Education Commons^™

Graduate Teacher Preparation For Rural Schools In Victoria And Queensland, Jodie Kline, Bernadette Walker-Gibbs

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Graduate teachers' preparedness for working in rural settings are mediated by the development of pedagogical expertise, professional engagement with parents and the community, and broader notions of preparation to teach in rural contexts. The Studying the Effectiveness of Teacher Education (SETE) project is a four-year longitudinal study tracking teacher education graduates in Queensland and Victoria to investigate the effectiveness of their programs in equipping them to meet the learning needs of students in a diverse range of school settings. A sub-set of the SETE data was examined to explore graduate teacher preparation for rural schools, specifically the authors analysed 1,539 …

Picturebooks In Teacher Education: Eight Teacher Educators Share Their Practice, Nicola Daly, Marilyn M. Blakeney-Williams

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

There is a great deal of contemporary research demonstrating the effective use of picturebooks in the classroom; however, there are few studies recording perceptions and use of picturebooks in Initial Teacher Education [ITE]. This study explores the reported use of picturebooks within a New Zealand university-based ITE degree programme. The data discussed in this article was collected using semi structured interviews with eight teacher educators from different learning areas of the New Zealand Curriculum. In order to unpack the power of using picturebooks as part of teacher preparation a discussion of why and how picturebooks are used by teacher educators …

Beginning Teachers’ Perception Of Their Induction Into The Teaching Profession, Lynda Kidd, Natalie Brown, Noleine Fitzallen

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Abstract: Beginning teachers’ induction into the teaching profession needs to be personally and professionally fulfilling, which is often not the case. The main objective of this mixed method study was to gain a deeper understanding of beginning teachers’ experiences and the perceptions of their induction into the teaching profession and the support they received. A key finding was that many beginning teachers entered the profession through casual or contract positions. Although the beginning teachers reported receiving satisfactory support, the support received varied among schools. Beginning teachers’ perceptions of their induction are that the mentor and induction programs are limited. La …

Collaborative Teaching And Self-Study: Engaging Student Teachers In Sociological Theory In Teacher Education., Vivienne Hogan, Linda Daniell

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article presents some of the findings of a three-year project researching the impact of changes made to teaching and learning in a first-year sociology paper for primary and early childhood education (ece) student teachers. The context of the research is an undergraduate Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programme situated in the School of Education in a New Zealand University. Through self-study, teacher educators sought to gain a deeper understanding of how changes made to the paper influenced their teaching and student learning.

A collaborative teaching relationship was particularly important for the teacher educators to share concerns and present ideas for …

Interrogating The Lesson Plan In A Pre-Service Methods Course: Evidence From A University In Kenya, Kefa L. Simwa, Maropeng Modiba

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The paper reports on research that examined how the content of a History methods course, taught in a university in Kenya, influenced student teachers’ lesson planning and pedagogical skills. A lecture on a lesson plan, micro-teaching lesson plan documents and presentations were examined to determine student teachers’ preparedness for teaching the History and Government (H&G) secondary school curriculum in Kenya. A case study was employed including lesson observations, interviews and document analysis. The findings demonstrate that focusing on parts of a lesson in lesson planning in the lecture may have derailed student teachers from developing the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) …

Developing Culturally Competent Teachers: An International Student Teaching Field Experience, Michelle Salmona, Margaret Partlo, Dan Kaczynski, Simon N. Leonard

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study offers a theoretical construct for better understanding how experiential learning enables student teachers to acquire social and cultural variation skills, develop cultural empathy in the K-12 classroom, and the transference of these skills to new educational situations. An Australian and United States research team used a phenomenological approach to explore the connections between the skills student teachers acquire and the application of these newly developed skills to professional practices. Participants were a group of United States pre-teachers who enrolled in a 5 week teaching experience in Australia. Findings show that participation in cultural based events is part of …

Personality, Resilience, Self-Regulation And Cognitive Ability Relevant To Teacher Selection, Eleanor Sautelle, Terry Bowles, John Hattie, Daniel N. Arifin

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The current study uses social judgment theory to inform the design of processes to be used in selecting teachers for training programs. Developing a comprehensive selection process to identify individuals who are likely to succeed as teachers is a mechanism for improving teacher quality and raising the profile of the profession. The design of such a process requires the identification of qualities of effective teaching that can be assessed at selection, and their relative importance. Six psychological constructs are identified from previous literature that are likely to differentiate between teaching candidates – Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Resilience, Self-Regulation and Cognitive Ability. …

A Case Study Of Online Instructors And Their Quest For Greater Interactivity In Their Courses: Overcoming The Distance In Distance Education, John A. Huss, Orly Sela, Shannon Eastep

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The purpose of this study was to explore the attitudes and experiences of seven online instructors in Teacher Education (three from the United States, four from Israel) pertaining to the deliberate efforts they make to build interaction into their web-based classes to support learning. In the tradition of cooperative inquiry, the use of purposive sampling and a semi-structured interview protocol provided the best opportunity to describe, rather than explain, the perspectives of these instructors who are currently teaching online and developing within the medium. Participants expressed the need to establish quality interactions throughout their distance courses, yet acknowledged barriers they …

Teaching Mindfulness To Year Sevens As Part Of Health And Personal Development, Kathy Arthurson

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Recently the adoption of mindfulness or contemplative based approaches has escalated across many sectors, including in education. Proponents argue that mindfulness based teaching programs improve students’ life skills, provide emotional balance, reduce stress and enhance classroom climate. To date though there is little evaluation or knowledge of how young people experience such programs introduced to classroom settings. This paper reports some key insights gained from an independent evaluation of a pilot mindfulness based teaching program implemented (over nine weeks) with a class of thirty, year seven students at a private school in Adelaide. The research methods incorporated a self-completed student …

Inquiring Into Pre-Service Content Area Teachers’ Development Of Literacy Practices And Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Jennifer Mitton Kukner, Anne Murray Orr

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The focus of this qualitative multi-year case study is on pre-service teachers’ experiences related to the development of their literacy practices in teaching high school science, math, social studies and other content area courses during their final field placement in a teacher education program. Results indicate tangible indicators of overall growth in participants’ developing pedagogical content knowledge as well differences in the depth of their learning. All participants willingly supported the idea of integrating literacy in content area courses, but their successes were somewhat uneven, and reflective of their evolving pedagogical content knowledge, as they attempted to make literacy practices …

Changing Teachers’ Practices Through Exploratory Talk In Mathematics: A Discursive Pedagogical Perspective, Carol Murphy

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Abstract.:This paper presents data collected as part of an intervention research project to develop exploratory talk and collaborative group work with six and seven year-old students in mathematics. A discursive approach was used to analyse and interpret variations in the way that three case-study teachers, involved in the project, managed the group work and developed the students’ talk. Analysis suggested that the intervention required, not just a change in practice, also but a shift in ideologies for these teachers. Ideologies are seen as discourses that legitimate and maintain a social pattern, and the paper explores how a research-based intervention …

Connecting Attitudes Toward Teaching And Pedagogical Formation Courses: A Study Of Turkish Pre-Service Teachers, Oksana Parylo, Hilmi Süngü, Abdurrahman Ilgan

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This quantitative study aimed to examine (1) the pre-service teachers’ attitudes toward the teaching profession and (2) whether their attitudes are impacted by the pedagogical formation courses that are part of teacher preparation. The findings of the pre-test showed that participants had positive attitudes toward teaching as a profession. However, the examination of the difference between the pre-service teachers’ attitudes towards teaching profession based on before and after taking pedagogical formation courses revealed no statistically significant differences in the participants’ responses. The results of this analysis provide a better understanding of Turkish teacher candidates’ attitudes toward the teaching profession and …

Preparedness Of Pre-Service Teachers For Inclusive Education In The Solomon Islands, Umesh Sharma, Janine Simi, Chris Forlin

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Recent policy changes in the Pacific Islands have seen a strong emphasis on implementing inclusive education. Preparing teachers for this change in education will be essential if they are to have the knowledge, skills and understandings so that they can become inclusive practitioners. Pre-service teacher education will play a critical role in supporting this process. This paper considers the perceptions of pre-service teachers undertaking the first year of the Diploma of Teaching in the one university in the Solomon Islands. This is the only university that prepares teachers to work across the entire archipelago. Data are collected pre and post …

Differentiated Instruction At Work. Reinforcing The Art Of Classroom Observation Through The Creation Of A Checklist For Beginning And Pre-Service Teachers, Pearl K. Subban, Penny N. Round

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Professional experience is viewed as integral to shaping philosophy and acquiring skills in the area of classroom teaching. Classrooms are complex places, with educators implementing differentiated strategies to cater for student diversity. Pre-service teachers who observe these lessons often miss the intuitive practices, as there is much to absorb during a typical observation session. Equipping them with a checklist enhances this experience, giving them intentional guidelines with regard to observation. The current study, utilized a qualitative approach, to gain an understanding of specific dynamics that impact on a pre-service teacher’s professional experience. The intersection of data and the literature led …

The Relationship Between University Learning Experiences And English Teaching Self-Efficacy: Perspectives Of Five Final-Year Pre-Service English Teachers, Ksenia Filatov, Shane Pill

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

No literature exists on English teaching efficacy or self-efficacy or on pre-service teachers’ English teaching self-efficacy and its relationship to pre-service teacher education. This project addressed this conceptual and methodological gap in current teacher efficacy research literature. Five pre-service English teachers in their final year of double degree Bachelor of Education/Bachelor of Arts teacher education programmes at an Australian university were interviewed about their self-efficacy for specific English teaching skills. Results suggest that the pre-service teachers see a significant relationship between their self-efficacy to teach English and their degree. The data suggests that the relationship between university learning experiences and …

Factors In Instructional Decision-Making, Ratings Of Evidence And Intended Instructional Practices Of Australian Final Year Teacher Education Students, Mark Carter, Jennifer Stephenson, Toni Hopper

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

There has been increasing interest in an evidence-based approach to education in Australia but relatively little research has provided relevant data on knowledge of the evidence base for instructional practices among teachers preparing to enter the profession. Final year teacher education students (N = 290) in 15 Australian tertiary institutions were surveyed on their understanding of the strength of evidence for 14 instructional strategies and their intended frequency of use of the strategies following graduation. They were also asked to rate the importance of factors they considered in instructional decision-making. Empirical evidence was important in selection of instructional practices but …

Exploring Turkish Social Studies Student Teachers’ Development Of Identity, Banu Çulha Özbaş

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The aim of this study was to explore professional identity development among social studies student teachers in four-year teacher education program in Turkey. Fifty-five student teachers participated in the study. Data were collected about their metaphorical images about teachers and social studies teachers and a series of in-depth interviews was conducted with five of them. All data were analysed across different study years in the teacher education program using inductive content analysis. In the light of this analysis, the experiences of the five student teachers’ were examined in detail to gain a deeper understanding of how they had become social …

Exploring Links Between Pedagogical Knowledge Practices And Student Outcomes In Stem Education For Primary Schools, Peter Hudson, Lyn English, Les Dawes, Donna King, Steve Baker

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education is an emerging initiative in Australia, particularly in primary schools. This qualitative research aimed to understand Year 4 students’ involvement in an integrated STEM education unit that focused on science concepts (e.g., states of matter, testing properties of materials) and mathematics concepts (e.g., 3D shapes and metric measurements) for designing, making and testing a strong and safe medical kit to insulate medicines (ice cubes) at desirable temperatures. Data collection tools included student work samples, photographs, written responses from students and the teacher, and researcher notes. In a post-hoc analysis, a pedagogical knowledge practice …

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 …

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 …

A Stem Narrative: 15 Years In The Making., Susan Blackley, Jennifer Howell

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Since its inception in the late 1990s, STEM has continued to attract attention and sizeable funding in the US, UK, and Australia. This paper narrates the development of the STEM movement, and analyses both the influences that have progressed its evolution and those that have stymied authentic STEM practices. The pervading rhetoric of “STEM crisis” is considered through a global lens, and is resolved as a geo-political phenomenon. The strident voice of the US in the STEM narrative is tempered by investigating the approach to STEM in European, Asian, and developing countries. Two perspectives are described in the narrative: the …

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 …

Teacher Wellbeing In Neoliberal Contexts: A Review Of The Literature, Renae Acton, Patti Glasgow

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

There is an increasing awareness that the wellbeing of a workforce is an important consideration in any organisation. Within the context of education, possibilities for supporting teacher wellbeing are mediated by neoliberal policy technologies that are incongruent with key aspects of wellness. Reviewing the literature, it appears there is value in prioritising teacher wellbeing as an intentional inclusion in both the professional development of practising teachers and within pre-service teacher education programs. This inclusion will empower teachers to better negotiate these imposed systemic constraints. Education for teachers regarding key facets of wellbeing - including managing emotional labour and the importance …

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 …