Title: Delivering education in integrated water resources management across the oceania region

Abstract: Limited water resources on many islands are highly vulnerable to over-exploitation and pollution, and are affected by climate change and variability. Island physical environments, together with isolation and remoteness, and a range of socio-cultural traditions, all combine to present many challenges to good governance for sustainable water management. This paper outlines the need for an integrated water resources management training programme in the Pacific, and presents an overview of the curriculum. Challenges faced in delivering the programme in a flexible and multi-modal format to students across the vast Oceania region are discussed.

Title: What does it mean when teachers plagiarise?

Abstract: This paper highlights some of the concerns regarding plagiarism among education students at the University of the South Pacific (USP). It is based on the author.s personal views and experiences in this area over a nine year period. While no conclusions are drawn, it raises a number of questions regarding the behaviour of students. enrolled in teacher education programmes at USP. The author makes no claim that academic dishonesty is more prevalent in teacher education programmes than it is in any other programme at USP. Rather, the concern expressed here is the implication of such behaviour on future or current teachers. What, if anything, do these practices tell us about the kinds of teachers that are and will soon be in classrooms? Does such behaviour say something about teacher ethics? Is this a reflection of declining moral standards in academia?

Title: The primary education improvement project of Vanuatu: a model for teacher development in the pacific

Abstract: The Ministry of Education in Vanuatu has recently completed the first phase of the Primary Education Improvement Project (PEIP), a PRIDE-funded sub-project aimed at developing a decentralised in-service training system for teachers in rural and remote schools. PEIP is .Pacific grown. and presents a cascade model for capacity-building with .essential elements. important for diffusion of new teaching practices in island communities. PEIP is the result of an extensive process of questioning and critical thinking that has been inclusive at all levels of the education community. The project utilises existing human resources and builds their capacity to deliver teacher professional development interventions and monitor programme quality and classroom practice. Preliminary findings reported here suggest that PEIP is making a significant and measurable impact on teaching practice and student learning. The PEIP model may be of particular interest to educators of Pacific Island countries looking for appropriate and relevant models of approach for teacher development.

Title: The Fiji secondary school sports and physical education status quo and its importance to tertiary curriculum development

Abstract: This study examined status quo of physical education and sport in secondary schools in Fiji and the level of confidence in the delivery of the Ministry of Education prescription, as well as issues that affect tertiary curriculum development in this area. Physical educators in 21 secondary schools filled in a questionnaire and three of the respondents were interviewed. The researchers visited schools and made field notes. Responses and field notes were coded for curriculum delivery, external connectivity and influence on curriculum development. Data analysis showed that all sampled secondary schools profess to have physical education, intramural, and inter-school sports; physical education teachers yearn for connectivity, particularly external connectivity; and they strongly support the development of the degree major in the University of the South Pacific.

Title: Language switching and mathematical understanding in Tongan classrooms: an investigation

Abstract: This paper discusses how mathematical understanding and language switching influence each other in a bilingual context. The discussion questions long-held misconceptions about bilingual learning contexts that have overlooked the fact that the nature of bilingual students. mathematical understanding may be similar to monolingual students, and that bilingual students can voluntarily switch languages in the process of talking about, or doing, mathematics. The evidence from a study in Tonga proposes that the effect of Tongan bilingual students. learning and development of understanding in mathematics is largely dependent on the kinds of mathematical images each bilingual student associates with his or her language. The findings from this study are certainly applicable to other similar bilingual situations that involve individuals using words with no direct or precise translation from a dominant western language to an indigenous vernacular.

Title: Transparent rings atomic model (TRAM): s,p,d,f, notation made simple

Abstract: This article describes the Transparent Rings Atomic Model, a teaching model that the author developed to help students visualise atomic energy levels and understand the electronic structure of the atom in a meaningful way. The article begins with a discussion of some misconceptions that students have about core chemistry concepts. It then looks at the usefulness of the traditional .zig-zag. algorithm as an instructional tool for teaching students how to write electronic configurations and how the TRAM can complement its use. A description of how to use this model in the classroom is included at the end of the article.