New teachers need ongoing support: IEUA
The IEUA’s submission to the Teacher Education Expert Panel (TEEP) insists that education in the teaching profession is a “continuum” and there is a need for “ongoing support for teachers at every level of their career”.
The submission was in response to TEEP’s Discussion Paper on how teaching is taught at universities, released in March.
TEEP will deliver a final report to the Federal Government in June. Education Minister Jason Clare set it up after discussions at the Teacher Workforce Shortage Roundtable in August 2022. That gathering was digesting the Quality Review of Initial Teacher Education, published in February 2022.
IEUA Federal Secretary Brad Hayes said the discussion paper references important issues, but “these don’t exist in isolation from other factors contributing to current teacher shortages across the country”.
“Sending new teachers into classrooms to then immediately be overwhelmed by unsustainable workloads is decimating our next generation of teachers. Throughout the Panel’s period of consultation, the IEU has been highlighting the additional support measures needed by student teachers during their studies, practicum placements and initial teaching appointment.
“Quality teaching mentors are central to quality teacher education outcomes. School employers must do more to ensure such support is available in all school settings, and that meaningful workload reductions are provided to experienced teachers to support their mentor role.
“The Panel’s review must avoid quick fixes and knee jerk reactions that would send unprepared teachers into classrooms. Teacher education programs must be rigorous, comprehensive, practical and world’s best practice. Rushing teachers into classrooms before they are ready will only exacerbate teacher burnout.”
Professor Beryl Exley from Griffith University says the TEEP discussion paper’s four key areas are considered “in isolation from one another and without due regard for how they interrelate”. She agrees with the IEUA that the review misses “an appreciation of how initial teacher education degrees are one part of a teacher’s professional learning journey”.
“All the elements of reform are placed at risk when the sum of the parts doesn’t equal a whole.
“We need to have realistic expectations about what initial study can provide to graduate teachers. It can teach fundamental theories and provide professional experience, but teachers will need to keep adapting their skills and expanding their knowledge once they are in the classroom.
One of the key recommendations of the IEUA is to properly resource practicums, where students get practical experience in teaching.
A quality practicum component of ITE is crucial in the development of preservice teachers’ professional skills and therefore their confidence in response to different educational contexts.
Unfortunately, the workload involved in mentoring a preservice teacher far exceeds the time and resources currently allocated.
The issues with practicums are an example of how policymakers are missing the point on ITE.
“Schools are already burdened by excessive teacher workloads and teachers are not remunerated nor supported sufficiently to mentor and supervise ITE students.
“Significant improvement in the coordination and quality of practicum experiences will not be resolved without the provision of time, funding and resources.”
“Such a system would create ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ within a system and would fail to consider the needs of remote and regional placements.
“Funding would be better allocated to schools for the continued development of graduate teachers and meaningful high impact professional development of existing teachers.”