Hosted by the Knowledge Design Forum, a research group in the Globalism Institute at RMIT, this symposium will bring together educators from all sectors (teachers, principals, teacher educators and researchers) and experts in the area of e-learning to explore new directions in e-learning.

Main speakers at the symposium will include leading thinkers and practitioners in the field of e-learning. The key questions to be addressed at the symposium are about the nature of learning using digital media and tools.

Participants are also welcome to submit a presentation proposal either for a 30-minute paper, 60-minute workshop, a jointly presented 90-minute colloquium session.

Parallel sessions are loosely grouped into streams reflecting different perspectives or disciplines. Each stream also has its own talking circle, a forum for focused discussion of issues. For those unable to attend the conference in person, virtual participation is also available.

We encourage all presenters to submit written papers to The International Journal of Learning, a fully refereed academic journal. Virtual participants may also submit papers for consideration by the journal. All conference participants who have finalised their registration will receive a complimentary online subscription to the journal. This subscription is valid until one year after the conference end date.

If you would like to know more about this conference, bookmark the Learning Symposium site and return for further information-the site is regularly updated. You might also wish to subscribe to the conference and journal newsletter.

Education: How Do We Know What Works?

In recent decades, the inexorable swing in education, it seems, has been 'back to the basics' - high stakes standardised testing and curriculum to fit. The things that make for worthwhile knowledge and good schooling seem to be in many respects much the same as they were half a century ago and more.

One aspect of this trend has been a narrowing of what constitutes valid educational investigation and knowledge, most clearly encapsulated in the notion of a 'science of education'. The 'back to basics' drift seems to imply that this science consists of focused empirical research, controlled experimentation and learner results as measured in tests. The proponents of such a view claim that an 'evidence-based' approach to educational investigation and innovation will produce better teaching, based upon techniques which are proven because 'they work'.

This symposium will critically examine the notion of educational science and the measure of 'what works'. Whilst there is an undoubtedly crucial place for empirically-based experimentation and investigation, a true science of education will entertain a broader view of what constitutes valid inquiry—including critical perspectives on the social context and general direction of education today. 'What works' in a narrow frame of reference—the conventional classroom—need not necessarily work in the broader context of radical changes in the nature of what and where people learn, including at work, though public participation, in the formation of cultural identities and while using contemporary technologies.

Learning Symposium, 2007

Situated mid-way between the 2006 and 2007 annual Learning Conferences, this symposium is designed to be of relevance to any person with an interest in, and concern for, education at any of its levels and in any of its forms, from early childhood, to schools, to higher education and lifelong learning — and in any of its sites, from home to school to university to workplace. All are encouraged to register and attend this significant and timely conference — teachers, researchers and academics.

Participants are also welcome to submit a presentation proposal either as a 30 minute paper, 60 minute workshop, or jointly presented 90 minute colloquium session. Parallel sessions are loosely grouped into streams reflecting different perspectives or disciplines. Each stream also has its own talking circle a forum for focused discussion of issues.

Presenters may choose to submit written papers before or after the conference for possible publication in the International Journal of Learning, a fully refereed academic journal. Virtual participants can also submit papers to the journal.

If you would like to know more about this conference, bookmark the Learning Conference site and return for further information — the site is regularly updated. You might also wish to subscribe to the conference newsletter.

For all inquiries, please contact the conference secretariat.

Background

The International Conference on Learning

The Learning Symposium is held annually in different locations around the world.

The Learning Symposium is a participants' conference, including numerous parallel sessions. The conference organising committee is inviting proposals to present 30 minute papers, or 60 minute workshops or 90 minute colloquium sessions. These can be:

• Academic or research papers, or
• Presentations describing educational initiatives.

The International Journal of Learning

Conference participants can submit papers to The International Journal of Learning, before the symposium and up until one month after the symposium. Papers submitted for publication will be fully refereed. The publication decision is based on the referees' reports.

For those unable to attend the conference in person, a virtual registration will provide participants access to the electronic version of the journal, as well as the option to submit papers to the Learning Journal.

For more information about the journal please visit the Publish Your Paper page.