuldidaktik sowie ihren wissenschaftlichen Anspruch wider. Es ist systematisch angelegt und beschreibt forschungsbasiert die Grundlagen für professionelles Handeln in der Grundschule. Der Band ist als Literaturgrundlage für das gesamte Studium Grundschulpädagogik und darüber hinaus für das Referendariat sowie die Berufspraxis als Lehrer:in geeignet.

This article originated from a working group on “Learning beyond formal schooling through human–computer–human interaction (HCHI)” convened at the UNESCO EDUSummIT 2023 in Kyoto (Japan). A polylogue approach was adopted by engaging eight co-authors whose diverse perspectives culminated in propositions that addressed the pivotal question: How should the connections between formal, non-formal, and informal learning be considered in a digitally mediated world? Formal learning is typically structured, organized and chronologically arranged institutional learning, whereas informal learning is associated with everyday learning across contexts throughout one’s life, and non-formal learning is a hybrid of these forms of learning. Considering the growing prominence of informal and non-formal learning in a digitally mediated world, the evolving learning ecosystem calls for a recalibration of the emphasis on formal learning. In this regard, HCHI has the potential to mediate human–human interactions, thereby bridging formal and informal learning. Our articulated position is to preserve the distinct boundaries and inherent complexities of each type of learning while creating opportunities or ‘bridges’ to authentically draw on the processes of each through meaningful actions. The polylogue yielded three propositions to bridge the connections between formal, non-formal and informal learning spaces in a digitally mediated world: (a) formal education institutions can establish strategic alliances and collaborations with learning organizations beyond the formal educational system, (b) the creation of digital learning communities within formal and non-formal spaces exemplify a paradigm of operation in an unregulated, student-centric cohesive space where the educator is a co-participant, (c) the recognition of the value of informal learning experiences by formal education institutions is critical, with emphasis on the learning process rather than the product.

This paper reports on the early findings of a research study into academic design practices when incorporating educational technology. As part of the overall project, students were questioned on their perceptions of the use of technologies in the course. The insights gained from the students are discussed within the parameters of three major themes that emerged from the data informing implications to practice in academic development and learning design.

This chapter provides a review of literature critical to remote teaching and online teaching in the context of English language learning. It investigates two areas specifically: (1) designing effective remote English teaching and learning; and (2) digital technologies for English teaching and learning. To explore these two areas, an explanatory sequential mixed-methods study in an Indonesian secondary state school is presented. The findings of this study provide important insights into technology acceptance during remote teaching, particularly in terms of enhancing teachers’ and students’ understanding of how to design remote and online teaching. Looking forward, teachers are now combining synchronous and asynchronous digital technologies into classroom-based design models and working to further increase students’ learning capacity through the use of these tools and environments. More research is needed to look at successful techniques for building these skills and incorporating them into online, at a distance and in-person teaching approaches.

With increasing policy interest in improving educational outcomes, technology integration has become a requirement in Ghana’s education system, albeit with minimal impact on student learning. Several studies focus on identifying barriers to effective integration but pay scant consideration to the deeper reasons why teachers use technology. This qualitative study aimed to explore the underlying beliefs that shape teachers’ decision-making and thinking regarding technology integration. The study used open-ended questions and interviews with five education officials, twenty teachers, and five headteachers, and an ‘ICT Pedagogical Beliefs Classification Framework’ as a lens for interpreting and categorising teacher beliefs. Thematic analysis of findings revealed four main beliefs: productivity tools for teaching and lesson preparation; developing students’ ICT skills; meeting curriculum expectations, and engaging students in authentic teaching. Evidently, teachers are enthusiastic about using technology, but their beliefs indicate that they view technology primarily as a tool for productivity to supplement existing teaching practices, which they value. Findings indicate that most teachers espouse teacher-centred ICT beliefs, implying the need for transformative professional development that enables change in teachers’ beliefs to embrace the view of technology as a pedagogical tool that can facilitate constructive pedagogy and deep student learning.

Teaching during the remote episodes of the Covid pandemic demonstrated that the majority of classroom teachers replicated classroom practices rather than adapting to a new system for learning. During the rapid shift online, professional development of teachers focused on upskilling rather than changing and challenging teaching practices. As a result, students were unmotivated and disengaged. The problem now exists that teachers are stuck with a lack of understanding of how to teach online with the likelihood of further external uncontrollable occurrences. Additionally, there is no roadmap forward on how to harness the benefits of learning online through the emerging flexible modalities of blended or hybrid teaching in schools. The current risk is that schools return to classroom based pedagogies and miss the opportunities that learning online brings. In this paper I draw from research and experience in the field of educational technologies, online and digital pedagogies, and teacher professional learning. I bring together these understandings to address this crucial stage in schooling offering a way forward. To do this, there is a need to pause in time, to reflect on what is known and what is important to consider to be able to move forward effectively. As such I firstly examine the rush to get online and the frenzied up-skilling of teachers so that we have a better understanding of what skills were developed. I then synthesises the literature to identify what pedagogical skills are needed to effectively teach online in a classroom context. Drawing extensively from theories and empirical studies over the last 30 years I then present a roadmap forward that offers professional development of a different kind identifying the need to change teachers’ practices from replicating the classroom or tooling them to teaching effectively online.

This paper examines the invisible barrier that can challenge teachers when teaching online, called the fourth wall. Using a presence framework derived from the literature, we explored how experienced teachers manage the absence of visual cues and identify the pedagogical practices they adopted as a response. Data from semi-structured interviews with 22 teachers experienced in online teaching was analysed for individual presence, place presence, and co-presence. Results indicate seven different types of individual presence, four different types of place presence, and three different types of co-presence. Overall, findings show that teachers discussed developing students' individual connections to the online lesson more often compared with developing co-presence (student-to-student engagement) with place presence being representative of the online learning space. Specific strategies that teachers used to support each presence are presented and implications are provided for how this affects the move to an increased use of blended and online learning in the schooling context.