TEACH Journal
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TEACH Journal of Christian Education is hosted by the School of Education at Avondale University and is published by Avondale Academic Press. It is part of The Ministry of Teaching, a collaborative initiative of Adventist Schools Australia and shared stakeholders. Publication began in 2007 to fulfil shared purposes including affirming and informing established educators, attracting and supporting young adults in choosing and committing to a teaching career and empowering Christian education communities.
Journal content demonstrates exemplary practice, reports current research, reviews philosophical and theoretical positions and recounts the potential for satisfaction and fulfilment in the change agent role of effective teaching.
The journal publishes articles informing Christian education that relate to teaching and professional practice; educational administration; research and scholarship; and also includes reflections, impressions and experiences of Christian educators.
TEACH Journal of Christian Education is published biannually by Avondale Academic Press, with editions in April and September. The journal invites and welcomes contributions that relate to its mission and the various content areas covered by the journal. It intends to provide a forum for topics of interest and issues relevant to Christian education.
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Browsing TEACH Journal by Author "Beamish, Peter"
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Publication Are Christian Schools Really Christian? Perceptions of Final Year Pre-service Teachers in Australia(Avondale Academic Press, 2018-11-01) Beamish, Peter; Christian, BeverlyFinal year pre-service teachers at a private provider of Christian higher education were surveyed to discover their perceptions of the special character of a wide spectrum of Australian Christian faith-based schools. They each completed an eight week placement, spread over two sessions, in a Christian school. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected through open-ended written responses and a questionnaire. The results indicated that a special Christian character was visible to the preservice teachers, with evidence that Christian worldview alignments in the areas of school culture, relationships, service and discipleship in Christian schools is easier to identify than in the learning and teaching aspects of schools’ operations.
Publication Caffeine Consumption Among Students Attending Christian Schools in Australia and its Relationship to Classroom Behaviour and Academic Performance(Avondale Academic Press, 2016-11-01) Guest, Jade; Grant, Ross; Greive, Cedric; Morey, Peter; Beamish, PeterPublication Critical Reflection - Impact and Implementation Considerations in Early Childhood Education and Care(Avondale Academic Press, 2021-04-01) Beamish, Peter; Williams, Debra GayeThe National Quality Standard (NQS) is the benchmark for quality in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) within Australia. The Australian Government positioned reflective practice at the core of the NQS (ACECQA, 2013) in order to raise standards and inform future planning and decision making (COAG, 2009; Kennedy, 2011). Critical reflection was identified as foundational to good practice with educators expected to engage in a 'lively culture of professional inquiry' (DEEWR, 2009, p. 13) with reflection ensuring a way of continued improvement to raise standards. This paper reports on a research study that explored the impact and implementation of critical reflection as part of the NQS in ECEC. This research identified that critical reflection positively impacts ECEC operations and also positively impacts the learning environment of ECEC centres.
Publication Flourish: The Impact of an Intergenerational Program on Third-grade Students’ Social and Emotional Wellbeing with Application to the PERMA Framework(Avondale Academic Press, 2020-07-01) Morey, Peter; Beamish, Peter; Gray, AngelaIntergenerational programs are increasingly being recognised as a means of promoting wellbeing through connecting communities, promoting caring relationships, and combating loneliness and isolation. While existing research provides evidence of the positive benefits of intergenerational programs for the elderly, there is limited research on the impact that these programs have on children’s wellbeing. The aim of this study was to measure the impact of the intergenerational program, ‘Flourish’, on student social and emotional wellbeing.
Publication Human Touch in the Primary School Setting(Avondale Academic Press, 2019-12-01) Beamish, Peter; Thompson, AndreaNo touch policies in schools have created a dilemma for teachers. To investigate student, teacher, and parent attitudes to touch at school, ten Pre-Kindy students, seven K-6 students, four teachers and four parents at a small faith-based school were interviewed using a semi-structured interview style. Analysis of the responses indicated the majority of the participants in this study supported the use of ‘healthy’ physical contact, between teachers and students. Students, parents and teachers were mindful of appropriate ways to touch, arena of safety issues, and that touch may not be for everyone, all concepts which informed a proposition for policy review in schools to optimise student development and wellbeing.
Publication Increasing Life Effectiveness(Avondale Academic Press, 2009-01-01) Robinson, Tony; Low, David; Beamish, PeterThe iPod, more than any other device, is indicative of the times in which we live. It provides entertainment and information at the click of a wheel, whenever, and wherever we want it. The iPod is tool of choice for many of the current generation of youth who fill their days with electronic devices, computer games, Youtube, Myspace, Facebook and talking to friends on MSN. These youth have been referred to as the iGeneration, or Google Generation; whatever you choose to call them, they are the young people in our schools.
Life is not simple for many of these students. They
are growing up in a world vastly different to that
of their parents. Today’s world features “cultural
pluralism, increased anxiety about personal and
environmental risks, precarious employment,
rampant consumerism, the information deluge,
greater individualisation and increased instability in
families” (Hughes, 2007).
Within this quickly changing world, there is a
need for students to develop the capacity to cope
with their ever-changing environment. They need
to be resilient. Outdoor education activities have
been proposed as one way of increasing a person’s
resilience through increasing ‘Life Effectiveness’
skills. These skills equip students to handle the
demands of life and impact a person’s capacity to
adapt, survive, and thrive (Neill, 2008). They will
enhance a person’s resilience and their sense of
wellbeing.
Publication Mindset, Perseverance, and Learning(Avondale Academic Press, 2018-11-01) Beamish, Peter; Ryan, Alysia209 junior school students, ranging from year four to year six, and their nine teachers participated in this study that explored how the psychological factors of growth mindset: the belief in one’s ability to learn and succeed, selfcontrol: the ability to resist temptation and remain focused on a goal, and grit: applying passion and perseverance for long term goals, impact junior school students’ academic achievement. This study found that growth mindset, selfcontrol and grit can all play a part in helping students to achieve academically in primary schools. The two factors, grit and growth mindset were found to have a direct, significant influence on academic achievement. Grittier students were more likely to outperform their peers in academic achievement. Students with a higher growth mindset were also more likely to outperform their peers. Growth mindset had a significant positive relationship with grit. Although the present study did not find a significant difference in grit based on gender, the structured equation model indicated that boys had a significant direct link to grit, but girls compensated through the significant indirect link to grit via self-control. The present study found a highly positive correlation between self-control and grit. Students with higher levels of self-control were more likely to exhibit higher levels of grit.
Publication Podcasting in the Classroom: A Case Study(Avondale Academic Press, 2008-01-01) Brown, Joshua; Beamish, PeterThe world is changing. Many students now fi ll
their world with mobile phones, text messaging,
MP3 players and computers that they use for
social networking. They have really become the
iPod generation. Due to the ubiquitous nature
of iPods, and other mp3 players, digital music
is everywhere and podcasting has become a
mainstream activity of the web 2.0 age.
Publication School Choice: What Motivates Parents(Avondale Academic Press, 2012-01-01) Morey, Peter; Beamish, PeterThe educational system in Australia today is
radically different from the school systems of
the past. As Mark Porter (2010), Chairman of
the Independent schools Council of Australia
writes:
The expanding role of the federal government in
school education and the sustained growth of the
independent sector are major developments which
have influenced the nature of schooling in this
country. (p. 2)
The rise of the independent sector has given
parents choice when it comes to selecting a
school for their children. This increase in choice
has been accompanied by a change of focus in
Australian education. There has been a move in
two major policy directions, marketisation and
school performance. Both of these policies can
be seen through a lens of competition, choice,
the increasing emphasis on accountability, value
adding to the curriculum through the addition
of extra curricular activities, and the move to
make the consumers of education bear the costs
(English, 2009).
Publication School Choice: What Parents Choose(Avondale Academic Press, 2013-01-01) Morey, Peter; Beamish, PeterThe educational system in Australia allows parents to have a choice when it comes to selecting a school for their children. Parents have become consumers in an educational market, and schools, including Christian schools, now find themselves operating in a competitive space. The research reported in this two-part article sought to explore the factors that influence parents’ choice of school for their children using a mixed methods approach. Parents with students attending Christian schools in an Australian urban environment completed a total of 102 School Choice questionnaires, and 17 families with children in schools were interviewed.
Publication Struggling to Stay Awake: The Sleep Patterns of Adventist Secondary School Students(Avondale Academic Press, 2014-01-01) Ashton, Maurice; Pearce, Robyn; Guest, Jade; Grant, Ross; Beamish, Peter; Morey, Peter; Greive, CedricSleep deprivation studies indicate that sleep is vital to emotional, physical and behavioural wellbeing. This study presents the results of a survey in which 945 students in Seventh-day Adventist secondary schools responded to questions about the length and quality of their sleep. The study found that: almost one half of the students were at risk of falling short of the recommended number of hours of sleep per night; toward one in every five students were averaging six or fewer hours sleep per night; the quality of sleep (in terms of better sleep habits) and the resulting levels of daytime alertness were clearly linked to having a permanent, personal space for sleep; and finally that academic performance was strongly related to measures of daytime alertness and measures of the quality of sleep habits.
Publication The Ministry of Teaching(Avondale Academic Press, 2007-01-01) Beamish, PeterDifferent people want different things out of life but one of the things that most people want is to be happy. This, however, can be an elusive thing. In his recent book, Authentic happiness, Martin Seligman explores what it takes to really make us happy.
Publication Wellbeing Notebook: Growing Wellbeing(Avondale Academic Press, 2021-11-01) Beamish, PeterMental health has been identified as an issue of national concern in Mission Australia's Youth Survey.