Noella Mackenzie | Charles Sturt University (original) (raw)

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Papers by Noella Mackenzie

Research paper thumbnail of Through the eyes of children: Using supercomplexity to re-imagine literacy possibilities

Research paper thumbnail of Teacher morale: More complex than we think?

Australian Educational Researcher, Apr 1, 2007

The literature suggests that teacher morale is at an all time low in Australia (Hicks 2003, Smyth... more The literature suggests that teacher morale is at an all time low in Australia (Hicks 2003, Smyth 2001) with teachers feeling undervalued, frustrated, unappreciated and demoralized (Smyth 2001; Senate Employment, Education and Training References Committee (SEETRC) 1998). In this paper the author utilizes the data gathered in a recent study into teaching excellence awards (Mackenzie 2004) as the medium to explore and discuss the issue of teacher morale and to provide some tentative suggestions for improving morale as proposed by the study participants. If we accept a reciprocal relationship between teacher morale and student learning (Ramsey 2000, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) 2000), students in some schools may not be getting the best possible value from teachers affected by low morale. Participants in the Mackenzie (2004) study agreed that morale was generally lower than in previous times, although many suggested that morale was positive in their own schools. This suggests that morale may be more complex than has been previously understood, with three levels of morale operating concurrently for teachers, a concept which is explored in this paper.

Research paper thumbnail of I am learning to write but we don't get time to draw at school

Research paper thumbnail of Teaching Excellence Awards: An Apple for the Teacher?

Australian Journal of Education, Aug 1, 2007

In this article the status of teaching as a profession and the morale of teachers in Australian s... more In this article the status of teaching as a profession and the morale of teachers in Australian schools in the current era provide a framework for the examination of the intent and outcomes of teaching excellence awards. The research study applied an interpretive research paradigm and used both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. The methodology and the theoretical framework were based on organisational and sociological paradigms. Data informing the study were collected from 44 award recipients and 57 of their colleagues between the years 2000 and 2002. Documentation relating to the promotion and process of awards was also examined. The introduction of teaching excellence awards into the school education sector is found to be a reflection of the economic era in which the current education system is situated. The paper concludes that the awards process may be potentially politically manipulative.

Research paper thumbnail of The drawing and writing journey:: Progressions in children's learning

Research paper thumbnail of Transitions and Emergent Writers

International perspectives on early childhood education and development, Aug 24, 2013

Transition has been described as the passage from one place, stage, style or subject to another o... more Transition has been described as the passage from one place, stage, style or subject to another over time’. Throughout a lifetime a person will move through numerous transitions, many simultaneously. For a young child, two important and overlapping transitions are starting school and learning to write. Each brings new and different processes and expectations for the child. It has been widely acknowledged that successful school transition plays an important role in later school success. However, the idea that starting school and learning to write are two overlapping transitions has not seen the same level of scrutiny. Starting school and learning to write may also overlap, interact or intersect with further transitions involving, for example, parental separation or a change in location. This chapter examines how the starting school transition could affect the learning to write transition.

Research paper thumbnail of From drawing to writing: What happens when you shift teaching priorities in the first six months of school?

The Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, Oct 1, 2011

Most young children love to draw and they all need to learn to write. However, despite the resear... more Most young children love to draw and they all need to learn to write. However, despite the research over the past 30 years which identifies a strong relationship between emergent writing and drawing, in some classrooms young children are being obliged to see drawing and writing separately rather than as a unified system of meaning making. In this article I highlight one outcome of the fourth phase of an ongoing research project which focuses on writing in the first year of formal schooling. In 2009 I challenged 10 teachers working with children in the first year of school to make drawing central to their writing program, particularly during the first half of the year. I wanted to examine the relationship between children's drawing and learning to write in the first six months of formal schooling in an era where visual literacy and linguistic literacy combine. This required a shift in teachers' priorities. The result of the research is unambiguous: if teachers encourage emergent writers to see drawing and writing as a unified system for making meaning children create texts which are more complex than those they can create with words alone. The findings, if not new, are significant for two reasons. Firstly, in an era where visual literacy is central to new literacies it does not make sense to ignore the research which identifies the important relationship between drawing and emergent writing. Secondly, the findings remind us of the power of building on from the known to the new; meaning making through talking and drawing are the known, and writing as script is the new. The approach discussed also leads children to develop a positive attitude towards themselves as writers.

Research paper thumbnail of Are we disadvantaging students by neglecting to teach transcription skills

Research paper thumbnail of Exclusion from enabling literacies: Children's perspectives of becoming literate in changing times

Research paper thumbnail of Learning to 'look at' and 'write' the letters of the alphabet

Research paper thumbnail of Handwriting and keyboarding: Skills for writing

Research paper thumbnail of An apple for the teacher

Charles Sturt University, Albury n this paper the current status of teaching as a profession and ... more Charles Sturt University, Albury n this paper the current status of teaching as a profession and the morale of teachers in Australian schools in the current era provide a framework for the examination of the intent and outcomes of teaching excellence awards. The ...

Research paper thumbnail of Transitions and learning to write

Routledge eBooks, Dec 14, 2017

Research paper thumbnail of Professional development: lawnmower or turbine?

Research paper thumbnail of Motivating young writers

Research paper thumbnail of Becoming a writer

Research paper thumbnail of Nurturing future wordsmiths: A focus on vocabulary

Research paper thumbnail of Powerful partnerships in Australia: University, public institution, primary schools and preschools

Research paper thumbnail of Learning to teach contemporary literacies: Pre-service teachers and school students co-construct multimodal texts

Research paper thumbnail of Nurturing young writers: Creating multimodal texts from the beginning

Research paper thumbnail of Through the eyes of children: Using supercomplexity to re-imagine literacy possibilities

Research paper thumbnail of Teacher morale: More complex than we think?

Australian Educational Researcher, Apr 1, 2007

The literature suggests that teacher morale is at an all time low in Australia (Hicks 2003, Smyth... more The literature suggests that teacher morale is at an all time low in Australia (Hicks 2003, Smyth 2001) with teachers feeling undervalued, frustrated, unappreciated and demoralized (Smyth 2001; Senate Employment, Education and Training References Committee (SEETRC) 1998). In this paper the author utilizes the data gathered in a recent study into teaching excellence awards (Mackenzie 2004) as the medium to explore and discuss the issue of teacher morale and to provide some tentative suggestions for improving morale as proposed by the study participants. If we accept a reciprocal relationship between teacher morale and student learning (Ramsey 2000, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) 2000), students in some schools may not be getting the best possible value from teachers affected by low morale. Participants in the Mackenzie (2004) study agreed that morale was generally lower than in previous times, although many suggested that morale was positive in their own schools. This suggests that morale may be more complex than has been previously understood, with three levels of morale operating concurrently for teachers, a concept which is explored in this paper.

Research paper thumbnail of I am learning to write but we don't get time to draw at school

Research paper thumbnail of Teaching Excellence Awards: An Apple for the Teacher?

Australian Journal of Education, Aug 1, 2007

In this article the status of teaching as a profession and the morale of teachers in Australian s... more In this article the status of teaching as a profession and the morale of teachers in Australian schools in the current era provide a framework for the examination of the intent and outcomes of teaching excellence awards. The research study applied an interpretive research paradigm and used both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. The methodology and the theoretical framework were based on organisational and sociological paradigms. Data informing the study were collected from 44 award recipients and 57 of their colleagues between the years 2000 and 2002. Documentation relating to the promotion and process of awards was also examined. The introduction of teaching excellence awards into the school education sector is found to be a reflection of the economic era in which the current education system is situated. The paper concludes that the awards process may be potentially politically manipulative.

Research paper thumbnail of The drawing and writing journey:: Progressions in children's learning

Research paper thumbnail of Transitions and Emergent Writers

International perspectives on early childhood education and development, Aug 24, 2013

Transition has been described as the passage from one place, stage, style or subject to another o... more Transition has been described as the passage from one place, stage, style or subject to another over time’. Throughout a lifetime a person will move through numerous transitions, many simultaneously. For a young child, two important and overlapping transitions are starting school and learning to write. Each brings new and different processes and expectations for the child. It has been widely acknowledged that successful school transition plays an important role in later school success. However, the idea that starting school and learning to write are two overlapping transitions has not seen the same level of scrutiny. Starting school and learning to write may also overlap, interact or intersect with further transitions involving, for example, parental separation or a change in location. This chapter examines how the starting school transition could affect the learning to write transition.

Research paper thumbnail of From drawing to writing: What happens when you shift teaching priorities in the first six months of school?

The Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, Oct 1, 2011

Most young children love to draw and they all need to learn to write. However, despite the resear... more Most young children love to draw and they all need to learn to write. However, despite the research over the past 30 years which identifies a strong relationship between emergent writing and drawing, in some classrooms young children are being obliged to see drawing and writing separately rather than as a unified system of meaning making. In this article I highlight one outcome of the fourth phase of an ongoing research project which focuses on writing in the first year of formal schooling. In 2009 I challenged 10 teachers working with children in the first year of school to make drawing central to their writing program, particularly during the first half of the year. I wanted to examine the relationship between children's drawing and learning to write in the first six months of formal schooling in an era where visual literacy and linguistic literacy combine. This required a shift in teachers' priorities. The result of the research is unambiguous: if teachers encourage emergent writers to see drawing and writing as a unified system for making meaning children create texts which are more complex than those they can create with words alone. The findings, if not new, are significant for two reasons. Firstly, in an era where visual literacy is central to new literacies it does not make sense to ignore the research which identifies the important relationship between drawing and emergent writing. Secondly, the findings remind us of the power of building on from the known to the new; meaning making through talking and drawing are the known, and writing as script is the new. The approach discussed also leads children to develop a positive attitude towards themselves as writers.

Research paper thumbnail of Are we disadvantaging students by neglecting to teach transcription skills

Research paper thumbnail of Exclusion from enabling literacies: Children's perspectives of becoming literate in changing times

Research paper thumbnail of Learning to 'look at' and 'write' the letters of the alphabet

Research paper thumbnail of Handwriting and keyboarding: Skills for writing

Research paper thumbnail of An apple for the teacher

Charles Sturt University, Albury n this paper the current status of teaching as a profession and ... more Charles Sturt University, Albury n this paper the current status of teaching as a profession and the morale of teachers in Australian schools in the current era provide a framework for the examination of the intent and outcomes of teaching excellence awards. The ...

Research paper thumbnail of Transitions and learning to write

Routledge eBooks, Dec 14, 2017

Research paper thumbnail of Professional development: lawnmower or turbine?

Research paper thumbnail of Motivating young writers

Research paper thumbnail of Becoming a writer

Research paper thumbnail of Nurturing future wordsmiths: A focus on vocabulary

Research paper thumbnail of Powerful partnerships in Australia: University, public institution, primary schools and preschools

Research paper thumbnail of Learning to teach contemporary literacies: Pre-service teachers and school students co-construct multimodal texts

Research paper thumbnail of Nurturing young writers: Creating multimodal texts from the beginning