The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers
Teaching is a complex craft that requires adaptable skills that can accommodate changing conditions on any given day , at any given time . A teacher must understand where every student is up to in their learning journey , where they need to go next and how to get them there . And , as you know all too well , in today ’ s world you also have to have the additional skill of responding quickly to the external environment in which you are operating . You are constantly monitoring , questioning and adapting the way you teach .
In all my years working in education - as a teacher , a principal , in state settings and now with a national view , I have always held in high esteem the adaptability and expertise of our many quality teachers .
Like others , I welcomed the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers ( the Standards ) when they were launched just over a decade ago . The Standards acknowledged the complexity of teaching and to some extent , tried to classify it , but recognised that there is no single approach to supporting students to achieve their best .
The Australian Professional Standard for Principals was then developed to provide a framework for what principals should know , understand and do to succeed as a principal or school leader .
A genuinely collaborative effort , the Standards were developed in consultation with teachers and leaders , and representatives from government systems , Catholic and independent school sectors , teacher regulatory authorities , initial teacher education providers , teacher unions , principal and other professional associations and community organisations . The depth of consultation and collaboration ensured that the final product was relevant , fit for purpose and focused on developing quality teaching practices at all career stages .
Today , the Standards are the essential foundations for teachers across Australia as they go about maximising their impact on our 4 million students .
Not only do they enable teachers to reflect on their practice against a shared set of principles and guide them on the stages of career development , but the creation of the Standards allowed systems and sectors to work to a nationally agreed approach to what good teaching looks like . In other words , the Standards helped define the professionalisation of the teaching profession . Many have pursued Highly Accomplished or Lead teacher certification , something recently announced by the NSW Education Minister as being streamlined to further encourage high-quality teachers to seek higher certification .
As the custodians of the Standards , AITSL has built an extensive bank of evidence-based tools and resources that help demonstrate them in action at every career stage .
In the last 12 months , over 650,000 educators visited the Standards page on the AITSL website to find tools and resources that demonstrate exemplars of teaching practice . Our new Standards section now includes a broad range of curated content based on user feedback on what is needed most , and what will be most effective at supporting expertise .
The Standards were developed by teachers , for the teaching profession , and they belong to all of you . Our role at AITSL is to support you to engage with and get the most out of the Standards . So , we hope you ’ re one of the thousands of teachers who have accessed our case studies , professional learning materials , Illustrations of Practice , and self-assessment tools . If not , I encourage you to do so !
Mark Grant Chief Executive Officer for the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership ( AITSL )