Authors:Kym M. Simoncini et al. Abstract: Children’s literature is ubiquitous in Australian classrooms with picture books playing a particularly important role in early childhood classrooms. Teachers use children’s literature to teach early literacy concepts including vocabulary and to help children learn about the world and their identity. Historically, the majority of children’s literature has featured White characters and perspectives, excluding many children from seeing themselves and their lives reflected in books. The aim of this study was to explore how an assessment task that asked preservice teachers (PSTs) to select an underrepresented aspect of children’s literature, locate books on that topic, and reflect upon their own reading experiences as a child, could change their attitudes towards future classroom practice. Reflections from 40 PSTs revealed that many PSTs had not previously considered the experiences of children whose lives were not mirrored in books, the need for authentic texts written by people who identified as members of diverse groups, or the importance of diversity in children’s literature. Recommendations for teacher education programs in increasingly multicultural Australia are discussed.
Authors:Steven Kickbusch et al. Abstract: This paper describes an approach to working with secondary preservice mathematics and science (M&S) teachers to develop their ability to design for active learning. It presents the design of a studio-style intervention that augments existing teacher education. It describes the way that these studios can be organised, with specific suggestions that a specialised learning designer, a subject matter expert, and administrative support be included to aid in the design for learning—on the justification that this can both improve the learning design as well as advance teacher learning. It describes a study in which 10 secondary M&S preservice teachers experienced this style of studio, through iterations of learning design sessions and teaching practice. The studio differs from existing models (such as the ‘clinical model’) through its focus on learning design, the structure of the learning network, and the way that it augments (rather than replaces) existing teacher education. The paper presents results from the study in terms of teacher self-efficacy and self-reported perceptions. It discusses a set of design principles that emerged through the process of developing and testing this model and proposes considerations for researchers or teacher educators looking to use a similar approach in future by focusing on the roles, tasks, and activities for members within the network. PubDate: Fri, 17 Mar 2023 01:29:26 PDT
Authors:Melissah B. Thomas et al. Abstract: The higher education sector has learnt a great deal in the online delivery shift due to Covid-19, however, student voice has been underrepresented in literature. This paper reveals 15 student perspectives, including both international and domestic students, who were studying a Master of Teaching (Secondary) at one university in Melbourne, Australia, during heightened social distancing restrictions. The inductive thematic qualitative data analysis collected through semi-structured interviews showed opportunities and challenges of learning experiences. Emergent themes found affordances of convenience and challenges of relational and structural aspects of teaching and learning. Relational aspects of learning were more challenging, including peer collaboration, seeking informal advice and feedback from academics, and participation and engagement. We recommend the inclusion of student voice to guide post Covid-19 teacher education design recommend several areas of support to guide a humanising and personal connection into the remote learning environment. PubDate: Fri, 17 Mar 2023 01:29:18 PDT
Authors:Kay Ayre et al. Abstract: Exposure to adverse and traumatic events in childhood has been found to lead to poorer academic and social-emotional outcomes in school settings. The psychological impact of exposure to such events, referred to as childhood trauma, has been identified as a key driver of these educational difficulties. First Nations students have been found to experience higher rates of childhood trauma compared to non-First Nations students, with historical and intergenerational adversity contributing to such difficulties. There are national guidelines in Australia for the use of trauma-informed care practices in schools to reduce the impact of childhood trauma on educational engagement. This pilot case study examines teachers' experiences in a regional school implementing trauma-informed practices with First Nations students. Findings highlight the complexities of balancing students' safety and belonging with teachers' professional and personal needs in sustaining trauma-informed practice. Implications for implementing trauma-informed education with First Nations communities are discussed. PubDate: Fri, 17 Mar 2023 01:29:09 PDT
Authors:Tania Leach et al. Abstract: Throughout 2020, the world was significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the context of higher education, the pandemic critically affected professional experience, a core component of teacher education. This paper shares data from a large-scale survey about teachers’ sense of self-efficacy and the impact of COVID-19 on professional experience. Findings showed that the disrupted context had a moderate effect of pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy in relation to their classroom management, instructional strategies, and student engagement. Qualitative results illuminated that the modes of learning, changing classroom contexts and communication between the pre-service teachers, school and their university were the underlying contextual factors that impacted pre-service teacher’s self-efficacy. Implications from these findings challenge universities to consider how to best support pre-service teachers’ progression in times of disruption and consider how Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programs prepare pre-service teachers to teach in disrupted classrooms. PubDate: Fri, 17 Mar 2023 01:28:58 PDT
Authors:Ivana Pikić Jugović et al. Abstract: The aim of this study was to explore gender differences in motivation for choosing teaching as a profession and perceptions of men’s demotivation for the choice of this profession. 279 preservice subject teachers from the University of Zagreb, Croatia, filled in the FIT-Choice Scale (Watt & Richardson, 2007) and the Demotivation of Men for Teaching Career Choice Scale. Results revealed that, regardless of their gender, preservice subject teachers were primarily motivated by the intrinsic and social utility values of teaching, while specific gender differences imply the importance of the role of social factors in men’s choice of this career. Low status of the teaching profession was perceived as the dominant reason for demotivation of men to choose it. Women were more likely than men to assume that men are demotivated to choose teaching because it is a “women’s profession”. Policy implications of findings on men’s (de)motivation for teaching are discussed. PubDate: Fri, 17 Mar 2023 01:28:49 PDT
Authors:Brad A. Fuller Abstract: : This paper interrogates Stacey’s assertion that New South Wales (NSW) education policy is underpinned by a ‘particular instance of neoliberalisation’ which has significant ‘direct and material impacts’ on teachers. It examines the role Evidence-based Practice can play in the neoliberalist reform of education globally and analyses the Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation’s What Works Best documents. The paper asserts that the character of education policy in NSW is consistent with the wider Global Education Reform Movement and continues to exhibit and extend the neoliberalist tendencies identified by Stacey. Furthermore, it claims that, through a collection of neoliberalist devices, teachers are being ‘governed at a distance’ through documents such as What Works Best. It is hoped this paper might provide teachers with ‘insights and arguments to help them to resist unwarranted expectations about the role of evidence in their practices and even more so of unwarranted interventions in their practices’. PubDate: Mon, 20 Feb 2023 18:00:48 PST
Authors:Monika Merket Abstract: Both international actors, like the OECD, and Norwegian policies for teacher education aim to increase students’ academic competence and the collaboration between university and practice. Mentoring dialogues between students and mentors in practice are in the intersection between university and the profession. Thus, this gives the mentors the responsibility to realize these policy intentions. This actualizes what is discussed in mentoring and how the negotiation of control between mentors and students has impact on what policy intentions are recontextualized in mentoring. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate which intentions are realized in mentoring through the use of criteria and the selection of the content to be discussed. The findings indicate that the mentor has strong autonomy, and where what is discussed is focused more on practical issues than considerations about the academic subject. Given these findings, this paper discusses different perspectives on a close collaboration between university and practice. PubDate: Mon, 20 Feb 2023 18:00:41 PST
Authors:Nataly Pincheira et al. Abstract: This study analyzes the mathematical knowledge of 40 pre-service Chilean Early Childhood and Primary Education teachers when designing mathematical tasks on patterns, in the context of teaching early algebra. Based on the domains of the Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (MKT) model, we have adopted a descriptive qualitative methodological approach that relies on the content analysis technique. The results show that pre-service teachers exhibit little mathematical knowledge in the description of the mathematical tasks they pose, addressing partial aspects of the subdomains of specialized content knowledge and knowledge of content and teaching. We conclude that training experiences should be given that allow students to further their acquisition of mathematical knowledge in order to achieve effective learning of the contents that early algebra promotes, such as patterns, in Early Childhood and Primary Education classrooms. PubDate: Mon, 20 Feb 2023 18:00:33 PST
Authors:Karen Marangio et al. Abstract: This article explores teachers’ experiences in preparing to enact a new senior secondary school subject, psychology, in Queensland, Australia, at a time of major curriculum reform. In this study, 62 teachers completed an online survey about their experiences on the eve of enactment. From an ecological lens, data were analyzed via descriptive statistics and content analysis before thematic analysis of open-ended responses. Teachers described their preparation in terms of excitement and anticipation in establishing a new subject; frustration and urgency for support to plan, collaborate and access professional learning and curriculum materials; and feelings of isolation and desire to connect with other teachers. Sustained efforts from schools, curriculum authorities and other external contexts to work in tandem with teachers are needed to enable teachers, as professionals, to prepare to enact the curriculum and set the foundations for establishing this new subject. PubDate: Mon, 20 Feb 2023 18:00:25 PST
Authors:Sabina Valente et al. Abstract: It has been postulated that emotions play essential roles in conflict situations and that excessive expression of emotions or inappropriate display can reduce the capacity to manage conflict. However, there is a lack of research that relates teachers’ emotion-regulation ability to managing conflict. To bridge this gap, this pilot study aimed to examine the relationships between teachers’ emotion-regulation ability and conflict management strategies used in the classroom. The sample consisted of 878 teachers (61% women) working in Portuguese schools, which completed an application of Mayer and Salovey’s emotional intelligence model and Rahim’s model of conflict management. Using the structural equation modeling, findings revealed that the teachers who tend to show a greater ability to regulate emotions use mainly integrating and compromising strategies to manage classroom conflicts more frequently than other strategies. In conclusion, it is necessary to create a curriculum in the pre-service teachers’ education programs that includes emotional education, so that they can acquire emotional regulation skills, due to their importance in classroom conflict management. PubDate: Mon, 20 Feb 2023 18:00:18 PST
Authors:Margaret Kettle et al. Abstract: This article examines the accounts of actions undertaken by Early Career Teachers (ECTs) recently graduated from a social justice-oriented Initial Teacher Education (ITE) program and employed in complex school settings with high levels of student diversity, disadvantage, and poverty. The study drew on theories of teacher agency and agency more broadly to examine the workshadowing observations of the teachers’ practice in classrooms augmented by their reflective accounts in interviews. The study found that the ECTs’ agency, or contextualised social action, can be conceptualised as temporally embedded social engagement directed at addressing their students’ cultural, social and academic needs. The teachers drew on past learnings from their ITE program, committed to future-oriented innovations in teaching, and made in-the-present decisions about actions to resolve emergent contingencies such as resource shortages. We argue that these understandings are usefully enhanced by recognising contingency, consciousness, criticality and creativity as additional features of the teachers’ deliberative programs of action. PubDate: Mon, 20 Feb 2023 18:00:05 PST
Authors:James Deehan et al. Abstract: Recognition of the inherent value of the Creative Arts in society seldom extends beyond rhetoric to meaningful action. The powerful ways the Creative Arts are positioned within curriculum documents, for example, stand in contrast to entrenched problems such as poor teacher attitudes, disengaging teaching practices and low status. Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programs and preservice teachers are essential to the long-term improvement of Creative Arts education. Creative Arts in ITE is also an interesting context in which to examine the divide between Subject Matter Knowledge (SMK) and Pedagogical Knowledge (PK) that has influenced both educational research and policy. This paper reports on a mixed methods case study of 24 preservice teachers’ Creative Arts teaching efficacy beliefs and perceptions as they completed an evidence-based, discipline-focussed creative arts subject. The Likert scale efficacy data, collected via the CATEBI-B, modified from the established STEBI-B (Enochs & Riggs, 1990), were analysed via MANOVA with repeated measures and T-tests. These analyses were complemented by thematic analysis of qualitative survey data. Results showed statistically significant increases in participants' personal Creative Arts teaching efficacy upon completion of the subject. The significance of Creative Arts teaching outcome expectancy increases was questionable and the qualitative results were somewhat mixed despite being mostly positive. Implications of these findings and directions for further research in this space are discussed. PubDate: Tue, 13 Dec 2022 17:30:48 PST
Authors:Nicola Daly et al. Abstract: Our action research explored the potentialities of dual language picturebooks related to language inquiries with preservice teachers. For six weeks, preservice teachers browsed picturebooks featuring English and another language, starting with a familiar language and moving to unfamiliar languages. After browsing, we shared our responses to the books, made connections across books, and engaged in experiences to think about language. Initial comments indicated that readers were not familiar with dual language picturebooks and connected to their own complex personal relationships with language. The preservice teachers engaged in inquiries around audience and book design, including issues such as Indigenous books signalling a resistance to prioritising English as a stance that differed from Spanish-English books where the design signalled a higher status to English. In this article, we discuss our findings using Ruiz’s (1984) language-as-resource framework, showing how the preservice teachers used dual language picturebooks to develop their critical awareness of language-as-resource PubDate: Tue, 13 Dec 2022 17:30:40 PST
Authors:Ilana Klima Ronen et al. Abstract: A differential cultural aspect manifested when we compared the experiences of 96-Jewish and 107-Arab PSTs who participated in a collaborative academy-class-practice- model (ACPM), or a traditional-practice-model (TPM). The attempt to implement the collaborative ACPM was hesitantly accepted by Jewish-PSTs, whereas the Arab-PSTs welcomed it warmly. This led us to question whether culture played a role in the groups’ perceptions of the ACPM\TPM. A mixed methods questionnaire has been used to examine PSTs` pedagogical knowledge, the perceived benefits they gained during the practicum, and the importance they attributed to the advice of staff members and peers. Although the PSTs from both groups assessed the knowledge variable to be higher in the ACPM than in the TPM, an opposite trend in the benefit dimension was revealed when comparing the experience of ACPM\TPM. The potential cultural impact of collaboration, involvement, and self-consideration as perceived by the two societies is discussed. PubDate: Tue, 13 Dec 2022 17:30:30 PST
Authors:James Russo et al. Abstract: Traditionally Australian primary school teachers have been viewed as generalists responsible for instruction across all content areas. Adopting self-determination theory as a lens, the aim of the study was to explore the extent to which generalist primary school teachers are interested in becoming subject matter specialists. Questionnaire data were collected from 104 early years primary school teachers. Findings suggest that two-thirds of these generalist teachers expressed an interest in specialising in either English, mathematics, and to a far lesser extent, science, such that they would be responsible for exclusively teaching this subject. Preferences for specialisation were based on teachers’ self-perceived content and pedagogical expertise and/ or their enjoyment of teaching in this content area. By contrast, the one-third of teachers who would choose to remain generalists referred to the value in a variety of teaching experiences, teaching from a whole child perspective and content integration. Implications for educational policy are discussed. PubDate: Tue, 13 Dec 2022 17:30:25 PST
Authors:Nicole Todd et al. Abstract: Students with learning difficulties form the largest group of students with additional needs in Australian mainstream classrooms. However the terminology surrounding these students differs broadly across the country. A consistent and shared understanding of the term learning difficulties is vital, as this impacts the identification and equitable provision of support for students experiencing difficulties with learning. The website of each Australian state/territory government education department was examined to determine to how students with learning difficulties are formally identified and supported. It was found that considerable differences, and even conflicting information, exist both within and across education systems. Implications and the significance of this situation are discussed. PubDate: Tue, 13 Dec 2022 17:30:15 PST
Authors:Graeme Gower et al. Abstract: A growing awareness of the value of Aboriginal teachers in Australian schools has motivated the development of the ‘On Country’ Teacher Education (OCTE) program through collaboration between the Western Australian Department of Education and Curtin University. The OCTE builds on previous initiatives to increase the number of Aboriginal teachers in Australian classrooms and has also developed new features. It enables Aboriginal and Islander Education Officers (AIEOs[1]) to obtain a teaching degree while studying ‘on Country’ and working in their (often remote) schools. An evaluation of the first year of this course through the interviews/yarns with the AIEOs, principals, and program staff is outlined, highlighting the value of support afforded by the program, course flexibility, and face-to-face workshops. We also describe how feedback provided through this evaluation has been considered and incorporated into the ongoing development of the course. [1] Formerly known as Aboriginal Education Workers (AEWs) in WA government schools. PubDate: Tue, 13 Dec 2022 17:30:06 PST
Authors:Gillian Kirk et al. Abstract: The National Quality Framework is used across Australia to drive quality improvement in early childhood settings. Unique to Western Australia, the National Quality Standard is also used in schools to improve quality in classrooms up to Year two (seven to eight years). However, the literature suggests the National Quality Standard is too broad with an emphasis on quantifiable program features (structural quality). As the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS™) instrument was designed to measure classroom interactions (process quality), the purpose of this current study was to examine its efficacy in Pre-primary (five-year-old) classrooms. A mixed-method research approach was employed to appraise the CLASS instrument as an observational measurement tool for evaluation of quality student and teacher interactions in schools. The quantitative methods involved a statistical analysis of the CLASS instrument ratings and observations and interviews provided a qualitative perspective. Study conclusions suggest that while CLASS offered useful descriptions of quality in Emotional Support and Classroom Organisation, the Instructional Support scores were not consistent with other indicators of quality, and this score was not representative of the instructional quality in some classrooms. PubDate: Mon, 28 Nov 2022 00:19:41 PST
Authors:Wendy Boyd Abstract: Provision of quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) supports children’s learning with strong agreement that early childhood teachers (ECTs) are central to quality provision. In many countries, it is mandatory that ECEC services employ ECTs. However, Australian ECT employers report that early childhood graduates are not always well-prepared to work in ECEC settings. This may be because what constitutes optimal early childhood initial teacher education programs (EC ITE) is unclear. To investigate the design of EC ITE programs this research reports on (i) design of EC ITE programs across international contexts; and (ii) 19 Australian ECT employers’ perspectives on EC ITE program design. Findings indicate little consensus on the design of EC ITE programs, with inconsistencies across and within countries. Australian employers identified shortcomings in graduates knowledge. This research highlights recommendations to understand how programs prepare ECTs, by conducting research tracking preservice teachers from EC ITE programs into ECEC teaching. PubDate: Mon, 28 Nov 2022 00:19:34 PST
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