• ITL Australia Project

  Innovative Teaching and Learning
• 

Innovative Teaching and Learning (ITL) Australia

ITL Australia team is based at SORTI, The University of Newcastle. We are part of a multi-year global research program on Innovative Teaching and Learning (ITL) practices designed to investigate the factors that promote the transformation of teaching in the 21st century and the impact of students' learning outcomes across a broad range of disciplines. The Australian partners are the Department of Education and Communities (DEC) and Microsoft Australia.
Education and political leaders in countries around the world have recognized the imperative to prepare their youth for the 21st century, a goal that many believe requires the fundamental transformation of educational opportunities together with the integration of technology into teaching and learning. But educational change is complex. It takes place within an ecosystem of influences that range from national policies, programs, and supports to local community contexts and school-specific professional cultures.
The project helps develop a deeper understanding of Innovative Teaching and Learning (ITL) practices, which can provide students with transformative educational opportunities in schools through the integration of technology across a range of disciplines. There are 24 schools involved in the ITL Australia project. If you are interested and not yet involved, schools can access free tools to help them measure their own innovative teaching practices at http://www.pilsr.com/. Teams are available to conduct professional development sessions on ITL in schools and are able to provide a more detailed approach to innovative practice.
In addition, the ITL Australia research project takes a hands-on approach to investigating innovative teaching and learning practices through introducing the different dimensions of 21st century skills involved in developing effective learning activities for students both in school and for homework projects. Participation in Professional Development workshops are designed to provide an opportunity for teachers to analyse Learning Activities and Student Work using these dimensions. There is an emphasis on the middle years of schooling, in the disciplines of Humanities and the Sciences.

The CI'c work within the Faculty of Education & Arts, The University of Newcastle, and are members of SORTI.