Being a proficient and professional teacher in Australia and similar countries is one of the most difficult and complex occupations imaginable. All teachers are confronted with carefully analysing the mix of socio-economic and cultural factors that present and design appropriate learning strategies that engage all students. Within this context, the following essay considers the purpose and structure of initial teacher preparation and possible changes to more traditional arrangements. It advocates a new type of school-university partnership where reflective cycles of practice-theory establish a close relationship with knowledge for all participants and where personal practice is the necessary condition of learning. Schools and classrooms are theorised as democratic public spheres where participants pursue understanding of serious issues for equity and the public good.Implications of partnership and public sphere for a new form of educational practice are discussed.
Teacher education in AustraliaAs one of the world's most wealthy countries, Australia is making progress towards a situation where it is expected that most young people will complete thirteen years of schooling. While it is generally the case that primary schools are seen as places of broad language development, a settlement has not been reached on the purpose of a mass system of secondary schooling. With a retention rate of approximately 75 percent to the final year, it is still not clear whether secondary schools are mainly concerned with 1 preparation for employment, or preparation for university. There appears to be increasing fragmentation of the curriculum between academic and vocational pathways and the notion of a broad, liberal education in the Deweyan sense, for all young people regardless of socio-economic background, does not feature strongly in the debate.Initial teacher preparation is the responsibility of universities involving four years of discipline and educational studies. Most states require registration from a regulatory authority before employment can proceed (see for example, VIT, 2006). Schools in Australia are the responsibility of state governments and curriculum is generally guided in terms of broad policy directions and supportive framework documents. Teachers work within the policy of their school and exercise professional judgement in the specific detail of curriculum and teaching. Currently within Australia, the curriculum framework for both primary and secondary schools often consists of eight Key Learning Areas (KLAs), although a number of states are now moving to more open and flexible arrangements.University programs for pre-service teachers therefore need to ensure that graduates are familiar with a range of approaches to curriculum design and are adaptable when organising their teaching to meet the learning needs of their students.The years immediately following World War II saw a rapid expansion of secondary schooling in Australia as an essential aspect of post-war reconstruction. The 1960s and 1970s were c...
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