The Australian Awards for Excellence in Educational Publishing grew out of research into the characteristics of good textbooks and learning materials conducted by TREAT, the Teaching Resources and Textbook Research Unit at the University of Sydney. We at TREAT believe that the Australian educational publishing industry produces world-class materials. First established in 1994, the Awards are designed to encourage and promote innovative, high quality educational writing and publishing by Australians.
The Awards continue to grow and develop. A copy of the catalogue of the Awards is sent to all school and public libraries in Australia, and all the publications in the catalogue are displayed at the Australian Book Fair in Sydney in July each year.
- Mike Horsley,TREAT
- Chair of the Judging Panel
The criteria
The criteria the judges considered in the award process are clarity of writing, pedagogical implications, quality of illustrations, representation of the discipline, special features and characteristics, quality of subject matter, innovation and flair, importance of the market.
The judges
The judging panel comprised:
The judging process
Judging as a two-step process. A sub-committee of the judging panel initially reads the entries submitted. From this initial judging, meritorious publications were identified. These publications are included in this catalogue to reflect the state of the art in Australian educational publishing.
For the final stage in the judging process, the full panel of judges identified shortlisted titles drawn from the entries of merit illustrated in the catalogue. Finally, from the shortlisted titles, category winners were chosen.
Finally rom the category winners the overal winner of the Awards is chosen.
Better educational resources provide the opportunity for schools to be more effective. It is often forgotten that resources such as textbooks and teaching and learning kits are vital components of the educational process. High quality texts can motivate and interest students in their learning, provide an orientation to study in a particular field, and explain complex ideas with simplicity and clarity. Texts, kits and reference material help teachers to develop lesson plans, programs and curriculum that meet their students' learning needs.
Knowledge is constantly being added to and curriculum changes as a result. As well, new ways of teaching and learning are being identified. Educational publishing is meeting these challenges.
The excellent educational resources highlighted in this catalogue provide examples of best practice to which all educational writers and publishers will aspire. The judges hope that the outstanding publications represented here will be used as benchmarks to upgrade and improve the educational resources available to Australian teachers and students.
The Teaching Resources and Textbook Research Unit (TREAT) is a Research Unit in the School of Policy and Practice, Faculty of Education, at the University of Sydney.
The TREAT team:
At Rear, Carmel Young, Kevin Laws. At Front Mike
Horsley
TREAT has been conducting research into the use and improvement of textbooks and other teaching resources at primary and secondary schools and in universities and TAFE colleges since 1986. It administers The Australian Awards for Excellence in Educational Publishing in conjunction with the Australian Publishers Association.
TREAT also conducts special training courses for teachers, schools, publishers and teachers in training.
For further information, contact
Mike Horsley, phone (02) 9351
4246, fax (02) 93514580
m.horsley@edfac.usyd.edu.au
Kevin Laws, phone (02) 351
6396, fax (02) 93514580
k.laws@edfac.usyd.edu.au
Carmel Young,phone (02)9351
4710; fax (02) 9381 4580
c.young@edfac.usyd.edu.au