Helen Dempsey PhD

The worldwide teacher shortage is widely discussed in the media, schools and with politicians. One strategy to help fill the void in Australia is to use pre-service teachers. The permission to teach is not a new phenomenon; however, how policy and conditions exist in each state in Australia vary considerably. How do pre-service teachers navigate the world of permission to teach? What are the conditions and concerns expressed by those in this setting?

This presentation examines the conditions that exist in two separate but contextually similar jurisdictions within Australia. Both jurisdictions discussed in this presentation have a history of granting permission to teach, particularly in rural and remote areas. Comparing policy, conditions and support materials from Teacher Regulatory Authorities provides insight into how pre-service teachers are informed about the conditions that exist. Join with me as we explore the gaps and overlaps of information and communication available to pre-service teachers as they navigate this complex space between university study and employment in a school.

What do they feel are reasons for beginning teaching before course completion? This presentation looks at why undergraduate pre-service teachers undertake teaching as an unqualified teacher and identifies four key drivers that are discussed by participants. The voices of participants provide a strong emphasis on how this engagement provides real-life experiences, improves classroom management skills, promotes confidence and fills the needs of employers in an environment of teacher shortages.

Across the globe, we have seen an increase in the number of unqualified teachers working in schools before receiving formal qualifications. Unqualified teaching is not new, it has been used to fill gaps in the teaching workforce for several decades, typically in hard to staff, rural and remote locations. This strategy has now been included in the Australian policy setting by being one of the recommendations within the National Teacher Workforce Action Plan. The conditions for unqualified teachers vary across Australian states and between employment processes. The progression in their course, work fractions and other conditions for employment vary greatly.

What is less known is why pre-service teachers choose to become an unqualified teacher before course completion. There is even less evidence around why undergraduate pre-service teachers choose this pathway, their course progression, the impact that the role has on them and their retention in the workforce. The qualitative research reported here is the first phase of a longitudinal study and investigates the perspectives of a group of undergraduate pre-service students who have or want to undertake unqualified teaching.  Key drivers of why they have chosen or intend to choose this path are highlighted through their voice using a case-study approach. A range of drivers are explored along with future directions for the research study.

For some time in Australia, there have been concerns expressed from the political sector about the high rate of burn-out in early career teachers and the teacher shortage that currently exists in Australia. In response to political pressure regarding these concerns, Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership sought to ensure that graduate teachers were effectively prepared to manage academic and practical demands of their early teaching career, by introducing a teaching performance assessment (TPA) into the course accreditation framework. Subsequently, it was mandated for Australian teacher education programs to include a TPA as a summative, capstone assessment of students' achievement in relation to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.

To date, research relating to school-based teacher educators' experiences of the TPA process has been limited. Understanding this space is significant because school-university partnerships underpin the effective preparation of pre-service teachers to manage the complexities of teaching. However, there is not always a willingness for school-based educators to process and transfer knowledge about teacher preparation across school and university boundaries. Our qualitative research explored the perceptions of school-based educators through semi-structured interviews, enabling participants to share their experiences when engaging in the delivery of the TPA. Findings identified the TPA as an influential boundary object with potential to shape school-based teacher educators' practice on either side of this boundary.

Analysis was conducted by use of constructs drawn from Carlile's work on boundary objects (2002), to examine the meaning (semantics), language (syntax) and practice (pragmatics) in relation to the movement of school-based educators across boundaries between the university and school to engage with TPA. In engaging with the assessment, participants demonstrated a willingness to transfer knowledge and action between university and school and back again and were proactive within the TPA. Implications include enhanced awareness of the influential nature of school-based teacher educators in driving initiatives within initial teacher education and strengthening the outcomes.

What does migration politics have to do with education? How might culturally diverse teachers impact the teaching and learning cultures in Australian schools? What happens if teachers do not identify with the system? Teacher attraction, recruitment, and retention in the Australian education system are in focus at a time when Australia is experiencing a critical labour shortage. Meanwhile, recent shifts in politically charged immigration policies and changes to education policies and curriculum are transforming the Australian school landscape. Despite the diversity of the populations in Australia and Australian schools, the teaching workforce does not reflect this diversity, with teachers from Sub-Saharan African backgrounds being particularly under-represented. This mixed-methods study explores the unique perceptions of these teachers regarding the challenges, barriers, and opportunities they face within the Australian education system. By examining their lived experiences, the research aims to understand how these factors influence their perceptions and participation in shaping school culture. The study follows a multi-dimensional conceptual framework and employs a sequential explanatory research design, allowing for an in-depth exploration of relational realities in critical multicultural spaces within Australian schools. This research contributes to a better understanding of the experiences of Sub-Saharan African migrant teachers, with the goal of informing strategies to enhance their attraction and retention and fully leverage their cultural capital. It is hoped that the insights gained will aid in developing policies and practices that foster a more inclusive and supportive environment for all educators, thereby enriching the educational landscape in Australia.

Impactful initial teacher education can be characterised by significant industry engagement between stakeholders within schools and universities. School-university partnerships ensure the content of initial teacher education courses are responsive to the needs of the profession. Collaboration within these partnerships provide opportunities for knowledge generation, innovation and effective resolutions to the challenges faced by educators. As a result, these relationships enhance opportunities for pre-service teachers to learn about the profession in powerful ways. These partnerships, then, enhance the outcomes for both learning contexts. As part of our ongoing school-university partnerships,industry partners have been strategically involved in the assessment processes of the teaching performance assessment (QTPA). This paper presents the perspectives of school leaders and teachers who have participated in assessing QTPA written submissions and sitting on QTPA assessment panels. Analysis of data emphasises the voice of school-based colleagues and their important role in the preparation of graduate teachers. Drawing on interview data, participants reflect on their experiences in the QTPA process. From this, two key perspectives emerge. Firstly, school leaders’ perspectives highlight the value of school-university collaboration on the QTPA assessment for the value it has for preparing graduate teachers for future teaching contexts and roles. Secondly, leaders emphasise the value that exists for schools in adopting shared practices and language for strengthening teacher practice.