Teacher Education for the Middle Years of Schooling: Sustaining Quality Middle Level Preparation in Australian Universities.

Shanks, Brenda; Dowden, Tony

doi:10.14221/ajte.2015v40n12.5

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Finally, this research offers additional support to recent findings demonstrating that specifically targeted teacher education and on-going professional learning and development is needed to ensure that junior secondary (Years 7-9) teachers have a sound understanding of young teenagers' developmental needs (Pendergast, Main, Barton, Kanasa, Geelan, & Dowden, 2015;Rumble & Aspland, 2010;Shanks & Dowden, 2015). In particular, this study supports the position that junior secondary teachers must be able to establish warm and positive teacher-student relationships with all of their students; a key tenet of successful schooling in the early teenage years that is espoused by middle years of schooling advocates in the USA (National Middle School Association, 2006 and in Australia (Middle Years of Schooling Association, 2008;Pendergast, Main, & Bahr, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 68%

Teenagers Perceptions of Teachers: A Developmental Argument

J-F¹,

Swabey²,

Pullen³

et al. 2018

AJTE

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 68%

Teenagers Perceptions of Teachers: A Developmental Argument

J-F¹,

Swabey²,

Pullen³

et al. 2018

AJTE

Self Cite

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“…Other changes have been superficial in nature or merely structural, as a means of marketing or organisational change rather than meaningful middle years' reform (Pendergast, 2017;Seward-Linger, 2019). Such reform has damaged the reputation of the middle years' movement in Australia by clouding perceptions of what high quality middle years' education looks like and implying that specialised professional knowledge in the middle years of schooling is unimportant (Seward-Linger, 2019;Shanks & Dowden, 2019).…”

Section: Background-middle Years' Reform In Australiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Building capacity for grassroots reform: an Australian case study

Seward-Linger

Dowden

Andrews

2021

Asia Pacific Educ. Rev.

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Grassroots reform, particularly in the private educational sector, has had a noticeable impact on the Australian middle years of schooling landscape. Middle years' grassroots reform however, has often been implemented in ad hoc ways, which has meant it has not always resulted in meaningful change that is aligned with middle years' research and philosophy. This case study examines one school's efforts to improve education in the middle years through a grassroots reform project, namely the "Year 9 Project". The study explores how capacity building for meaningful change can be both helped and hindered during grassroots reform. It also examines the experiences and involvement of teachers in grassroots reform, understanding their pivotal role as key implementers of school change. The study reaches two conclusions regarding how capacity building may be enhanced to effectuate meaningful change at the grassroots level.

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“…The reality is that the quality of teacher education for the middle years in Australia is patchy. A few universities in Australia have excellent middle level courses run by expert teaching staff, but most teacher education programs have an inadequate focus on preparing teachers for the middle years of schooling (Pendergast and Bahr 2010;Shanks and Dowden 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investing in Australian Youth: Nurturing Values Integrated Through Action-Based Learning

Dowden

Drager

2018

Reimagining Christian Education

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Current societal trends are creating new opportunities for community organisationsincluding church groups and non-profit organisations-that specialise in the delivery of extra-curricular services to young people. This chapter discusses the case of a non-profit community organisation in Queensland that uses 'Values Integrated Through Action-based Learning' (VITAL), underpinned by a Judeo-Christian worldview, to help young people develop robust personal values. In particular, the chapter conducts a comparative analysis of the approaches used by this organisation and the developmental characteristics of young adolescents. It discusses key implications for educating and working with youth that pertain to enhancing: self-discipline, personal confidence, social skills and a lifelong love of learning. It concludes that savvy community organisations that commit to understanding and actively meeting youth needs in safe learning environments are well positioned to 'make a difference' to future generations of young people.

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Teacher Education for the Middle Years of Schooling: Sustaining Quality Middle Level Preparation in Australian Universities.

Abstract: The middle years of schooling

Cited by 3 publications

References 17 publications

Teenagers Perceptions of Teachers: A Developmental Argument

Teenagers Perceptions of Teachers: A Developmental Argument

Building capacity for grassroots reform: an Australian case study

Investing in Australian Youth: Nurturing Values Integrated Through Action-Based Learning

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