Susanne Owen

Teacher Professional Learning Communities in Innovative Contexts: "Ah Hah Moments," "Passion" and "Making a Difference" for Student Learning.

Innovative educational approaches for schooling require changes to the traditional teacher role towards operating as co-facilitators and co-learners, and working in teacher teams, with considerable professional learning supporting this. Professional learning communities (PLCs) have been acknowledged as highly effective, with their characteristics being identified with reasonable consistency. However, specific processes through which PLCs operate are less evident. Furthermore, there is little research about the links between PLCs and student learning outcomes in innovative contexts. This paper uses teacher interviews within three innovative case-study schools, and considers student learning outcomes and the links to teacher learning within PLC contexts from a teacher perspective. Findings provide specific examples of PLC learning processes with regard to co-planning, co-teaching and co-assessment. Using achievement data, student work samples, teacher observations and self-reports, all teachers perceived that PLCs supported changes in their practices relevant to innovative contexts. Teachers indicated increased learning outcomes for students in terms of achievement, social skills, emotional aspects, independence and creativity. Significantly, the overall key impacts arising from effective PLCs operating within innovative contexts seem to be increased well-being of teachers and students.

Nationwide collaborative development of learning outcomes and exemplar standards for Australian pharmacy programmes

Internationally, the preparation of pharmacy graduates for professional practice has evolved from educating for capacities for practice, to a focus on competencies, and most recently, on assuring graduate outcomes. Consequently, there is an increasing emphasis on the specification of and accountability around student learning outcomes. This, in turn, has implications for teaching and assessment. The aim of the study was to harmonise the various expectations and regulatory requirements for Australian pharmacy education programmes through the development of learning outcomes and exemplar standards for all entry‐level pharmacy graduates.

Australian pharmacy programme experiential placements: comprehensive planning for assessment and evaluation

Experiential placements are increasingly recognised as an essential component of university programmes, providing students with real‐world contexts to apply their knowledge and to develop practical skills and personal attributes. In Australia, professions such as pharmacy have traditionally developed experiential placement programmes within state and territory regulatory requirements and situations. The evolution of national competency and accreditation frameworks provide opportunities for collaborative approaches, including consideration of experiential placements. A research study was conducted in 2007 using Australian Government Carrick Institute funding to map experiential placements across Australian pharmacy programmes. Based on university interviews and programme mapping, consultations with over 250 participants and handbook analysis, various structures and approaches for university experiential placements were evident. In relation to learning and assessment tasks, some universities use some elements of planning process. In these, objectives are linked to pre‐placement preparatory and placement learning tasks and there are opportunities for student negotiation of assessment tasks and criteria. However, in relation to assessment and explicit criteria, links to the competencies of the profession and to more generic skills were generally vague. While student evaluations of experiential placement programmes were usually evident, a systematic evaluation process involving various stakeholders including transparent processes and feedback regarding the impact on future programme planning was not present. This study highlights the importance of comprehensive planning and scaffolding of learning related to competency and other outcomes, including relevant assessment tasks and explicit criteria based on graduated descriptors during experiential placements.

Digging deeper: Understanding the power of ‘student voice’

Primary school approaches to student voice and leadership rarely change, despite concerns about manipulation and tokenism. This single case study investigated an approach to student voice and student leadership in an Australian primary school that was very different to a traditional student council. Thematic analysis of school documents and staff and student interviews found that informal pathways, such as daily teacher/student interactions, consultation with students and students collaborating with teachers in learning contributed to elevating the power of student voice in the school community. However, building leadership in a formal program was problematic for staff and students. The disruption of traditional school structures placed primary school students at the forefront of school leadership and teachers and students working together to build a democratic and inclusive learning environment was a greater challenge than anticipated.

Enhancing learning in clinical placements : reflective practice, self- assessment, rubrics and scaffolding

Professional preparatory health programmes generally involve clinical placements with a focus on integration of theory into real life practice. Reflective writing is often included in the assessment requirements for clinical placement courses. However enabling students to engage in deeper levels of reflective writing in action, on action and for action requires careful scaffolding and assessment task design within university clinical placement handbooks. The purpose of this case study was to explore iterative refinement of assessment exercises within clinical placement handbook activities. Specifically, the study examined students’ responses to counselling experiences in authentic pharmacy practice, with comparative analysis undertaken for the various versions of the assessment task. Results showed that provision of iteratively developed guidelines, provided to three different groups of students, to support students in the assessment task, increased the marks achieved for individual components of the assessment. The results provide insight into how the design of these types of assessment exercises can be improved.

Building critical reflection skills for lifelong learning in the emergent landscape of a national registration and accreditation scheme.

In 2010 many of the health disciplines in Australia will be involved in national registration and accreditation, to ensure a more sustainable and flexible health workforce for the future. To this end, in each of the health professions, there is an increasing emphasis on reflective practice and lifelong learning to maintain practice competency. This research focuses on academic teaching and learning in the Pharmacy undergraduate curriculum to develop an indicator tool of graduate practice skills before the student enters the practice internship year. The Graduated Descriptors Competency Tool was developed by means of state, territory, and national stakeholder collaboration. The aim of the project was to assist the scaffolding processes around undergraduate practice teaching and learning. Students on experiential placements have used the tool to demonstrate their current practice skills and the learning required to attain competency during their internship year. Students are guided to develop critical reflection skills for deep understanding and insight into the continued learning and professional development required to maintain long-term health care expertise.

Organisational Systems and Services for Children of Parents with Mental Illness and Their Families: Processes of Change and Sustainability

Adult mental illness in the community including depression and anxiety has achieved greater public awareness and visibility in recent years and this has also resulted in increased recognition about the widespread impact on dependent children. During the past decade in Australia, policies and specific programs for infants, children and youth in terms of prevention, early intervention and promotion in relation to children of parents with a mental illness (‘copmi’) have been devised. However, these have generally been disconnected projects, essentially supported only by non-recurrent funding. In more recent years, systematic and interconnected responses involving a wider range of government, non-government and consumer and carer organisations to build sustainability have become the focus. However, little research about change processes affecting the organisational systems serving children of parents with mental illness and their families has been undertaken. This aim of the current study is to describe the enablers and barriers that contribute to change in systems and government and non-government organisations in relation to children of parents with a mental illness in Australia over the past decade, within the context of sustainability. The study involved interviews, focus groups and website and literature searches regarding systems change across Australian states and territories and nationally in relation to the enablers, barriers and future directions. Strategic and intentional processes within organisations, more evolutionary ongoing cross-agency processes and links to sustained changes are key systems change findings. Relevance for change in other health services is highlighted.

Clinical educators in the learning and teaching space - a model for their work based learning.

Abstract Objectives: This paper proposes a model for a work-based learning course for clinical educators who supervise the clinical practice based learning of nursing and allied health students. The model incorporates the paid work (including supervision activities) undertaken by the clinical educators and the explicit practice clinical educators undertake in the form of written reflective exercises. Design/methodology/approach: A case study methodology was used to study the participants and their interaction with the course content and teaching approach. Results: The course developed applies the principles of work-based learning to a novel student base—clinical educators who supervise work based learning of health sciences students. Exercises undertaken during the course allowed participants to use their own experiences to develop resources which aligned with literature. Conclusions: Identifying the tacit and explicit aspects of theory and practice in work-based learning processes has practical significance for other learning institutions wanting to develop similar work-based learning programs.

Professional learning communities: building skills, reinvigorating the passion, and nurturing teacher wellbeing and “flourishing” within significantly innovative schooling contexts

Student-driven “deep learning”, teachers as “coaches” and “activators of learning” and positive student–teacher relationships are all part of the changing and significantly innovative educational landscape which requires considerable pedagogical change in teaching and learning processes. Teacher professional learning communities (PLCs) have been recognised as highly effective in supporting teachers in changing their beliefs and practices. There is considerable agreement about the characteristics of PLCs and there seem to be links with positive psychology’s wellbeing and “flourishing” key concepts although there has been little research undertaken about this. The current research aims to explore these connections using case studies of three significantly innovative schools, with research methods including document study, surveys, interviews and focus groups. Research findings and data analysis undertaken highlight the PLC characteristics and positive psychology connections. The paper concludes by highlighting the benefits for schools and education systems of developing a greater understanding of PLCs, through using the lens of positive psychology. Through positive psychology elements such as nurturing positive emotion and a greater sense of purpose for teachers within PLCs, there are benefits for teacher professional learning but also potentially for student learning and wellbeing.

Support Needed by Pharmacy Students in Experiential Placements: Stakeholders' Expectations

From July 2010, Australian state and territory pharmacy registration boards will be replaced by a national body that will register health professionals and also accredit university pharmacy programs. Traditionally, assessment during the pharmacy internship year and national examination provide consistency at the post‐graduation stages, but the endpoints of university programs have been derived within state and territory contexts.