Anonymous #222

Submitter information

Name

Anonymous #222

Where are you located?

Western Australia

What type of area do you live in?

Metropolitan

Are you an education professional?
(e.g. teacher, school leader, learning support assistant, teacher’s aide)

Yes

Which sector do you work in?

Special education

What is your occupation?

Teacher

Elevating the profession

The actions proposed recognise the value teachers bring to students, communities and the economy.

Strongly agree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

Improving teacher supply

The actions proposed will be effective in increasing the number of students entering ITE, number of students completing ITE and the number of teachers staying in and/or returning to the profession.

Strongly agree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

My relatively recent ITE course was highly academic and robust with the most practicum hours/stretches than other universities. It gave the most accurate representation of what teaching was like. I think the staffing solutions recently seen where pre-service teachers were employed unsupervised in teaching roles were short sighted and did nothing to 'elevate the profession'. This solution did nothing for teacher retention and provided no support for these student students.
To be effective in retaining teachers in the profession practicum needs to reflect the role more accurately with longer periods in the classroom.
To retain staff in the profession there needs to be less administration tasks required of teachers allowing more time for teachers to focus on their lesson planning and resourcing, and on professional learning.

Strengthening Initial Teacher Education (ITE)

The actions proposed will ensure initial teacher education supports teacher supply and quality.

Neither agree nor disagree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

My degree was robust, academic, and uncompromising. It provided a higher quality graduate teacher better equipped to cope with the demands of the profession. I fail to see how this could have been strengthened further, unless its model is adopted at other universities.
I think universities have their target markets and some offer more flexible learning than others. I cannot see how one can impose a model onto different courses demanding all students attend term long practicums (which I completed and found exceedingly valuable) but it is unaffordable for many.
Paid practicums would provide greater equality across the universities and allow for students to afford to take time off from their current roles to complete their practical learning.

Maximising the time to teach

The actions proposed will improve retention and free up teachers to focus on teaching and collaboration.

Strongly agree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

This is the most urgent priority for many teachers.

Better understanding future teacher workforce needs

How effective are the proposed actions in better understanding future teacher workforce needs, including the number of teachers required?

Moderately effective

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

Providing teachers with job certainty would go a long way to better understanding workforce needs and retaining staff. Contracts are demoralising, cause anxiety, and rob the profession of self-respect. May teachers cannot get loans to purchase a home - there should be compulsory permanency after 3 years. And options to transfer to other schools every few years.

Better career pathways to support and retain teachers in the profession

The proposed actions will improve career pathways, including through streamlining the process for Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher (HALT) accreditation, and providing better professional support for teachers to retain them in the profession.

Somewhat agree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?