G'aim'ing to be a rural teacher?: Improving pre-service teachers’ learning experiences in an online rural and remote teacher preparation course

Many Australian teachers will spend part of their careers working in small rural schools and communities, yet specific preparation for rural and remote teaching contexts during preservice teacher education remains very limited. While recent government reports recommend the use of innovative and engaging teacher education approaches to enhance the classroom readiness of pre-service teachers, the use of such approaches to the contextualised preparation of rural and remote teachers has not been specifically addressed. In a teacher education program, offered by the University of Southern Queensland, an innovative place-based pedagogy has been utilized to redesign an online preservice teacher rural education course. A gamified, case-based approach was applied to increase student engagement and motivation. The development of game-based curriculum design has progressed since the mid 1980s to enhance engagement and collaboration, based on cascading information theory. Preservice teachers are immersed in a simulated rural context, where they navigate the experience of appointment to a rural school. This paper describes the rationale for the course redevelopment and outlines the design process. Student course feedback pre and post development were quantitatively and qualitatively analysed to evaluate the outcomes achieved from the course redevelopment. The findings indicate that student engagement within the course rose after the redevelopment, and critical reflection from the course team indicated that students were more effectively able to connect with course themes and project themselves into the position of a beginning teacher in a rural or remote location. While the development of the course is a continuing work in progress, the gamification strategy has enabled preservice teachers to improve their classroom and community readiness for appointment to rural and remote schools, while modelling effective and contemporary use of technology and pedagogy which can be applied to their future classroom contexts

How to be an English teacher and an English teacher educator: spanning the boundaries between sites of learning

While perceptions that the roles of teacher and teacher educator as an oppositional binary are being challenged, sustaining and incorporating both professional identities has presented challenges. This paper presents a narrative account of my professional identity journey, including a description of a partnership that enabled boundaries to be spanned between a school and university and the teacher and teacher educator roles. As an English curriculum pre-service teacher educator, I have tried to maintain my connection to English classroom teaching, however, an absence from the classroom of eleven years left me vulnerable to the criticism that teacher educators lack relevant classroom practice. To retain my English teacher identity I sought partnerships to balance the theory-practice nexus. I returned to an English classroom, interacting with secondary students and pre-service teachers, working with former graduates as colleagues in enriching professional learning experiences. This paper proposes that new modes of professional collaboration, involving communities of practice, are needed to bring together schools and universities as sites of learning, but that changed attitudes are necessary within all areas of the profession to achieve this. The paper concludes with a discussion of perceived barriers threatening the sustainability of collaborative models of teacher education

How to be an English teacher and an English teacher educator: spanning the boundaries between sites of learning

While perceptions that the roles of teacher and teacher educator as an oppositional binary are being challenged, sustaining and incorporating both professional identities has presented challenges. This paper presents a narrative account of my professional identity journey, including a description of a partnership that enabled boundaries to be spanned between a school and university and the teacher and teacher educator roles. As an English curriculum pre-service teacher educator, I have tried to maintain my connection to English classroom teaching, however, an absence from the classroom of eleven years left me vulnerable to the criticism that teacher educators lack relevant classroom practice. To retain my English teacher identity I sought partnerships to balance the theory-practice nexus. I returned to an English classroom, interacting with secondary students and pre-service teachers, working with former graduates as colleagues in enriching professional learning experiences. This paper proposes that new modes of professional collaboration, involving communities of practice, are needed to bring together schools and universities as sites of learning, but that changed attitudes are necessary within all areas of the profession to achieve this. The paper concludes with a discussion of perceived barriers threatening the sustainability of collaborative models of teacher education

Bringing them in: The experiences of imported and overseas-qualified teachers

This qualitative multiple-site case study explores the experiences of imported and overseas-qualified teachers appointed to fill ‘difficult-to-staff’ Western Australian rural schools. In a climate of global teacher shortages, investigation of the strategies adopted to solve this problem requires empirical examination. The study of six imported and overseas-qualified teachers found that they experienced difficulties with the employment application process, were not adequately inducted into the system and experienced difficulties with cultural adaptation related to pedagogy, behaviour management and language. These teachers still remained in schools for lengths of time comparable to their Australian-born counterparts. Transitions into schools could be assisted with improved appointment processes, induction and school-based support. A research agenda for further investigation of this field is recommended

Why did you choose that text? Influences on English teachers' choices of reading materials for students

This study explored English teachers' perspectives on the influences on their print text choices for study by Year 8, 9 and 10 students at three Christian schools in Perth, Western Australia (WA). A multiple-site case study was used to understand the phenomenon. Three teachers were selected at each school and data were collected through qualitative interviews and teaching documents. Data was inductively analysed using within and cross-case analysis. The study identified three overarching influences on English teachers' choices of print texts: student engagement, school context and teachers' beliefs. Mandated curriculum documents were found to have minimal influence on their choices

The assessment of creative writing in senior secondary English: a colloquy concerning criteria

The assessment of creative writing is mandatory in the Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) Literature course; is part of the WACE English course and exam; and is a component of the Australian Curriculum English courses: therefore it is important to understand how to assess creative writing consistently. This article reviews studies into methods of assessing creative writing and the literature detailing creative writing assessment criteria. It argues that criteria should be derived from qualities observed in students' creative writing, criteria that describe a spectrum of performance. The use of analytical marking keys' criteria and categories ensures fair and consistent assessment

New frontiers or old certainties: The pre-service teacher internship

Teacher education in Australia has a rich history of evolution from apprenticeships to university education. In this chapter the teacher education internship is examined. More specifically, the chapter outlines the Western Australian Combined Universities Training School (WACUTS) project, with its focus on reducing the gap between theory and practice through a collaborative and reflective approach. The successes and challenges faced in the first six months of implementation are presente

Adapting to curriculum change: a theoretical framework informing the design and implementation of a curriculum intervention

Adapting to curriculum change necessitates the evaluation of teaching and learning pedagogies. A new curriculum invites reflection on how knowledge is constructed and operationalised to extend higher order thinking in adolescent learners. This paper reviews contemporary empirical and theoretical literature identifying productive pedagogical practices associated with critical reading competencies in order to design and implement a curriculum intervention in a senior secondary Literature course

Understanding equity in health

This paper reports findings from a systematic integrative review of the literature on equity in the field of health. Its purpose is to provide educators with understandings of equity from a related human services field. It presents a synthesis of contemporary knowledge about achieving equity in health, framed by understandings of the complex interrelationships between research, policy and practice