Anonymous Submission 008

Anonymous Submission 008

Related consultation – Teacher Education Expert Panel Consultation

Submitter information

Name Anonymous

Feedback

I am a 'semi-retired' secondary mathematics teacher. I work as a sessional academic in teacher education in a tertiary institution as well as casual work as a mathematics teacher in independent schools.

My submission concerns improving the placement (practical experience) component of secondary teacher education. It would be a rare preservice teacher who did not want to be exposed to 'teaching' early in the degree. Not only does this give students early on a framework or points of reference for their academic subjects, but, importantly, they can work out whether teaching is indeed the career for them before significant time and fees are committed. Equally, many teacher education professionals in schools are in agreement. However, from my observations and conversations with staff responsible for arranging school placements, as well as with school staff themselves, it is not always easy to find schools who are willing to take preservice teachers on placements. This attitude is particularly prevalent in the independent sector, where there is often an attitude that they are not responsible for training.

Having been a Head of Department, I acknowledge that the training and mentoring involved in having a preservice teacher is considerable and there can be some trepidation when the time comes in a placement for the preservice teacher to take over teaching a class. Depending on the quality of the preservice teacher, inservice teachers may be left with having to re-teach and field complaints from students and parents. I understand that new models are being trialled in school/university partnerships that address these concerns and these models, warrant investigation. I also acknowledge that some in-service teachers are more willing, and better suited, to the role of supervising teachers, than others, which inevitably means the 'burden' falls on a few rather than being shared equally. However, that is an internal school matter.

I recognise that the landscape of preservice teacher education has changed due to the acute teacher shortage. It is very common now for preservice teachers to be offered full-time jobs prior to the completion of their studies, and those that take up these offers complete their studies as best they can (and generally with little interest).

My points for consideration are:

- all schools should required to provide placements over a range of subject areas on a regular basis as a condition of registration. Evidence of a placement program should be presented at registration and monitored

- the 'new landscape' of preservice teacher education needs to be formally investigated, together with the consequent impact on teacher education delivered by tertiary institutions. Would a model of 12 months full-time study followed by a system of micro-credentials leading to teacher proficiency status work better? Would an apprenticeship-style preservice teacher education model work, perhaps in 'block mode' of, say 4 weeks in a school and 4 weeks at a tertiary institution, or a specific number of days per week in school/in study?

Thank you for your consideration.