Deborah Heck

Professional identity pathways of educators in alternative schools: the utility of reflective practice groups for educator induction and professional learning

Working with young people in alternative schools poses particular challenges for the professional identity of educators. This research explored educator identity and development in practice in a network of alternative schools re-enfranchising young people. There was a focus on educator induction in the study. Different ways of being an educator were required in order to re-engage young people facing multiple complexities in their lives. A three-stage design experiment methodology was employed to investigate how ways of working, valuing and professional learning influenced educator identity and development. Iterative cycles of reflection embedded in the methodology allowed practitioners’ perspectives to influence the design of enhanced induction processes, leading to the prototyping of reflective practice groups as an induction strategy. Findings provide insights into the influence of reflective practice on educator identity and development in relation to two overarching themes synthesised in thematic analysis of interview data: relationships, and changing perspectives through reflection.

The art of holding complexity: a contextual influence on educator identity and development in practice in a system of alternative ‘flexi’ schools

The art of holding complexity is the ability to face conflict and other life challenges through collaboration, self-awareness and flexibility rather than through control and coercion. Holding complexity is a key theme identified in a research project exploring educator identity and development in practice in a system of alternative or ‘flexi schools’ in Queensland, Australia. Flexi schools support young people to create positive education pathways after experiences of failure and/or exclusion from conventional schooling. This paper explores the concept of holding complexity and how educators develop this capacity in their work. Design experiment methodology was used to explore how ways of working and professional learning in flexi schools influenced educator identity and development and how induction needs of new staff could be addressed. Educators enfranchising young people in flexi schools face challenges that require different ways of working that are young person-focused; that shift power dynamics and require adults to adopt a position of co-learner and facilitator. Holding complexity enables educators to support young people who face multiple issues that impinge on their ability to engage in conventional schooling. Induction and professional learning programs emphasising the art of holding complexity assist flexi school educators in their work with young people.

Exploring Cogenerativity in Initial Teacher Education School-University Partnerships Using the Methodology of Metalogue

This chapter explores the concept of ‘cogenerativity’ by providing three different examples of initial teacher education school-university partnership projects in Australia. The first of these professional experience projects drew on the use of participatory approaches in a new Master of Teaching program; the second involved a project of co-teaching triads; and the third concerned the development of university, school and system partnerships. The authors used the methodology of metalogue to engage in dialogical exchange about the notion of cogenerativity in relation to the literature and through the lens of each project to examine the nature of the concept for developing and sustaining professional experience partnerships. The chapter concludes that cogenerativity may be useful for conceptualising why and how initial teacher education school-university partnerships flourish. The knowledge developed may assist educators and researchers not only to create supportive conditions for the development of initial teacher education school-university partnerships but also to [re]imagine the possibilities of such partnerships to realise continual expansive transformative learning for all involved. The use of metalogue offered a unique research methodology for the authors who each explored their experience of school-university partnerships. At the same time, the use of metalogue illustrated cogenerativity in practice. The approach also enabled the authors to highlight possible challenges and limitations for creating and sustaining cogenerativity in the context of initial teacher education school-university partnerships.

Theorising the third space of professional experience partnerships

Across the international research literature, references to the problematic ‘theory-practice gap’ in initial teacher education abound. Essentially, this refers to the dialectical positioning of university-based learning about teaching as abstracted theory in opposition to situated school-based learning about teaching through practice. This perceived theory-practice gap is exacerbated by the fact that the distinction between university-based and school-based learning is not only figurative but also literal, resulting in confusion amongst preservice teachers who often perceive an irreconcilable tension between the theories learned at the university and the practices observed during their professional experience in schools.

Improving the quality of assessment by using a community of practice to explore the optimal construction of assessment rubrics

Abstract A focus on quality assurance of assessment processes in tertiary education within Australia and throughout the world has resulted in a changing landscape of assessment types and grading schemes over the last decade. The use of criteria and standards-based assessment systems are now very commonplace in tertiary education. There are a variety of models now used, but typically they include a criteria sheet and a levelled rubric. An alternative to the traditional matrix-style rubric is the Continua Model of a Guide to Making Judgments (GTMJ). In this paper, we analyse available assessment models and their capacity to guide the marking, grading and moderation of student assessment tasks. We specifically address standards descriptors used to identify the quality expected at each standard. The research was undertaken through a community of practice within the School of Education at a tertiary institution where the collective goal of enhancing assessment grading tools to improve student outcomes was approached through a process of peer review. In our results section, we analyse the efficacy of an internal peer-review model as part of a community of practice and the professional learning about grading tools that occurs.

Exploring the Australian teacher education ‘partnership’ policy landscape: Four case studies

Schools have long been integrally involved in initial teacher education particularly through the professional experience component. In recent decades however, there have been specific policy calls for greater involvement of schools in teacher preparation. These calls have come in two distinct waves of partnership policy reforms in Australia. The first began in earnest with the Australian Government announcement through the National Partnership Agreement on Improving Teacher Quality (Council of Australian Governments (COAG) National partnership agreement on improving teacher quality, 2008), which identified two priorities. Firstly, it championed a systemic response to strengthening linkages between schools and universities, and secondly, it recognised the professional learning opportunities of preservice teachers and in-service teachers working together as co-producers of knowledge. The second wave, influenced by the Melbourne Declaration (Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs MCEETYA. Melbourne declaration on educational goals for young Australians, 2008), resulted in the government response to the Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group (TEMAG) report (Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group (TEMAG). Action now: classroom ready teachers. Australian Government, Canberra, 2015) and the accompanying move to mandate school-university partnerships for the purpose of teacher education program accreditation. These national partnership priorities have been taken up in different ways across the various states and territories and by universities and schools. This chapter maps the policy reforms both nationally and at the various jurisdictional levels and uses four illustrative cases to analyse the opportunities and challenges for future partnerships and recommendations for teacher educators working to sustain such partnerships.

Reclaiming Educator Professionalism in and for Uncertain Times

Uncertainty in education and teacher education is a certainty in the current international policy context. One of the challenges within this constant process of change and focus on providing evidence of effectiveness is retaining our attention on the purpose of education. Gert Biesta challenges us to reclaim teacher professionalism and engage in discussion about education and its purposes in the context of schooling. Our challenge in this book is to explore and reflect on implications within teacher education and the ways research and scholarship contribute to this discussion. Through reflection on Biesta’s (Eur J Educ 50: 1, p. 75–87, 2015) three functions of education qualification, socialisation and subjectification, we aim to engage teacher educators, mentor teachers, school administrators, in-service teachers and pre-service teachers in discussions about the purposes of education. The volume contributes towards discussions about what good education is, and our reflections explore how scholarship provides a space where educators can reclaim their professionalism. Educators across all sectors need to engage in discussion to provide solid justifications for their actions in taking forward education and education research in their context with the aim of making a positive contribution to society. The chapter explores the positive contributions teacher education is making to this debate and identifies ways we can reclaim democratic professionalisms with implications for policy, practice and research.

Outdoor Fieldwork in Higher Education: Learning From Multidisciplinary Experience

Background: Many disciplines use outdoor fieldwork (OFW) as an experiential learning method in higher education. Although there has been an increase in research into the pedagogical approaches of OFW, the use of OFW is contested. Purpose: The purpose of the study was to synthesize the OFW literature across a range of disciplines to identify common strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) and outline implications for how OFW is used as an experiential learning pedagogy in higher education. Methodology/Approach: A descriptive literature review was undertaken to examine each aspect of the SWOT at the micro, meso, and macro levels, drawing from disciplines using OFW including biology, outdoor and environmental education, archaeology, and the associated geosciences. Findings/Conclusions: Strengths of OFW include engagement, outreach, and professional competencies; weaknesses exist in the areas of equity, logistics, and standards. Opportunities include improving pedagogical practices, diversity, and collaboration, while threats to OFW were costs, funding, outdated practices, and governance. Implications: Academics from a range of disciplines using OFW have similar experiences; therefore, exploring ways to collaborate or learn from each other will further develop OFW as an experiential learning strategy in higher education.

Are Assessment Exemplars Perceived to Support Self-Regulated Learning in Teacher Education?

Assessment exemplars are a tool to guide students to what is valued by assessors in a specific assessment task, in short, as examples which illustrate, typically, dimensions of quality. Often high quality exemplars are provided. We were interested in researching the perceived efficacy and impact of a variety of assessment exemplars, ranging from low to high quality, in teacher education courses at a regional university. We surveyed 72 students and found that students accessed exemplars regularly and found them useful in providing detailed guidance that went beyond the descriptions of assessment tasks found in course outlines and assessment rubrics. They valued various types of exemplars, a range of quality, and the inclusion of annotated and un-annotated versions of exemplars.

Evaluating the efficacy of Masters coursework criteria sheets using a 10 question framework

Abstract This paper builds on an earlier study that developed a 10 question framework for improving the quality of criteria sheets (also known as rubrics) used in Master of Education programmes. To test that framework 15 rubrics were independently evaluated by seven teachers using the above mentioned framework. Raw data from the evaluations were collated and coded and then further analysed in three sequential, substantive conversation sessions, in order to investigate the inter-connectedness of three assessment concepts, namely, grading, moderation and feedback. The study revealed that the key to criteria sheet effectiveness is the explicitness of the standards descriptors. The research also identified three broad questions that can help teachers evaluate the quality of their criteria sheets. These questions focus on the clarity of the task description and ways of improving the criteria and standards by which student responses are to be judged. The revised questions provide an effective framework for assuring the quality of these three aspects of assessment within units (also known as courses) in postgraduate programmes.