What do you think about the proposed changes to teacher education courses at Australian universities? Do you think this shift in emphasis towards direct explicit instruction and classroom managment is the answer to Australia’s teacher shortage?
Wow! What a way to shift the blame. The teacher shortage isn’t because our education isn’t up to standard. It’s the disgusting expectations put upon teachers that are making us leave.
I’m not referring to pay, as our pay is pretty good; it’s the amount of work expected of us without being paid to do so, the disrespect we get from some members of the community, lack of support for children with additional needs or violent tendencies.
Can you imagine a surgeon being expected to work an extra 20 hours a week without pay?
What about a politician? Accountant? Economist?
In what other workplace would it be acceptable to be kicked, have scissors thrown at you, be spat on or verbally abused on a daily basis?
Of course, the universities are pushing back, claiming that the proposed changes are coming out of a “manufactured crisis”, and ignore the broader issues in the industry such as what you describe above.
Experts say ITE reforms miss the mark
Another big factor could be the casualisation/contractualisation of the workforce, where teacher are finding it hard to get permanent positions that provide job security, stability, allow the taking out of mortages, etc…
I think ITE needs to better equip new teachers coming in. How many of us find what we learnt at uni relevant to teaching? It’s fine to look at that and I agree with what the findings are here. But don’t sell it as a way to keep teachers in the profession or use the teacher shortage to shift attention away from your insufficient ITE courses.
Fixing this is a small bit of the puzzle that is fixing the broken education system.
I can only speak for the ITE programme I did, but I found that there was a big focus on how to research into issues and work out solutions for yourself – very much a “give them a fish, feed them for a day; teach them to fish, teach them for a lifetime” philosophy. After all, teaching is a complex environment that requires creative problem-solving, and what works in one context may not work well in another. So really, an ITE programme is going to be about giving new teachers a good theoretical foundation on which to build, and it is on-the-job where they will hone their teaching practice. Do our ITE programmes need to be overhauled? I think the one I personally attended was very good, but it seems others may have had a less positive experience.
