https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/1164 2026-09-16T20:09:18Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/149024 Title: Educators’ guide for pedagogy and assessment : using a learning outcomes approach : ethics Authors: Chircop, Louise; Galea, Simone; Giordmaina, Joseph; Zammit, Lucianne Abstract: This document, which is aimed at policy makers, educators and teachers in the classroom, presents the Learning and Assessment Programme (LAP) for Ethics.; The LAP comprises:; • The Learning Outcomes Framework (LOF) - this encompasses a set of subject learning outcomes (SLOs) that set out what a learner is expected to know, understand or be able to do as a result of a process of learning. These learning outcomes are designed to be used in a range of delivery contexts and taught using different methods. They state the end result rather than describe the learning process or the learning activities.; • Notes on Pedagogy and Assessment - the learning outcomes are written in a way that informs pedagogy and, in conjunction with the assessment strategies related to each outcome, set a clear assessment expectation. This document sets down good practice teaching and assessment guidelines which educators may wish to take on board and adapt to meet the needs of their learners. 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/149010 Title: Caught in the vacuum : policies addressing online harms in Maltese secondary schools Authors: Zammit, Lucianne Abstract: This study investigates the strategies employed by Maltese secondary schools to protect students from online harms such as cyberbullying, sexting and hate speech. The research utilises Moor's theory of conceptual and policy vacuums to explore the policy challenges schools face in addressing these issues. Data were collected through qualitative interviews with 21 participants, including policymakers, school leaders and teachers, alongside an analysis of relevant policy documents. Findings reveal significant gaps in awareness and policy implementation, with schools struggling to manage online harms effectively. Cyberbullying emerged as the primary concern, exacerbated by blurred boundaries between school and home environments. Sexting and digital sexual abuse were less acknowledged, reflecting cultural taboos and inadequate policy frameworks. The study underscores the need for comprehensive, standardised policies and increased awareness among educators to ensure the safety and wellbeing of students in the digital age. The findings call for targeted efforts to bridge these policy and conceptual vacuums, fostering a safer online environment for young people. 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148382 Title: Parental engagement in two Maltese state colleges : a case study Authors: Cutajar, Mario; Martinelli, Victor Abstract: In 2006, The Act to Amend the Education Act Cap. 327 (Laws of Malta, 2006) made provisions to sustain and augment the then-existing school-parent partnership. This study examines the current partnership between schools and parents in two Maltese State Colleges and the perceived challenges to nurturing, enriching, and sustaining collaboration between the schools and the parent community. The history of Education in Malta reveals a pattern of fragmented initiatives between schools and parents. For example, the establishment of the College Board of Governors, a tenet of the aforementioned Act, was never implemented after its enactment and is not even mentioned in the Education Act, CAP 605, ACT XXIX of 2019 (Laws of Malta, 2022). The data were collected through questionnaires administered to teachers and parents. Convenience and purposive sampling methods were used to recruit participants. We explored educators’ and parents’ positions on parental involvement and participation in their children's education, as well as the issues and challenges they encountered in sustaining such partnerships. The study seeks to advance understanding of these issues and challenges and to propose a way forward to address the missing link in the structure contemplated by the 2006 and 2019 Acts. 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148238 Title: “So we can do our best.” Care in children’s relationships with teachers Authors: Darmanin, Mary Abstract: This volume offers a fresh approach to student-teacher relationships in middle childhood from the perspective of children in primary schools. It explores how children express their learning and emotional needs, as well as their experience of good and less good student-teacher relationships. Their apprehension of care and its reciprocity, of the need for time and proximity in teaching and learning, of the vicariousness of the experience, and crucially, of the place of learning in student-teacher relationships, is authentically evoked through rich verbatim quotations. Children’s accounts answer questions which teachers, parents, professionals and policy-makers ask. In the experience of children, what makes a person a teacher? What is a “good” student-teacher relationship? Can children with poor relationship histories have good relationships with new teachers? How is learning or “doing well” integral to “getting on well”? 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z