Lindy Abawi | University of Southern Queensland (original) (raw)

Papers by Lindy Abawi

Many educators are questioning the current direction being taken in Australian education, particu... more Many educators are questioning the current direction being taken in Australian education, particularly when considering that a number of overseas national testing regimes have been abandoned in the light of a plateauing in school achievement (Fullan, 2009; Hargreaves & Shirley, 2009). An Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (2006) report highlighted that ‘reforms have ultimately come up against a wall, or rather a ceiling, beyond which further progress seems impossible’ (p. 187). The report also noted that perhaps reform is not enough and that instead schools need to be ‘reinvented’.

<jats:p>Contract cheating is becoming a real challenge to many universities. Not only is it... more <jats:p>Contract cheating is becoming a real challenge to many universities. Not only is it a relatively new phenomenon, but also it is difficult to prove as the work is often original and unlikely to be detected using standard anti-plagiarism text-matching services such as Turnitin or Erkund. Using a literature review approach, this chapter examines why students in general would take risks to engage in contract cheating and what strategies could be implemented to prevent or lower the chance for them to be engaged in this type of academic misconduct. An Australian regional university, which is also a leader in distance learning in the country, was used as a case for this study. The findings and recommendations provide insights for Australian university policy-makers when developing strategies, procedures and policies to face this issue. Limitations and future research directions are also discussed. </jats:p>

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This chapter explores the role of connections in learning and teaching, and exposes some of the t... more This chapter explores the role of connections in learning and teaching, and exposes some of the threads that are apparent throughout the chapters by the contributing authors. We realize that the notion of creating connections might encompass making links, crossing divides, forming relationships, building frameworks, and generating new knowledge, and that it can involve cognitive, cultural, social, emotional, and physical aspects of understanding, meaningmaking, motivating, acting, researching, and evaluating. However, rather than taking a broad approach, our plan is to use two examples—one theoretical and the other pedagogical—to illustrate the importance of connections to education and learning. We conclude the chapter by discussing four themes that we have distilled from the chapters: connecting within the school contexts, connecting beyond the school contexts, making meaning from lived experiences, and developing virtual connections. These demonstrate the connections that have be...

Schools were spectacularly successful in improving in the short term, but few had begun to engage... more Schools were spectacularly successful in improving in the short term, but few had begun to engage in long-term improvement processes. Dialogue about deep transformations in teaching were largely yet to occur.

As teachers, we are privileged to have the opportunity to work in diverse contexts and with diver... more As teachers, we are privileged to have the opportunity to work in diverse contexts and with diverse groups and individuals. The richness and opportunities within today’s classrooms provide a wealth of opportunities to learn from, and with our students, parents, community and colleagues. By sharing perspectives and histories that may be unfamiliar to us and to others, opportunities are created that must be embraced in order to break down the many social injustices that still exist, and which limit the opportunities of students to fulfil their full potential.

Reflecting on my lived experience of making the transition from teacher to researcher brought the... more Reflecting on my lived experience of making the transition from teacher to researcher brought the realization that a number of constructs that I had once taken for granted as being fundamental binaries were in fact just parts of a whole rather than positions on either end of a continuum. For example I had once considered the constructs of teacher and researcher, silence and speech, making a choice and being chosen, as being obvious examples of the binaries that exist in the world of research. This chapter explores how these binaries were found to be woven into a metaphorical maze of perceptions closely tied to the language used within a specific context. Ultimately language use revealed the lack of substance upon which past perceptions had been built. These revelations emerged from my involvement in three significant pedagogical exploration events: involvement in a school revitalization project called Innovative Designs for Enhancing Achievement in Schools (IDEAS); a Multiliteracies...

The final chapter of this book explicates what realisations have emerged for educators and resear... more The final chapter of this book explicates what realisations have emerged for educators and researchers working to create current connections to guide future directions, enunciating what and how connections can/do contribute to both educational institutions and the broader society. By linking the multi-textured threads of contexts and research methodologies, clearer ways to utilise research findings that are diverse and yet complementary become apparent. An extensive range of practical ‘creating connections’ strategies are pulled together for use by educators and researchers alike who may wish to make links, cross divides, form relationships, build frameworks or generate new knowledge in any teaching and learning environment. The intricacies and insights which are brought to the fore within the vast array of cognitive, cultural, social, emotional and/or physical aspects of understanding, meaning-making, motivating, acting, researching, and evaluating that are explored throughout thes...

Clusters of schools which allow conversations between participants from different contexts, are a... more Clusters of schools which allow conversations between participants from different contexts, are a useful mechanism for creating connections for professional networking and learning among teacher professionals. In recent years, the creation of clusters—designed to deliver significant school revitalization — has strengthened connections across schools and education sectors Australia wide. The prospect of schools coming together, exchanging ideas, assisting each other and making connections for deeper learning and understandings is for many innovatory. Furthermore, the idea of teachers interacting with colleagues from across sectors, and leading professional conversations about pedagogical practice is refreshing and visionary of the leading teacher professional.

The research problem that guided the research was as follows: What key lessons for enhanced educa... more The research problem that guided the research was as follows: What key lessons for enhanced educational achievement can be learned from the implementation of the IDEAS Project in a selection of Victorian schools, 2004-8? The research was concerned with the implementation of the IDEAS Project in 22 schools in three Victorian regions in 2004-8. Nineteen of the 22 schools completed the formal requirements of the Project, encompassing the period 2004-6, and agreed to participate in the research. Seventeen of the schools had been identified prior to the commencement of IDEAS as ‘targeted’ or ‘underperforming’ in matters of organisational health and/or school performance, thus necessitating an emphasis that had not previously been required of the IDEAS Project team.

The Rangeville Active Inclusion Programme has now been running for a number of years with funding... more The Rangeville Active Inclusion Programme has now been running for a number of years with funding support from the Queensland Government. Due to the success of this programme many students are now involved in sports such as swimming, tennis, cricket, soccer, rugby, futsal, table tennis, little athletics, karate, AFL, basketball and PCYC. Community members lead and facilitate the service which seeks to support and engage students (and their families) who might otherwise be at risk of disengagement from learning for a number of reasons. The designer and key facilitator of the programme, Elizabeth Laverty (Liz), has worked in partnership with researchers from the University of Southern Queensland (USQ), Dr Lindy Abawi and Dr Karen Spence, to evaluate the programme from a number of perspectives including parents, students, and staff

 The strategic foundations within the school are linked to the school's vision, and values. (PS1... more  The strategic foundations within the school are linked to the school's vision, and values. (PS1 & 2)  Everybody works together to ensure every student has their needs met (PS1 & 2). I think that the teachers here make a huge effort to include all kids. The difference between now and three years ago is huge… There were kids fighting to be included because of where they came from and things like that…Where now, they seem to just come and everyone's happy. We make things work!" (T1 PS2) Key Theme 2: Explicit teaching of social skills and the valuing of diversity (Factors 7, 8 & 9). Key Theme 4: It's all about positive relationships between staff, students, parents and community (Factors 3, 7, & 10).  Strong relationships abound within and beyond the school gates and parents are involved in supportive, student-centred learning partnerships. Key Theme 1: School organisation and structures are strongly student centred and inclusive. (Factors 1, 2, 3 & 5). another. This means that there are less 'surprises' to deal with so the few that do occur are easier to manage and action is based on information and not just instinct. Key Theme 4: It's all about positive relationships between staff, students, parents and community (Factors 3, 7 & 10).

This book, Creating connections in teaching and learning, focuses on a core aspect of the work of... more This book, Creating connections in teaching and learning, focuses on a core aspect of the work of educators, regardless of the context within which they teach. Connections are central to learning and that is one of the reasons why this book is important. If educators were asked how connections were relevant and important to their teaching and to their students' learning, we would probably be given a plethora of answers. Some might focus on the connections between new learning and prior knowledge; others might talk about the importance of social relationships between teachers and learners; others might highlight the links between theory and practice. Chances are that the list would be long and varied. These ideas and many more have been taken up by the contributing authors. The authors represent a diverse group-beginning researchers including early career personnel and postgraduate students, novice writers, experienced researchers, and expert writers. Despite their diverse backgr...

A number of schools in a major regional Queensland city have been identified as effectively meeti... more A number of schools in a major regional Queensland city have been identified as effectively meeting the needs of students from diverse backgrounds. Two such schools were identified by Regional Education Queensland schools and both were approached to participate in this research, in part this research was to feed into similar research in the secondary context. Schools capable of adjusting to the pressures of vastly diverse student populations do exist and yet it is often difficult to pinpoint exactly what the point of difference is between such schools and ones with less complexity who find it difficult to thrive.

It is interesting to specualate on metaphor as an instrument capable of facilitating actions lead... more It is interesting to specualate on metaphor as an instrument capable of facilitating actions leading to powerful consequences. Metaphors remain in the consciousness longer than facts and therefore actions based on specific facts in one context become transferrable to another context through the use of metaphoric symbolism. Current research in schools that have undertaken the Innovative Designs for Enhancing Achievements in Schools (IDEAS) improvement process indicate that collectively developed metaphor use has the dynamic power to facilitate cognitive connections across whole school communities. In so doing, schools engaged in the IDEAS process are developing and utilising significant new knowledge for whole school achievement through cultures of collaboration and commitment. This chapter recognises that when schools are constantly bombarded with the need to undertake substantial changes in practice, the utlisation of a contextual unifying metaphor is capable of assisting wide spre...

Improving Schools, 2016

This paper provides evidence of a new teacher professionalism whereby teachers, acting as collabo... more This paper provides evidence of a new teacher professionalism whereby teachers, acting as collaborative individuals working together, are the key to effectively meeting the needs of diverse student cohorts. Drawing on data from Australian school contexts and the work of researchers from the Leadership Research International team, new professional images of teachers' work have emerged as the result of a whole school improvement process-the Innovative Designs for Enhancing Achievements in Schools (IDEAS) Process. Such processes facilitate collective engagement enabling teachers to refine and share individual strengths, as well as build capacity in areas of challenge. This reimaging of teachers is related to the concept of three dimensional pedagogy where teachers weave personal pedagogical beliefs and authoritative pedagogical frameworks with schoolwide pedagogical principles. Schoolwide pedagogical principles, clearly aligned with the school's vision for a preferred future, are derived by staff as a sign of their collective commitment to contextualised high yield teaching and learning practices. The focus is on meeting the needs of 'our students' in 'our context' while being sensitive to systemic direction. Teachers lead the process of developing SWP, working with it, refining it and embedding principles into shared pedagogical action. What emerges is the concept of micro-pedagogical deepening, a process of critiquing and defining contextualised practice. Such practices, led by the new teacher professional, are not only changing the professional image of teachers but the look, feel and sound of educational workplaces.

New Pedagogical Challenges in the 21st Century - Contributions of Research in Education

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Improving Schools, 2016

New Pedagogical Challenges in the 21st Century - Contributions of Research in Education