Examines the use of audiotapes by external students, and indicates that students having a natural preference for obtaining information by listening feel that tapes are effective both as sources of information and in stimulating their work and morale. Students preferring written information also indicated that tapes fulfill a valuable role.…

The monograph reports on research from primary sources about Queensland's Itinerant Teacher Service from 1901 to 1930. Chapter One traces its history and shows that the Service was inaugurated in 1901 with 1 teacher visiting 103 homesteads having 319 children, reached its peak in 1921 with 18 teachers visiting 1,889 children, and declined until…

A look at Australia's educational history gives insight into a proposal for a domestic communications satellite for use as an educational tool. The country's earliest and most successful distance education programs used itinerant teachers and "tent schools." In 1922, a national correspondence education program was adopted. Correspondence…

The experimental Contact Teacher Centre at Winton State Primary School was established in March 1983 to expand the avenues of service delivery for 20 isolated Queensland primary school children from 14 families living within an 80 kilometer radius of Winton. The aims of the Centre were to: (1) assist correspondence pupils with their work; (2)…

A survey of home-schooling parents and staff associated with the Longreach School of Distance Education in a remote area of Queensland (Australia) examined attitudes about the importance of drama and visual arts education. The majority of parents valued their children's participation in the arts and would like to see more arts education included…

Recommends implementing specialized preparation for rural preschool teachers to function effectively as distance educators. Addresses differences between urban and rural environments affecting education; the important role of parents as educators in distance education; and the need for distance education preschool teachers to reconceptualize their…

This report of a study of 36 Australian families involved in distance education suggest ways to improve learning materials and cautions that more needs to be known about how children learn in isolation before new communication technologies can be used effectively. Researchers interviewed parents, pupils, and home tutors--mothers or governesses,…

The Queensland Primary Itinerant Teacher Service assists home tutors with the education of primary school children on correspondence education, supplementing the efforts of the Primary Correspondence School (PCS) and the Schools of the Air (SOTA). Primary means of service delivery is the home visit. The role of the itinerant teacher encompasses…

Begun in Israel in 1960, the HIPPY (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters) program is a family support, parent-focused, early childhood literacy program. This book compiles 17 evaluation studies of the program, from researchers and practitioners in 7 countries. The studies are organized around five themes: exploring theoretical…

This book serves as a guide for Australian parents who want to take an active role in the mathematics learning of their children. It presents material so that families will learn, think, and talk about mathematics. Many family-life lessons, such as weighing out ingredients for a cake or choosing the best route to the zoo, are presented. The book…

A section on technological delivery systems, presented as part of the second Australian National Workshop on Distance Education (Perth, 1983), contains four papers on using technological resources to provide educational services to persons in isolated locations. The first paper, by Don Kennedy, covers the use of satellite broadcasting of course…

The proceedings of the 3-day Australian National Workshop on Distance Education, whose theme was "Coping with Curriculum," include 18 papers, 2 workshop reports, and appendices that list participants and state, territory, and New Zealand representatives. The 36 recommendations developed by the workshop groups include recommendations to…

A collection of papers on the Australian experience with early intervention for children with disabilities gives regional overviews, describes specific intervention programs, and discusses a variety of issues. Overviews are given of early intervention in Australia in general, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western…