Page 2711 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 12 August 2015
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The advisory group was asked to deliver a report on what needed to be done to drive education reform and put Australia among the world’s leading educators. The report to government was developed after significant consultation—over 175 public submissions received and over 30 consultations undertaken with key stakeholders. The report talked about stronger quality assurance of teacher education courses, rigorous selection for entry to teacher education courses, improved and structured practical experience for teacher education students, robust assessment of graduates to ensure they are classroom ready, and national research and workforce planning capabilities.
The federal government response delivered in February this year agreed with the advisory group’s findings report. Things such as improved educational outcomes, better teacher training and higher level entry for teachers are all being driven by a national agenda, and the ACT is embracing these principles, along with other states. If we want better educational outcomes for all ACT students then it starts with how we deliver education for teaching.
As Dr Bourke’s motion highlights, the work of the advisory group and the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership, or AITSL for short, are pivotal in this. The advisory group report suggested that high standards for initial teacher education are achieved through strong course accreditation and are essential to producing great teachers. AITSL is to be given greater responsibility for driving improvement in the quality of initial teacher education and will work with state and territory jurisdictions to make that happen.
While the advisory group suggests there needs to be rigorous selection for entry to teacher education courses, just as the Finnish education system insists on, it should not be based simply on a single selection tool such as an ATAR score. The group suggests that high quality candidates should be selected on their potential to become effective teachers. The AITSL have been asked to identify best practice in selection and develop specific selection criteria to assist universities in selecting the right people.
So it is a combination of a number of factors, including high level numeracy and literacy skills, which all states and territories, the ACT among them, have now agreed to adopt for universities with students graduating from 2015. From 2016 all teacher education students will be required to pass the test before they graduate. The group’s report also went on to suggest that practical in-class experience should give teacher education students the opportunity to connect what they learn at university with real-world experience.
Federal government funding provided to universities for the training of teachers includes the delivery of practical experience. As the government response suggests, as this is a shared cost between universities and schools, it is important for universities to work collaboratively with school systems and schools to make sure this funding is used to support effective practical experience placements.
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