NEWS campusreview. com. au
Teachers malign training
Graduates report courses failed to get them ready for their early careers.
Research has sparked fresh calls for a review of teacher training courses, as less than half of teaching graduates indicate they feel adequately trained in a number of key professional areas.
The results, released within the Staff in Australia’ s Schools 2013 report and National Teaching Workforce Dataset, found that whilst secondary teaching graduates reported the lowest rate of satisfaction with training, many new primary school teachers held similar concerns about their preparedness.
In just eight of 23 aspects of teaching did more than 50 per cent of early-career secondary teachers respond that they felt their initial teacher education courses had been either very helpful or helpful.
Early-career primary school teachers were a little more positive about their training. However, more than 50 per cent of them still felt their training had been neither very helpful nor helpful in 11 areas.
According to the research, early-career primary teachers“ were least positive about their ITE courses in regard to Standards 1(‘ Know students and how they learn’) and 5(‘ Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning’)”.
“ The most positive assessments were in regard to National Standards 2(‘ Know the content and how to teach it’), 3(‘ Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning’), 6(‘ Engage in professional learning’) and 7(‘ Engage professionally with colleagues, parents / carers and the community’),” read the Staff in Australia’ s Schools 2013 report.
“ Early-career secondary teachers were most positive in regard to Standards 2, 3 and 7.”
The education minister, Christopher Pyne, said the report clearly showed many teachers feel underprepared when entering the classroom.
“ The survey shows that only about half of new primary school teachers think their initial teacher training was helpful in teaching students with a wide range of backgrounds and abilities.”
Professor Stephen Dinham, president of the Australian College of Educators, said Australia needs to look at teacher education to ensure all courses are based on strong evidence. Dinham said overall there appeared to too much variation in the quality of courses on offer with some setting far higher standards than others.
Meanwhile, Australian Education Union president Angelo Gavrielatos called for changes to teacher training programs for all education providers. ■
11 unis agree to pay rise
Increase on the way for teacher trainers at independent schools.
Almost a dozen universities have signed up to an agreement with one of the nation ' s largest teacher unions in a move that will see educators in NSW and the ACT receive a pay increase for supervising trainee teachers, starting at the beginning of next year.
The NSW / ACT Independent Education Union – which represents 33,000 members including teachers, principals and support staff in all non-government schools – has signed an agreement with the 11 major universities in NSW that grants better pay to teachers supervising trainee teachers.
Under the new agreement, teachers stand to get $ 28.50 a day in 2015 for supervising a prac student from any university, rising to $ 29.25 in 2016 and $ 30 in 2017. Teachers now receive $ 21 a day for prac supervision and this has been the case for the past 20 years.
NSW / ACT IEU assistant secretary Mark Northam said the deal would enhance prac supervision because it provides professional acknowledgement of the important role classroom teachers are providing in delivering the practical experience.
“ Obviously, with no relief from their regular teaching load available to teachers for supervising prac students, they have to make time in their schedule for the student,” Northam said.“ This not only involves supervising the student, but meeting with their university supervisor and filling out paperwork.”
He said the IEU had been negotiating with universities for the last 12 months to ensure more of the money paid to universities for the prac goes to teachers, adding that the improved remuneration, as well as professional recognition, would encourage teachers to take on this additional responsibility.
“ All teachers take very seriously the responsibility of training future teachers, but the ability for teachers to gain professional accreditation of their own will encourage them to enhance the delivery of prac even further,” Northam added.
The institutions that have signed an agreement with the IEU include: Australian Catholic University; Charles Sturt University; Macquarie University; Southern Cross University; University of New England; University of Newcastle; University of Notre Dame Australia; University of NSW; University of Technology, Sydney; University of Western Sydney and the University of Wollongong. ■
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