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Professional
Educator
volume 7 • number 3 • september 2008
Indigenous education:
A new beginning?
Student teachers:
School placement in crisis
Plus:
Video games, teaching talent and more
in the gifted and talented debate
...leading educators
contents
Professional educator
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2 inside insight
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4 crossword
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the Act and the responsibility must therefore lie with the person, company
or agency submitting the advertisement for publication. • A new beginning:
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professional educator • vol 7, no. 3 • september 2008 1
inside insight
Editorial
‘National schools
Inside insight
policy has been
piecemeal, Top of the class worry about not fitting in, but identify teachers
Dorothy Hoddinott, principal at Sydney’s Holroyd as the second most important source of support,
amateurish, lazy High School, interviewed in Professional Educator after family.
even.’ So said 5(3), was appointed an Officer of the Order of
Australia in June, ‘For service to education and Intelligent curriculum design?
Deputy Prime the teaching profession, particularly through the God bless America. Where else would you find
Minister and Australian Joint Council of Professional Teaching yet another battle in the war between evolution
Associations and through the professional devel- and intelligent design? The conflict now playing
Minister for
opment of teachers of English as a second lan- out on a science textbook battlefield in Texas is
Education Julia guage, and to the community through the support over two words and, no, they’re not ‘intelligent
Gillard in her of immigrant and refugee students.’ As she put it design,’ they’re ‘strengths’ and ‘weaknesses.’ Never
in that interview, ‘I’m brought back to earth every mind that the teaching of ‘intelligent design’ was
Fraser Lecture in day. I’ll leave this interview to have an interview prohibited in Pennsylvania by a federal judge in
May. We need with a refugee boy coming back from suspension 2005. All you have to do is stop using the words.
in an accountability conference based on the prin- The ‘strengths and weaknesses’ terminology made
to pursue both ciple of restorative justice. Kids bring you back to its way into the curriculum standards in Texas,
excellence and earth all the time to the reality of the everyday according to the New York Times’s Laura Beil,
world. At Holroyd High School we’re working to appease creationists when the State Board of
equity, she said.
with students who in some cases are so damaged Education made the teaching of evolution man-
To improve by their past experience that we fail to help them, datory in the late 1980s. ‘Intelligent design’ has
excellence but our aim is not to fail.’ evolved into ‘strengths and weaknesses’ as the pro-
ponents of creationism develop new strategies to
and equity, You say you want a revolution replace those that don’t survive in court. It’s a neat
Gillard wants Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Education form of natural selection in action. Does the con-
Julia Gillard announced in June that the Digital tent of science textbooks in Texas really matter?
the Council Education Revolution was finally underway, with Well, yes. Texas is one of the three biggest buyers
of Australian 896 secondary schools across Australia to receive of textbooks in the US, and publishers want text-
$116 million in funding from the National books that can be used across states in every class-
Governments to
Secondary School Computer Fund for 116,820 room, so if Texas wants textbooks on the ‘strengths
improve teacher new computers. The schools were identified as and weaknesses’ of evolution, chances are other
quality and to being most in need because they had a computer- states will get them, too. The question, of course, is
to-student ratio of 1:8 or worse. The funding from what’s a weakness? According to Science coordina-
develop more the first round aims to bring that ratio up to one tor for the Lewisville Independent School District
flexible ways to computer for every eight students. So much for in North Texas Kevin Fisher, who is a member
ratios. Now for the software. What was really neat, of a committee of science educators appointed to
tackle student if you went to the Australian Labor Party website review the Texas curriculum, ‘When you consider
disadvantage. where Gillard’s announcement was posted, was evolution, there are certainly questions that have
that when you clicked ‘here’ for details, the only yet to be answered, but a question that has yet to
And funding?
detail you got was ‘The file is damaged and could be answered is certainly different from an alleged
Gillard wants not be repaired.’ weakness.’ State Board of Education chair, and
a new funding creationist, Don McLeroy, however, believes the
Bullying research Earth is thousands of years old, not 4.5 billion.
agreement According to a report by the Australian Childhood ‘I believe a lot of incredible things,’ he told Beil.
that promotes Foundation, called Children’s Sense of Safety that Maybe the moon really is made of apple pie, the
57 per cent of children worry about teasing, 52 sun is made of cheddar cheese and the stars are
collaboration. per cent worry about bullying, and 54 per cent made of lemon drops.
2 australian college of educators • acer
cryptic crossword
SUCCESSFUL
PERFORMANCE
MANAGEMENT
• Performance
management in the
education sectors
works best when
it’s collegial and
interactive, when
responsibility is
shared and when
it’s driven by a
collective purpose.
• Performance
management
works best when
it’s accepted by all
members of staff.
• ‘Top down’
approaches tend
to engender
insecurity, fear
Across Down
and antagonism. 1 & 27 Teaching aid confuses a bride who takes 1 Primary producer destroyed new spires (9)
• The goal of tea (5,5) 2 Ancient civilization like a finished film (5)
4 A paragraph ends, or is a manuscript of say- 3 Followed direction in, and made certain (7)
successful
ings (9) 4 Clock start of a lap, and rewind meter (5)
performance 9 Lettuce in; one’s not assessed round island 5 Bound to cancel schoolyard diversion (9)
management is to capital (7) 6 Bounder’s better half acts as 4 down (7)
10 Plan for weight (7) 7 Device used by artists and paramedics (9)
become redundant
11 Spreading fear about duck and sheep (9) 8 I’m controlled by my heir a classroom author-
as members of 12 Giant fought it, and contained it (5) ity (5)
staff undertake 13 Animal where e-mail comes from? (5) 14 Laura: tune arranged, but not spoiled (2,7)
15 Rush to tip out academic post (9) 15 Cover 8 in train crash (9)
their own self 17 Requisition this half, and distribute (4,5) 16 Accompanied funeral centre in split (9)
assessment and 19 Sound like two of this kitchen implement (5) 18 Sport seen round country properties (7)
appraisal. 20 Keep hitting the stick (5) 19 Singular of 4 across to confirm rhythm ‘n’
21 An empty church, or fellow TV presenter blues (7)
• Performance (9) 20 One of us turns number over in the cot (5)
management is 24 In favour of the incomplete (7) 22 Treasure trove about a guerilla (5)
25 Doctor in reach; mouldering cheese (7) 23 Greek woman in some deadly play (5)
only one aspect
26 Industry’s odd deed about desecrated ceiling
of a successful (9) © ACER Press. Created by Roger Dedman. Solution at
school community. 27 See 1 across www.acer.edu.au/professionaleducator
4 australian college of educators • acer
opinion
Video
games
and
addiction
Everyone knows someone who is addicted to video ‘video game playing.’ Researchers have then used There’s a clear
games – although have you noticed it’s always responses to questions based on these criteria to
link between
someone else? Gamers who have lost relationships look for similarities, and to identify relationships
and jobs due to excessive play populate internet with variables of interest such as personality char- video games,
forums. Governments have even set curfews and acteristics, motivations of play and negative con- addiction and
commissioned research into the damaging effects sequences.
of video gaming. Researchers have guessed that those with social dysfunction,
Video game addiction was first investigated social difficulties may be attracted to the agency right? Wrong,
in the 1980s after researchers became concerned provided via video games, and that video games
over reports of arcade gamers playing to excess may stunt the social development of children
says Dan Loton.
and engaging in antisocial behaviours similar and adolescents who play them. Back in 1984,
to pathological gamblers, including stealing to Gary Selnow called this ‘electronic friend theory’
fund play. The basic premise is that video game in ‘Playing video games: The electronic friend.’
play can sometimes become excessive and play- Selnow investigated whether video gaming may
ers become dependent. Video game addiction be replacing socialisation in some gamers. In
can mimic characteristics of other addictions, addition to the agency provided by acquiring
primarily pathological gambling, and can cause skill and developing a character in the game,
significant disturbances with social, family and many modern games also offer the allure of an
work life. online community which can facilitate in-game
Typically, most studies investigating video status and communication, free of all the fear
game addiction have superimposed pathological provoking cues of face-to-face social contact for
gambling models onto video gaming. Video game those who are socially anxious. Researchers have
addiction scales have been developed by taking hypothesised that individuals attracted to playing
the clinical diagnostic criteria for pathological video games excessively will exhibit social dis-
gambling and literally replacing ‘gambling’ with tress or difficulty, and that playing video games
professional educator • vol 7, no. 3 • september 2008 5
opinion
excessively may lead to social deficiencies and I advertised the study on a variety of gaming
even withdrawal. forums, and the response rate was surprisingly
Clinical case studies have provided some evi- large – 621 adults, 560 of them males, mostly
dence of this, and describe excessive game players from Australia and America. The mean age of
as having low self-esteem, depression, social dif- the sample was 23, and the mean hours per week
ficulties and feelings of inadequacy. of game play was also 23.
Well, I’ve been playing video games for most I used a multiple regression, to predict prob-
of my life, as have many of my friends and people lematic play scores with all SSI subscales and
my age, and because those conclusions don’t seem the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Contrary to
to fit well, I decided to design a study to inves- expectations, only a tiny relationship emerged,
tigate the relationships between problem game indicating social skills and self-esteem explained
playing, self-esteem and social skills. less than five per cent of problem-play scores.
To measure social capacity I Problem gamers displayed a slightly elevated
used the Social Skills Inventory level of social sensitivity, and slightly lower self-
(SSI). The SSI is made up of six esteem. Social sensitivity represents an awareness
My study suggests we sub-scales, spanning both the of social norms, and higher scores on this scale
emotional or non-verbal and have been related to social anxiety in other stud-
need to consider whether social or verbal communication ies. Nonetheless, the magnitude of the prediction
domains, with each domain was miniscule – if social difficulties were behind
researchers are merely containing expressivity or send- problem gaming much stronger relationships
ing skills, sensitivity or decoding would be expected. I conducted further analyses
measuring video game or receiving skills and control or to unearth this socially deficient subset of gam-
preoccupation, not an appropriateness. It’s a varied and ers, to no avail.
detailed scale, and is often used I’d expected to find gamers had dramati-
actual addiction. for recruitment or promotion as cally lower self-esteem and social skills on many
it’s been shown to predict lead- domains. Instead, an analysis of the relationships
ership potential and emotional between problem play and social skills indicated
intelligence. Additionally, the they were barely related at all.
scale has accurately measured social capacity If hardcore gamers were socially deficient or
in past studies, including predicting friendship isolated, then striking relationships between prob-
network size and social support. Results from lem-play scores and a well-established measure of
the scale match laboratory tests of emotional social skills should have emerged. Instead, this
recognition, psychopathology and panel ratings absence of relationships indicates that hardcore
of role playing and social skills in observed inter- gamers are no less socially capable than those with
actions. less problematic play, and suggests that social vari-
The scale used to measure problem play ables only play a small role in excessive or depend-
was based on modified pathological gambling ant video game playing.
and substance abuse criteria from the Diagnostic Of course, the research has weaknesses: the
and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The sample was self-selected, and despite the sam-
Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, detailed by Mor- ple containing gamers whose play represented
ris Rosenberg in Society and the Adolescent Self- addiction and high play time per week, those
image, is commonly used and well validated and gamers who are the most dependant are likely
was employed to assess a measure of global self- to decline an online survey that takes away 15
esteem. minutes of good gaming time. Additionally, the
Conducting the research online was the problem-play scale draws heavily from pathologi-
most efficient way to target a sample of heavy cal gambling.
gamers: they’re familiar with the technology, Even so, the lack of relationships found
have a strong internet presence and, if there is a in this study is at odds with other contempo-
subset of socially withdrawn gamers with severe rary research that highlights the importance of
social difficulties, this is most likely where I’d behavioural self-regulation, or lack thereof, in
find them. problem play. My study suggests we need to con-
6 australian college of educators • acer
opinion
sider whether researchers are merely measuring that even at the most extreme end video gaming is
video game preoccupation, not an actual addic- an adaptive behaviour for most people.
tion.
Considering the stigma that can come with Dan Loton is an Ethics Officer at Victoria
a psychopathological diagnosis, researchers and University where he completed his Bachelor of
clinicians must be cautious not to read too much Psychology (Honours) in 2007.
into the qualities of addiction being present in
behaviours. These qualities are likely to be found LINKS: www.computergameresearch.com
in almost all activities people find compelling, and Photo by Juergen Jester courtesy of stock.xchng
therein lies a major challenge for researchers. They
will have to establish where the line should be REFERENCES
drawn that delineates an exciting and compelling American Psychiatric Association. (1994).
activity – playing sport, say, or collecting stamps – Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
from an addiction. This distinction should hinge Mental Disorders. Arlington, VA: American
largely on the resulting negative consequences, Psychiatric Association.
and be informed by what the individual feels and Rosenberg. M. (1965). Society and the
wants. Adolescent Self-Image: Princeton: Princeton
The results of this research, taken together University Press.
with other studies that have found only small Selnow, G. (1984). Playing video games: the
relationships or no relationships between exces- electronic friend. Journal of Communication.
sive gaming and deleterious variables, indicate 34(2): 148-156.
professional educator • vol 7, no. 3 • september 2008 7
feature
Summer schools
The bad news? They’re history
Teachers of ‘I’ve never ever been treated this well in all my directions and theories influencing History teach-
25 years as a teacher,’ a colleague says. ‘It makes ing in Australia, and Australian History in partic-
Australian History me feel like a professional.’ We’re in the foyer of ular. We addressed many striking issues raised in
face a number a Canberra hotel on the first day of the History a forum that enabled us to voice our thoughts and
of problems, and Summer School, held for the first and last time concerns about the status quo and future direction
back in January this year. of Australian History teaching.
they’re not all in I was lucky enough to join 100 colleagues It was, for me, a unique experience and, as my
the classroom, as from every state and territory and every school sys- hotel colleague pointed out, a unique professional
tem for this all-expenses paid conference, funded experience.
History Summer by the previous Commonwealth government and At the heart of the conference lay the complex
School participant, hosted by the Australian National University in nature of the problems that face classroom teach-
conjunction with many of the cultural institutions ers as they try to make the teaching of Australian
Julian Jefferys, of Canberra and the History Teachers’ Association History interesting and engaging.
explains. of Victoria. Let me explore three of these.
The History Summer School program ena- The first problem is, apparently, that History
bled participants to engage with many of the new teachers are saddled with an inadequate curricu-
8 australian college of educators • acerfeature
lum which they are unable to interpret to make a fragmented stew of “themes” and “issues,’’ that
Australian History live. fails to offer a coherent and meaningful version of
Recently, there has been a massive empha- the Australian story.
sis placed on teachers to develop curriculum. ‘The time has ...come,’ the previous PM said,
Teachers now find themselves in the unenviable ‘for root and branch renewal of the teaching of
position of being either constrained by an over- Australian history in our schools, both in terms of
prescriptive curriculum or confused by nebu- the numbers learning and the way it is taught.’
lous values statements that they must somehow The mistake that John Howard and others
adhere to. make, however, is that they polarise Australian
Much of the effort to develop curriculum has History as though it can only be taught using either
focused on making material more engaging and a thematic approach or a narrative approach.
meaningful for students, particularly in the mid- Just suppose, for a minute, that the previ-
dle years of schooling. Much of this effort is in ous PM had been an enthusiastic supporter of a
vain, however, when it has little effect on what thematic approach to Australian History. Before
happens in the classroom. we teachers dished up this stew, it would be nec-
Many so-called curriculum arguments are essary to present our students with a menu that
largely irrelevant when you look at what actu- provided a chronology of important dates and key
ally happens in the classroom. The debate raging personalities as a way to identify relevant themes
over whether a narrative approach or a thematic and issues.
approach to Australian History should be used to Similarly, if we were forced to teach a nar-
construct curriculum is a good example. rative approach that comprised lists of landmark
In the lead up to last year’s federal election, people and events, we teachers would necessarily
the narrative approach to teaching Australian his- tease out themes and issues to make those people
tory through the examination of landmark peo- and events meaningful.
ple and events became a hot topic. The previous Curriculum documents, after all, are the
Prime Minister, John Howard, had decided views starting point, rather than the finite sum of any
on curriculum regarding Australian History. course or unit. Good teachers take any curriculum
Speaking to the National Press Club in the and explore it to its maximum potential. One
Great Hall of Parliament House, Canberra, in way of achieving this is through meaningful and
2006 he said Australian History ‘is taught with- engaging professional development such as we
out any sense of structured narrative, replaced by experienced at the History Summer School.
professional educator • vol 7, no. 3 • september 2008 9feature
The second problem is that Australian His around furphies, or water-carts, which became
tory and other forms of History are diminished sites for gossip and rumour.*
when they are subsumed within the broader sub- The passion that teachers display for the
ject, Studies of Society and the Environment, teaching of Australian History was perhaps the
(SOSE) or Human Society and its Environment most positive and reassuring thing I experienced
(HSIE). at the History Summer School in Canberra. The
History is increasingly being taught within a excitement was electric as teachers listened to
broader study of the Humanities or Social Science. and engaged with some of the best thinkers on
Admittedly, participants at the History Summer Australian History. Each time we had a break,
School were not exactly a random sample, yet our discussions flowed about how new ideas might be
discussion of this issue revealed, overwhelmingly, worked into our classes.
that very few schools offer stand-alone History It’s impossible to imagine how the previous
courses or operate with stand-alone History facul- PM could’ve thought Australian History is taught
ties. Add to this the number of teachers teaching using a thematic rather than a narrative approach.
Australian History and History in general who It’s simply not the case that teachers of Australian
are not specialist History teachers and have had History form a monolithic block. The opinions
no formal tertiary education in History at all and expressed by speakers at the History Summer
we do have a problem. School were hotly contested and the views of those
Could there be a link between these two at the coalface are as varied as the students whom
trends? they teach.
It appears as if there’s a growing belief in all The Commonwealth government’s Budget
states and across independent, Catholic and state papers indicate the Summer Schools for Teach-
school systems that ‘anyone’ can teach a SOSE ers program, slated to run through to 2011, is to
or HSIE class, presumably because we all live in be scrapped. Funding went from $25,436,000 for
a society, and maybe a growing belief that ‘any- 2007-08 to zip for 2008-09 according to Com-
one’ can even teach a History class, presumably monwealth Department of Education, Employ
because we’ve all lived in a society for some histor- ment and Workplace Relations Budget state-
ical period – and hopefully can remember things ments.
from the old days. That’s a shame. The Summer Schools for
This is a worrying trend since it’s difficult Teachers program may have had its failings, but
for anyone without formal training in historical it provided teachers like me the opportunity,
skills and content knowledge to make Australian time and space to engage with colleagues from
History, or any History, interesting and engaging all school systems around Australia in order to
or to appropriately locate it in a broader and global learn and share – not to mention the sense that
historical framework. our teaching professionalism is valued.
Interestingly enough, universities are now fol-
lowing the lead into the murky world of SOSE or Julian Jefferys is a teacher of History at Wesley
HSIE. In an effort to remain relevant, education College, Melbourne, and the assistant head of
degrees are increasingly being developed around learning for the Humanities department.
a generalist approach to the teaching of the Social
Sciences. As a result, graduate teachers come into Photo by Angel Norris courtesy of stock.xchng
schools as qualified generalists, reinforcing the
belief – or perhaps making necessary the belief – * While on the historical origin of words for
that anyone can teach a SOSE or HSIE class, or rumour or gossip, did you know that the equiva-
even a History class. lent American term for a furphy – scuttlebutt –
The third problem is, apparently, that Aus originated in a similar a fashion, among sailors?
tralian History teachers have lost their passion for A scuttlebutt was the word for the water butt or
teaching the subject. bucket kept on a ship’s deck for drinking from.
This, I have to say, is a furphy – a term, inci- If you thought the water cooler was the original
dentally, that arose among Australian soldiers location of the rumour mill, you’re not a History
overseas during World War 1 since they gathered teacher.
10 australian college of educators • acerfeature
Seek
professional educator • vol 7, no. 3 • september 2008 11beginning teachers
Stuck
in the
mud
How can we get professional
experience moving again?
The school-based If you’re familiar with the children’s game ‘Stuck Ideally the process of placing student teachers
in the mud,’ you’ll know it’s a game played in a in schools for professional experience should be
professional defined area in which one or two children chase free-flowing with the inhibitors of these placements
experience the others. Those caught stand still until some- – the ‘chasers’ – rendered ineffectual. The problem
component of one else that is free can crawl through their legs is that the opposite is occurring: the movement
without being caught to unstick them again. The is slowing and showing signs that, ultimately, it
teacher education goal for the chasers is to have everyone stuck in the may come to a halt. This is how the game is being
in Australia is stuck mud, progressively working on this until the game played at present. Professional experience is virtu-
comes to a standstill, unless of course a superhero ally stuck in the mud at a time when recognition
in the mud, says emerges to free a number of children to get things of the importance of professional experience in
Norman McCulla, moving again. Great, but what has ‘Stuck in the connecting practice with theory has never been
mud’ got to do with the school-based professional more pronounced. It’s stuck in the mud at a time
but there are ways experience component of teacher education in when there are calls to both increase the quantity
to unstick it. Australia? of professional experience as well as its quality. It’s
Professional experience – that is, the school- stuck in the mud at a time when the progression
based observations, practicum and internships from teacher education to practising professional is
that take place in teacher education programs recognised as one of the two key career transitions
– has reached a crisis point. Using ‘Stuck in the – the other being progression to school leadership.
mud’ as a metaphor, we can begin to see why. It’s stuck in the mud at a time when employing
authorities are concerned about effective recruit-
How the game is being played ment, induction, retention and succession; and
The simple fact of the matter is that professional when universities are looking at more effective
experience placements in schools are becoming ways of building their research agendas through
harder and harder to find. supporting the communities they serve.
12 australian college of educators • acerbeginning teachers
The placement process for student teachers
is generally an ad hoc one relying more on favour
and goodwill between professional experience
coordinators, academic staff and individual teach-
ers than systematic planning and coordination. It
places onerous and time-consuming demands on
both school and university staff. Multiple telephone
calls to the same school are made by different uni-
versities, or even by different academics in the same
university, to secure placements. Multiple calls are
often made to a number of schools by the same
university to secure a single placement. There’s
competition between universities to secure school
placements in a diminishing pool of schools. An
ageing teaching profession, increasing workloads of
teachers, a reported reluctance among teachers to
supervise and mentor new teachers, and inadequate
payment are all cited as reasons why it has become
increasingly difficult to place student teachers in
schools. School-university partnerships do form but
are often not sustainable because of staff mobility.
From the schools’ perspective, there’s con-
siderable disparity between those schools that are
willing to make a contribution to initial teacher
education and those that are not. Some impose
conditions on participation; others claim that par-
ents are non-supportive given the school’s ‘high
The administration of professional experi- academic expectations’ or fees. Some regularly
ence is governed by Commonwealth funding accept numbers of student teachers. Without
through an industrial award for teachers that school placements, student teachers cannot sat-
has remained virtually unchanged since the early isfy the requirements of their teacher education
1990s. The award sets the daily rate for ‘practicum programs. It is, potentially, a litigious situation.
supervision.’ The relationship is one in which the The motives of teachers offering to men-
Commonwealth funds universities for the pay- tor and supervise student teachers also vary
ment of teachers, and universities administer greatly. They include altruism and commitment
practicum funds through an office responsible for to beginning teacher development; relief from
professional experience placements. This arrange- face-to-face teaching for professional develop-
ment also draws on university resources in terms ment and other school initiatives; or a desire to
of both funding and staff time. supplement personal income, albeit marginally.
The one-to-one relationship between the Under the Australian Higher Education Practice
university’s professional experience staff and Teaching Supervision Award 1990, teachers have
the individual teacher is such that, historically, been paid $21.20 per method per day – a rate
it has tended to bypass employing authorities. that has been virtually unchanged since the time
Employing authorities as a consequence gener- of the award – almost half of which goes back
ally have no direct involvement, or interest, in to the Commonwealth anyway in personal taxa-
determining which student teachers go to which tion. It’s hardly a monarch’s ransom and, at best,
schools and who mentors them while they are a symbolic gesture for what is seen industrially to
there. There are two related issues on which to be an additional workload.
focus attention: the arrangement of school-based If the motives for teachers accepting place-
placements and the quality of the placement expe- ments vary, it follows that the quality of those
rience itself. placements will also vary.
professional educator • vol 7, no. 3 • september 2008 13beginning teachers
The fundamental problem in all of this is that employing authorities might accept a pro-
that the one-to-one relationship between partici- rata share of placements commensurate with their
pating teacher and university bypasses the for- market share of student enrolments.
mal structures in schooling to a point where the Here, economies of scale do matter. State and
work being done by established teachers to sup- territory coordinating groups using an effective
port beginning teachers is not recognised to any and interactive schools database could get things
great extent by the employing authorities. That’s moving effectively. By drawing on current good
ironic, given that the real beneficiaries of teacher practice in the use of databases for this purpose,
education programs are the employing authorities a prototype could soon be developed.
themselves in terms of high-quality recruitment, If it’s as simple as that, why hasn’t it hap-
seamless induction, improved retention and effec- pened already? Part of the answer is in the ‘R’
tive succession planning. word – resources. State government departments
There are of course exceptions to the rule in particular, as the major employers, have been
where there are examples of effective partnerships reluctant to take on such roles given that the fund-
between student teacher, mentor, school and uni- ing for the placement of student teachers is held
versity. If we’ve learnt nothing else from the volu- to be a responsibility of universities given the cur-
minous professional literature in the area it’s that rent arrangements. Why resource something that
these examples are indeed patchy rather than wide- others have the responsibility to do?
spread. They exist despite the system rather than as 2. Teachers and schools
an outcome of it. Dr Paul Brock titled his review Teachers tend to agree in principle that sup-
of 21 national and New South Wales reports on porting the professional growth of student teach-
teacher education in the period 1980-1999 as Two ers is a professional responsibility. It’s the practi-
decades of ‘sound and fury’ but what’s changed? In calities of doing this that get in the way, so what
short, the system is still not working a decade later kind of practical reward and recognition struc-
and tinkering at its edges won’t save the day. tures should be put in place for teachers making
a personal commitment to the area?
How might the game be played? The idea of additional allowances appears not
Superheroes, by popular definition, have the capac- to fit well with current views about teacher pro-
ity to perform acts of derring-do in the public inter- fessionalism. That said, in performance-related
REFERENCES est. Superheroes usually start a chain of events from cultures, teachers do need to be recognised and
Australian Higher which good ultimately prevails. Who then might rewarded for what they do in this area in terms of
Education Practice be the superheroes that help start a chain of events job satisfaction and career path progression. The
Teaching Supervision that gets professional experience moving again? question is one of how.
Award 1990. (1990). 1. Employing authorities Early career teachers – those that have been
Australian Industrial Employing authorities have been on the teaching for four or more years who are ready to
Relations Commission. bench, observing the game. Consider what might move to the next stages of professional growth
Available at http://www. happen if they joined in the game to a point where but who still remember what it’s like to begin as
airc.gov.au/looseleaf/loose- they, rather than universities, would be responsi- a teacher – often make excellent mentors, given
leaf_awards/aw765754/ ble for professional experience placements. Think appropriate support. What better way to demon-
aw765754.pdf Retrieved 1 of the flow-on effects. For a start, it would soon be strate more accomplished teaching skills and a
May 2008. abundantly clear as to who the leaders are in the capacity for staff development and school leader
Brock, P. (2000). Two dec- field, both within schools and in the structures ship than by mentoring and coordinating pro-
ades of ‘Sound and fury’ supporting schools. grams for new teachers? What better way to gain
but what’s changed…? A Imagine the difference it would make if the postgraduate qualifications as you do so?
critique of recommenda- placement of student teachers was an unequivocal 3. Teacher accreditation and registration
tions made in 21 national requirement of all schools, with related benefits bodies
and New South Wales and support. Imagine the difference if universi- Also watching from the sidelines are the vari-
reports reviewing teacher ties simply advised employing authorities of the ous teacher accreditation and registration bodies
education: 1980-1999. number of students requiring placements with the across the country responsible for defining profes-
Sydney. NSW Department employing authorities advising the universities of sional teaching standards and accrediting or regis-
of Education and Training. the placement details in return. It seems logical tering teachers. Such bodies develop requirements
14 australian college of educators • acerbeginning teachers
for teachers to demonstrate professional compe- Universities, therefore, have some in-house Dr Norman McCulla
tence and higher order professional standards of work to do to ensure that professional experience, is the coordinator of the
accomplishment and leadership. We should expect rather than being cramped for administrative con- Educational Leadership
to see mentoring new teachers and coordinating venience into units on the periphery of teacher Program at Macquarie
whole-school pre-service and induction programs education programs, is a key driving force across University, Sydney. Prior to
as clearly defined pathways for demonstrating the entirety of the teacher education program. taking up this role he had
professional standards at all levels. Given such a Those who fund research across universities extensive experience as a
requirement, teachers could not be denied access also have work to do as the area is not prominent senior educational adminis-
to these pathways by any school leader denying in the national research agenda. trator in the teacher profes-
student teachers access to the school. sional development area of
4. Universities Is there a superhero in the house? the NSW Department of
Universities have a prime role in assuring the Professional experience is stuck in the mud Education and Training.
quality of their graduates. It follows that they because it’s beyond the preserve of a single teacher, Email norman.mcculla@
also have a prime role to play in association with school, university or employing authority to solve aces.mq.edu.au
employing authorities in the professional develop- the current problems. A new way of doing things
ment of teachers mentoring and supervising stu- is essential that brings all of the parts into a far Photo by Stella Bogdanic
dent teachers. No-cost or low-cost professional better alignment than that which exists at present. courtesy of stock.xchng
development options provided by universities Who resources what is less important than getting
in association with employing authorities that a new model right in the first instance. Form and
articulate with postgraduate study and research funding should follow function.
are one means of viable support. Once again, good Any new alignment of relationships can only
practice is already there, but it’s patchy. be driven at the most senior policy level by the joint
Significantly, student teachers commonly ask meetings of Commonwealth and state and terri-
for more time in schools in their teacher education tory Ministers for Education. Whatever solution is
programs. When university funding formulae tie arrived at, a little give and take will be necessary on
funding to semester-long units, universities under- all sides if the professional experience component
standably lean towards minimum requirements of teacher education is to be brought into the kind
for in-school experience for students rather than of alignment necessary to secure its future.
determining what might be in the best interests for The superheroes are there. They just haven’t
students, schools and the teaching profession. run onto the playing field as yet.
professional educator • vol 7, no. 3 • september 2008 15beginning teachers
First year out
Catherine Brown Like most teachers in their first year out, I began teachers. I knew much of the culture of the school,
my first year of teaching last year with a mixture and some of the students in my classes.
explains the of apprehension and excitement. The thought of I’ve wanted to teach for as long as I can remem-
attractions of a being in front of a class, without the safety net of ber. I loved school, particularly the humanities
job that is different a master teacher was frightening. The thought of subjects, but I was also a very shy person at school,
being responsible for the learning of all those stu- and at the end of my Higher School Certificate, I
every day. dents was both frightening and invigorating. The backed away from teaching.
thought of finally beginning what I had spent so At the time, having decided I wouldn’t be able
long studying towards was extremely exciting. to handle the students or the stress, I enrolled in a
I had the security, however, of beginning Bachelor of Arts (Communications), and focussed
my career at Rooty Hill High School in Sydney’s my studies on English and writing. While I was at
west. I was in the unique position of having done university, though, I discovered that I wasn’t such a
50 days of practical teaching at Rooty Hill High shy person after all. I loved giving presentations and
the year before, and I knew that this was a school began to think that maybe teaching wasn’t a ridicu-
with a head teacher mentor, a successful induction lous dream. After I finished my degree, I enrolled in
program, and a steady flow of new and beginning a Graduate Diploma of Education program.
16 australian college of educators • acerbeginning teachers
What originally drew me to the profession, classes, at any time. Not once did I feel that I was
and still helps me get out of bed each morning, alone in the classroom. I knew that if I was having
was the prospect of a job that will be different any problems with classroom management, my
every day. Yes, there are bad times, but the good head teacher or my mentor were always willing to
times – watching a student enjoying a text, seeing help. This is the most important thing for begin-
a student’s marks improving, seeing my students ning teachers. We want to feel supported.
enjoying being in the classroom – make everything I’ve also found our induction program
worth it. Teaching is full of rewarding experiences. immensely helpful. I met with my head teacher
I really don’t think there is any job quite like it. mentor and other beginning teachers once a week
I love the intellectual stimulation that it after school. The induction program covered many
brings, not only in the classroom, but also within things, from school policies to a tour of the school
the collegial environment. I’ve never regretted community. The induction program helped me to
my choice of career. Having said that, however, I become a part of the school, and to understand
know a lot of the people that I went to university the culture of Rooty Hill High. It was invaluable
with have already been disillusioned, and have professional development.
been seeking jobs with higher pay, less stress and The other thing that I’ve found has helped
less work to be taken home. me to succeed in my first year of teaching in
I have, I think, been lucky. As a first-year New South Wales was the accreditation proc-
teacher at Rooty Hill High, I was given access ess required by the NSW Institute of Teachers.
to a tremendous amount of professional develop- Although it looked intimidating at first, I found
ment and support. Without that, I don’t know if it made me reflect on and improve my teaching
I would still be teaching. Certainly, I wouldn’t be processes. It forced me to make sure I was meeting
teaching as successfully as I am today. During my all of the quality teaching standards.
first term of teaching, I was given access to pro- At Rooty Hill High, we have a fairly young
fessional development about relational pedagogy, staff, with lots of beginning teachers coming
using non-verbal signals, classroom management, through. Although beginning teachers have a lot
child protection and lesson design. I found that in to learn in their first year, we also have a lot to
that first term, I learned much more than I could offer our faculties and our schools. Part of what
have done at university. The difference wasn’t in we offer comes out of the new and up-to-date
the quality of instruction. It was simply in the learning we received at university. Part of what
fact that I could experiment with and implement we can offer is a different perspective on how to do
whatever I was learning, with my own classes. I things, technological know-how, new resources,
found that once I was teaching alone, I was much fresh creativity and a willingness to get involved.
more willing to take risks than I was when I was I really enjoyed my subjects at university, and
a practical teacher. I had the support of both a I found my 50 days of practical teaching were
wonderfully supportive and sharing faculty, and invaluable, but there were certainly a lot of things
an outstanding head teacher mentor. about teaching that I didn’t learn about at uni-
The role that my head teacher mentor has versity – classroom management being at the top
played in my career has been significant. Not of that list. In my experience, I’ve found that my
only did she regularly observe my classes and teacher training was adequate, but it was once I got
provide me with feedback, she ran an induction to my school, started to teach, shared what I was
program, coordinated professional learning, pro- doing with other teachers, and designed lessons
vided a sounding board when I was struggling and units that I really began to learn what it is to
with classes or students and gave me constructive be a teacher. Sometimes, it’s much harder than I
help to resolve any issues. She helped me design thought it would be, but most of the time I have a
resources, and gave me a model of what a com- lot more fun than I ever thought I would have.
mitted teacher can be.
The English faculty has also had a large Catherine Brown is a teacher at Rooty Hill
impact on my teaching career. All of my colleagues High School, Sydney.
have been happy to give me advice or lesson ideas.
They all freely allowed me to observe any of their Photo by Kristin Smith courtesy of stock.xchng
professional educator • vol 7, no. 3 • september 2008 17law
Bullying
and the duty of care
Educators and All educators have a legal responsibility or duty of as TH, had regularly been taking his pencils and
educational care for their students, as Steve Holden pointed books from him, and pushing him into walls at
out in ‘Duty of care’ in the April 2008 edition the school.
institutions need to of Professional Educator. The recent case of Cox v Previously keen on playing rugby, Benjamin
take reasonable State of New South Wales shows why educators and became nervous before games and refused to use
the educational institutions in which they operate the changing rooms and lavatories.
steps to protect need to take reasonable steps to protect students On a number of occasions in 1994, he came
students from from repeated harassment and bullying. home crying. Benjamin’s mother spoke to a teacher
Born in 1988, the plaintiff, Benjamin Cox, at the school who indicated that the staff would
harassment and was enrolled at the Raymond Terrace Public ‘keep an eye’ on her son. Despite this assurance,
bullying, School in New South Wales in January, 1994, Benjamin’s behaviour continued to deteriorate.
says David but a family move in April of that year neces- He would not sleep alone, did not want to leave
sitated enrolment in the kindergarten class at the house and panicked when his mother went
Thomson. Woodberry Public School. Shortly afterwards, out. His school refusal escalated.
Benjamin began to suffer headaches and expe- In February, 1995, Mrs Cox arranged a meet-
rience nightmares, and his behaviour deterio- ing with the principal of the school who indicated
rated. that she knew the identity of Benjamin’s tormen-
Benjamin began to refuse to attend school. tor, TH, and said that steps would be taken to
He told his mother that an older boy, identified keep the boys apart.
18 australian college of educators • acerlaw
A few days later, Mrs Cox was called to the In early August, Mrs Cox was again called to
school and found Benjamin shaking and crying. the school and found Benjamin crying, a tooth
He had red marks on the front of his neck and missing and his lip swollen, cut and bleeding. His
what appeared to be burn marks on the back of his attacker had allegedly tried to push Benjamin’s
neck. A teacher told Mrs Cox that another student jumper into his mouth.
had attempted to strangle her son. Benjamin told Assured by the school principal that Benjamin’s
his mother that it was the same boy who always attacker would receive a detention and that his
bullied him. Benjamin was severely traumatised parents would again be informed, Mrs Cox tried
by the incident and refused to return to school for to persuade her son to return to school but to no
the next two weeks. avail.
Mrs Cox spoke to another member of the Not sure what to do next, Mrs Cox decided
school staff who told her that the boy who had to report the matter to the police. Two days later,
attacked Benjamin suffered from attention defi- Benjamin returned to school, was confronted
cit disorder. Mrs Cox spoke to officers of the again by the same boy who allegedly laughed
NSW Department of Education in Maitland and about the police visit, but said that if they came
Newcastle where one allegedly told her that ‘bul- again he would kill Benjamin.
lying builds character’ and that he thought it was Mrs Cox withdrew Benjamin from the school
‘a good thing that Ben got bullied.’ in September, 1995. In 1996, he was enrolled in
A doctor in the family’s general practice the Black Hill Public School where he experienced
referred Benjamin and his mother to a psychiatrist anxiety but attended regularly.
in Wallsend and a few months later to a paediatri- A family move to Stroud in 2000 resulted in
cian. Benjamin reluctantly returned to school. Benjamin being enrolled in Year 5 in the Stroud
In late July he was attacked again by the same Public School. During the following year, the
boy and suffered red welts across the back of his selection of a high school needed to be made and
body. The boy told Benjamin that he would be he was duly enrolled at Dungog High School but
hurt again if he told anyone. he attended for only one day due to a re-emergence
Further complaints to the school elicited of his anxiety condition. In 2002 he was enrolled
assurances that the attacker would be penalised in Year 7 at Gloucester High School but, due to
and that his parents would be required to super- significant anxiety symptoms, his attendance was
vise him at school, but this appears not to have sporadic. The distance education program run by
happened. Camden Haven High School was tried in 2003,
Flinders
professional educator • vol 7, no. 3 • september 2008 19law
but Benjamin was unable to comply with the work der. Evidence was led that these conditions were
requirements and his enrolment was eventually unlikely to abate. Benjamin was considered to be
terminated. unemployable and was receiving a disability pen-
Benjamin Cox sued the State of New South sion.
Wales claiming that the Woodberry School In order to hold a defendant liable in negli-
authorities were in breach of their duty of care to gence, it’s necessary to establish that the plaintiff
was owed a duty of care by the defendant, that the
defendant breached that duty of care and that the
harm suffered by the plaintiff was caused by the
Duty of care: Fast facts breach of duty.
• A teacher, school or school authority is required to take reasonable care The State of NSW, through the Woodberry
of a student or students, and to avoid injuries to them which could School authorities, owed a duty of care to
reasonably be foreseen. Benjamin Cox. Justice Simpson explained this
• A teacher, school or school authority must take reasonable care to pre- by reference to the 1969 case of Richards v State of
vent injury, but is not required to ensure against injury. Victoria: ‘The duty of care owed by [the teacher]
• In Australian law, that duty can extend beyond the normal operating required only that he take such measures as in
hours of the school and beyond the school gate. all the circumstances were reasonable to prevent
physical injury to [the student]. This duty not
Duty of care: Ask yourself being one to ensure against injury, but to take
• Do you allow students into the school grounds early or to remain after reasonable care to prevent it, required no more
school ends? If you answer yes, you are establishing a legal duty of care than the taking of reasonable steps to protect
for those students under those conditions. the plaintiff against risks of injury which ex-
• If you do have a formal system of playground supervision if children hypothesi [the teacher] should reasonably have
are at school before or after school, do you inform parents as to the foreseen.’
operating times of that playground supervision, including the fact that Justice Simpson cited another section of the
no formal supervision of the playground occurs outside those hours? joint judgment in Richards v State of Victoria to
• Do you organise any activity using the services of an external organi- explain the rationale for the duty: ‘The reason
sation? If you answer yes, you should remember you cannot delegate underlying the imposition of the duty would
accountability for the safety of your students to that organisation. You, appear to be the need of a child of immature age
your school and your school authority have a duty to ensure that reason- for protection against the conduct of others, or
able care is taken and that you are satisfied that the external organisation indeed of himself, which may cause him injury
is competent to undertake the activity, that the activity is appropriate to coupled with the fact that, during school hours,
the age and skills of the students, and that it is properly supervised. the child is beyond the control and protection of
his parents and is placed under the control of the
The information contained here is not intended to be comprehensive, does (teacher) who is in a position to exercise authority
not constitute legal advice and is not to be relied upon without first seeking over him and afford him, in the exercise of reason-
and obtaining independent legal advice. able care, protection from injury.’
Clarifying the state’s responsibility for the
actions of the school and its staff, Justice Simpson
quoted Justice Ninian Stephen in the High Court
him by failing to take reasonable steps to protect case of Geyer v Downs: ‘It is for schoolmasters
him from repeated harassment and bullying in and for those who employ them, whether govern-
1994 and 1995. ment or private institutions, to provide facilities
During the course of the trial before Justice whereby the schoolmasterly duty can adequately
Carolyn Simpson in the Supreme Court of NSW be discharged during the period for which it is
Common Law Division, details of Benjamin’s assumed.’
treatment at Woodberry became clear and expert Justice Simpson held that the State of NSW,
psychiatric evidence was provided. being responsible for the operation of the
Psychiatric assessment determined that Woodberry School, had failed to discharge its
Benjamin suffered from depression, separation duty of care to Benjamin in that the school made
anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disor- no attempt to deal with a serious problem. In
20 australian college of educators • acerYou can also read
