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Book Review: Smyth, J., Down, B., Mcinerney, P. & Hattam, R. (2014). Doing Critical Educational Research: A Conversation With The Research Of John Smyth. New York: Peter Lang Publishing Inc., Christine Cunningham

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This is a book review for

Smyth, J., Down, B., McInerney, P. & Hattam, R. (2014). Doing critical educational research: A conversation with the research of John Smyth. New York: Peter Lang Publishing Inc.

‘We Did The How To Teach It’: Music Teaching And Learning In Higher Education In Australia, Dawn Joseph

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The Australian Government recognizes that the Arts are a critical part of formal school education and it should not be viewed as subordinate or extra. This paper forms part of a wider research project titled “Pre-service teacher attitudes and understandings of Music Education” that started in 2013. The focus of this paper investigates music teaching and learning in a core unit within the Bachelor of Education (Primary) course at Deakin University (Australia). Using questionnaire and interview data gathered in 2014, I employ Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to analyse and codify the data. Three themes are discussed in relation to: Why it …

Conceptual And Contextual Contradictions: How A Group Of Primary School Teachers Negotiated Professional Learning In A Multiliteracies Book Club, Veronica Gardiner, Wendy Cumming-Potvin

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Abstract: The need to diversify digital communications for a global twenty-first century has prompted many theorists to reimagine literacy teaching and learning. Although the new Australian curriculum acknowledges multimodality and multimodal texts, professional learning continues to privilege print-focused literacy. Utilizing a multiliteracies’ and community of practice framework, this study scaffolded seven primary school teachers in critical and collaborative professional learning. A case study explored the teachers’ evolving perspectives and knowledge work during monthly meetings in a multiliteracies book club. Drawing on a qualitative approach, this paper focuses on how the teachers, who were based in regional Western Australia, problematized conceptual …

The Importance Of Music In Preschool Education, Anna Ehrlin, Hans-Olof Gustavsson

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

At a few universities in Sweden students can chose a preschool teacher education programme with a music profile. At one of these universities, a study was undertaken that aimed to explore student teachers understanding of self as musician, their future professional role as a preschool teacher and how the education equips for that. Sixteen students participated in focus group interviews, and thirty students answered a questionnaire. The study shows that almost three-quarters of the students did not choose the music profile for the sake of the specific profile in music. Instead, it happened that this was the programme they managed …

Degrees Of Change: Understanding Academics Experiences With A Shift To Flexible Technology-Enhanced Learning In Initial Teacher Education, Benjamin A. Kehrwald, Faye Mccallum

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The implementation of technology enhanced learning in higher education is often associated with changes to academic work. This article reports on a study of staff experiences with curriculum development and teaching in multiple modes of blended and online learning in a Bachelor of Education degree. The findings indicate that the changes experienced by these teacher educators were significant but not wholesale. More specifically, the findings highlight three particular areas of change that impacted on their role as teacher educators: changed pedagogical practices, particularly in staff-student communication, interaction and relationship building with students; increasing workloads associated with flexible delivery; and changed …

Transforming Thai Preschool Teachers' Knowledge On Inclusive Practice: A Collaborative Inquiry, Joseph Seyram Agbenyega, Sunanta Klibthong

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Educating children with disabilities alongside their peers in mainstream preschools has increased intensely over the past few years, affecting all aspects of early childhood education. Many children who previously would have been educated in segregated special centres are now being included in inclusive preschools. This research paper discusses how Thai preschool teachers’ professional knowledge in inclusive education influence the ways they practice within preschool classrooms. Qualitative data obtained through observations and collaborative inquiry with teachers drawn from four preschool in Bangkok, Thailand showed that the lack of adequate teacher preparation for inclusive practice rendered the teachers helpless and unable to …

Are Prospective Elementary School Teachers’ Social Studies Teaching Efficacy Beliefs Related To Their Learning Approaches In A Social Studies Teaching Methods Course?, Şahin Dündar

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study aimed to contribute to the growing literature on learning approaches and teacher self-efficacy beliefs by examining associations between prospective elementary school teachers’ learning approaches in a social studies teaching methods course and their social studies teaching efficacy beliefs. One hundred ninety-two prospective elementary school teachers for grades 1–4 participated in this study at the school of education at a university in Turkey. Findings showed that the deep learning approach in a social studies teaching methods course was a significant and positive contributor to future teachers’ social studies teaching efficacy beliefs. The findings highlight the importance of stimulating deep …

Service-Learning: A Valuable Means Of Preparing Pre-Service Teachers For A Teaching Practicum., Anne Coffey, Shane Lavery

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Abstract

The use of service-learning as a teaching methodology is in its infancy within Australian tertiary institutions. Parker et. al., (2009) noted that, until recently, community service-learning has been under-utilised within the Australian higher education system. Within teacher education programs, service-learning has been used primarily as a means of providing real-life experiences for pre-service teachers as well as developing their personal and professional skills. The research conducted in this study focused on ways involvement in a service-learning experience could contribute to the preparation of pre-service secondary teachers for their first teaching practicum. The participants included Bachelor of Education, Master of …

The ‘Perfect’ Senior (Vce) Secondary Physical Education Teacher: Student Perceptions Of Teacher-Related Factors That Influence Academic Performance, Rachael J. Whittle, Amanda Telford, Amanda C. Benson

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Improving student academic performance in senior-secondary education increases student opportunities for employment, training and further education. The aim of this research was to identify students’, completing the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) Physical Education, perceptions of teacher-related factors that influence subject specific academic performance. Unit 3 and 4 VCE Physical Education students (n = 23) from three government secondary schools and one independent secondary school in Victoria, Australia completed poster annotations identifying their perception of the ‘perfect’ VCE Physical Education teacher. The de-identified data from the posters were transcribed verbatim, coded and analysed using NVivo software to explore student perceptions …

Self-Efficacy In Teaching Chinese As A Foreign Language In Australian Schools, Zhu Chen, Alexander S. Yeung

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Participating in a research-oriented teacher education program, 20 university graduates from China were invited to teach Chinese as a foreign language in western Sydney schools and conducted teacher research for one and half years. By analysing their research on their own teaching through a qualitative approach, this study attempted to identify the factors that influenced their self-efficacy in teaching Chinese as a foreign language in an English-speaking school system. Influential factors identified in this research include teacher factors, student factors and contextual factors. Findings of this research have implications for foreign language teacher education.

Changing Teachers’ Feedback Practices: A Workshop Challenge, Jesuína Fonseca, Carolina Carvalho, Joseph Conboy, Maria Odete Valente, Ana Paula Gama, Maria Helena Salema, Edite Fiúza

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Feedback can promote teacher-student relations and student academic involvement, performance and self-regulation. However, some research indicates that teachers do not always employ feedback effectively. There is a need to promote teachers’ appropriate use of feedback in the classroom. We describe a long-term workshop designed to enhance teachers’ knowledge and skills in the use of feedback strategies, and appreciation of the importance of feedback. Twelve teachers participated in the workshop. Observations as well as teacher reports indicate that participation in the sessions and the follow-up classroom application enhanced teacher involvement, knowledge, competencies and positive feelings in the use of feedback strategies. …

Strengthening Learners’ Perspectives In Professional Standards To Restore Relationality As Central To Teaching, Jeana A. Kriewaldt

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Australian teacher standards have effects on what is thought about teachers’ work. Just as teacher standards give expression to some characteristics of quality teaching, so too do students’ views if solicited and made public, yet the archive of teaching standards pays little attention to learners’ perspectives. This paper uses a theoretical framework informed by Foucauldian discourse analysis to contribute to a critical deliberation of how the diminished account of learners’ perspectives sidelines the relational aspects of teaching and learning which are thus placed as inferior—as having a low ranking—in this pervasive standards-driven policy arena. In this qualitative study, exploring discourses …

Flip, Feedback And Fly: Using Loop To Enhance The Professional Experience Of Initial Teacher Education, Shane N. Phillipson, David G. Cooper, Sivanes Phillipson

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The Australian Professional Teaching Standards require pre-service teachers to complete a minimum number of days of professional experience in order to graduate. Problems can arise, however, when the evaluation of their professional experience against the Standards shifts from the providers of teacher education programmes to school-based supervising teachers. The Lesson Observation On-line Platform (LOOP) begins to address these problems by utilising a secure, shared digital platform to facilitate evidence-based evaluation of the performance of pre-service teachers. In this research, we evaluated the potential of LOOP to assess pre-service teachers against the Standards as well as to enhance the professional development …

International Students’ Experience Of Practicum In Teacher Education: An Exploration Through Internationalisation And Professional Socialisation, Georgina M. Barton, Kay A. Hartwig, Melissa Cain

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper explores the practicum experience of international students studying in a teacher education course. Much research has investigated the experience of international students during their degree experience but there is limited research that has addressed the practicum; a key component of teacher education. The research that does exist tends to view international students as analogous rather than individual students with distinct needs and experiences. The current paper will draw evidence from fourteen (14) international students gathered via interviews. The themes of learning and teaching contexts and relationships; curriculum, pedagogy and assessment; and personal attributes were identified and the conceptual …

Do Master Early Childhood Teacher Education Programs Provide Adequate Coverage Of Infants And Toddlers?: A Review Of Content, Susanne Garvis, Matthew Manning

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In Australia, growth in the demand of early childhood services for young children aged birth to three years has placed increased pressure on the early childhood education sector as new policy stipulates the need for qualified teachers. The new policy has resulted in a growth in Master of Early Childhood Education programs in Australian universities. These programs are designed as initial teacher education programs for people with a non-education Bachelor degree wanting to become a qualified early childhood teacher in 18 months.

Little is known about the structure as well as the content of these new programs in their ability …

Is Atar Useful For Predicting The Success Of Australian Students In Initial Teacher Education?, Vince J. Wright

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Quality teaching is the most significant systemic factor contributing to student achievement. Attracting, developing and retaining effective teachers are important goals for Australia as they are for all nations. Debate rages currently about criteria for selection of students into Initial Teacher Education (ITE). The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) is promoted by some commentators as a useful selection measure. The data from six cohorts of students from undergraduate degree programmes at a Melbourne university campus were investigated to evaluate the validity of ATAR as a predictor of academic success and performance on school placement. ATAR was positively related to academic …

Antecedents Of Teachers’ Educational Beliefs About Mathematics And Mathematical Knowledge For Teaching Among In-Service Teachers In High Poverty Urban Schools, Danya M. Corkin, Adem Ekmekci, Anne Papakonstantinou

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper examines the antecedents of three types of educational beliefs about mathematics among 151 teachers predominantly working in high poverty schools. Studies across various countries have found that teachers in high poverty schools are less likely to enact instructional approaches that align with mathematics reform standards set by national and international organizations. Researchers contend that for instruction to change, educational beliefs about mathematics and teaching must change. Regression analyses indicated that mathematics-teaching experience was associated with teachers’ self-efficacy for teaching mathematics at the onset of professional development and the number of mathematics college courses teachers had taken moderated their …

Arts Immersion: Using The Arts As A Language Across The Primary School Curriculum, Susan N. Chapman

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Abstract: Australia’s national arts curriculum has potential to realise the following benefits: cognitive, social, affective and curricular. This curriculum is designed for generalist and special arts teachers, but its delivery may be hindered by the prioritisation of high-stakes-tested disciplines and pedagogies, and reduced government funding to arts education across school and tertiary sectors. This may lead to a lack of opportunities to build teacher capacity in arts education, and diminished support for arts education in terms of time allocation and resourcing. The notion of ‘silos’, where the separation of teaching practices persists between teachers of different disciplines, discourages meaningful interdisciplinary …

Teacher Performance Appraisal: More About Performance Or Development?, Kerry Elliott

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Given that “teacher appraisal can be a key lever for increasing the focus on teaching quality” (OECD, 2013b, p.9) and that many reforms in the past have failed (Kleinhenz & Ingvarson, 2004), an understanding of the various aspects of successful performance appraisal is essential. The literature has begun to refer to a number of factors that support the development of an effective performance and development system. This paper discusses some of the key research connected with teacher performance appraisal, including aspects and outcomes and points to the need for a better understanding of how they are …

From Surveillance To Formation? A Generative Approach To Teacher ‘Performance And Development’ In Australian Schools, Nicole Mockler

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper explores the possibilities and limitations of the AITSL Performance and Development Framework as a vehicle for authentic teacher professional learning. It suggests that the Framework offers a range of implementation possibilities, from surveillance of teaching practice at one end of the spectrum to ongoing and generative formation of teachers at the other, and argues that at its best, the Framework will be interpreted and implemented as a catalyst for school-developed, inquiry-based professional learning that builds collegial professional practice and supports teachers to develop and take an inquiring stance toward their practice.

Prospective Secondary Science Teachers' Argumentation Skills And The Interaction Of These Skills With Their Conceptual Knowledge, Ömer Acar, Bruce R. Patton, Arthur L. White

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study investigated if prospective secondary science teachers enhance their argumentation skills and the interaction of the change in their argumentation skills with their conceptual knowledge during an argumentation-based guided inquiry course. 37 prospective secondary science teachers constituted the study sample. They were grouped according to whether or not they had a misconception about understanding of balanced forces at the beginning of the course. They performed oral and written argumentation tasks during the course. Their written argumentation tasks were assessed four times during the course for balanced forces and sinking and floating behaviour of objects. Results indicated that prospective secondary …

From Research To Praxis: Empowering Trinidadian Primary School Teachers Via Action Research, Charmaine S. Bissessar

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

An exponential body of extant research illustrates the symbiotic dyad action research, andragogy, reflective praxis, and transformative learning share. This paper contains a narrative review of 83 action research papers submitted to the researcher as part of the fulfilment of the Bachelor of Education degree from April 2011 to May 2013. Additionally, interviews via email and telephone with 42 of the 83 student-teachers on their perceptions of the importance of action research on their instructional practice are examined. The narrative review of student-teachers’ archival research action proposals was thematically coded to reflect challenges confronting primary school, special needs, and early …

Maximising Intercultural Learning In Short Term International Placements: Findings Associated With Orientation Programs, Guided Reflection And Immersion., Coral J.L. Campbell, Caroline Walta

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Short-term international practicum experience is now a feature of many university education programs in Australia in an attempt to engage students with the growing multi-cultural aspects of Australian life. The stated purposes of such practicum experiences generally highlight intercultural learning, which is associated with the development of intercultural sensitivity, cultural identity, global citizenship and global competence. This paper tracks and documents the early and developing attitudes and dispositions of a group of pre-service teachers (PSTs) and academic staff who were engaged with the pilot project of a pre-service placement in Malaysian secondary schools. The behaviours associated with intercultural learning are …

Metaphors As Two-Way Mirrors: Illuminating Pre-Service To In-Service Teacher Identity Development, John Buchanan

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The transition from pre-service to in-service can be difficult for teachers. One means of looking into the minds and hearts of such teachers is to elicit the metaphors they adopt for themselves. Previous studies have indicated that during this transition much of the confidence, idealism and optimism of teacher metaphors is displaced by bleak and defeatist visions. These changes are usually explained by ‘praxis shock’ – a result of unrealistic prior views of teaching and equally unrealistic workloads and challenges. This research project asks if metaphors might reveal more about pre-service teachers’ views and vulnerabilities, and help avert or mitigate …

Student Teachers’ Cognition About L2 Pronunciation Instruction: A Case Study, Michael Burri

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In view of the minimal attention pronunciation teacher preparation has received in second language (L2) teacher education, this study examined the cognition (i.e. beliefs, thoughts, attitudes and knowledge) development of 15 student teachers during a postgraduate subject on pronunciation pedagogy offered at an Australian tertiary institution. Findings revealed that, as a result of taking the subject, student teachers’ cognition shifted from teaching individual sounds (i.e. segmentals) to favouring a more balanced approach to pronunciation instruction. That is, teaching the melody of the English language (i.e. suprasegmentals) was seen as important as teaching segmentals. Non-native speakers’ self-perceived pronunciation improvement, an increase …

"Inclusive And Different?” Discourse, Conflict, And The Identity Construction Experiences Of Preservice Teachers Of English Language Learners In Australia, John Trent

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article reports the results of a discourse-theoretic study that considered the perspectives of one group of preservice mainstream teachers in Australia concerning their preparedness to teach English language learners (ELLs). Framed by a theory of teacher identity and using in-depth interviews, the paper explores the perceptions and experiences of six preservice teachers, revealing the presence of two dominant discourses of ELLs: a discourse of equity and inclusiveness and a discourse of difference. The results suggested that these discourses interacted in ways unanticipated by policy makers and that an unintended consequence of this discursive interplay was that participants experienced conflict …

Effective Teaching Practices For Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Students: A Review Of The Literature, Natalie J. Lloyd, Brian Ellis Lewthwaite, Barry Osborne, Helen J. Boon

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper presents a review of the literature pertaining to the teacher actions that influence Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander student learning outcomes. This review investigates two foci: the identification of teacher actions influencing learning outcomes for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students and the methodological approach to how the influence of teacher behaviours on student learning has been determined. The literature review identifies that published literature in the effective teaching area is predominantly in the ‘good ideas’ category; that is assertions are made by authors with no research-based evidence for supporting such claims, especially through quantitative research which seeks …

Teacher Attrition And Retention Research In Australia: Towards A New Theoretical Framework, Shannon Mason, Cristina Poyatos Matas

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

During the last decades, the search to try to understand why Australian teachers prematurely leave their jobs has become an increasing focus of research interest. This article yields significant insights into the history and potential future of the teacher attrition research field. Using a thematic content analysis methodology, a study of the Australian literature reveals that the field in this country is still in its infancy, and is dominated by small-scale, qualitative exploratory studies. Furthermore, it shows the lack of consistency amongst studies discussing teacher attrition, as well as the need for a theoretically informed framework that acknowledges the complex …

I Know How To Add Them, I Didn't Know I Had To Add Them, Jyoti R. Jhagroo

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Abstract: Ten non-English speaking immigrant students shared their lived experiences in their secondary school mathematics classrooms in New Zealand. Through the voices of these students some understandings of the challenges they experienced as second language learners are brought to the fore. The students’ perspectives of the language-related challenges that they faced, how they made sense of learning in an environment where the medium of instruction was dissimilar to their first language, and the impact that language-related challenges may have had on their perceptions of their ability in their new environment compared to their home country, form the basis of this …

A Healthy Dose Of Race? White Students’ And Teachers’ Unintentional Brushes With Whiteness, Samantha Schulz, Jennifer Fane

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper reports on efforts by three Australian academics to develop students’ sociocultural awareness (in particular, their racial literacy) during a time of mounting pressure on teacher educators to narrow and standardise their approaches. The field of health education provides a vehicle for research; however, it is not the paper’s central foci. Of key concern is the development of a critical disposition in students – a disposition geared toward teaching for social equity. Learning of this nature transcends topic domains, and therefore allows for collaboration between academics in different parts of teacher education. Specifically, the paper focuses upon ‘whiteness’ and …