Faculty of Education - Research Publications
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ItemNo Preview AvailableThe problem with staffing rural schools: Attracting new teachers to country schools remains one of the biggest challenges in Australian education(University of Melbourne, 2018)Encouraging student teachers to complete placements in rural schools as a way to address the chronic shortage of teachers in the bush isn’t working. Our recent study found that, while pre-service teachers were keen to have a ‘rural’ experience, the reality of isolation and limited school resources makes teaching in these schools unattractive; particularly for students from metropolitan backgrounds.
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ItemClinical Praxis exams: Linking academic study with professional practice knowledge(Springer Singapore, 2017-01-01)One of the more salient challenges facing teacher educators and curriculum leaders in schools is how to assist beginning teachers to link their academic studies with professional practice knowledge. Solutions from within the university frequently emphasise links between theory and practice through university based tasks requiring pre-service teachers (teacher candidates) to trial an idea in the classroom and report back in university classes. This approach can be seen as intrusive by classroom teachers or as decontextualised by teacher candidates and students in schools. On occasions, teacher candidates have reported complaints about this approach, as well as feeling the need to “take sides” in a perceived debate between academic studies and professional practice knowledge; however, the relationship between the two is more nuanced, complex, and multidimensional than a simple theory practice divide might suggest. In this chapter, we review literature that examines the complex and multidimensional nature of the challenge of linking academic studies with professional practice learning both in schools and within the university. This provides a context for our discussion of an innovative pedagogical and assessment practice, the Clinical Praxis Exam (CPE), which is a key feature of all Master of Teaching programs at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education. The CPE is described and the theoretical basis for the innovation is outlined. Particular attention is paid to the way in which the content of each CPE is drawn from the classroom practice of individual teacher candidates and their negotiations with students, mentor teachers, and school based university staff. The chapter then outlines responses from teacher candidates, mentor teachers, teaching fellows and university teachers who participated in two qualitative research projects examining the efficacy and impact of the CPE. Findings are then summarised and the next steps in the on-going refinement of the CPE are outlined.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableExploring urban university pre-service teacher motivations and barriers to teaching in rural schools(American Educational Research Association, 2017)
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ItemClinical Practice in Education: Towards a Conceptual Framework(Springer, 2017)Clinical practice has recently emerged as a promising approach that is being applied to teaching and teacher education. Despite this growing interest, however, conceptual and practical ambiguities continue to surround the term. This chapter provides a critical and comprehensive review of how clinical practice is being conceptualised in education by: (a) identifying the core components that characterise clinical practice in education; and (b) discussing the complexities and possibilities of clinical practice in theory and practice. The chapter begins by forging a conceptual framework for understanding clinical practice by identifying three core components that are central to characterising teaching as a clinical practice profession: (1) a focus on student learning and development; (2) evidence-informed practice; and (3) processes of reasoning that lead to decision-making. In summary, we argue that clinical practice offers important possibilities for deepening the theoretical and practical aspects of teaching and teacher education, but that several cautions need to be born in mind in order for it to continue to develop into a meaningful and sustainable concept. While adapting a medical model to teaching should be done with caution and a number of caveats, on balance it offers an approach that has the capacity to strengthen teaching and teacher education.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableCreating Flexible Teachers(American Educational Research Association, 2017)
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ItemExploring metropolitan university pre-service teacher motivations and barriers to teaching in rural schools(Routledge, 2018)Staffing shortages has been a consistent problem for Australian rural schools. This paper addresses the rural staffing shortage by exploring the motivations and barriers faced by pre-service teachers in an Australian metropolitan university as they explore the prospect of teaching in a rural school. The paper examines two research ideas prevalent in the research literature. Firstly, that introducing pre-service teachers to rural placement experiences enhances their desire to seek teaching positions in rural schools. Secondly, that pre-service teachers from regional or rural backgrounds are more likely to seek teaching jobs in rural settings than their metropolitan counterparts. We draw on data from a longitudinal qualitative study with pre-service teachers in a metropolitan university that were interviewed before, during and after their rural placement. We found that while the second idea stands the test, the first idea, undertaking a rural placement, is not a guarantee to redressing the staffing shortage.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableLooking beyond mainstream education: the need to prepare teachers for alternative settings.(European Educational Research Association (EERA), 2018)The rapid expansion of senior secondary participation over the last three decades on a global scale has led to a proliferation of literature interrogating young people's progression through, and transition from secondary education to further study and work. In Australia, successive policy reforms aimed at young people from disadvantaged backgrounds have led to a proliferation of Flexible Learning Programs (FLPs) designed to provide crucial support for young people from at risk, disadvantaged, or marginalized backgrounds. A recent report (te Riele 2014) found over 900 such programs operate across Australia, servicing the diverse needs of some 70,000 young people annually. These programs operate in a variety of formal and informal settings, often requiring context specific specialized educational practices to support the individual learning needs of their students. Significantly, the report identified the quality and expertise of the teachers working alongside a network of social and health practitioners as at the heart of their success in providing timely interventions for young people enrolled in FLPs (te Riele 2014). This approach has also found considerable support in the UK (Gutherson, et al. 2011), and across the EU more generally (UNESCO, 2015).
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ItemNo Preview AvailableNegotiating Hierarchical Leadership: Female Teachers’ Identities and Aspirations(European Educational Research Association (EERA), 2018)In this paper, we explore the space between the desire to further ones’ career and fulfil ambition, and the inherent barriers present when aspiring to leadership roles. Through a series of 36 interviews with women in boys’ schools we explore the leadership aspirations and experiences of a group of women across six secondary schools who have limited access to leadership and power compared to their male colleagues. We explore the hierarchical structure of leadership ever present in boys’ schools which precludes women from senior leadership and privileges men. Our research reveals the way women develop their identity as a leader despite the challenges they face in a context that privileges hegemonic hierarchy.
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ItemThe strategic role of leadership in preventing early school leaving and failure(Ufficio Stampa della Provincia autonoma di Trento, 2018)The retention and success of all students in education systems are a global imperatives. However, the number of students disengaged from mainstream education suggests a need to take a closer look at the role school leaders play in improving educational outcomes for students and decreasing the number of early school leavers. In this article, we explore how school leadership can create a culture of success to improve student achievement, progress, and retention. Three cases from the International Successful School Principalship Project are presented of the leadership of a primary school and two secondary schools from Melbourne, Australia. Understanding the needs of the school, working with students, staff and the greater community to effect change was a crucial starting point for each leader. Strong principal leadership, high expectations, a clear vision for change, and a commitment to success were all critical elements for reform.