South Australian Deans of Education (SA Deans)

Submitter information

Name

South Australian Deans of Education (SA Deans)

Where are you located?

South 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?

Tertiary education - University

What is your occupation?

Executive Dean Education Futures

Elevating the profession

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

Somewhat agree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

The SA Deans are very supportive of the actions posed in this priority area. The actions should serve to help raise the status of the profession including the promotion of recognition and merit awards. Some of the actions posed in the draft plan do run counter to the generation of a positive discourse in teaching more broadly. For instance, strengthening ITE actions and discourse on quality of graduates, as well as LANTITE justifications.

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.

Somewhat agree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

It is critical to improve teacher supply. This priority flows-on from Actions 1-4. Detailed data is required that can support University admissions processes. For instance, identification and promotion of shortages in teaching specialisations can assist in ITE admissions and promotion of incentives. The SA Deans questioned the value of the bursaries and whether this would attract a diverse student cohort. Above all our students are seeking a secure and transparent pathway for employment. Action 8 outlines opportunities for novel and innovative to increase teaching supply. The SA Deans are very supportive of this action. However, the ability for establishing alternate pathways are influenced by the registering and accrediting body. From a SA perspective the TRB and Government need to help work with the ITE providers to ensure proposals meet the noted standards and the assessment and learning experiences are documented. The employment strategy also needs to align with the promotion of alternate pathways. For instance, apprenticeship models can quickly be established and well supported through SA Deans, however, this requires an employment opportunity with appropriate and agreed support needs to be in place.

Action 9 details the need to increase visa processing for qualified teachers. The SA Deans would welcome this initiative to increase supply and address key skills shortages. Consideration of the teaching specialisations, year levels and specific schooling region is required. The inclusion of qualified overseas teachers does raise a perceived inequity in the registration process. Overseas trained teachers are not required to undertake the LANTITE while domestically trained teachers have an additional hurdle for graduation and registration.

Strengthening Initial Teacher Education (ITE)

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

Strongly disagree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

The SA Deans recognise that Professor Mark Scott leads this priority area and that there are further discussions and processes to be undertaken. However, the SA Deans flag that there is a very narrow focus on what it means to be classroom ready. The prior actions call for a change in discourse to promote excellence and the impact teachers and educators make – in their classrooms as well as communities. A key outcome is to increase the number of First Nations and cultural, social and linguistic diverse teachers. The proposed funding model based on completion rates will do little to incentivise universities in expanding and promoting opportunities that require significant support costs and processes. The funding proposal ignores the diverse challenges and personal circumstances that result in students delaying, transitioning to part-time studies or leaving their university program.

Action 13 – offers no value in terms of developing the quality of graduates nor in preparing graduates for the profession. The inclusion of LANTITE adds a further barrier for students to enter the profession. The costs associated with running LANTITE as well as the individual support costs invested by universities could be used more productively to support career transitions into teaching. For instance, the inclusion of assigned mentors (linked to HALT), team teaching models, or curriculum and assessment of learning support. LANTITE is a graduation requirement – the timing and transparency of tests, the feedback and manner in which they are undertaken are all external to ITE provider. This problematises how support can be best enacted. The completion of LANTITE is not a requirement for qualified overseas teachers

Maximising the time to teach

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

Neither agree nor disagree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

Actions 14 and 15 relate to reductions in teacher workload. A review of where low value tasks could be more streamlined and automated is required. The Deans note that preparation and planning for differentiated learning is where teachers bring high value. The SA Deans flag that the actions should focus on streamlining administrative tasks ahead of content provision. Effective teachers are cognisant of the vast array of content that is currently available and can be freely used to support student learning. The high value and impact comes from teachers identifying how this content connects with and supports individual students. That is, teachers respond to the context of their class and community values and motivations.

Action 18 proposes a role for ITE students to undertake paid employment. This process has existed whereby students undertake teaching aid roles or support officer positions. More recently, this has expanded into consideration for Special Authority to Teach. The Deans are very supportive of these initiatives. We would recommend that consideration in the guidelines is given to the nature of the dual role (student and employee) and the impact this can have on an individual’s workload and study balance as well as potential conflicts in determining placement-based assessments (e.g. TPA – non-paid placement and supervised).

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?

Slightly effective

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

Improved understanding of areas of demand will enable a more proactive and future focused admissions process for universities. The actions in this priority area can help the government and stakeholders support graduate transitions to employment and development of a more agile teaching workforce. We refer to earlier comments noting that support of post-graduate training to aid transition into areas of demand would be beneficial and decrease the reliance on commencing graduates.

The SA Deans welcome the action on the National Quality Framework to guide ATRA in teacher accreditation that will help with more nationally consistent standards for ITE. At present there are many inconsistencies across different State/Territory regulatory authorities and this decreases opportunities for teachers to move into areas of demand.

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 disagree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

Actions 24-28 detail initiatives designed to aid career progression. The SA Deans are very supportive of any initiative that helps to support teachers long term development and the opportunities that can be made available to the profession. A national guideline on support for early career teachers is also welcomed. The SA Deans would hope that this includes scope to nuance any recommendations that would better fit the contextual regional needs for each state and territory.