Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Secondary Curriculum Literacy And Teacher Word-Knowledge: Further Findings From A Western Australian Ite Cohort Study, Brian R. Moon, Barbara R. Harris, Anne-Maree Hays

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The Australian Government, in its Professional Standards for Teachers and Australian Curriculum framework, requires that all secondary teachers actively teach the specific literacy of their learning area. Yet achievement of that goal hinges on teachers having first acquired the pre-requisite literate competencies during their own schooling. There are reasons to doubt that this is the case for some graduate teachers, which means attempts to raise standards in schools are beset by a troubling circularity. Here we illustrate the problem with further findings from a Western Australian ITE Cohort Study (n=393), focussing this time on the word knowledge of secondary teaching …

Developing Preservice Teacher Conceptions Of Effective Teachers Using Classroom Scenarios To Practice Difficult Conversations, Denise Lindstrom, Gwendolyn Jones, Joshua Hertlein, Meredith Thompson

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Faculty from three different teacher preparation programs implemented classroom scenarios to help preservice teachers practice holding difficult conversations with students. The goal was to enhance critical reflection and discussion around creating culturally responsive classrooms to change preservice teacher conceptions of effective teachers' qualities. Results indicate that preservice teacher conceptions of effective teachers shifted from a focus on personal attributes to teaching skills. This study addresses the need for practice-based teacher education that has advanced in parallel with efforts to find new ways to the practical knowledge needed to be culturally responsive teachers.

“Why I Don’T Teach As I Was Trained”: Vietnamese Early Career Esol Teachers’ Experience Of Reality Shock, Vu Tran-Thanh

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Trained intensively in teaching English for communication, beginning Vietnamese ESOL teachers still follow the traditional approach in their classroom, i.e., teaching for grammar-and-vocabulary exams. This contrast in pedagogical practices is caused by “reality shock”, which happens for most teachers during the first few years into teaching. The current study aims to explore how reality shock influences and transforms early career ESOL teachers’ teaching methodologies. It employs an interpretative case study research design to outline both external and internal factors that characterize reality shock. The results show that besides English education policy, students’ cooperativeness and professional support, the participants were also …

The Role Of The Teacher As Assessor: Developing Student Teacher’S Assessment Identity., Audrey Doyle, Marie Conroy Johnson, Enda Donlon, Elaine Mcdonald, Pj Sexton

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The closure of schools across the globe due to the Covid-19 pandemic had the potential to have a catastrophic impact on a fundamental pillar of initial teacher education: school placement. This paper maps a new “site” of professional practice for “school placement” called “Teacher Online Programme” (TOP) using Xu and Brown’s (2016) conceptual framework of teacher assessment literacy in practice. Its main focus lies in the integration of the assessment baseline knowledge into the programme under the seven elements proposed by the framework. A case study methodology informed the approach taken. Data was collected and analysed in three phases: the …

Reflective Thinking Practices Among Pre-Service Teachers: Comparison Between Malaysia And Australia, Siew Chee Choy, Judith Dinham, Joanne Sau-Ching Yim, Paul Williams

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Reflective practices are considered an important part of a pre-service teachers’ (PSTs) professional learning experiences. However, there has been much criticisms on its efficacy as a learning tool for teacher professional development. This paper will relate a study that was designed to compare reflective teaching practices in two culturally different countries, namely Malaysia and Australia. These two countries were chosen as they offered an opportunity to study differences in reflective thinking practices from an Asian and a Western cultural perspective among PSTs. The study used a framework using five constructs: lifelong learning skills, self-assessment, self-belief, teaching awareness, and reflective thinking. …

Conceptual Knowledge Or Procedural Knowledge Or Conceptual Knowledge And Procedural Knowledge:Why The Conjunction Is Important For Teachers, Derek P. Hurrell

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

: The terms conceptual knowledge and procedural knowledge are often used by teachers and never more so than when discussing how teachers teach, and children learn mathematics. This paper will look at literature regarding conceptual and procedural knowledge and their place in the classroom, to offer teachers and teacher educators’ advice on some of the more pressing issues and understandings around them. A thorough synthesis of extant and seminal literature will provide advice to teachers and teacher educators on how a deeper insight into conceptual and procedural knowledge could improve the quality of mathematics teaching.

Pre-Service Teacher Reflection And Feedback Using An Online Video Platform During Professional Experience, Michael Cavanagh

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper presents the results of a pilot study in which 11 triads comprising a pre-service teacher, a supervising teacher and a university supervisor used a video platform for pre-service teacher self-reflection and for the provision of feedback. Pre-service teachers made video recordings of one lesson each week during a four-week professional experience placement. They annotated the videos using time-stamped comments and shared them with their supervisors who added comments to provide feedback. The annotations were investigated through questionnaires and interviews that were analysed for their depth of reflection and participants’ views about the video reflection process. Results indicate that …

Exploring Change And Continuities In Internationally Mobile Pre-Service Teachers’ Conceptualisations Of Effective Teaching, Rhonda Di Biase, Elizabeth King, Jeana Kriewaldt, Catherine Reid, Mahtab Janfada

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

: This qualitative study investigates the changes and continuities in conceptions of teaching and learning from course commencement to course completion for a group of international pre-service teachers undertaking a two-year Masters-level degree in Initial Teacher Education (ITE). Data were collected through a series of graphic elicitation activities and ranking tasks at baseline and endpoint. Findings indicate that there was: a growing emphasis on student engagement and its linkages to student learning; a shift from viewing teaching as the transfer of knowledge to learning as an active process; and a more developed repertoire of professional language to explain what is …

The Policy-Driven Dimensions Of Teacher Beliefs About Assessment, Dennis Alonzo, Velma Labad, Jean Bejano, Florence Guerra

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Despite the advancement of the conceptualisations of teacher assessment literacy, teachers’ assessment practices remain relatively low due to misalignment between teachers’ beliefs on assessment and principles of effective assessment practices. The current assessment reform in the Philippines has not gained significant traction despite the ongoing professional development programs focused on enhancing teacher assessment literacy. We argue that to change teachers’ exam-dominated assessment practices towards a more student-centred approach, there is a need to explore teachers’ beliefs in assessment. Hence, we developed a context-driven tool using both theoretical and empirical approaches that could measure this construct, and which the results could …

The Influence Of Emotion On Preservice Teachers As They Learn To Assess Student Learning, Frances Edwards

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

_{This paper explores the experience of emotion for eight preservice teachers as they learn to assess their students while concurrently being assessed. This qualitative study utilised semi-structured interviews and assessment-related artefacts. Findings indicate that emotional engagement influenced preservice teachers’ assessment decision making. The teachers also experienced emotional reactions as in turn they were assessed. This paper argues for the need of preservice teachers to be cognisant of the influence of emotion on themselves and their work, to allow them to better rationalise their assessment decision making and reflect on their practice.}

Teacher Identity Under Reconstruction: Positional Analysis Of Negotiations In An International Teacher Education Programme, Satia Zen, Eero Ropo, Päivi Kupila

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper explores the international learning experiences of Indonesian teachers participating in a Finnish master’s degree programme as an identity reconstruction process. We study the participants’ experiences based on dialogical identity construction to explore the positioning and repositioning occurring during an international learning experience. Given the conception of this experience as a boundary experience, repositioning is a way to create continuity and support the multiplicity of identity. From the narrative analysis of the participants' stories about the programme, we found that the participants' repositioning during the programme involved negotiation with temporality, sociality and spatiality. Throughout this process, the participants' understanding …

Does The Atar Predict Pre-Service Teacher Capacity For Inclusive Classroom Practice?, Greg Auhl, Alan Bain

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In this study, we examined whether the Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR) predicted pre-service teachers' schema development for inclusive classroom teaching. Where previous studies have employed grade point average (GPA) as a criterion measure, this study employed a validated measure linked to standards-based classroom practice. The study was conducted in the final semester of the teacher education programs at three Australian universities. The results showed the explanatory power of the ATAR was close to zero for the students studied. The implications of the findings for teacher education and for using the ATAR as an indicator of teacher quality are discussed.

A Self-Study Exploration Of Early Career Teacher Burnout And The Adaptive Strategies Of Experienced Teachers, Jarrod P. Hogan, Peta J. White

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Isolation, organisational pressures, and role-related distress, can result in teachers, particularly early career teachers (ECTs), experiencing greater risk of burnout. For many ECTs, a lack of practical strategies for dealing with these conditions contributes to this. Using self-study methodology, this research unpacks why ECTs experience burnout, identifies adaptive strategies that experienced teachers use, and discusses the applicability of these practices for ECTs. Conversations between an ECT and three experienced teachers provided alternate lenses to apply reflective unpacking of adaptive strategies. The findings illustrate how the risk of burnout for ECTs is increased by challenging student behaviour, isolation, a lack of …

Fostering Values Through Authentic Storytelling, Maya Gunawardena, Bernard Brown

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Stories are used for diverse pedagogical purposes. Storytelling is a culturally inclusive and widely used pedagogical technique. However, the success of storytelling interventions in education can be dependent upon how teachers engage students to analyse experiences, and events to gain deeper insights to influence change in their thinking and behaviour. This paper firstly provides a literature review which synthesises Australian Curriculum content and outcome-based approaches used in values education in primary schools including storytelling. Secondly, it offers a novel taxonomy supported by a pedagogical model for storytelling. The proposed pedagogical model contains a constructivist process that can enable teachers to …

The Mediating Role Of Self-Directed Learning Readiness In The Relationship Between Teaching-Learning Conceptions And Lifelong Learning Tendencies, Kasım Karataş, Cihad Şentürk, Aziz Teke

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In this study, the mediating role of readiness for self-directed learning in the relationship between pre-service teachers’ teaching-learning approach and lifelong learning skills was examined. The study group consisted of 800 pre-service teachers studying in different universities in Turkey. Data were collected with three different scales. The analysis of the data was carried out using structural equation modelling. According to the findings obtained and the results of the mediation analysis, it is clear that the readiness of self-directed learning in the relationship between constructivist teaching-learning, which is one of the learning teaching approaches, and lifelong learning tendencies has a full …

Online Education Practices And Teaching Team Compositions In Australian Preservice Primary Science Education, James Deehan

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Australian Initial Teacher Education (ITE) has long been marred by instability, scrutiny and high academic workloads. University wide workforce changes and the proliferation of online education require ongoing consideration as these factors have the potential to both enrich ITE and exacerbate existing issues. As subsect of ITE, preservice primary science education faces unique hurdles as establish student-centred, authentic practices have historically been delivered by tenured staff in traditional face-to-face settings. This paper aims to explore online teaching practices and teaching team composition in Australian preservice primary science education via interview and survey data collected from 17 academics in a Type …

Do Preservice Teachers Believe They Use The Australian Professional Standards For Teachers To Inform Their Professional Learning?, Kairen Call, Michael Christie, Sue E. Simon

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Professional standards for teachers are being used around the globe to educate, certify, promote and regulate the ongoing professional practice and learning of teachers. In Australia, the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST), in part, aim to support the professional learning of teachers from the Graduate to Lead Teacher career stages. Preservice teachers have been identified as being positive about the APST, and their uptake with the standards at the Graduate level appears to be increasing over time. However, our research shows that preservice teachers are not making the connection between the APST and their professional learning. This paper will …

Teachers’ Experiences Of Educating Eal Students In Mainstream Primary And Secondary Classrooms, Jessica Premier

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Many schools in Victoria, Australia, are multicultural, with students coming from a variety of cultures and backgrounds. Content area teachers often educate EAL students in their classrooms, even though they may not have specialised EAL teaching qualifications. This paper presents the experiences of primary and secondary teachers working in multicultural schools in Victoria. It explores the way in which teachers meet the needs of EAL students in their classrooms, and the support that is available to assist them to do so. This paper reports that teaching practice, school leadership, professional learning, and identity, influence the way in which teachers educate …

Overcoming Challenges In Assessing Mathematical Reasoning, Sandra Herbert

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Despite mathematical reasoning being necessary for in-depth understanding of mathematical concepts, many teacher experience difficulty in assessing it. Data were collected from 34 primary teachers at 4 Victorian government schools at two post- lesson reflective sessions following lessons with a focus on reasoning. These sessions facilitated teachers’ collaborative efforts to assess their students’ reasoning from students’ work samples. The data included transcripts of all the reflective sessions; written work samples; and associated completed rubrics. Analysis of these data enabled identification of seven challenges teachers experienced in assessing reasoning: Limited guidance provided by curriculum documents; Teachers’ knowledge of reasoning; Teacher noticing …

Triad Role In Shaping Tanzanian Pre-Service Teachers' Experience Of Teaching Practice, Hawa Mohamed Mpate, Glenda Campbell-Evans, Jan Gray

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study explores the role of the triad relationship in shaping pre-service teachers’ experience during teaching practice. The study is descriptive in nature employing a qualitative approach and data from a sample of five pre-service teachers, five college supervisors, five mentor teachers and three Heads of school. The data were analysed through thematic analysis. The findings revealed that limited triad relationship, limited social and instructional support from mentor teachers and supervisors’ limited assessment and feedback provision, negatively impacted pre-service teachers’ learning during teaching practice. To achieve a functioning triad the paper suggests that it is important to equally engage supervisors, …

The Exclusive White World Of Preservice Teachers’ Book Selection For The Classroom: Influences And Implications For Practice, Helen Adam, Anne-Maree Hays, Yvonne Urquhart

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper reports on a study of the children’s book preferences of 82 Preservice teachers (PSTs) at one Western Australian University. The study found PSTs preferred older books published during their own childhood or earlier. Further, representation of people of colour was limited to only 8 of 177 titles listed by PSTs. Key influences on their preferences were their personal favourite books and those used by mentor teachers during practicum experience. The outcomes of this study have implications for curriculum development and implementation of Initial Teacher Education courses, and in turn, for equitable outcomes of the future students of PSTs.

Implementation Of A National Teacher Education Strategy In Finland Through Pilot Projects, Jari Lavonen, Seija Mahlamäki-Kultanen, Sanna Vahtivuori-Hänninen, Armi Mikkola

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The implementation of a teacher education strategy in a decentralised Finnish education system is analysed. Altogether, 31 pilot projects, involving teacher educators from all universities, were funded to support the implementation of the strategy and professional learning of autonomous teacher educators in the context of the strategy. In this mixed-methods research, the directors and active partners of the pilot projects were asked how they perceived the characteristics of the pilot projects that have been recognised as supportive for the implementation of the strategy. The directors were also asked to evaluate the impact of the projects. The projects …

Supporting Urban-Oriented Teacher Candidates To Value Rural Schooling: The Story Of A Virtual Adapted Practicum, Joanne Pattison-Meek

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In the fall of 2020, due to the institutional impacts of COVID-19, the Master of Teaching Program in the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto (Canada) transitioned to a modified practicum program. In this article, I draw on self-study (Kitchen et al., 2020) to examine and share my experiences as a Practicum Advisor tasked to design and deliver a four-week virtual practicum program for 30 teacher candidates, without access to high school classrooms. I reflect on how my rural teacher and researcher selves informed my practicum design in one of Canada’s largest urban faculties of education, including …

Analysis Of Elementary School English Teachers’ Professional Dialogue As Their Professional Development, Chin-Wen Chien

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This qualitative study analyzed the professional dialogue among 67 English teachers at seven elementary schools in New Taipei City in Taiwan. Based on the analysis of the documentation, observation, and interviews, the study has two major findings. First, the knowledge and skills covered in the professional dialogues of English teachers concerned planning, implementing, and managing instruction. Second, English teachers regarded their professional dialogues as effective and goal-oriented. In order to make professional dialogues into job-embedded professional development for English teachers, they must be goal-oriented and carried out in an environment of care and trust. Moreover, professional dialogue can take the …

“In Lantite, No One Can Hear You Scream!” Student Voices Of High-Stakes Testing In Teacher Education., Alison L. Hilton, Rebecca Saunders, Caroline Mansfield

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article investigates pre-service teachers’ experiences of undertaking LANTITE, a high-stakes literacy and numeracy test for initial teacher education students. In this mixed methods study, 189 initial teacher education students from 28 Australian universities participated in an online questionnaire, with 27 students going on to take part in semi-structured telephone interviews. Indicative findings give voice to those most impacted by the implementation of LANTITE in 2017, revealing student concerns about the processing and return of results, and test anxiety. This study provides a unique insight into the experiences of completing this high-stakes test.

“I Actually Felt More Confident”: An Online Resource For Enhancing Pre-Service Teacher Resilience During Professional Experience, Caroline F. Mansfield, Susan Beltman, Noelene L. Weatherby-Fell

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

One responsibility of teacher education is to provide opportunities for pre-service teachers to build skills and strategies to develop confidence for overcoming challenges and build their professional resilience, yet how students learn these skills is not clearly understood. This study examines how engaging with online modules influenced participants’ efficacy and resilience during their final professional experience practicum. Interviews with 13 Australian pre-service teachers revealed that the module content and design reactivated existing knowledge, taught new emotional regulation and coping strategies, encouraged self-awareness and reflection, and built confidence. While further research is needed, participants used their new found knowledge during their …

The Socialisation Of Early Career Principals In Western Australia, Simon Fittock

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research aimed to investigate and understand the socialisation of early career principals in Western Australian public schools. It is widely acknowledged that school principals are critical in the successful education of students and delivering on this is seen to be the core purpose of the role. It is evident that the development of effective principals has great value. As a result, the socialisation of principals during the formative early career stage, whereby they learn the necessary knowledge, skills and understandings of the role, is important in the educational experiences of students. Due to the impact principals have on student …

The Perceived ‘Classroom Readiness’ And Support Of Western Australian Primary Graduate Teachers, Samantha Jade Edwards

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Graduate teachers are expected to be ‘classroom ready’ upon graduation, yet research suggests they are not. The difficulties faced by graduate teachers in their first years of teaching often result in low self-efficacy and attrition, which in turn can affect the achievement of their students.

Since its establishment in 2010, the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) have implemented a competency framework for both teachers and Initial Teacher Education (ITE) providers, aimed at improving not only all teacher quality in Australia, but the quality of ITE, graduating teachers and the support structures provided to them. This research project …

The Viability Of Simulated Large-Scale Marking As Professional Development For Preservice Teachers, Nathanael Reinertsen

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Judging the quality of student work is a core skill of a proficient teacher. This professional competency is often utilised by organisations that run large-scale marking operations when they recruit teachers as markers. These organisations and the teachers themselves often claim that large-scale marking is valuable professional development.

This research aimed to determine whether professional learning outcomes similar to those reported by experienced teachers can be achieved for preservice teachers through participation in a live simulation of a large-scale marking operation. The research was conducted in three phases: an online survey of Australian teachers to establish that reports of benefit …

“The Pay Is Not Worth It But It Is Excellent Pd”: Australian Teachers’ Perspectives On Doing Large-Scale Marking, Nathanael Reinertsen

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Anecdotally, teachers take up opportunities to mark large-scale assessments because they are told by colleagues that it is 'good PD'. Assertions about the value of marking are passed along with little question. However, research into the benefits of participating as a marker in large-scale marking has not been conducted in the Australian context. This paper reports the results of an online survey of Australian teachers (N=43) about their participation in large-scale marking in order to examine whether the research that has been conducted internationally is likely to be generalisable to Australia. The responses to the survey are described and then …