Crossing borders between communities, cultures and curriculum will be a major goal for a national conference for Australia’s teacher educators to be held in Albury from Sunday 28 June to Wednesday 1 July.Titled Teacher Education Crossing Borders: cultures, contexts, communities and curriculum, the conference is being held in Albury-Wodonga on the border between NSW and Victoria, and will investigate how the preparation of teachers can be improved.
The organisers of the 2009 conference for the Australian Teacher Education Association (ATEA), being hosted by Charles Sturt University (CSU), hope the conference will provide new ways to extend the breadth and depth of research and practice into teacher education.
“The conference allows teacher educators to exchange ideas around research, practice and innovations in teacher education and professional learning,” said conference co-convenor, Associate Professor Jane Mitchell, from CSU’s Faculty of Education.
Papers to be presented over three days at the Albury Entertainment Centre include:
- A keynote address by CSU’s Dean of the Faculty of Education, Professor Toni Downes and Professor Sue Willis from Monash University, on the challenges facing teacher education in Australia. Professor Downes will discuss “what do we need to put into place now to ensure the sustainability and quality of teacher education in the future? What role do we have in ensuring the continued respect for and acknowledgement of the professionalism of teaching? And what is our responsibility to ‘inform’ and ‘be informed’ about what quality and sustainability means in relation to teaching teachers?” Professor Downes will address what these issues mean for universities such as CSU.
- Success stories in how to support teachers beginning their careers in rural areas will be presented by Associate Dean of the Faculty of Education, Professor Jo-Anne Reid and colleagues. These stories are taken from six case studies that relate to connections to communities and professional networks that sustain teachers in rural places and spaces. Key factors of success include particular models of rural school leadership, need for ongoing teacher learning and mentoring and school support, and innovative community practices.
- A study of mathematics in the senior years of secondary schooling will be presented by CSU education lecturer, Dr Sara Murray. The statistical analysis of data from the NSW Higher School Certificate focuses on the participation rates and achievement by boys and girls. In 2008, 70 per cent of girls and 80 per cent of boys undertook some kind of mathematics, compared to 83 and 88 per cent respectively in 2001. The notion that girls are now “outperforming” boys in mathematics is also not shown by this data.
- CSU education lecturers Mr Matti Novak and Ms Jan Page will present on enhancing the preparation of students for teaching in rural and remote locations, highlighting a model for preparing rural teachers.
- Research into teachers who move from work to school – teachers entering teaching profession from industry will be presented by CSU education academic Ms Annette Green. The study demonstrates that these new teachers have a valuable and different contribution to make to teaching Technology in NSW secondary schools, offering workplace knowledge and experience in pathways from school to further vocational education and training.
- A tour of environmental education facilities on CSU’s Thurgoona site will be given by CSU environmental education lecturer Mr John Rafferty, starting at 3.30pm on Tuesday 30 June.
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