Managing career transitions into post-secondary Learning Designer Jobs: An Australasian perspective

This semi-structured qualitative study maps out the diversity of career paths of Australian and New Zealand (ANZ) learning designers (LDs) and summarises their career advice for those aspiring to be LDs. It identifies that, among the 92 participants, there were many different pathways into the profession both from an academic and from professional backgrounds. It identified that the most common entry points into the postsecondary LD profession come through previously working: as a primary and secondary teacher; in higher education student services, as an English as a Second Language (ESL) professional, a sessional academic seeking job stability; in private industry, such as in film and television and in the area of training and development. Most career transitions into LD were serendipitous, or a natural progression rather than a deliberate and planned process. The study further identified a paucity of LD and associated professions career information in ANZ public domain, which held some back from entering a Learning Design career earlier. This paper concludes with some recommended strategies to address this, to the extent that it is hoped that this paper will aid aspiring LDs in planning their career transitions more effectively.

Secondary Teacher Candidates’ Mathematical Modeling Task Design and Revision

The purpose of this study is to investigate secondary teacher candidates’ experience of mathematical modeling task design. In the study, 54 teacher candidates in a university-based teacher education program created modeling tasks and scoring rubrics. Next, the participants pilot-tested the tasks with students and had the opportunity to revise the original tasks and rubrics based on student responses. The data included participants’ statements, in which they described and reflected on the design and revision process of modeling tasks. The study describes six didactic revision strategies in revising modeling tasks and identifies five emerging pedagogical ideas from revising tasks and rubrics. The study also discusses the way modeling task design activities have the potential to support teacher candidates’ learning through a bottom-up modeling curriculum in teacher education.

Grammar Skills of Secondary Teacher Education Students in a State University: Basis for Worktext Development

The study aimed to determine the standing in the grammar of the freshmen secondary teacher education students of a state university in Zambales, Philippines. Using descriptive research, a questionnaire served as the main instrument in gathering data involving eighty (80) students. A typical respondent is between 16-18 years old, female, speaks Filipino at home, prefers to read in English, and loves short stories as a genre to read. The grammar test consists of three parts: speech; subject-verb agreement; and phrases, clauses, sentences, and sentence patterns. The respondents got the highest scores in the parts of speech. There was a significant increase in their post-test scores. The students should explore and study English grammar and should give more time to appreciate it fully. Gender, language spoken at home, preferred reading materials, and genres should not affect the students' learning. A regular encouragement might help them enhance the students’ grammar skills. Students should practice using English at home, explore reading other genres to develop effective reading habits. The teachers should develop more exciting and up-to-date teaching strategies on improving the students' grammar skills. A worktext can be developed based on the results of the study.

Learning lessons from the virus: A round-table discussion

As it grew safer for schools to reopen fully in spring 2021, FORUM convened a roundtable discussion to hear more about the experience of teaching and learning through the pandemic, and how that experience might help us rethink the education system. Melissa Benn chaired this wide-ranging and insightful conversation between Eliane Glaser, a parent and writer, Jim Hudson, a secondary teacher of citizenship and history, Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, and Patrick Yarker, the editor of this journal.