Cecily Knight

A resilience framework: perspectives for educators

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a framework for resilience education that can be used by teachers in schools. The paper seeks to identify a common language for exploring the concept of resilience.Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents an overview of the construct of resilience as it appears in the literature. It provides a rationale for resilience education by examining the changing circumstances that impact on the work of educators. It also provides an overview of current Australian programs that promote resilience.Findings – After an extensive examination of the literature, it is suggested that resilience is discussed in the literature as a state, a condition and a practice. Consequently, a three‐dimensional framework has been developed from this to help teachers understand resilience and to provide practical ways in which they can promote the resilience of their learners.Practical implications – This conceptual paper suggests that the three‐dimensional framework for resilien...

Cognitive Theory and the Use of Computers in the Primary Classroom

Research investigating the role of computers in the primary classroom is closely linked to the body of knowledge concerned with theories of learning and child development. Research is presented as an attempt to provide scientifically supportable reasons why computers are effective in education. Having established a theoretical base for computer use in primary classrooms, this paper then examines the educational application of cognitive theory to classroom instruction.

Discrepant stakeholder perspectives on graduate employability strategies

ABSTRACT A literature review identified 12 strategies that have been empirically linked to improvements in graduate employability. A survey methodology was used to investigate self-reported use and/or perspectives on these strategies among four stakeholder groups. The following questions were asked: to students – What strategies are you using to improve your graduate employability; to graduates – What strategies did you use to improve your employability?; to higher education career development professionals and educators – Which of the following employability strategies do you provide for students?; and to employers – Which of the following strategies undertaken by students does your organisation value when recruiting graduates? Across the four stakeholder groups, 705 responses were received and analysed. The key findings were discrepancies between the strategies reported in the literature and those indicated in the surveys, as well as discrepancies between stakeholder groups in regard to which strategies were indicated.

A Learner-Centered Design Framework for E-Learning

This paper presents a design framework for online learning. The framework is based upon the taxonomy devised by Dettmer (2006). In a learner-centered focus, it draws together the cognitive, affective, social, and sensorimotor domains of learning, and is situated with the concept of online personal learning spaces and environments. It is at this intersection of learning domains that the graduate attributes and general capabilities of students are able to be intentionally supported and demonstrated. The proposed framework draws on recognized theory, principles, and practical considerations of contemporary online learning to clarify considerations of the learning outcomes, learning processes and learner performance when designing online learning that is mediated by education technology. This integrative approach will support mentored, reflective learning design and design-based research aimed at improving both the experience and outcomes of online students. The paper contends that this framework presents a useful design that reflects the nature of contemporary online learning environments.