Making Sense of Asperger’s: A story for children
By Debra Ende; Illustrated by Bettina Guthridge
ACER Press 2011

Published in Totline: National Playgroup Magazine

We are all different and just as some people are tall and some people are short, some people like change and some do not. This is just one of the differences covered in this insightful book on children with Asperger’s Syndrome. It is particularly useful in the way it discusses the ‘standard operating system’ that most people have compared to the ‘Asperger’s operating system’, putting these differences in an easily understood framework for children. It’s a helpful resource for both youngsters with Asperger’s and those who seek to better understand them.

For more information about Making Sense of Asperger’s, visit the ACER Online Shop.

What Teachers Need to Know About Social and Emotional Development
By Ros Leyden and Erin Shale
ACER 2012

Reviewed by Giles Barrow
Published in Pastoral Care in Education

This book does precisely what it says on the cover; provides an introduction for teachers to the theme of social and emotional development. The style is very accessible, the layout is clear and is designed to be read by busy practitioners who are most likely to dip into sections during short breaks. Leyden and Shale are clearly familiar with the cut and thrust of daily life in the primary years and have successfully put down a wide range of information that illuminates development and points to strategies for getting the best from children during the primary years.

The book is divided into four sections. The first presents a commentary of contemporary themes influencing child development. The second explores emotional development, the third social development and a fourth section focuses on ‘Sleepless-nights issues’ which refer to problem issues that practitioners may encounter in working with social and emotional development.

Leyden and Shale adopt a very practical, down-to-earth approach. There are plenty of bullet point lists of strategies, suggested items for school newsletters to encourage parents in supporting children and summaries of general ideas about social and emotional development. They provide an extensive bibliography to support the references to theory, resources and initiatives referred to throughout the book for readers with a little more time and interest.

The authors centre their approach on a combination of Erikson’s model of child development, cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), positive psychology and general ideas about emotional intelligence self-concept and self-esteem. Specific interventions are cited regarding issues such as bullying, bereavement, emotional literacy and special needs.

Much of the writing has a universal application and the Australian frame of reference, whilst occasionally in the foreground, doesn’t get in the way of accessing the material. There’s plenty here in this tightly written, short volume.

Prospective readers might want to bear in mind that this title really does deliver on what it sets out to do – and does not stray much further. The material begins and ends with the daily tasks of supporting development in the classroom. For those looking for a more comprehensive account of the books themes, or are seeking to deepen their understanding and practice it will be more useful to look to the bibliography. This is a book most appropriate for those new to working in the classroom or those coming fresh to the theme of emotional and social development. Mentors of younger and newer entrants to the professional will find this a useful title to recommend.

For more information about What Teachers Need to Know About Social and Emotional Development visit the ACER Online Shop.

As levels of physical activity decline and sedentary behaviours increase,* more parents are turning to organised sport as a means to involve their children in physical activity.§ And as the number of children involved in organised sport increases, more parents are asking key questions of sports coaches.

At what age should children specialise in a particular sport? Do sports drinks enhance children’s performance? Should children do weight training? How often should children train?

Coaching Children: Sports science essentials, by Kelly Sumich, the Director of the Sports Science Education Institute in Perth, provides coaches with answers to the kinds of questions parents ask.

“Parents, coaches and fitness professionals can be unsure of the safest and most effective ways to train children,” Ms Sumich explained. “The purpose of this book has been to explain sports science principles in an easy-to-read, practical way.”

Published by ACER Press, Coaching Children also helps community coaches and fitness professionals design safe and effective training programs to help children develop their sporting skills and enjoy participating in sport.

Peter Sumich, Assistant Coach, Fremantle Football Club and West Coast Eagles premiership player, will launch Coaching Children at the AH Bracks Library in Perth tomorrow.

“Getting children interested in playing sports is a challenge in itself. Keeping them interested through supportive and knowledgeable coaching can help ensure that sport is an integral part of their lives through to their teens and into adulthood,” Peter Sumich says.

Coaching Children: Sports science essentials (ACER Press, 2013) will be launched at the AH Bracks Library, corner of Stock Road and Canning Highway, Melville, on Wednesday 5 June. Print copies can be purchased from the ACER Online Shop or by contacting customer service on 1800 338 402 or via email on sales@acer.edu.au

*Australian Bureau of Statistics: Physical Activity in Australia: A Snapshot, 2007-08.
§Australian Bureau of Statistics: Sports and Physical Recreation: A Statistical Overview, Australia, 2011.

University Teaching in Focus: A learning-centred approach
Edited by Lynne Hunt and Denise Chalmers
ACER 2012

Reviewed by Claire McDonnell
Published in Education in Chemistry, May 2013, pg. 30-31 (www.rsc.org/eic)

This book, aimed at early career academic staff, has contributions from 21 experts. I had initial concerns that the ‘too many cooks’ adage would apply but they quickly disappeared: the editors have produced a clearly structured text that has been shaped into a coherent, consistent whole. This is facilitated by extensive cross-referencing between chapters and a single, shared bibliography at the end.

The book has 16 chapters grouped into four appropriate and relevant themes; teaching, curriculum, students, and quality and leadership. It is scaffolded so that ideas and concepts are developed gradually. Each chapter includes examples as well as questions to encourage reflection and application to local contexts. Useful frameworks and summaries are incorporated and references to core literature and to practical resources are provided.

The central tenet is the development of a learning centred approach. The description of teachers who do so adopting a ‘meddler in the middle’ role was informative. Another principle incorporated is that there is no one path that works for everyone and the aim is to inform and guide. Reference to a comparison of teaching to whitewater rafting rang true as did the metaphor of the curriculum as a suitcase (both are of no use if overstuffed). It is good to see that two of the case studies described apply to chemistry and several more are science-related. The issue of moving from the general to the specific is addressed early on in a chapter on disciplinebased teaching.

The inclusion of chapters on the scholarship of teaching and learning and on leadership is timely and ensures that all facets of academic life are dealt with. This is a comprehensive and current text. A minor, and admittedly personal, gripe is that service learning was mentioned only briefly.

The individual chapters could be read in isolation and are of a manageable length. This flexibility also makes the book a valuable resource for more experienced academics. For this reason, I intend to keep my copy, which already has a fine collection of sticky notes attached, within easy reach for the foreseeable future.

Download a printable version of this review.

For more information about University Teaching in Focus, please visit the ACER Online Shop.

An Extraordinary School: Re-modelling special education
Edited by Sara James
ACER 2012

Reviewed by J. D. Neal, University of Central Missouri
Published in CHOICE: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, May 2013 Issue

This book describes how one Australian school converted itself into a dynamic center for the education of children with intellectual disabilities using a most innovative educational approach. The Port Phillips Specialist School adopted a visual and performing arts curriculum for its students, most of whom have genetic-based developmental disabilities. Basically, the school functions much as a magnet school does in the US. The book describes in great detail how their students become independent in daily living skills, self-help skills, and communication through art, music, dance, and physical activities. Although traditional academics is seldom mentioned in the book, readers surmise that these children’s needs lie more in becoming able to care for themselves independently rather than learning traditional core academic subjects. The book is easy to read and contains much dialogue to illustrate how the school’s staff functions as a team. The firsthand language used makes the approach all the more relevant to the reader. This approach has been used in the US for some time as well, and so while it is not new, it is refreshing to read a book whose contributors are so dedicated to their educational mission. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate, graduate, research, and professional collections.

Reprinted with permission from CHOICE http://www.cro2.org, copyright by the American Library Association.

For more information about An Extraordinary School visit the ACER Online Shop.

Did you know children get colder after exercise much faster than adults? Or that children’s sweat glands operate differently? Or that short bursts of exercise are far more beneficial than one extended play? Can you answer what sort of physical activity puts kids at risk because their hands and arm growth plates are not fully fused? Kelly Sumich’s book, Coaching Children: Sports Science Essentials, was screaming out to be written. Read the full article
Helen Crompton, The Today Section, The West Australian, 28 May 2013, page 7

Research is revealing the powerful impact that school leadership teams can have in improving the quality of teaching and learning. Effective leaders create cultures of high expectations, provide clarity about what teachers are to teach and students are to learn, establish strong professional learning communities and lead ongoing efforts to improve teaching practices.

In this session, Professor Geoff Masters will describe the National School Improvement Tool which brings together findings from international research into the practices of highly effective schools and school leaders.

He will explore the ways in which the Tool assists schools to review and reflect on their efforts to improve the quality of classroom teaching and learning and supports school-wide conversations – including with parents and families, school governing bodies, local communities and students themselves – about aspects of current practice, areas for improvement and evidence that progress is being made.

The National School Improvement Tool was endorsed by the Standing Council on School Education and Early Childhood (SCSEEC) at its meeting on 7 December 2012 and has since been made available to all Australian schools for use in their school improvement planning.

About the speaker

Geoff Masters is Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) – a role he has held since 1998.

He has a PhD in educational measurement from the University of Chicago and has published widely in the fields of educational assessment and research.

He has undertaken a number of reviews for governments, including a review of examination procedures in the New South Wales Higher School Certificate (2002); an investigation of options for the introduction of an Australian Certificate of Education (2005); a national review of options for reporting and comparing school performances (2008); and reviews of strategies for improving literacy and numeracy learning in government schools in Queensland (2009) and the Northern Territory (2011). He developed the National School Improvement Tool endorsed by education ministers in December 2012.

He is the author of Australian Education Review number 57, Reforming Educational Assessment: Imperatives, principles and challenges released in March 2013.

Professor Masters was the recipient of the Australian College of Educators’ 2009 College Medal in recognition of his contributions to education.

Further information

Date: Wednesday 19 June 2013
Time: Registration: 5:00pm Start: 5:30pm
Venue: Bastow Institute of Educational Leadership, 603-615 Queensberry St, North Melbourne
Cost: $35 (incl GST) per person

Download the flyer or register now

Teachers in Melbourne and Sydney have an opportunity to investigate with their students the work of architect Jan Gehl and his ‘human-centric’ approach to city planning in New York, Copenhagen, Christchurch, Dhaka and Melbourne. Gehl’s approach is to engage students and colleagues in field research, spending a day in one spot on the street to note and map how people use the space.

The Australian Centre for the Moving Image in Melbourne and Sydney Film Festival are screening The Human Scale, by director Andreas Dalsgaard.

The Australian Centre for the Moving Image in Melbourne screens The Human Scale from 14 June to 4 July. The Sydney Film Festival screens The Human Scale from 5 to 16 June.

Get more information from the Australian Centre for the Moving Image here or from the Sydney Film Festival here.

Watch The Human Scale

You and your students might not be able to spend a whole day in one spot on a street, but how might you note and map the use of space in your school?

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Read’ The surprising uses for birdsong’ by Denise Winterman here.

Do you and your students currently hear bird song in your school environment?