Education Commons^™

Rubbing Off The Corners: The Rite Of Passage Of The Teacher Trainee In 20th Century New Zealand, Teresa Ball

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Abstract: This paper investigates how, in the early 20th Century training colleges of New Zealand, student teachers actively constituted themselves through internalising the norms imposed upon them by the educational authorities. It explores how their training resulted in "rubbing off the corners" so that they could be ethically and pedagogically transformed into the ideal teacher. The result of this was the emergence of a disciplined body of conforming individuals who could implement the state's moral and pedagogical imperatives. This occurred through a three-phase rite of passage: the separation of trainees from their original society; a transition in the enclosed world …

A Qualitative Study Of The Teaching Of Modern Greek In Western Australia Under The 'Seconded Teachers From Greece Scheme': Implications For Other Similar Schemes, Angela Evangelinou-Yiannakis, Thomas Anthony O'Donoghue

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The aim of the study reported in this paper was to develop an understanding of how the key stakeholders in Western Australia (WA) 'dealt with' the teaching of Modern Greek (Greek) as a second language under the 'Seconded Teachers from Greece Scheme' (STGS). It addressed a deficit in research in the field not only in relation to WA, but Australia-wide. We report that the stakeholders moved through three stages, namely, the stage of idealism, the stage of conflict, and the stage of cooperation. The study has implications for the development of policy, practice, and future research for the STGS and …

Teacher Education To Meet The Challenges Posed By Child Sexual Abuse, Ben Mathews

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The phenomenon of child sexual abuse has significant implications for teachers’ pre-service training and professional development. Teachers have a pedagogical role in dealing with abused children, and a legal and professional duty to report suspected child sexual abuse. Teachers require support and training to develop the specialised knowledge and confidence needed to deal with this complex context. This article explains the social context of child sexual abuse, its health and educational consequences, and the legal context, showing why teachers require this specialised training. It then reports on findings from an Australian study into the amount of training received by teachers …

In-Service Teacher Education And Scholar Innovation: The Semantics Of Action And Reflection On Action As A Mediation Device, Fátima Pereira

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper presents and discusses the results of a research project in Education Sciences, which aimed at identifying and understanding the effects of in-service teacher education carried out in schools, on the educational practices of a school of the 1st Cycle of Basic Education (CBE). The training was organized with small project groups consisting of six teachers and a trainer, and lasted three years. The present study analyzed the narratives of the educational practices of teachers and of reflection in small groups, from one of the Project groups. The analysis highlighted the importance of the semantics of action and reflection …

A Cross Sectional Study Of Pre-Service Teacher Efficacy Throughout The Training Years, Stuart Woodcock

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Teachers’ judgments in their ability to motivate students and promote learning can play a vital role in determining a student’s performance in the classroom and once a belief has been held for a long time, it can become difficult to change. Utilising a sample of 467 beginner and final year pre-service teachers training to become primary (elementary) and secondary teachers, the aim of this study was to examine to what extent pre-service teachers’ level of teacher efficacy changed during their teacher training years. Results showed that the training courses for primary school teachers appeared to have no influence on teacher …

Classroom Behaviour Management Preparation In Undergraduate Primary Teacher Education In Australia : A Web-Based Investigation., Sue C. O'Neill, Jennifer Stephenson

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Classroom behaviour management is an essential skill required by all teacher graduates to facilitate instruction in curriculum content. This article describes the classroom behaviour management (CBM) content on offer in Australian undergraduate primary education programs. To date, no nationwide studies exist that report the CBM instruction on offer in pre-service teacher education programs. Thirty-five primary teacher preparation programs were reviewed. Thirty programs (85.7%) contained mandatory course-work in CBM, 108 units contained relevant content, 33 of those were stand-alone CBM units (30.6%). More units were found with CBM content embedded within methods or inclusion units than stand-alone CBM units. The mean …

Teaching Indigenous Children: Listening To And Learning From Indigenous Teachers, Ninetta Santoro, Jo-Anne Reid, Laurie Crawford, Lee Simpson

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article is based on the findings of a qualitative case study that examined the professional experiences and career pathways of fifty current and former Australian Indigenous teachers. Here, we draw on data obtained from semi-structured interviews with the teachers to highlight their knowledge in three key areas: ‘Indigenous ways of knowing’, ‘Indigenous learners’ lives beyond the classroom’ and ‘Building relationships with Indigenous students and communities’. We suggest that Indigenous teachers can potentially play important roles as teacher educators and as mentors to non-Indigenous teachers and preservice teachers. We argue that it is important for schooling systems and teacher education …

What Do Beginning English Teachers Want From Professional Development?, Anita Jetnikoff

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This qualitative, interpretive case study allows insights into the reflective emerging teacher practitioner as it explores pre-service and beginning teachers’ preparedness to deal with curriculum change and the demands of the classroom and school community. Five beginning teachers were asked what they want from professional development in a period of rapid curriculum change. The study aligns with emerging local and national agendas for teacher professional development and accreditation in Australia.

The data analysis, based on “community of practice” perspectives, shows that new teachers have clear ideas about the professional development they need and want. Professional development is seen as integral …

Health Education In Teacher Education: Evaluation Of Learning Design With Embedded Personal Wellness Learning And Assessment Focus, Zali Yager

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper describes the use of a personal and professional approach to pre-service teacher education that allows trainee teachers to focus on their own wellbeing as well as how they might improve the wellbeing of their future students. ‘Concepts of Wellbeing’ was taught to all Bachelor of Education students and included a wellness curriculum, Social and Emotional Learning, and embedded transformative assessment. Mixed methods evaluation research was used to determine student perceptions of the impact on their learning and wellbeing. The main themes that emerged were that assessment was transformative and seen as important to the student’s learning; and that …

High School Dropouts Returning To Study: The Influence Of The Teacher And Family During Secondary School, Robert Whannell, William Allen

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study investigated the influence of the teacher and family relationships during secondary school for 18 to 22 year old students who had dropped out of secondary school and were attempting to gain access to tertiary study through a tertiary bridging program at a regional university. 144 students from two student cohorts completed a questionnaire intended to facilitate an understanding of how social context influenced secondary school attrition. It was identified that students who had not completed secondary school reported significantly lower levels of emotional engagement with school and poorer relationships with teachers. The study concluded that the residential situation …

Behind Cultural Competence: The Role Of Causal Attribution In Multicultural Teacher Education, Yan Yang, Diane Montgomery

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In an attempt to bridge the gap between achievement motivation and multicultural teacher education, this study explored the relationship between causal attribution of cultural awareness and cultural competence among preservice teachers. Participants were 793 preservice teachers from two large public universities who reported their causal attributions of cultural awareness and their cultural competence. Canonical correlation analysis results showed two significant relationships between causal attribution and cultural competence. Personal control over the causes of cultural awareness was found to be positively related to praxis, i.e., behavioral outcome; whereas attributions to internal and stable causes were positively associated with knowledge as major …

Exploring The ‘How’ And ‘Why’ Of Value Orientations In Physical Education Teacher Education, Lorna B. Gillespie

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper focuses on the significance of curriculum value orientations for curriculum implementation and, therefore, for teacher education. The paper draws on data arising from research undertaken with six Health and Physical Education teachers in Aotearoa New Zealand to explore issues pertinent to Physical Education teacher education (PETE). Selected findings from the study are presented and critically engaged with from a teacher education viewpoint to specifically address (i) considerations relating to students’ value orientations that teacher educators need to be cognisant of, and (ii) issues arising for teacher educators seeking to engage with value orientations in undergraduate and/or post-graduate PETE …

Investigative Primary Science: A Problem-Based Learning Approach, Matthew B. Etherington

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study reports on the success of using a problem-based learning approach (PBL) as a pedagogical mode of learning open inquiry science within a traditional four-year undergraduate elementary teacher education program. In 2010, a problem-based learning approach to teaching primary science replaced the traditional content driven syllabus. During the 13 week semester, a cohort of 150 elementary pre-service teachers embarked on a Design and Make project to solve an individually chosen real world problem. Over one week, the pre-service teachers used a problem based mode of learning in conjunction with an open scientific inquiry to showcase individual working models (prototypes) …

Early Career Teaching: Learning To Be A Teacher And Staying In The Job, Dawn Joseph

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article provides insights into the ways that teacher education programs might equip early career teachers beginning their professional identity. Situated in Melbourne (Australia), it discusses tertiary music education preparation for the profession and recognises the value and importance of having critical friends and mentors as a beginner teacher. By using narrative reflection both lecturer and graduate allow their voices to be heard as they make a contribution to understand the challenges new teachers face when building their professional identity and ‘staying in the job’. The discussion provided by the graduate, outlines her experience and engagement regarding the ‘positives’ and …

Analysing Mentoring Dialogues For Developing A Preservice Teacher’S Classroom Management Practices, Tracey Sempowicz, Peter Hudson

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

A key concern for preservice teachers is classroom management, including student behaviour management, which also has been a factor associated with teachers leaving the profession within the first five years. This study investigates the mentoring practices used to guide the mentee’s classroom management. Using multiple data sources (e.g., lesson plans, preservice teacher reflections, mentor reports, and video and audio-recorded interviews), this case study uses a five-factor mentoring framework to analyse mentor-mentee dialogues about classroom management practices. Data indicated 30 out of 34 mentoring practices provided input into the mentee’s classroom management; however there was no overt evidence on mentoring aims, …

Arts Education In Swedish Teacher Training – What’S At Stake?, Monica Lindgren, Claes Ericsson

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Swedish teacher education has undergone several reforms in recent decades aimed at incorporating teacher education into the university setting and strengthening the teaching profession. In view of earlier research that has shown how arts education in schools is ruled by dominant knowledge ideologies, the purpose of the project is to critically scrutinize current discourses related to arts learning and arts education in teacher education. The study is based on social constructionist theory and data were collected by various means, including 19 focus group interviews with teachers and students at 10 Swedish teacher education institutes.

Our analysis shows that an academic …

Democratic Values And Teacher Self-Efficacy Perceptions: A Case Of Pre-Service English Language Teachers In Turkey, Ece Zehir Topkaya, Aysun Yavuz

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study investigated democratic values of pre-service English language teachers in relation to their teacher self-efficacy perceptions in a Turkish context. It also examined the possible relationships between gender, grade and democratic values and self-efficacy perceptions. A questionnaire survey was conducted with 294 pre-service teachers. Findings show that they had a high level of democratic values while senior students reported the highest rate of democratic values. Results did not show a significant difference between democratic values and gender. Participants also reported a moderately high level of self-efficacy. Lastly, correlation was found between their democratic values and self-efficacy perceptions.

Play In The School Context? The Perspectives Of Finnish Teachers, Pirkko T. Hyvonen

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Playful learning environments (PLEs) have been constructed in schoolyards in Finland with the aim of increasing learning through play in curriculum-based education. In order to better understand and inform this development, the Hyvönen sets out to ascertain how teachers view and use play in kindergarten and elementary education. Fourteen teachers were interviewed, and the data obtained were analyzed using the grounded theory approach. Eight play types were distinguished, with the teacher having the roles of leader, allower, and afforder. Play types were found to be either curriculum-driven, or seen as facilitating friendship or integrating play and learning as a process. …

Enablers And Constraints In Achieving Integration In A Teacher Preparation Program, Craig Deed, Peter Cox, Vaughan Prain

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

There is broad consensus that effective teacher preparation programs should enable pre-service teachers to integrate learning experiences at university and school. However, as noted in many reviews and studies, achieving this integration remains a significant challenge. In this study we aimed to identify factors that influence developmental coherence in pre-service teachers’ learning in the first eight weeks of a one-year preparation program, entailing university-based and school-based experiences. The pre-service teachers were expected to integrate learning in both contexts as preparation for their first five-week practicum. Our study aimed to identify their judgements of the value of various components of the …

Investigation Of Teachers’ Verbal And Non-Verbal Strategies For Managing Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd) Students’ Behaviours Within A Classroom Environment, Gretchen Geng

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper investigated teachers’ verbal and non-verbal strategies for managing ADHD students in a classroom environment. It was found that effective verbal and non-verbal strategies included voice control, short phrases, repeated instructions, using students’ names, and visual cues and verbal instructions combined. It has been found that teachers’ talk is instrumental in gaining the students’ attention and that strategic teachers’ talk can result in students calming down or communicate better with the ADHD students, however, teachers’ non-verbal strategies were found more useful in classroom management. Teachers may find this paper useful in developing more confidence in managing ADHD students’ challenging …

Values Pedagogy And Teacher Education: Re-Conceiving The Foundations, Terrence Lovat, Kerry Dally, Neville Clement, Ron Toomey

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The article explores the research findings of values pedagogy, both Australian and international, and makes application to the need to re-conceive many of the assumptions and foundational theories that underpin teacher education, based on the new insights into learning, human development and student wellbeing that have resulted from these research findings.

Blackboard As An Online Learning Environment: What Do Teacher Education Students And Staff Think?, Ann Heirdsfield, Susan Walker, Mallihai Tambyah, Denise Beutel

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

As online learning environments now have an established presence in higher education we need to ask the question: How effective are these environments for student learning? Online environments can provide a different type of learning experience than traditional face-to-face contexts (for on-campus students) or print-based materials (for distance learners). This article identifies teacher education student and staff perceptions of teaching and learning using the online learning management system, Blackboard. Perceptions of staff and students are compared and implications for teacher education staff interested in providing high quality learning environments within an online space are discussed. 

Satisfied And Dissatisfied Commitment: Teachers In Three Generations, Pik Lin Choi, Sylvia Yee Fan Tang

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper explores the self-appraisal of teacher commitment and their associated emotional experiences in the first ten years of teaching among three generations of Hong Kong teachers. Findings affirm previous view that high commitment level of teachers is characterized with psychological attachment to the commitment objects. However the relationship between increased teacher commitment level, time investment in work and psychological attachment to teaching is found uncertain in the changing contexts, leading to our conceptualization of satisfied and dissatisfied commitment among teachers staying in the profession. Implications from the new understanding of teacher commitment are discussed.

Raising The Bar: Ethics Education For Quality Teachers, Helen J. Boon

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Since the 1970s an ‘ethics boom’ has occurred to counter the disappearance of ethics education from tertiary institutions. This ‘boom’ appears to be absent from teacher education programs in Australia and the United States.

Given persistent calls to enhance teacher quality this is problematic because quality teaching is inexorably linked to teachers’ beliefs, values and professional ethics.

This case study, conducted in a regional Australian university, was designed to document examples of ethical dilemmas faced by pre-service and practising teachers, to explore pre-service teachers’ perceptions of ethics education and to examine the BEd course curriculum for ethics subjects across the …

Locating Child Protection In Preservice Teacher Education, Kerryann Walsh, Louise Laskey, Elspeth Mcinnes, Ann Farrell, Ben Mathews, Freda Briggs

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

A recent report delivered by the Australian Centre for Child Protection has highlighted the need for empirical evidence of effective pedagogies for supporting teaching and learning of child protection content in Australian teacher education programs (Arnold & Maio-Taddeo, 2007). This paper advances this call by presenting case study accounts of different approaches to teaching child protection content in University-based teacher education programs across three Australian States. These different cases provide a basis for understanding existing strategies as an important precursor to improving practice. Although preschool, primary and secondary schools have been involved in efforts to protect children from abuse and …

Fostering Professional Learning Communities Beyond School Boundaries, Anne Scott, Philip Clarkson, Andrea Mcdonough

Australian Journal of Teacher Education