Annette Green

Industry into Teaching: An Alternative Model.

Teacher shortages have encouraged initiatives to tailor training programs to meet the demand in both past, current and future contexts. Such programs have been streamlined to ensure a rapid response to shortages, in addition to also drawing participants from non‐traditional groups as a source of potential educators. More broadly in teacher education, recent developments have explored online and other forms of distance education, problem‐solving methodologies and increased site‐based workplace learning opportunities. The Accelerated Teacher Training Program (ATTP) currently offered at Charles Sturt University is based on an innovative model which combines together aspects of best practices to deliver an effective and quality course. This program was developed in response to the NSW Department of Education and Training’s (DET) need to meet the demand for more Technology and Applied Studies (TAS) teachers. This paper will look at the issue of teacher supply and demand and discuss the design, context and implementation of the ATTP, with a special focus on the professional practice and problem‐solving elements of the course.

Vocational education and training teachers’ conceptions of their pedagogy

Abstract There is a growing enthusiasm for developing a more highly skilled workforce in both Australia and internationally. Federal and state policies are directed towards increasing productivity and the engagement of formerly disengaged senior school students and the wider society. There is a new determination to manage transition arrangements between school, the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector and work, and there is a new commitment to more uniform and industry relevant curriculum. If these initiatives are to succeed with an enthusiasm equivalent to their formulation then more needs to be known about the VET pedagogies likely to be appropriate and successful for the new tasks. This paper investigates some understandings of VET pedagogy in the wider vocational field as well as in schools, and the tensions between the wider vocational field and schools that are implicit in these understandings. This paper is based on two empirical research projects carried out by the authors. The first research project reported on was carried out with VET teachers in Technical and Further Education (TAFE) Colleges and VET teachers working in a Vocational Secondary School. The second research project was carried out with career change teachers working in traditional high schools in NSW. In this article the authors use the concept of ‘practice architectures’ and the particular ‘sayings, doings and relatings’ involved in the wider VET sector to interrogate policy and practice changes, and to explore the implications of these changes in terms of the teachers’ conceptions of their own pedagogy and some of the tensions and contradictions that they experience and articulate.

Teacher induction, identity, and pedagogy: hearing the voices of mature early career teachers from an industry background

In considering the blurring of boundaries between vocational education and school education since the introduction of Vocational Education and Training in Schools (VETiS) in the senior secondary school system in Australia, it could be argued that the key figures in practice are the VET teachers in schools. The focus in this paper is 12 career-change teachers from an industry background during their first 3 years as technology and VETiS teachers in New South Wales, Australia. Their vocational content knowledge and teacher preparation provided pedagogical and curriculum knowledge. Through interviews, site visits, emails, and phone calls, a descriptive analysis was undertaken to investigate how these early career teachers had adapted to their new roles. The study investigated the ways in which these teachers ascribed meaning to their professional lives. Cross case analysis and discourse analysis confirmed themes emerging from the data about these particular new teachers and their different pathway to the profession.

Theorising partnerships for site-based education development in vocational education and workplace learning

Abstract Site-based education development now constitutes a common approach to preparing learners for particular occupations, enabling them to secure employment and at the same time achieve broader social, economic and personal outcomes. New forms of partnerships, other than traditional vendor–client relations, are necessary to achieve such multi-faceted goals. This can be achieved by recognising and appropriately integrating pedagogical contributions in different sites to cater for learning needs. Accordingly, professionals from educational institutions need to actively collaborate and engage with a range of key personnel to form partnerships for the purposes of harnessing and facilitating learning opportunities within the constraints of given sites. An action research process enables participating partners to work towards and achieve agreed outcomes. Outcomes addressing areas causing concern are developed and discussed ‘on site’, forming site-based education development. Using a collaborative action research methodology that addresses issues identified by those in particular sites, solutions can be made visible and problems worked through. This enables the partners to achieve agreed outcomes developed during the life of the partnership. Outcomes and possible training areas are developed and discussed by key partners, particularly those in workplaces. In this article, we draw on intersecting sets of understandings around the philosophy of site-based education development, founded mainly on two overarching theories of workplace learning and practice architectures, to theorise partnerships for site-based education development. Some findings and ideas from two exemplar action research projects are presented to exemplify the key concepts.

Career Change and Motivation: A Matter of Balance

The study was designed to consider the motivations of career changers and the perceived outcomes of their career change. Data were collected from a sample of career changers (N=81), approximately half of whom had used the services of a career coach. The analysis showed: firstly, that the reported outcomes associated with career change appeared unrelated to the value attributed to a career coach and the motivation held by the career changer; secondly, that, with respect to career change outcomes, there were no signifi cant differences between those who drew or did not draw on the services of a career coach; and thirdly, career changers who believed that they almost achieved or did achieve career success were more intrinsically motivated than their counterparts who reported that they did not achieve career success.

Using the Theory of Practice Architectures to Explore VET in Schools Teachers’ Pedagogy

The focus in this chapter is on the teaching practices of novice Vocational Education and Training (VET) teachers in Australian schools. An Australian case illuminates the local practice architectures that shape teachers’ vocation and their ways of working, the ways practice architectures constrain and enable their practice, and the ways these teachers respond to challenges they perceive in the school as a workplace. The case examines the practices of newly qualified Australian VET in Schools teachers with extensive industry experience gained in their previous occupations.