Anonymous #469

Submitter information

Name

Anonymous #469

Where are you located?

Victoria

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?

Secondary

What is your occupation?

Teacher

Elevating the profession

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

Somewhat disagree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

I believe the national campaign to elevate the profession will have little effect in changing public opinion. Article published in the Conversation (August 20 2021) states "8 out of 10 teachers think education news is negative and demoralising." And in another article, the Guardian (11 July 2022) states "analysis of 65,000 news articles shows 'teacher bashing' is the norm in Australian coverage. This does not include negative comments made about teachers and educators on social media platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram. Even with the targeted national campaign, I believe this will have little effect on changing the coverage about teachers in the current Australian media landscape.

I believe the creation of new Australian Teacher of the Year Awards is tokenistic. This will have negative impacts on the teaching profession, as it will only reinforce the notion that teachers must make great personal sacrifices and go well above and beyond what is expected to be recognised for the hard work all educators do.

In regard to HALT, I believe teachers should not aspire to become a Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher to be considered as a professional within the wider public. To become a teacher, one needs to complete a Bachelor or Master degree, in accordance with a rigorous registration progress.

In regards to public perception about the teaching profession and schooling, the public has more positive perspectives towards private school teacher and schools. This value is also reflected in the funding private schools get compared to public schools, with the Guardian stating (16 February 2022) "government funding for independent schools increased by $3,338 a student over a decade, compared with $703 more per student for public schools."

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 disagree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

I believe more focus should be given towards retaining teachers rather than increasing the supply of students entering ITE. As you are aware, research shows more than 40 per cent of teachers leave the profession within five years, primarily due to the work conditions teachers face. I believe, increasing the supply of teachers will have little effect on teachers leaving the profession. In addition to this, training teachers is costly in regards to time and productivity. Teachers who are well integrated into the school they teach have a strong knowledge of the students, school and the community. More needs to be done to retain highly skilled and qualified teachers, such as: improving pay and conditions; providing bonuses for retention; and additional pay for teachers who work regionally or in low SES schools. Another idea to improve the supply of teachers would be to have a nationally consistent registration for all teachers.

Strengthening Initial Teacher Education (ITE)

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

Somewhat agree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

Maximising the time to teach

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

Somewhat agree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

To reduce workload, the department could provide standardised curriculum resources for teachers to access, such as unit plans, lessons plans, assessment tasks, rubrics, and other resources. Teachers could then modify and adapt these resources.

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?

Very effective

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

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?

I believe introducing HALT will have little effect on retaining teachers. Teachers who are experiencing poor conditions will not remain in the profession with the incentive of becoming a Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher.