Interdisciplinarity: bridging the University and field of practice divide

Modeling inter-disciplinary teaching and learning practices within a critical pedagogical framework has produced powerful learning outcomes for graduates of the Primary/Middle Bachelor of Education degree at the University of South Australia. This paper explores the notion of how best to prepare beginning teachers to work with students in their middle years of schooling in Studies of Society and Environment. Of particular focus are teacher education courses that model interdisciplinary ways of working. The inquiry found that interdisciplinary course work was replicated and built upon by beginning teachers and where schools encouraged the notion of interdisciplinarity beginning teachers flourished as designers of curriculum. The authors argue that Studies of Society and Environment is currently well placed to be incorporated into interdisciplinary curriculum frameworks and assist in meeting the goals of middle schooling philosophy

Degrees of Change: Understanding Academics Experiences with a Shift to Flexible Technology-Enhanced Learning in Initial Teacher Education

The implementation of technology enhanced learning in higher education is often associated with changes to academic work. This article reports on a study of staff experiences with curriculum development and teaching in multiple modes of blended and online learning in a Bachelor of Education degree. The findings indicate that the changes experienced by these teacher educators were significant but not wholesale. More specifically, the findings highlight three particular areas of change that impacted on their role as teacher educators: changed pedagogical practices, particularly in staff-student communication, interaction and relationship building with students; increasing workloads associated with flexible delivery; and changed needs for staff capacity building related to issues of quality in technology enhanced learning

Cross-cultural perspectives on educators\u27 reporting practices of maltreatment: an Australian study

Despite legal mandates that educators report their suspicions concerning abuse and neglect of their students, professionals fail to report their suspicions. In the present research, all schools in South Australia were surveyed to explore educators\u27 experiences with mandatory notification training and school reporting practices. The purpose was to ascertain what led educators to report or not to report suspicions of child abuse and neglect. The sample (n=328) was made up of classroom teachers and educators in leadership positions. Findings are reported in three parts: the current mandatory notification situation for educators; the difficulties affecting educators\u27 reporting practices; and strategies for improved reporting practices. It is time to review child protection practices in the light of a continued increase in child abuse and neglect statistics. This paper posits the view that improved professional development and positive and collaborative work with supportive leaders can assist the reporting practices of educators by confronting the personal and professional dilemmas associated with under-reporting

Law, policy, practice: is it working for teachers in child protection?

Australia began to acknowledge the existence of child abuse and neglect during the 1960\u27s which led to legislative reform and Australia signing the \u27United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child\u27 in 1981. In South Australia, compulsory reporting of child abuse and neglect was introduced in 1969 by amendments to the Children\u27s Protection Act. Further amendments have been made but the current legislation of the Children\u27s Protection Act, 1993, mandates certain professionals to report suspicions of child abuse and neglect to child protective services. On 25th march, 2002, in South Australia, it was announced that a review into child protection laws was to occur. Teachers are listed as one of the groups of professionals mandated to report. However, research indicates that law, and the mandatory training that must be undertaken by all teachers, does not necessarily mean that it is effective in dealing with child protection issues in the classroom. This paper will report on the history of child protection law, the development of child protection policy in the education sector, and finally the impact and effects that child protection law and subsequent policy has for teachers involved in child protection prevention

Perspectives of teachers and community partners on sustaining support for pre-service teachers

The problem of attracting, recruiting and retaining teachers to rural areas cannot be solved only by teacher education or by employer authority strategies: wider partners need to become involved. This paper discusses strategies that were adopted to foster teacher and community participation and partnership in an innovative program developed at the University of South Australia (McCallum & Carter 2009; Carter & McCallum 2009) through a four-way collaboration between pre-service teachers, university teacher education, education systems and the local communities in three rural localities. Data taken from focus groups and surveys with the local stakeholders were analysed to investigate socially sustainable ways of attracting and supporting pre-service teachers to rural areas. Further examination was undertaken of the strategies used by the various community groups during professional placement that enabled pre-service teachers to experience a \u27lived\u27 experience that has resulted in recruitment and retention to rural areas post-graduation. This paper argues that socially sustainable partnership practices must be built into the ongoing work of teacher education program staff, in developing a sense of ownership locally in schools and their wider communities if we are to address the shortfall of high quality teachers in regional Australia