Language teacher education is widely identified as one of the most important areas that needs addressing in order to improve early language instruction, yet research into teacher education for early language teachers remains relatively sparse. This volume responds to this gap by compiling studies with diverse methodological tenets from a wide…

Many educators in Australian schools are becoming aware of the need to address the imbalance in the content of humanities or integrated studies curriculum in relation to indigenous perspectives within primary and secondary schools. Over the past few years, attempts have been made by various state and national educational bodies to create…

Describes the mechanics of the development of a school-based reading policy; outlines the planning week, including grade meetings to prepare policy statements, production of a working paper by the reading committee, staff meetings to discuss the draft policy, and the production of a final policy by the reading committee. (FL)

Described is a rationale for field study programs and descriptions of field study programs in Great Britain and Australia. Development and support of programs, both financial and staff, are discussed. (RH)

Describes the role of the staff in the development of a school-based reading policy in a Catholic elementary school. (FL)

Describes the development of a school-based reading policy in an elementary school, including staff development, development of policy, general aims, and selection of reading materials. (FL)

It is an underlying principle of Australian Education Review (AER) 54 that active efforts should be made to cultivate the latent bilingual potential within Australia's wider population and that this should be linked to major improvements in the quality of language teaching in schools. A combined approach of this kind will require investment in…

A compendium of practical information about Australia's Writers/Illustrators in Schools programs, this booklet, compiled in consultation with authors, illustrators, and organizers, strives to smooth the way for both visitors and schools in the challenge of helping children to enjoy books and writing. Pertinent quotes from authors and artists who…

This report discusses issues having a major impact on "Study Talk," the Queensland component of an Australian language development project. After first outlining the procedures and organizational structures used to set up and conduct "Study Talk," the report briefly describes methods used to evaluate project operations and…

This paper describes a joint venture between the Queensland Primary Education Division and the Department of Education at the University of Queensland that has attempted to improve teacher inservice education through the use of participative decision-making processes. First stage of the program involved the collection of data from a representative…

This paper reports on changes in the practicum component of a teacher education program, designed to provide experiences related to the systemic functions of schools. The practicum evolved from genuine collaboration between a school and a university to share responsibility for preservice preparation. The program involved having the teacher…

This paper outlines the rationale for the development of several sports programs for Australia's children, their main features, and evidence of the extent to which they are achieving their goals. The programs include AUSSIE SPORT: Sport for Kids, a modified sports program for the senior grades of primary schools; Sportsfun, an after school program…

This paper reports on the Contact Children's Mobile, a program developed in 1987 to provide educational and social enrichment opportunities for children from birth to 12 years who live in a large remote region surrounding Wanaaring, Australia. Two teachers travel an average of 800 kilometers weekly to make home visits or hold daylong educational…

A social studies elementary teacher education program at Phillips Institute of Technology in Australia is described. The program, which places students in charge of teaching a 9-week social studies unit, is recommended as an alternative to the conventional lecture method. The paper is divided into discussion of five aspects of the course:…

To guide the development of teacher education programs at the University of Western Sydney Macarthur (Australia), a "Starting Teacher" questionnaire and the Graduate Career Council of Australia survey were administered to 48 early childhood and 168 primary teacher education students at their graduation ceremony in April 1993. These…