Modelling Pedagogy in Australian School Reform

This article presents a discussion of the technical development and statistical results of one of Australia's most widely recognised models of pedagogy designed to research school improvement. This is the first public reporting of the statistical results of the productive pedagogy research. Although the modelling of classroom practice from which the productive pedagogy model was drawn clearly supports the hypothesis that pedagogy needs to be seen as multidimensional, not all of the theoretical dimensions outlined in the productive pedagogy model are empirically defensible. Of the four dimensions theoretically proposed, Intellectual Quality, Support Learning Environment, and Connectedness were sufficiently measured for sound empirical examination. Although the notion of there being a dimension of pedagogy related to Recognition of Difference may well have theoretical justification, the productive pedagogy research cannot offer empirical substantiation of hypotheses related to this construct. Consequently, this account of the development of productive pedagogy stands as one example of the risk of professional development interests that run too far ahead of research.