Education Commons^™

Curriculum And Assessment : A Question Of Politics?, Christine R. Brew, Gilah C. Leder

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) has been subject to ongoing modifications since its full introduction in 1992. These changes were largely driven by vocal opponents of this educational reform. In this paper we give voice to teachers charged with implementing the curriculum and assessment directives of the VCE. Specifically, we draw on the experiences of close to 500 senior mathematics teachers – through interview and survey data - to consider the impact on them of the evolution of the VCE.

Teacher Perceptions Of The Characteristics Of Effective Teachers Of Aboriginal Middle School Students, Mort Harslett, Bernard Harrison, John Godfrey, Gary Partington, Kaye Richer

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper reports a component of research that involved interviewing teachers identified as effective with Aboriginal students in selected primary and secondary schools in urban and regional Western Australia. The research shows that characteristics of effective teachers include understanding Aboriginal culture, history, and students’ home backgrounds; an ability to develop good relationships with Aboriginal students and their families, a sense of humour, and preparedness to invest time to interact with Aboriginal students out of the classroom in order to strengthen relationships. The research also indicates that effective teachers understand that Aboriginal students are often more independent than others, do not …

Book Reviews, Bruce Haynes, Dianne Chambers, Ken Spencer

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Scott A. and Freeman-Moir J. (Eds), (2000). Tomorrow's Teachers : International and Critical Perspectives on Teacher Education, Christchurch, Canterbury University Press.

Peter Benton & Tim O’Brien (Eds.), (2000). Special Needs and the Beginning Teacher London: Continuum (ISBN 0 8264 4889 5)

Bailey,R. & Macfadyen,T. (Eds.) (2000) Teaching Physical Education 5-11. London: Continuum. (ISBN 0 8264 4842 9

Critical Reflective Practice And Workplace Learning : Impediments And Possibilities In Teacher Education, Barry Down, Carol Hogan

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Professional practica are an essential part of teacher education and other professional education programs, but university staff often express concern that prac. experiences are fundamentally conservative, emphasising preparation for the status quo rather than for what might be. In recent years other forms of workplace-based university learning have been devised, where staff have sought to build units of study around a core of reflective practice, action research and professional development. This paper describes one such initiative, a final semester internship for fourth year education students which enabled them to design and negotiate their own professional development plans in any one …

Transference And Psychological-Mindedness In Teachers, Erin Hanifin, Stephen Appel

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The article is an argument for the relevance for our understanding of the pedagogic relationship of Freud’s discovery of transference. Commonalities between teaching and psychoanalysis are reviewed prior to a discussion of how the concept of transference might be applied to teaching, particularly to improving the teacher’s ‘psychological-mindedness’. The article concludes by considering the moral/professional issue of teachers making use of the transference processes at work in their classrooms.

When Is A Teacher Or School Liable In Negligence?, Helen Newnham

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The law is increasing affecting the practice of education. The most likely reason a teacher or school will face legal action is in negligence where a student has been injured while under the school’s protection. This may occur in a variety of settings. To satisfy the elements of the tort of negligence the student who becomes in law the plaintiff must prove that a duty of care was owed, that the duty was breached, by not maintaining the appropriate standard and that the injury was a reasonably foreseeable consequence of that breach of duty. It would be rare for a …

Building The Veco Online Community : A Model For Encouraging Novices., Michelle Williams, Janine Bowes.

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Building online networks and designing network activity is becoming central to how educators and other education-based professionals work, train others and teach students. It is only since 1995 that Internet connectivity in Australia has provided the critical mass and momentum which alters how people work, who they work with and how they learn. Thus the business of helping professional networks develop and become part of the lives of their members is uncharted territory and an area for research and development for educators in all fields. This paper shares the story of the development of an Australian Network for Vocational Education …

Directions And Priorities In Teacher Education, Laurie Brady

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article identifies directions/priorities in contemporary teacher education in Australia, and indicates the challenges that confront leadership. Examining directions in teacher education programs, research, the conduct of the practicum, relationships with schools, flexible delivery and intemationalisation, a dominant theme is the need for strong, collaborative and symbiotic school-university partnerships in the education of prospective and current teachers.

The Integrated Expressive Arts And Humanities : Coping With Curriculum Change, Linley Campbell

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The concept of curriculum integration in education has recently received increased attention. This has been largely due to the introduction of Learning Area Profiles, Statements and Outcomes, and most recently the Curriculum Framework. 'Integration, breadth and balance' is one of the seven key principles underlying The Curriculum Framework for Western Australian Schools. (Curriculum Council of Western Australia, 1998). Collectively, these documents emphasise the integration of knowledge, skills and values in the eight key learning areas of the curriculum. Such a holistic view of the curriculum is considered to be fundamental to sound educational practice.

Reading The World Of University : What Counts?, Pamela Green, Gloria Latham

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper will address the issues encountered by first year students in reading and reshaping the culture of university. The interim findings of a six year study will be dismantled in order to uncover what counts in the experience of first year university and the ramifications for educational practice and discourse. Feedback from staff continues to indicate that there is growing disparity between their expectations of first year students and student performance in areas such as independent learning, research skills, academic reading and writing, as well as the use of new technologies. There also seems to be a gap between …

Rethinking The Place Of The Practicum In Teacher Education., Ralph Blunden

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper draws on the author’s 25 years of experience in teacher education and on a number of course evaluation questionnaires administered over the last three years to students in the one-year full time Graduate Diploma of Vocational Education and Training (and its predecessors) at the University of Melbourne. It is argued that the bifurcation between practice and theory (and theory and practice), between teaching and training experience and thinking about such experience within theoretical frameworks is a division that should be sequentially organised rather than concurrent as in most initial teacher education programs. It is claimed that data from …