Heather Fehring - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Heather Fehring

Recognizing that learning to spell is a complex, active process of discovery, this book presents ... more Recognizing that learning to spell is a complex, active process of discovery, this book presents some suggestions for the teaching of spelling that may be incorporated into diZfarbnt types of language programs and adapted to suit the needs of children with a range of spelling abilities. Following the introduction, a section on beginning spelling offers suggestions for introducing

International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, Jan 25, 2016

The study examined how, in what situations and why teachers used students' L1 in EFL classes. EFL... more The study examined how, in what situations and why teachers used students' L1 in EFL classes. EFL students and teachers from two universities in Mainland China were involved in this study as the participants. The study employed a mixed methods research design, both qualitative and quantitative data were collected. The data provide evidence that EFL teachers believed in the importance of incorporating L1 in EFL teaching because of the insufficient class time for EFL teaching and learning in university classes. The EFL teachers believed that their low competence in mastering the English language hindered their EFL teaching abilities, and the university students had limited English language experiences because of the textbook-driven teaching content of EFL classes. The data provide important results related to the implementation of change practices for the teaching of EFL.

Practically primary, Oct 1, 2015

What has changed in 2015 in relation to literacy assessment over the past two decades? Not much i... more What has changed in 2015 in relation to literacy assessment over the past two decades? Not much in relation to the age old belief in the power of high stakes testing. Some twenty-five years ago I wrote an article for the old ALEA publication called Reading Around Series that highlighted the difference between measuring a student's literacy achievements and actually improving a student's literacy ability. In 2006 I wrote an article for ALEA called, How Do We Know What We Know? Understanding Literacy Achievement in Action. This article reinforced the view that the most powerful literacy assessment is always in the hands of professional competent teachers. Teachers who make decisions about students' literacy development, using formative assessment techniques in their everyday curriculum activities, have the most informed knowledge.

IGI Global eBooks, Jan 18, 2011

Master of EducationThis thesis examined the language strategies used during the cognitive process... more Master of EducationThis thesis examined the language strategies used during the cognitive processing involved in the production of English orthography. The methodology used was observation and analysis of spelling errors produced by a sample of primary school children in Years 2, 3 and 4. It was hypothesised that in the process of learning to spell children learn how to use several language strategies - the phonemic strategy, the visual memory strategy and the morphemic strategy. It was further hypothesised that the data obtained from analysing children's spelling errors would reflect the nature and extent of the use of these strategies. A sample of words which had the potential to show these language strategies in operation was selected. These words were deemed to be words containing what are referred to as silent letters, and words indicating the past tense. The data were analysed using a clustering analysis technique. The results of this research gave clear evidence that children's errors are not random events. Observation of the children's spelling performance revealed errors which reflected phonemic, visual memory and morphemic strategies in operation. However, it is possible that the visual memory and morphemic strategies form parts of one higher order cognitive strategy - knowledge of the orthographic structure of English. The possibility of a hierarchical sequence in the acquisition of the language strategies was also examined. The data support the notion of developmental proficiency, but not discrete sequential stages of acquisition. Year level analysis showed qualitative differences in the use of each of the three language strategies. The younger children showed greater use of the phonemic strategy and the older children showed greater use of both the visual memory and morphemic strategies. Analyses involving clustering of individual subjects in Years 2 and 4 indicate quite clearly that the poorer the spelling performance the more likely are the children to use a phonemic strategy in their incorrect attempts at a word. Conversely, the better the spelling performance the more likely is the chance that children will exhibit responses that are characterised by the visual memory or morphemic nature of the spelling errors. However, children in each of the Year levels 2, 3 and 4 used all three language strategies. The results of this study have implications for teaching practice. Teaching practices which deal with the study of the orthographic structure of English in an holistic manner may be more beneficial to the learner than isolated sequential steps of instruction. Integrating the phonological, graphemic and morphemic attributes of a word may enable the learner to recall the spelling of a word through a diverse range of networks in the lexicon

Multiple Literacy and Science Education, 2010

The Australian Journal of Language and Literacy

It is often assumed that young children, commonly called'digital natives', are coming t... more It is often assumed that young children, commonly called'digital natives', are coming to school already computer literate, albeit through the use of electronic games or the practice of text messaging. In this article it is argued that the use of Information Communication ...

Routledge, Nov 3, 2016

This chapter discusses the main principles of adult learning as a context for effective professio... more This chapter discusses the main principles of adult learning as a context for effective professional learning that is tailored to the diverse cognitive and/or affective needs of adult learners in a variety of learning environments. Adult learning can be a challenging area for educators. For some adult educators, their role is clearly defined as a coach, a mentor or a supervisor. For others, their role may require a blend of these differing roles, depending not only on the course or program, but also on the differing needs and status of the adult learners. This chapter highlights some of the key features of the distinction between coaching and mentoring practices, and the essential professional development strategies needed when teaching adult learners in school settings. Developing appropriate learning opportunities, which address any content requirements, need to be underpinned by approaches which take into account both the professional and personal needs of the adult learners.

This is the author’s version of a work that was submitted/accepted for pub-lication in the follow... more This is the author’s version of a work that was submitted/accepted for pub-lication in the following source: Comber, Barbara (2013) High-stakes literacy tests and local effects in a rural school. Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 36(2), pp. 78-89.

A recent policy direction in many OECD countries has been to increase workforce participation for... more A recent policy direction in many OECD countries has been to increase workforce participation for women of childbearing age; a policy direction which seemingly runs counter to a need for improved work-life balance for women themselves. This article explores the impact of this somewhat contradictory ‘push-pull ’ of policy by examining some difficulties of workforce participation, transition and re-entry articulated by female case study participants from an Australian Research Council funded study, which examined the career decision-making of contemporary Australian workers. Against a backdrop of the larger study, this article features detail from interviews with skilled women workers on their return from maternity leave, particularly addressing their difficult transitions between work and care and their varying responses to workplace marginalisation. In light of policy initiatives aimed to boost workforce participation, this article aims to contribute to raising the profile of issues...

This paper investigates the magnitude of difference of academic achievement scores by language of... more This paper investigates the magnitude of difference of academic achievement scores by language of instruction of prior education and the magnitude of interaction between language of instruction of prior education and students ’ preferred learning trait on academic performance of a group of international students in two teaching and learning practices. The magnitude of difference and magnitude of interaction were determined by using Cohen’s d with Hedges g correction. Coe’s spread sheet was used for the analysis. The study showed that the magnitude of difference of academic achievement score was found to be very small on Traditional method of Teaching and Learning (TTL) and small on Problem-Based method of Learning (PBL). However, the magnitude of interaction between language of instruction of prior education and learning traits varied from very small to large. It is a challenging task to accommodate international students from different language background and optimize the whole lea...

Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 2020

2020 will bring changing times in education in Australia especially in relation to literacy curri... more 2020 will bring changing times in education in Australia especially in relation to literacy curriculum policy and procedures. On-going teacher reviews both pre-service and graduate teachers; curriculum reviews especially in relation to the false binary of Synthetic and Analytical phonics and the reconsideration of NAPLAN and PISA following the release of the results of 2018 will be influential in educational policy makers considerations in 2020. In the current education climate, there is an obsession with the so-called Industrial Revolution 4.0. The driving force for change is dominated by market force perspectives of the future needs for industry workforce skills. The Industrial Revolution 4.0 documented in the current literature commenced in the 18th century with the first Industrial Revolution identified as the invention of the steam engine. In relation to educational change, it is important to reflect on two significant issues. First, there is more to education that the provis...

The research presented in this thesis investigates the influences on teachers' judgements of ... more The research presented in this thesis investigates the influences on teachers' judgements of students' literacy development in a Victorian (Australia) context. By establishing the study within the paradigm known as constructivism (Guba & Lincoln,

This chapter combines the theoretical framework of Freebody and Luke's (1990; Luke & Freebody... more This chapter combines the theoretical framework of Freebody and Luke's (1990; Luke & Freebody, 1997, 1999) four resources model and the structural developmental continuum of the Australian Curriculum (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, 2016a) to provide practical assessment techniques that may be used by teachers in Australian schools. The emphasis in this chapter is on demonstrating how a variety of formative and summative strategies can be adapted and applied by teachers to provide an evidence-base for school community decision-making in relation to students' literacies achievements.

7 In the world of adult education, which involves high speed and complex techno- 8 logical commun... more 7 In the world of adult education, which involves high speed and complex techno- 8 logical communication software there is sometimes a sense of the loss of the 9 identity of the individual adult learner. The creation of rich vibrant learning 10 environments is the goal for adult educators. 11 The challenge for adult educators is to design and deliver high-quality 12 programmes that encompass a blend of teaching and learning approaches and 13 strategies, that are constructed for adult learners in multiple educational envi- 14 ronments, and that cater for the diversity of adult learners' needs. As the chap- 15 ters in this book demonstrate, adult learners are complex individuals who come 16 to the learning process with a multitude of different experiences. Many are 17 working full-time jobs, many have family commitments that they need to 18 juggle with their learning commitments, some have experienced failure in 19 previous learning endeavours, some are coming to the adult learnin...

This book arose as a consequence of a brainstorm with colleagues at a higher education institutio... more This book arose as a consequence of a brainstorm with colleagues at a higher education institution where we discussed what the personality of the profession of teacher education might look like. We used this shared identification of the construction and personality of the teacher education profession to identify chapters that we thought might be of use to early career teacher educators (ECTE). These are people making the transition from their successful professional practice to the teacher education arena. Thus the book is aimed at people who are early career teacher educators. While most might be within an academic institution there are growing numbers of mentors in school-based programmes of teacher education. Regardless of where you sit on this spectrum of teacher education provision, we believe that anyone apprenticing future teachers needs to have an understanding of the similarities and differences between their original status and their status as a teacher educator. An expert...

Practically primary, 2006

How do we know what we know? How do teachers know that students' literacy abilities are impro... more How do we know what we know? How do teachers know that students' literacy abilities are improving? How do they know that students have the literacy skills to deal with the demands of the Information Age of the 21st century? Such questions constantly challenge educators. The High Stakes System Assessment uses the scientific model of knowing. 'If you can see it, if you can touch it or if you can measure it, you know'. According to this model, a student's knowledge of phonics has improved if the score on a phonics test is greater the second time the child is tested. The scientific view of assessment holds that a student's literacy has improved if the number of isolated individual words read on a word recognition test has increased on the second and third administration of the test. The reality of literacy assessment in classrooms and schools around Australia is much more sophisticated than the so-called scientific objective model described above. Teachers in the 21s...