There is a growing interest in the value of teachers guiding students to generate their own representations to support conceptual learning in science and across complementary subjects such as mathematics. However, this approach to an interdisciplinary focus poses challenges for programme design and learning assessment. In this paper, we report on…

We report on progress towards the development of an Action Concept Inventory (ACI), a test that measures student understanding of action principles in introductory mechanics and optics. The ACI also covers key concepts of many-paths quantum mechanics, from which classical action physics arises. We used a multistage iterative development cycle for…

When educators consider "student behaviour", they usually think about "problem behaviour" such as disruption or defiance. This limited and limiting view of "student behaviour" not only fails to acknowledge children as educational actors in a wider sense, but also narrowly positions educators as either in control or…

This paper being an extension of Bhattacharjee (2012) is very much relevant to Year 9 to Year 10A in the "Australian Curriculum: Mathematics". It also falls within the purview of class IX to class XII curriculum of Mathematics in India (Revised NCERT curriculum) for students aged 14-17 years. In Bhattacharjee (2012), the discovery of…

This article reports on a classroom-based case study of a group of six Year 10 students, within a class of 23 students. The study implemented constructivist-informed teaching and learning approaches within a classroom setting in the topic of optics and documented any changes in the conceptual understanding students had about seven central concepts…

As one in a series of test item collections developed by the Assessment and Evaluation Unit of the Directorate of Studies, items are made available to teachers for the construction of unit tests or term examinations or as a basis for class discussion. Each collection was reviewed for content validity and reliability. The test items meet syllabus…

Librarians need to take the initiative and seize the opportunities presented by a changing environment and society's demands for greater access to information. New technologies such as laser disks, machine indexing, telefacsimile, microcomputer applications, and fiber optics are having an immense impact on the practice of librarianship, and the…

Information and communication technology (ICT) is an integral part of the South Australian Department of Education and Children's Services strategy to improve education and training. A major focus involves online delivery and distance education through the Internet and teacher inservice and professional development. This redresses such problems in…

During the 2001 summer holidays, the main Social Science classroom at St Ursula's College, a Catholic Secondary Girls' school of 740 pupils in Toowomba, Queensland was renovated. A mini-computer laboratory of four nests of computers was incorporated into the traditional teaching space. (See Diagram 1 and photograph). This room was named the…

Nationally and internationally there have been calls for a focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) teaching and learning in schools to prepare students for the many future careers in the STEM fields. One way to do this is through engineering activities that provide opportunities for integrating STEM to solve problems using…

The phenomenon of women's underrepresentation in engineering is well known. However, the slow progress in achieving better gender equality here compared with other domains has accentuated the "numbers" issue, while the quality aspects have been largely ignored. This study aims to shed light on both these aspects via the lens of mentors,…

Describes the construction and operation of an apparatus used to study the optical properties of solids using reflection. (JRH)

Describes the function of the various parts of the microscope and their integration in the formation of an optical image. Presents a procedure for setting up a microscope to obtain maximum resolution and contrast for each objective lens at all magnifications. (JRH)