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Full-Text Articles in Education

Supporting Learners Through Effective Communication: Student Teachers’ Communication Strategies To Address Learner Behaviour, Jirina Karasova, Gabriela Kleckova Jan 2023

Supporting Learners Through Effective Communication: Student Teachers’ Communication Strategies To Address Learner Behaviour, Jirina Karasova, Gabriela Kleckova

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Teachers’ communication skills are integral to classroom management skills. If teachers implement effective communication skills and appropriate communication strategies, they are more likely to support learner autonomy, engagement, self-concept, well-being, or responsibility and succeed in behaviour management. This study examines student teachers’ awareness and use of communication strategies to address common disruptive learner behaviours. Although the participants showed limited ability to support learners through communication, they were more likely to identify effective communication responses than to produce them themselves. The study unveils that student teachers in the last year of a graduate program cannot respond to disruptive behaviour without communication …


Development Of A Teaching Performance Assessment In Australia: What Did We Learn?, Rebecca Spooner-Lane, Tania Broadley, Elizabeth Curtis, Peter Grainger Jan 2023

Development Of A Teaching Performance Assessment In Australia: What Did We Learn?, Rebecca Spooner-Lane, Tania Broadley, Elizabeth Curtis, Peter Grainger

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Following increasing criticism of the variability in graduate teachers’ readiness to enter the profession, the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) introduced a program accreditation requirement that all initial teacher education (ITE) providers must implement a Teaching Performance Assessment (TPA) in the final year of their teacher education programs. AITSL were not prescriptive in how ITE providers must meet the program standard which has resulted in 12 TPAs being implemented across 42 ITE providers. This paper outlines the development and implementation of one endorsed TPA designed to measure the readiness of graduating teachers, whilst taking into consideration the …


Experiential Learning Projects As Assessment In Initial Teacher Education, Renee Crawford, Louise E. Jenkins, Lydia Wan Jan 2023

Experiential Learning Projects As Assessment In Initial Teacher Education, Renee Crawford, Louise E. Jenkins, Lydia Wan

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In a rapidly changing global environment, Initial Teacher Educators (ITE) have a responsibility to role-model contemporary teaching approaches, which develop graduates who think creatively and flexibly in educational workplaces. An important aspect of this work is supporting pre-service teachers (PSTs) to understand how to design assessments which facilitate a deep understanding of student learning. This learning can be achieved through the implementation of assessments which model contemporary practices and enrich student learning in ITE courses. This paper discusses new ways to consider the purpose of assessment by focusing on Experiential Learning (EL) as a form of assessment in ITE. This …


Does Individual Innovativeness Influence Tpack Development?: The Case Of Pre-Service Efl Teachers In Türkiye, Taibe Kulaksız Jan 2023

Does Individual Innovativeness Influence Tpack Development?: The Case Of Pre-Service Efl Teachers In Türkiye, Taibe Kulaksız

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

: This study aims to investigate how pre-service EFL teachers’ individual innovativeness levels affect their TPACK development during an educational technology course. Employing a quasi-experimental research design, the participants were 59 pre-service EFL teachers. The course followed the Diffusion of Innovation Theory steps. Analyzing the data, TPACK and individual innovativeness scales were implemented as pre- and post-tests. The results showed a significant increase in participants' TPACK, while their individual innovativeness did not exhibit a significant change during the course. Although there was a notable difference in pre-service teachers' initial TPACK levels based on their innovativeness, this difference was no longer …


Transformative Learning Experiences Of The Vocationally Interested And Vocationally Disinterested Pre-Service Teachers In Teacher Training Colleges In Zimbabwe, Esnati Macharaga, Tabitha Grace Mukeredzi Jan 2023

Transformative Learning Experiences Of The Vocationally Interested And Vocationally Disinterested Pre-Service Teachers In Teacher Training Colleges In Zimbabwe, Esnati Macharaga, Tabitha Grace Mukeredzi

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article reports on some of the findings from a doctoral research project that explored how the vocationally interested and vocationally disinterested pre-service teachers in selected teacher training colleges in Zimbabwe experienced transformative learning. Through multiple-site case study and qualitative approach within an interpretive paradigm, guided by Mezirow’s ten-phase Transformative Learning Theory, the study sought to understand the pre-service teacher transformative learning experiences. The study employed a multi-modal approach which involved focus group discussions, individual face to face interviews and continuum drawing and discussions to generate data from a purposive sample of 40 participants. Findings suggest that, both vocationally interested …


Metacognition In Teaching Of English Language Teachers In Bhutanese Secondary Schools, Yeshi Moktan, Somruedee Khongput Jan 2023

Metacognition In Teaching Of English Language Teachers In Bhutanese Secondary Schools, Yeshi Moktan, Somruedee Khongput

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Despite numerous studies advocating for metacognitive interventions in day-to-day language instruction, little is known about teachers' awareness of their metacognition and how they process their cognition while teaching. This study aimed to examine English language teachers' metacognitive awareness in the Bhutanese context and their use of metacognition by adopting a mixed-method approach. Two phases of data collection were employed. A self-report questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data from 42 English language teachers from ten schools in Thimphu, Bhutan. Subsequently, qualitative data were collected through one classroom observation and two semi-structured interviews with 10 teachers selected purposively. The findings …


Building Research Capacity Of Future Teachers: A Canadian Case Study, Dragana Martinovic, Ziad F. Dabaja Jan 2023

Building Research Capacity Of Future Teachers: A Canadian Case Study, Dragana Martinovic, Ziad F. Dabaja

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Since their first day in school, in-service teachers are expected to act professionally, make good judgments, think critically, and problem-solve effectively. The literature suggests that engaging pre-service teachers in research can help them to develop several key skills. In this paper, we present the outcomes from a year and a half long mixed-methods case study that was conducted in two phases (i.e., a pilot and a follow-up study) with two groups of pre-service teachers enrolled in a teacher education programme in a Canadian mid-size university. The purpose of this research was to examine how an in-course research component might have …


‘We Were All Green And Brand New’: Mentoring In Theories Of Child Development For Australian Early Career Preschool Teachers, Emma Ellis, Andrea Reupert, Marie Hammer Jan 2023

‘We Were All Green And Brand New’: Mentoring In Theories Of Child Development For Australian Early Career Preschool Teachers, Emma Ellis, Andrea Reupert, Marie Hammer

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Three Australian Government commissioned reports from 2011-2017 convey a longstanding child development theory-practice gap in early childhood education. This study explores what informs mentors’ discussions of theories of child development with early career preschool teachers. Grounded in Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, themes relate to the wide role of the early childhood teacher, variation in initial teacher education, developing teacher identity, emotional connections, and consolidation and extension of university learning of child development theories. Critical discussion of themes from a Freirean perspective illustrates how mentors conveyed experiences of oppression, marginalisation, and liberation. We offer that though the child development theory-practice gap is …


Explicit Instruction: Evaluating The Fidelity Of A Teacher's Practice Supported By Professional Development And Directive Coaching - A Case Study, Christophe Baco, Marie Bocquillon, Laëtitia Delbart, Antoine Derobertmasure Jan 2023

Explicit Instruction: Evaluating The Fidelity Of A Teacher's Practice Supported By Professional Development And Directive Coaching - A Case Study, Christophe Baco, Marie Bocquillon, Laëtitia Delbart, Antoine Derobertmasure

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Training teachers in evidence-based practice is a societal challenge. We conducted practical action research to investigate the impact of a professional development programme (the aim of which is to train teachers in explicit instruction) established according to the principles of effective professional development on one teacher's practices. A holistic case study was conducted with one teacher randomly selected among a group of volunteers. An original methodology was developed to measure the fidelity of the teacher’s practices to the different teaching practices and stages of explicit instruction. The teacher's practices were filmed on four occasions and analysed using an observation grid …


Ecologies Of Learning For Inclusive Pedagogy In Spanish Secondary Education, Inmaculada Orozco, Anabel Moriña Jan 2023

Ecologies Of Learning For Inclusive Pedagogy In Spanish Secondary Education, Inmaculada Orozco, Anabel Moriña

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

From the theoretical basis of the ecology of learning and inclusive pedagogy, this article explores the activities, resources and interactions practised by 25 Spanish teachers in compulsory secondary education. This qualitative study involved semi-structured and individual interviews. A progressive analysis of the data was carried out using an inductive system of categories and codes. The results show that the activities were varied and all of them put students at the centre of the teaching-learning process. The resources that stood out were technologies and peer support. Interactions were characterised by the need to nurture affection and get to know and motivate …


Bridging Theory And Practice Within An Alternative Teacher Education Program, Gulistan Gursel-Bilgin Jan 2023

Bridging Theory And Practice Within An Alternative Teacher Education Program, Gulistan Gursel-Bilgin

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study examines the commitments of an alternative teacher education program in linking theory and practice, one of the most prominent problems of the field. This qualitative phenomenological study drew from semi-structured interviews with seven faculty members and associate instructors, electronic surveys with seven program students, participant observation and field notes in seminar sessions, one program faculty meeting, and one community meeting, and curriculum materials. The findings suggest that the design of the program and the roles and (inter)actions of the stakeholders within the program created a dialectical interplay. Linked with this interplay, Teachers’ Society provided a setting for collaborative …


Enhancing Online Presence During The Sudden Transition To Online Teaching: Case Studies Of Macau Award-Winning University Teachers' Practices And Phronesis, Yulong Marvin Li, Jing Sun, Hong Chen, Xiaojing Liu Jan 2023

Enhancing Online Presence During The Sudden Transition To Online Teaching: Case Studies Of Macau Award-Winning University Teachers' Practices And Phronesis, Yulong Marvin Li, Jing Sun, Hong Chen, Xiaojing Liu

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Research about the sudden transition from offline to online in Macau during the pandemic is limited. Using the Community of Inquiry (COI) framework as the deductive thematic analysis template, we interviewed six award-winning teachers at a teaching-oriented local tertiary institute about their online teaching practices concerning social, cognitive, and teaching kinds of presence. As the result of the collective case study, we found that the teachers, to some extent, echoed the good practices recommended in the COI in improving online presence. Meanwhile, the six teachers' seemingly practical skills reflected their accumulated phronesis or wisdom of practice. It is because the …


Reporting Values, Partnership With Parents And The Hidden Curriculum: A Qualitative Study, Veronica Elizabeth Morcom Jan 2023

Reporting Values, Partnership With Parents And The Hidden Curriculum: A Qualitative Study, Veronica Elizabeth Morcom

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The Australian government funded the West Australian project ‘Reporting Values to Parents’ as part of ‘The Values in Action Schools Project’ (2009). The two aims of the qualitative study were to develop a common values language supported by observable behaviours and an appreciation that values education is fundamental to schooling. Teachers used an action research process to create authentic values activities and involve parents in the assessment process. Parents shifted their perspectives to ratify teachers’ role to teach values explicitly. Students experienced a deeper sense of connection and belonging at school. Educators can adapt the activities in this paper to …


Towards Pre-Service Teachers’ Theory-Praxis Nexus In Early Years English And Literacy Education: A Pilot Study, Maryanne Pale, Sarah Ohi, Lyn Kee Jan 2023

Towards Pre-Service Teachers’ Theory-Praxis Nexus In Early Years English And Literacy Education: A Pilot Study, Maryanne Pale, Sarah Ohi, Lyn Kee

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

International literature highlights that a perennial challenge for initial teacher educators is to guide Pre-Service Teachers (PSTs) to develop a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between theory and practice. Whilst there is a growing body of research that examines the relationship and/or the gap between theory and practice in teacher education, there remains a paucity of research that examines this phenomenon in the teaching of English and literacy units in higher education. This pilot study examined how PSTs from two Australian universities made connections and/or links (nexus) between their academic knowledge (theory) and professional experience (praxis) for the teaching of …


Nature Of Science: Examining Science Teachers’ Knowledge And Their Instructional Practices, Sharon Bramwell-Lalor Jan 2023

Nature Of Science: Examining Science Teachers’ Knowledge And Their Instructional Practices, Sharon Bramwell-Lalor

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This case study focused on a university teacher-education course that included NOS content. An adapted questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data on 83 secondary science teachers’ views about three NOS themes before and after completing the course. Qualitative data were collected from eight of the teachers who were observed teaching during their field experience after completing the course. The teachers’ post-course mean NOS scores were statistically significantly higher than their pre-course scores (t (65) =-10.08, p<.001; Cohen’s d = 1.4). Despite the favourable NOS knowledge among the science teachers, low levels of NOS portrayal were observed in their instructional practices. These findings point to some success in explicitly addressing NOS in science education content courses. However, they raise questions about the transferability of teachers’ NOS knowledge into their classrooms. The findings have implications for teacher-preparation programmes regarding durability of NOS knowledge.



"Sky-High Motivation": Intradisciplinary Integrative- Courses For Excelling Teachers' Training, Yael Kimhi Jan 2023

"Sky-High Motivation": Intradisciplinary Integrative- Courses For Excelling Teachers' Training, Yael Kimhi

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In many teacher education programs, curricula are comprised of fragmented courses within an academic discipline. This longitudinal study followed one cohort of teacher trainees in a fast-track B.Ed. program in Israel and explored an integrative approach to intradisciplinary courses. These courses were organized around significant themes and issues. A mixed-method methodology was implemented. The data included 81 teacher trainee responses, 16 mentor responses, and 11 college staff responses. Data were gathered during three years at four different time points: 1) online questionnaire for trainees and mentors (end of 1st and 3rd year); 2) trainee focus groups and steering …


Six Modes Of Giving Pedagogy For Engagement And Wellbeing – For Teachers And Students, Thomas W. Nielsen, Jennifer S. Ma Jan 2023

Six Modes Of Giving Pedagogy For Engagement And Wellbeing – For Teachers And Students, Thomas W. Nielsen, Jennifer S. Ma

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The present study took place across two outdoor education trips to the Great Barrier Reef with two groups of college students (N = 36; 16-19 years), five staff, and one of the authors (TWN). The aim was to explore how an explicit understanding and implementation of the wellbeing research around cultivating generous behaviour for meaningful happiness could be ‘experienced’ by staff and students and articulated as an educational framework, or ‘pedagogy’. Hermeneutic phenomenology was used to record and interpret pedagogical transactions of giving. Six repeated themes were identified: (1) exploration, (2) modelling, (3) explicit instruction, (4) incidental learning, (5) crisis …


'Half Of It's Out The Window': Exploring Tensions, Hierarchies And Positionalities Amidst The Changing Knowledge Base Of Early Childhood Teacher Education Discourses, Lauren Armstrong Jan 2023

'Half Of It's Out The Window': Exploring Tensions, Hierarchies And Positionalities Amidst The Changing Knowledge Base Of Early Childhood Teacher Education Discourses, Lauren Armstrong

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Early childhood education is foregrounded in change. In Australia, this has encompassed the introduction, review and updates of national quality and curriculum frameworks from 2009, and changes to qualification requirements. Within the state of Victoria, further impacts have occurred due to the simultaneous introduction of a parallel curriculum framework. This paper draws on a qualitative study to examine how diverse teacher education discourses available to Victorian long day care educators have shaped their subject positions, discursive practices and reform engagement. Utilising Foucault’s concepts of discourse, knowledge and power, and Foucauldian Discourse Analysis [FDA], findings offer insight into how diverse teacher …


Meaningful Application Of The Australian Professional Standards For Teachers: The Role Of The University Appointed Supervisor, Madlen Griffiths, Mandie B. Shean, Denise Jackson Jan 2023

Meaningful Application Of The Australian Professional Standards For Teachers: The Role Of The University Appointed Supervisor, Madlen Griffiths, Mandie B. Shean, Denise Jackson

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

: Preservice teachers undertake mandatory professional experience as part of their journey towards classroom readiness and in-service teaching. Supporting them in this process are supervisors who both guide and assess these novices. Central to this assessment are the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, which need to be rigorously applied to ensure quality teaching graduates. This article investigates the application of these Standards by the supervisors in both their formative and summative assessment. Data are derived from interviews with final year preservice teachers and supervisors in a primary teaching degree course at one Western Australian university. Findings suggest that there is …


The Impact Of Theatre Pedagogy On Student Teachers’ Development Of Beliefs About Good Teaching And Their Pedagogical Ethos: An Exploratory Case Study, Angela Hadjipanteli Jan 2023

The Impact Of Theatre Pedagogy On Student Teachers’ Development Of Beliefs About Good Teaching And Their Pedagogical Ethos: An Exploratory Case Study, Angela Hadjipanteli

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The development of student teachers’ beliefs about good teaching needs to be integral to their education programmes. This study attempts to scrutinise the contribution of a theatre education course to the conceptualisation of a group of eight student primary teachersnotion of good teaching and a teacher’s ethos. The findings reveal that, within the coursework, student teachers’ learning experiences are interwoven with the ethics of the beautiful, the ethics of the dialogue and the ethics of the will. This nexus of learning experiences enabled them to identify three internal goods of good teaching: the awakening of learners’ positive emotions; …


Mentoring Pre-Service Teachers: The Thiink4 Reflective Cycle, Maya Gunawardena Jan 2023

Mentoring Pre-Service Teachers: The Thiink4 Reflective Cycle, Maya Gunawardena

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Establishing a reciprocal relationship between mentors and pre-service teachers is critical in pre-service teacher mentoring. Highlighting self-regulation as a means for managing emotions in the pursuit of meeting long-term goals, this study examined the constructive features that help develop a reciprocal relationship between pre-service teachers and mentors. The study has captured a range of qualitative data from the dyadic process of mentoring (two-way interaction between a mentor teacher and a pre-service teacher): within the pre- and post-lesson conferences between mentors and pre-service teachers and post mentoring interviews with mentors and pre-service teachers. The study highlighted the strengths of mentor facilitated …


The Criticality Of Teacher Educator Wellbeing: Reflecting Through Arts-Based Methods, Kristina Turner, Georgina M. Barton Dr, Susanne Garvis, Ellen Larsen Jan 2023

The Criticality Of Teacher Educator Wellbeing: Reflecting Through Arts-Based Methods, Kristina Turner, Georgina M. Barton Dr, Susanne Garvis, Ellen Larsen

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Teacher educators face many challenges related to workload and government-mandated reforms in Initial Teacher Education programs. Evidence suggests that COVID-19 has exacerbated these challenges as universities must become more cost-effective and improve research outcomes and impact, often resulting in heavier workloads. While these challenges may be faced in other disciplines, teacher educator wellbeing, stress and burnout is an under-researched field, and little is known about if and how teacher educators maintain their wellbeing during times of uncertainty. This collaborative autoethnographic study applied an arts-based research method to explore the wellbeing challenges faced by four Australian teacher educators through the lens …


Teachers’ Perceptions And Experiences During An Annual Performance And Development Cycle, Kerry Elliott, John Hattie, Lorraine Graham Jan 2022

Teachers’ Perceptions And Experiences During An Annual Performance And Development Cycle, Kerry Elliott, John Hattie, Lorraine Graham

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In this study, the perceptions and experiences of eighteen teachers across three primary schools in Victoria, Australia, were examined as they participated in an annual performance and development cycle, guided by the Australian Teacher Performance and Development Framework. The study sought to investigate teachers’ experiences and perceptions of the cycle to understand the aspects perceived as valuable to these teachers. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were held with teachers at the beginning and end of each school’s annual performance and development cycle, and responses were thematically analysed. Findings suggest that school leaders perform a critical role in the …


Generating Reflections Through Professional Collaborative Storytelling, Anne Keary, Narelle Wood, Karina Barley, Kelly Carabott Jan 2022

Generating Reflections Through Professional Collaborative Storytelling, Anne Keary, Narelle Wood, Karina Barley, Kelly Carabott

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

For teachers, storytelling is a way of making sense of everyday pedagogical practices and connecting with colleagues. In this paper, we explore how storytelling contributed to a collaborative culture indicative of our professional journey as four teacher educators. We examine six online weekly Zoom conversations we participated in as a teaching group to share our pedagogical ideas for enhancing an English education unit of work. During this storytelling, we discussed how we engaged with the teaching of, teaching about and teaching through the teaching and learning curriculum cycle to a first-year cohort of preservice teachers (PSTs). Importantly, we deliberated on …


Conceptualising Early Career Teachers’ Agency And Accounts Of Social Action In Disadvantaged Schools, Margaret Kettle, Bruce Burnett, Jo Lampert, Barbara Comber, Naomi Barnes Jan 2022

Conceptualising Early Career Teachers’ Agency And Accounts Of Social Action In Disadvantaged Schools, Margaret Kettle, Bruce Burnett, Jo Lampert, Barbara Comber, Naomi Barnes

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article examines the accounts of actions undertaken by Early Career Teachers (ECTs) recently graduated from a social justice-oriented Initial Teacher Education (ITE) program and employed in complex school settings with high levels of student diversity, disadvantage, and poverty. The study drew on theories of teacher agency and agency more broadly to examine the workshadowing observations of the teachers’ practice in classrooms augmented by their reflective accounts in interviews. The study found that the ECTs’ agency, or contextualised social action, can be conceptualised as temporally embedded social engagement directed at addressing their students’ cultural, social and academic needs. The teachers …


Teacher Educators: A Bibliometric Mapping Of An Emerging Research Area, Tugba Hangul, Mehmet Fatih Ozmantar, Gulay Agac Jan 2022

Teacher Educators: A Bibliometric Mapping Of An Emerging Research Area, Tugba Hangul, Mehmet Fatih Ozmantar, Gulay Agac

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

There has been increasing research attention on teacher educators in recent years; however, the dynamics of this research area have not been examined through bibliometric analysis of the relevant studies. This study aimed to perform a systematic mapping of the trends in research studies on teacher educators through the bibliometric data obtained from the Web of Science database. The bibliometric analysis led to four substantial findings: (1) research on teacher educators is an emerging field of educational studies that have experienced a progressive increase since the 2000s; (2) scientific publications in this field are produced by a small group of …


Brain-Based Learning: Beliefs And Practice In One Australian Primary School Implementing A Neuroscience Pedagogical Framework, Christina Deans, Ellen Larsen Jan 2022

Brain-Based Learning: Beliefs And Practice In One Australian Primary School Implementing A Neuroscience Pedagogical Framework, Christina Deans, Ellen Larsen

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

: Pedagogy grounded in neuroscience is an influential approach in Australian schools, despite concerns regarding teachers’ beliefs in several neuromyths that go on to pervade their practice. This paper reports on a small study that explored teachers’ beliefs and implementation of brain-based learning in one Australian primary school whose pedagogy is specifically underpinned by neuroscience. Survey data collected from 14 teachers were analysed using simple descriptive statistics and content analysis. Findings indicated that these teachers, despite having some accurate brain-based knowledge, were still prone to endorsing common neuromyths regardless of the school’s teaching and learning framework, years at the school, …


Teacher Educators’ Perceptions Of Schoolteacher Feedback Literacy: Implications For Feedback Training In Teacher Education Programmes, Ying Zhan Jan 2022

Teacher Educators’ Perceptions Of Schoolteacher Feedback Literacy: Implications For Feedback Training In Teacher Education Programmes, Ying Zhan

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Few studies have empirically explored the specific elements of schoolteachers’ feedback literacy in spite of its crucial role in supporting student learning in classrooms. To address this research gap, individual interviews were conducted with 20 teacher educators in Hong Kong. The interviewees were asked to explicate the mind maps of schoolteacher feedback literacy that they had previously drawn. Data analysis revealed that the participants perceived schoolteacher feedback literacy as a three-dimensional concept, comprising knowledge, competence and disposition with specifications. In addition, the participants believed that schoolteacher feedback literacy was gradually evolving from a qualified level to a fully professional level …


On Country Teacher Education: Developing A Success Program For And With Future Aboriginal Teachers, Graeme Gower, Tatiana Bogachenko, Rhonda Oliver Jan 2022

On Country Teacher Education: Developing A Success Program For And With Future Aboriginal Teachers, Graeme Gower, Tatiana Bogachenko, Rhonda Oliver

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

A growing awareness of the value of Aboriginal teachers in Australian schools has motivated the development of the ‘On Country’ Teacher Education (OCTE) program through collaboration between the Western Australian Department of Education and Curtin University. The OCTE builds on previous initiatives to increase the number of Aboriginal teachers in Australian classrooms and has also developed new features. It enables Aboriginal and Islander Education Officers (AIEOs[1]) to obtain a teaching degree while studying ‘on Country’ and working in their (often remote) schools. An evaluation of the first year of this course through the interviews/yarns with the AIEOs, principals, …


Generalist Primary School Teachers’ Preferences For Becoming Subject Matter Specialists, James Russo, Ellen Corovic, Jane Hubbard, Janette Bobis, Ann Downton, Sharyn L. Livy, Peter A. Sullivan Jan 2022

Generalist Primary School Teachers’ Preferences For Becoming Subject Matter Specialists, James Russo, Ellen Corovic, Jane Hubbard, Janette Bobis, Ann Downton, Sharyn L. Livy, Peter A. Sullivan

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Traditionally Australian primary school teachers have been viewed as generalists responsible for instruction across all content areas. Adopting self-determination theory as a lens, the aim of the study was to explore the extent to which generalist primary school teachers are interested in becoming subject matter specialists. Questionnaire data were collected from 104 early years primary school teachers. Findings suggest that two-thirds of these generalist teachers expressed an interest in specialising in either English, mathematics, and to a far lesser extent, science, such that they would be responsible for exclusively teaching this subject. Preferences for specialisation were based on teachers’ self-perceived …