Proposal to establish a new AARE Special Interest Group (SIG):- Middle Years Education

Aims:

The key aim of this Special Interest Group would be to create and support strategic opportunities to enhance the momentum and advocacy around middle years research, and the consolidation of evidence based practice in middle years education.

Rationale:

The rationale for establishing a SIG Middle Years Education is founded on the unprecedented uptake of middle years of schooling practices that Australia has witnessed over the past decade. What began as a grassroots movement in Australia is now adopted and advocated for by State Education Departments and governing bodies. Not only has the middle years of schooling movement and their associated reforms brought about significant change in the way schools are conceptualizing curriculum, pedagogy and structural organization (see Barratt, 1998; Australian Curriculum Studies Association, 1996; Cuttance, Angus, Chadbourne, Crowther, Hann, McMaster, Russell, Hill, Jones, Mackay, Stokes, Zbar, Olney & Jane., 2001; Chadbourne, 2001; Luke et al., 2003; Pendergast et al., 2005). It has also resulted in a number of Australian universities creating programs that focus on the needs of middle years learners (Pendergarst & Bahr, 2005; Aspland & Crosswell, 2006). One of the key points of concern for middle years educators and middle years researchers is that many of the common middle years practices and assumptions are not founded on evidence-based research. Thus a strategic and collaborative approach to research in the middle years is imperative in Australia.

In recent years there have been re-occurring and regular discussions around the need to create and sustain stronger networks for Middle Years researchers. Forums that this issue has been raised and discussed include the Western Australian Middle Years Conference, The University of Queensland Middle Years teacher education meetings, Middle Years Schooling Association (MYSA) Committee meetings, MYSA conferences, Australian Teacher Education Association symposia, and Australian Association of Research in Education symposia. Thus, the establishment of a Middle Years Education SIG would in part address this need and at the same time establish and strengthen an Australian Middle Years research agenda. A Middle Years Education SIG would offer academics and educators who are researching in Middle Years education the opportunity to network, with a view to raising the profile of middle years education research in Australia.

Research Interests:

This would need to be agreed on in collaboration of the AARE members who joined the SIG, but research interests that have already been discussed in the initial meeting in 2008, as high priorities were;

• Provide an arena for discussion, debate and possible strategic approaches to raising middle years research agendas.


• Raise the profile of research in, of, and for middle years of schooling in universities, schools and educational settings.


• Support members to publish their middle years research and provide a network that enables collaboration in research and publishing between members.


• Provide a supportive environment for individual members to present their research and seek feedback from other members.


• Enable networking, informal information sharing and discussion about members’ middle years research projects.


• Facilitate and support joint publications by members, as joint papers, journal special issues or books

Proposed Activities:

Again, this would need to be agreed on in collaboration of the AARE members who eventually joined the SIG, but proposed activities included;

• Facilitate a network of middle years researchers that meet annually and formally at AARE, but also meet in more informal ways throughout the year.
• Support collaboration in research and publishing between members.
• Organise workshops and/or research forums to develop long term goals for middle years research and capacity building amongst members
• Encourage and host visiting scholars opportunities
• Provide a supportive environment for individual members to present their research and seek feedback from other members

Convenor:

Dr Leanne Crosswell
QUT, Faculty of Education
School of Learning and Professional Studies
Victoria Park Road
Kelvin Grove QLD 4059

Mobile: 04 0906 7743
Phone: 07 3138 3459
Fax: 07 3138 3987
Email: l2.crosswell@qut.edu.au
CRICOS No. 00213J

AARE members / non-members who have agreed to join the SIG: (While an official note of who was in attendance was taken, it is not readily available)

1. Leanne Crosswell
2. Tania Aspland
3. Lisa Hunter
4. Nan Bahr
5. Donna Pendergast
6. Jayne Keogh
7. Barbara Garrick
8. Lisa Papatrainou
9. Sally Knipe
10. Katherine Main