Why teaching? “Tory has just landed his first fulltime ongoing ‘eachiing jo. The postion Is in a middle school in rural Australia in a town of fess than 10000 peo ple. He accepted the job after applying uneuecoss~ fully for more than €0 positions in the metropolitan area close to where he completed his teacher education. With a double degres and quai tions to teach in early childhood settings and primary schools, he hes won a postion in a P12 School with an enrolment of ust over 00 students. ‘The school ICSEA (Index of Community Socio- Educational Advantage) is 950. Tory has had one placement in a school where he taught 2 mult god class of Year 5 and 6 stucente, While hic new postion wi involve teacting Year 7 and ® student fei feeling confident, as during his course he chose electives in integrated curiculum and science edu- ‘ation, THs school wes in an area whore students had a positive view of themselves and thelr earning. sory had gleaned from the interview that this may not be tha case in his new school, School attendance ana rotention were key issues thatthe school hed identified in the school plen as key priorities over the next three yeers. Nonetheless, Tory is tiled to have finaly secured a fulltime position with a regular salary and school hoidaye, providing fie to fufl his long-held travel plans. He has completed endless days of cesvel Teaching and two shert-torm contracts of six months each, and recelved lots of encouragement from (eacherg and principals. In his lest contract poston, he had hoped to secure atleast a one-year contract, put there was a tong ist of teachers who had to be reassigned in the region, and associate teachers on (government-funded itiativee who were ahead of him each time a vacancy arose, He greatly appreciated Te encouraging feedback he'd received from his coleagues, but t was challenging o explain to his family fand fronds hy he was not able to secure an ongoing teaching postion. ‘Tory, ike many people who join the teaching profession, was the first in his family to attain a degree. ‘afters the long hours he'd spent studying while holding down a ful-time position in a hardware chain, having to move away from his famiy and friends to take up this fulltime postion was not necessary Cost ae ain by these close to him, Like many people who go on to become successtul teachers, Tors Shelve of career was inspied by some of his own brillant teachers. He particulerty recalls his Yeer 9/4 teaches Ms Rossi Ms Rossi, he had imagined as anine year od, was ‘pretty ol. Later, when he returned to his dd primary schoo! fr a five-week professional experience, he realised that Ms Flssi hed beer TR her eaty thirties when she taught him, The sorts of things he recalls her doing, and that he observed ther sti doing in her classroom, was the curriculum planning thet included student access to @ range of efore-school activities, Outside the classroom were boxes of class eporting equipment, en early morn ing computer roster, @ tablo Inthe hallway for revising and catching up on tasks, a bow of fash ft that had been donated by FoodSavers, and a compost bucket for the leftovers. There was elso @ lst ‘of slzseroom monitors for general clean-up and kitchen garden duis. While he knew that te would be teaching older students, he also knew that central to the foundation for education is the need for DF students to develop a sense of belonging to their school community, and sirong relationships with their teacher QUESTIONS 41, What influanced you to be a teacher? 2, Think about how you remember your school teachers. How would you like your students to think of you? ‘3, How are expert and neginning teachers similar and diferent? 44. Consider how eulture and family impact on education. ‘5. What career progression and leadership options are aveliable for teachers today’? CHAPTER 1 Introducing teaching 2s a professionIntroduction ‘The commitment fo teaching that beginning teachers like Tory bring to their studies and their careers are cor recchers today -— as those who have gone before them — have a love of leaming and Ruiely fel passion for leaching. An enthusiasm fr learning and dep commitment co humanity and sine difeence inthe lives ofthe next generation are among the qualities of people drawn (a career srncathing, The autors ofthis text weleome you (0 the profession and what is ahead, Rau Bcose through tis text some chapters or headings may immediately jump ota you ase on Yous Daven unragnding of what means ofan o teach Inialy you may think that all you ned 0 sone tpathing about stndent eacning, planaing and managing classroom behaviour, However, from root you frst ener a choot asa teacher and take look at teny-rst century edvcation frm Peet te desk, soto speak, the complexity and extent ofthe range of knowledge required to bea highly skilled teacher will become apparest. ttt pice Coutined in the ciagram below) will introduce you to teaching 26a profession and, we hope, poole you witha starting point fom which to explore the many themes presented i this text i teat is designed to support you and help you develop throughout your intial teacher education nd our ay teaching yeas, You wil ls be exploring the big questions about te parposs of education and our professionl identi, valves and beliefs an how you ean shape your cree s ead in cation ‘Wen yaniv at your Sst las ta sohoo, take a few minstesto consider why so many people retin powerlu emories oftheir teaches. Yeas lata paula teacher may sil be recalled wih respect and eee For some stents, a teacher is remembered as someone who helped them completely tam aaaeree sound. [n the wotds ofan experienced teacher and teacher educator, ‘Whatever the situation, aoe ce macho have on their students is long lasting and ean be profound, Good teaching makes a ae aeaee the lives of children and young people” (Pugach 2008, p. 1), Tough school and classroom Ghpetonces, students discover possibilities fr their atures, gain the knowledge and sls to purse thet hopes and dreams, and develop beliefs aides and behaviours toward society. ae anesthe experiences of pre-service teacher, recounted next. The narrative describes the initial expotcnces ofa preservice teacher and isa snapshot of how an aeomplished and outstanding teacher svecks in today's classrooms, which are rich in student diversity. Introducing teaching as 3 ‘profession Doing teachers! Teaching in the Developing your See es een eee eee V 1 7 Y a syeleiieniatp| Siva eating Pesiapeal hog we ee ce ome ee eet ine Pema sail eg ee caps toma nitale ed ae ee Bon Secie che ee eee taste on Contant be Professional ‘pereonal identity professional Serco Times tae Tener conta ‘ohange Teaching matters: ‘ew era for teaching ‘rd learning 4 PART 1 The teaching professionBefore commencing on her inital professional placement in her teacher education program, Ly is askes. by her cobort leader to prepere a detailed context statement on the schoo! where she is going to be | placed for one day a week forthe fst semester of her course. The starting polnt for her research is the | schoot’s website, The Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (ICSEA) score of 1018 reported ‘on the mySchoo! website shows the distribution of the scores is relatively even. The schoo! has a strong || emphasis on sustainebilly and the environment, and is culturally and socio-economically diverse. The |. suburb is inthe inner city and contains meny new arrivals, as well as professionals who are eager to live ‘lose tothe city | | | Bottom quarter | Middle quarters | Top quarter 30% 20% | 25% 206 [At the end of her frst day of professional experience, Ly is required to complete an ontine post for members of her cohort. She writes, inthe school environment, and within the clessroom and playground ‘there doas not appear to be a divide between the students’. However, 2s she walt with her school mentor atthe end of the day, she notices comething striking. Parents who are waiting te collect ther chitdren etter school ae gathering in very eifferent ways to what she has observed inthe playground and in class. She ‘concludes her 300-word post with the following: ‘out ofthe school there is a more apparent racial divide Inher professional subject taught in the following week by her university lecturor each member of the ‘cohort group le required to present to each oftheir group members en analysis of ther intial observation ‘and experiences of their school placement. Ly and her group are encouraged by thelr lecturer to delve further and to look up the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data for their respective schools. Ly repos to her group that while the ABS data shows an ethnically diverse area that reflacis the make-up of the ‘school, there is also a staggering variety of birthplaces, with no dominant foreign birthplace, or even a dominant continent of origin. Ly does not have time to debrief with her tutorial group that day, so she posts again on the diecus- sion board that night. She writes, I now understand why my classroom teacher alowed the students to choose their own topic for thelr survey. At first | thought it would be much easier if ail the class were sur | ‘eying the same thing. One student decided to survey the class on their ethnicity. He counted 1 diferent | ethnic backgrounds in @ class of 21. I learnt a fot about the school and the students’ needs, interests ‘and backgrounds by the use of an open-ended task. am looking forward to going back next week and cussing these Issues with my mentor teacher | am learning a lot lreacly from her, | think she is a reat teacher” i How did Ly's teacher hecome accomplished? When teachers and schools do their jobs well, students from all ife circumstances, in every community, attain their potential. The day-to-day choices and judge- ‘ments teachers make directly affect the quality of learning that takes place and also the lives of their students. In other words, good teaching matlers — it matters a great deal. Once you make the commit- ment to (each, you agree (0 take responsibility for the quality of the experiences cach of your students ‘will have in your classroom during formative times of their lives and to honour the richness that is in every classroom. 1.1 Teaching in the twenty-first century LEARNING OBJECTIVE 1.1 Describe teaching as a twenty-first century profession. Research in education endorses the idea that there is no single variable that improves student achieve- tment more than the introduction of a great teacher. Teacher quality and reaching quality go hand in hand. “Teacher quality — what teachers do” (Riley 2009, p. 7) comprises the identity of the teacher, their Knowledge and their ability to develop strong skills in pedagogy, content and theory in order to plan for the learning of all students. ‘Teaching quality — what students learn’ (Riley 2009, p. 7) focuses on the teaching and leaming that teachers put in place on a daily basis to improve student achievement. Teaching ‘quality is dependent on + the personalisation of leaming and respect for diverse learners * building positive student-teacher learning relationships CHAPTER 4 Introducing tesching as a potassion 5«the capacity to implement curriculum selevant to the twenty-first century * the continuous monitoring and evaluation of student learning, See earn designed to help you become a high-quality teacher who practises teaching i 95c0%. dance with profesional standards aad through an ethic of repect and care. The Austialian Institute for ‘Teaching and Schoo! Leadership (AITSL) provides national leadership for che Austin, and tert tory governments forthe teaching professional and school leadership. The webs ‘will provide you with tor a eat ieas and information about te profession of teaching that will guide you through bots Your initial preparation and throughout your carer in teaching or Tendership of wating i ee his tex i ale suppor you to develop a eitical perspeetive on lenming and leaching and con the professional theories you wll encounter during your studies and your work, A critical perspective sea nay of viewing information, ideas and practices that refuses to take them for granted. This also i ney ricalseifxeflction and self-evaluation 10 find any “blind spots’ that we may ovediook, due icvolves iliviw and background. Coming to know your blind spots, examples of which may Pe Yow x eerens or reastance co other viewpoints, is ertcl to developing your understanding of professional knowledge, practices and your identity and engagement as teacher, The ‘apprenticeship of observation’ Ghat do yu remember of your schooling? Do yu think thas shaped your views on Ieaing and tas toe an eminem America sociologist of eet, coined the em te “ppreneshp of ing Oa ee (oT pl). The pase eerste fat that peape who choos to study eduction Se une ving eeaty experienced mae than 12 yeas of continuo contact with ache esi co fhe apretzeship of observation may lead to the assumption tat ‘aye can ach a pi ois apt be proposition tat every stdet can make a esonbly erate portrayal ofa elasroem teachers actions. aan rep that people wanting to become teachers begin her stds with muck more expt Feet choosing to enter some oe profession, They hve, however, sa student ee yon aupct of aching —and without an understanding he kane or kl ein a rece Is npatant, terete, tat now — and indeed througont yor career — aaa earal erspective on your prior knowledge of schooling So eee cycenipof observations widely used to explain the apparent ack of uence aoe edcaon programs on aches’ practice and ay help explain he store eluctanse er ie al reterc, Ii ruc, however, ha, a a profession, etching possesses. and oe eae of apedalised theoretical Koowedge— and methods and techsigues Fo: applying ee ee easy work Thi ls mes keapng up 1 dt with roe research and policy ta ony an ote sin of edacaton and eshng, ou might Be srs to le ht hangs Outs arte ezarcng how best 0 fund eden ip Australi, Ausvaian eden ser ae ated by a model intruce by the Howard government in 2001 Teaching as a profession, teachers as professionals ‘The view of teaching as a profession and of the eype of Knowledge and sills that teachers must Possess eee ae to evolve Figure L-, dean from the findings of an Atstraian analysis of teaches education (leid & O'Donohve 2004, ilastates how approaches to teaching and teacher education diet Figure 12 shows the balding blocks of professional identity and the expertise cequi of teachers in the tleniyfet century, You will encounter these themes throughout your studies, Tink abead’ 9 Yet Ot ave ike Tory from our opening case, consider the excitement and challenges you wil! face in YORE fiat yea of teaching. You may be asprin to be a school culm ox yea evel coowdinaor OF 8 leader St Je ty auention such os a childcare cent or a not-for-profit argaisation, Your couse of Sty “Mal help you recognise and question the loosely formed, or “ect, knowledge developed through your vim experences of education It wll help you improve your knowledge and shils throughout your caeer in teaching, which may end up being in a leadesship rol. @ PART 1 The teaching professionEducators as enguirers into protessicral practice Educators ave engaged In the process of. [the basic knowiedse ind skills approach [eo Teachers are | echniciore: a teacher's Tole to convey @ Teanga Ly) profession vith harrow core of 7? accounlablityend | accessing and "which shows be producing new "eubjec! te professional | knowledge and making “eeleeguiation thelr own professional y meaning. Source: Based on information from Reld and O'Donohve (200, p. 61-83). DEES otcsional icity anc expan n the nytt century Profeseional ethics Professional standards Lifetong learning Professional membership CHAPTER 1 Introducing teaching as a profession 7At this point, you are likely 10 be a pre-service teacher, a graduate teacher oF Perhaps Sue just considering teaching as a carer. The tein pre-service teacher refers co sudents enrolled in a course serena intended to satity requirements for employment asa teacher, Graduate aches (ot begining or Shes refers to a teacher inthe first and subsequent early years oftheir professions) Vie. Aa Ae plished teacher is an educator who typically has more than five years of teaching vets and can raepstate expert performance through tangible evidence such as a teaching portfolio or & leadership position. This professional progression is strnmarised in Agore 1.3. “The continuum Presence ‘education to years ‘eaching, as you might have already understood, is dynamic profession, In the twenty-first cen- tury change is a constant and every teacher lives and leans through soci and ‘professional change. The ir ha Tositte for Teaching and School Leadership (ATTSL) develops national poficies and high- quality tools and resoures o support improvement in teaching and schoo! lettin, and in turn stadent sete: On 4 October 2011, Australian education ministers endorsed the Australian Professional ‘Standards for Teachers. In2014 a major report, Action Now: Classroom Reedy ‘Teachers (TEMAG 2014), aerated significant changes forthe preparation of pre-service teachers, including setestion Feais= seared tteraey and numeracy requirements set down for entry to the teaching profession cre arson Auettalian Professional Standards for Teachers remain unchanged, bat greater qenton ow sequied to ensuee that teachers in all Australian sehools ean identiy what teachers need to know aay eto doin ower to teach Aboriginal and Torres Stat Islander students, andro each ak students about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Istander languages. history and culture, “Teaching isa key focus of AITSL. Areas that ae of importance to pre-service and beginning teachers include: whe promotion and embedding ofthe Australian Professional Standards forall teachers = high-quality induction for early career teachers {evaluation of the use and impact of the Teaching Standards 1 Role and vesourees to support teachers to engage in practices that improve learning wae alan Teacher regulatory authorities rogister teachers in each state and teritory, Registase requirements vary between Australian states. Although AITSL does not regis teachers, they can give You information on registration, and some tools and resourees (0 telp You DrePae for registration. The soe vjan Insttte for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) career stages are defined 25 graduate, proficient, highly accomplished and lead, The ATTSL website has a large se=ton that demonstrates these event stages through ilastrations of practice. To progress through these four cares sages You ‘will need to evidence your practice and growth as a teacher over rime. The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers -the Austalian Professional Standards (APS) for Teachers comprise seven standards that ouine wit rrctent should know and be able o do (se inble 1.1). The ATTSL website contains detailed information tear and also acknowledges the evcial role of teachers in Australian society and their contribution toa high-quality education system. 8 PART 4 The teaching profession