Learning engagement in distance and rural settings: Four Australian cases

This investigation explored the role of the home supervisor (usually a parent) in creating meaningful learning environments for young students’ numeracy development. The case study data (from four home sites in remote areas of Australia) illuminated the role that the supervisor plays in developing student’s numeracy in distance-education learning contexts. The case studies highlighted various pedagogical practices across these rich and diverse educational settings. The quality of the teaching and the influence of the distance education materials on the student’s numeracy outcomes were attributed to the resources that were supplied to the home site, the supervisory engagement, and the extent to which learning partnerships were fostered among classroom teachers, parents and other members of the extended community.