CREEW'S News
April 2006
Hello everybody
We have a good mix of activities to report this week, including news from our CREEW members overseas. We are proud to report your various activities and achievements - keep us posted!
- Publications
- Conferences and presentations
- Awards
- Professional Practice
- Seminar Program
- Postgraduate News
- Centre News
- Future CREEW's News
Publications
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Jeannie Daniels had a book review published in the latest edition of international refereed journal, Studies in Continuing Education, Mar2006, Vol. 28 Issue 1, and the book Jeannie reviewed is G. Griffin (ed.) 2005, Doing Womens Studies: employment opportunities, personal impacts and social consequences Zed Books, London & New York.
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Thomas Deissinger, a former visiting researcher to CREEW, says hello to all those who know him and writes: Our research report on "Practice Firms" is out now as a book (though only in German I'm afraid): Deissinger, T. & Ruf, M. (2006). bungsfirmen am Kaufmnnischen Berufskolleg in Baden- Wrttemberg. Praxisorientierte vollzeitschulische Berufsausbildung zwischen Anspruch und Wirklichkeit. Paderborn: Eusl. A comparative English article touching the topic is going to be published soon in the International Journal of Training Research (together with Erica Smith and Richard Pickersgill).
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Harris, R, Simons, M & Bone, J (2006) Mix or match? New Apprentices learning styles and trainers preferences for training in workplaces, Adelaide: NCVER. This research investigated the learning preferences of New Apprentices and training preferences of their trainers in the manufacturing, community and retail services sectors; and how these two data sets can be used to inform trainers. The study showed that the preferred workplace features of trainers and New Apprentices in manufacturing were quite different from those in retail and community services. The nature of work and industry shapes what is expected to support learning in any particular workplace. The practicalities of industry workplaces mean that preferences cannot always be met, and hence the expectations of both trainers and New Apprentices need to be clarified early in their working relationship. For the full report, click here.
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Simons, M, Harris, R & Smith, E (2006) The Certificate IV in Assessment and Workplace Training: Understanding learners and learning, Adelaide: NCVER, ISBN: 1 921169 45 1. This report explores how learners, and the process of learning, were presented within a sample of courses that led to Certificate IV in Assessment and Workplace Training. This course was highly regarded by the graduates surveyed and found to offer a sound basis about vocational education and training (VET) teaching and learning. Nevertheless, the study suggests that approaches to learning that are promoted need to draw more extensively on processes which empower learners rather than seeing them as individuals with 'deficits' to be addressed. Ongoing debate and critical reflection among VET practitioners, as well as practitioner-led systematic inquiry into teaching and learning, are needed to promote the development of workplace-centred and attribute-focused learning in VET. This will be valuable as the new Training and Assessment Training Package qualifications are introduced. for the full report, click here.
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We have also had the following paper published in an international journal: Poell, R, Van der Krogt, FJ, Vermulst, AA, Harris, R & Simons, M (2006, in press) Roles of informal workplace trainers in different organizational contexts: Empirical evidence from Australian companies, Human Resource Development Quarterly (USA), vol. 17. no. 2, Summer.
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Conferences and presentations
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Roger Harris has been invited to be keynote speaker at the annual Training Sector Forum 2006, Making Connections: Developing our Workforce, at the Hilton International Hotel on 1-2 June. This conference is hosted by the State Department of Further Education, Employment, Science and Technology.
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In conjunction with the ARC funded 'Rethinking reconciliation and pedagogy in unsettling times' project, Robert Hattam invited university staff to meet and talk with a number of distinguished visitors on 15 March. The workshop was funded by the Hawke Research Institute, which has enabled a range of international scholars to participate.
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On 20 March, Alan Reid gave the keynote address on senior secondary reform to the Post Compulsory Teachers Association of South Australia.
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Denise Macgregor, together with Phil Wilson (TAFE), will be presenting a paper entitled Collaboration and Assessment - Vehicles for seamless and successful student transition between educational sectors' at the Technology Education Research conference at Griffith University, Surfers Paradise in December.
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A conference entitled 'Governments and Communities in Partnership: From Theory to Practice' will be held at the Centre for Public Policy at the University of Melbourne, between 25 - 27 September.
Awards
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Jane Connell, a CREEW postgraduate in Canada, has been awarded an Honourable Mention by the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education for the 2006 Alan Blizzard Award, recognising the outstanding and original contribution Jane's team has brought to the scholarship of teaching. A special reception during the conference will be held to honour both Jane's team and the 2006 Alan Blizzard Award winning team. For more about the award, click here. Congratulations Jane!
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Robert Crotty was awarded Emeritus Professor of the University of South Australia, at the Graduation Ceremony last week. Congratulations Robert!
Professional Practice
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Robert Crotty has been appointed Director of the newly established research concentration 'The Ethics Centre of south Australia' which is a joint venture of the three South Australian universities and the State Government. For more information click here.
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Thomas Deissinger has joined the editorial board of the Journal of Vocational Education and Training (JVET).
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Thomas has also been elected as a member of board of the Vocational Education and Training Section within the German Educational Research Association.
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Roger Harris has been invited, and accepted, to be a Board member of the Journal of Vocational Education and Training (an international journal published in the UK).
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Alan Reid has been engaged in a round of presentations and briefings following the release of the SACE Review Report. This has included briefings to the Northern Territory Minister of Education, the CEOs of various education sectors, teacher unions, Universities and professional associations, the shadow Minister for Education and the SSABSA Board. The Government has accepted the broad directions of the report and has allocated $54 million to its implementation. An implementation committee has been established and it will oversee the initial development phase including further consultation with the professional community.
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We have heard from Tom Stehlik, who is on PEP (Professional Experience Program) leave for 10 weeks working on a research project with Mattias Strandh,a visiting scholar to HRISS in 2004. Tom writes: I have arrived in Ume, Sweden with my family and have settled into an office in the Department of Sociology at Ume University. As I write, it's snowing outside!
Seminar Program
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The 2006 CREEW seminar program has started with two well attended seminars presented by Tom Stehlik and David Snewin.
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Peter Willis will be putting together a seminar program for 2006.
Postgraduate News
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Deb Tranter has reminded us about the Autumn Research school, 21-23 April, at which several CREEW students and staff are presenting, including Deb, Jenni Carter, Ann Lawless, Nerilee Flint, Michelle Simons, Bruce Johnson and Marie Brennan.
Centre News
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Miriam has distributed the minutes of the CREEW 2006 Planning Day to members.
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(adapted from Miriam Mcleans excellent minutes).
On 17 March members of the CREEW Key Researchers Group met with Professor Alan Mayne, new Director of the Hawke Research Institute. The meeting provided the opportunity for CREEW key researchers to outline their research interests and to hear about Alans which include: justice and disadvantage in third world cities; slums and urban renewal in late nineteenth and early twentieth-century Britain, the United States and Australia: and community formation and resilience in regional Australia.
Alan pointed to the need to identify what binds us and what interests we have in common. He said that for the Hawke Research Institute to be successful, substantial support should be offered in building research and research publications. He is conscious about not losing CREEWs identity and encourages engagement across disciplines.
In the general discussion that followed issues addressed included: the need for a theoretical analysis and clear statement about the focus of HRI, underlying principles and vision, roles, management and processes and structures to facilitate cross centre collaboration. Alan suggested that a database of projects/researchers for cross campus access would be extremely useful.
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The CREEW web site has been updated with further information on the new 'Research Support' page. We are also developing a postgraduate web page, the bones of which are on line, to be fleshed out by thesis description, photos and links provided by CREEW postgraduates.
Future CREEW's News
CREEW's News is your newsletter, so please keep us informed of all your activities and help maintain the democratic, collaborative and inclusive culture of CREEW.