- Related consultation
- Submission received
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Submitter information
Name
School of Education, The University of Queensland
Where are you located?
Queensland
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
What is your occupation?
Head of School
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?
• Is there any evidence from past campaigns that this significant investment in marketing will yield intended results?
• More positive and/or balanced messages conveyed through media outlets and increased engagement between educators/teachers and media about teachers’ work is needed.
• Awards are nice but how will these be used as marketing opportunities to elevate the profession?
• Good for others to do the nominating of teachers for awards rather than self-nominations.
• Making teaching more attractive in terms of careers, salaries, and working conditions (OECD, 2019). Policy levers for making teaching an attractive career typically include: offering competitive salaries that are matched to other tertiary-educated professionals, and improving working conditions when entering the workforce such as reducing class size and understanding teacher workload (e.g., Ingersoll & Merill, 2011). Such conditions are recognised as important in other leading educational jurisdictions (Sahlberg, 2021).
• Educating parents and guidance counsellors to institute a change in the advice given to high performing students concerning the selection of teaching as their career choice.
• HALTS need concrete recognition for their accomplishments (e.g., salary increases).
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?
• Assumptions that HEIs can be reactive in the short-term to meet needs in high priority teaching areas is naïve.
• Our “best and brightest” are already attracted to the profession. This wording is a prime example of devaluing the profession!
• Re. the High Achieving Teachers Program and similar fast-tracking programs, these programs tend to be light on preparation and supervised time in the classroom. With the culturally and linguistically diverse populations in our Australian classrooms, teachers need more preparation, not less, to be successful in their role, as evidenced by the change from the Grad. Dip to a Master’s program in teacher preparation (Darling-Hammond, 2000; Feiman-Nemser & Ben-Peretz, 2011; Rowan et al., 2017). Additionally, these alternative pathways tend to be costly, and the retention of these teachers is poor (25% more likely to leave the professional early), making the programs even more costly (e.g., Clark et al., 2017; Glazerman et al., 2006).
• The ‘teach for’ phenomenon, for example, has reconstituted educational provision but not necessarily enhanced educational practice (Crawford-Garrett & Thomas, 2018). Achievement of students in reading, maths, and language was significantly higher for those who were taught by traditionally certified teachers than those in an abbreviated pathway program (Laczko-Kerr & Berliner, 2002). Program length is not necessarily a deterrent to enrolment.
• Examine the existing strategies to determine which aspects can be identified as most successful.
• Re. visas, can we ensure that English language proficiency requirements are consistently applied nationally?
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?
• Accreditation and annual review practices are already in place to ensure ITE programs are strong and preparing solid classroom-ready beginning teachers.
• School systems have determined ‘best practice’ without always ensuring that there is an evidence base for these decisions and strategies. They mandate teachers to teach specific approaches or curriculum despite current research in the field to the contrary. This disempowers and de-professionalises classroom teachers and is a reason some leave the profession. What is required is a respect for a research-informed profession that is able to draw upon the research base in education and apply this to their teaching practice.
• These system issues are also reflected in education policies which are at times underpinned by a limited evidence-base (e.g., whole language v. phonics and the over-reliance on the flawed National Reading Panel study from 2000; and thinking of things as either or, as in phonics/whole language or inquiry/ didactic).
• Government funded Internships are a good idea.
• Undergraduate study is recognized for program entry. HEIs are bound by AITSL accreditation requirements and AQF guidelines in terms of what can be accepted.
• AITSL Program Standards already mandate ITEs provide LANTITE support. A more comprehensive report of test results would assist in providing more targeted support.
Maximising the time to teach
The actions proposed will improve retention and free up teachers to focus on teaching and collaboration.
Strongly disagree
Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?
• No.14 is too vague. More guidelines about the initiatives are needed as well as definition of systemic disadvantage.
• Will jurisdictions share what works best in maximising teachers’ time to teach so nationally there is the basis for effective plans?
• Teachers’ core business involves planning. Providing prescribed curriculum plans is not best practice. We support No.16 in principle but a national organization has to design the progression, not individual states (too costly) and it should NOT be mandatory for implementation.
• No17 does not indicate who is developing the TWIA. That is problematic.
• It is NOT the role of the preservice teacher, TA, or support staff to reduce the workload of teachers. Preservice teachers are in schools to learn and to prepare to be career ready. It is likely that shifting teacher workload responsibilities to TA and/or support staff would be outside their enterprise agreements.
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?
Some of these items we favour, and others are not useful.
• Graduate supply data are already provided by QLD HEIs annually. The data should not be used to inform future university places. (See note earlier about the inability of university programs to respond that quickly to changing workforce needs.)
• We have national program standards. Each state can add to these. National consistency across all TRAs would be a positive move.
• No. 23 is unnecessary. This research has already been done. COVID will impact any current findings.
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?
• Note that there is a major area that is unaddressed in this report; namely, mental health and well being of teachers. Initiatives targeted around mental health and well being of teachers need to be developed which also include strategies for teachers to support students’ mental health and well being. Attention to these areas is critical for teacher retention.
• The number of fixed term appointments should be reduced and permanent positions increased.
• Reduce teacher workloads in their first year of teaching so beginning teachers can progress to proficient career stage.
• Support induction and mentoring for early career teachers and new school leaders.
• ITE is already tasked with preparing teachers who can embed First Nation histories and cultures into the curriculum.
• We would gladly make high quality resources available to our students. These resources should be designed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be employed in each school to help assist teachers and students in becoming culturally aware and competent.
• How are teachers to be expected to complete micro-credentials when they are already overworked? Time and tuition support must be provided by employers to make this happen.
• Why is there a focus only on QTR? There are other PD models available that have been shown to be effective. Support a variety of professional learning models.