20 February 2014 Higher education and school experts to advise on improving teacher education Minister for education Christopher Pyne has appointed Australian Catholic University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Greg Craven, to chair an eight-member Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group. Reporting later this year, the group will undertake extensive public and stakeholder consultation while focusing on three key areas: Pedagogical approaches: the ways teachers teach their students, and the different ways teaching and learning can occur; Subject content: how well teachers understand the content of subjects they are teaching; and, Professional experience: opportunities for … [Read more...]
Would-be teachers face personality testing
08/11/2013 by
The Age | 7 November 2013 At Melbourne University, aspiring teachers must now navigate an online test that looks for personality traits that will help them get the most from their training. This year about 1500 students with undergraduate qualifications used the survey tool, which also tests verbal communication and numerical ability. Only about a quarter of the applicants who took the test will be accepted. Students who want to graduate as teachers from Melbourne University must complete postgraduate qualifications in education. Melbourne University education professor John Hattie said the test assesses a broad range of traits from extroversion and agreeableness to … [Read more...]
New teacher quality centre at UC
03/06/2013 by
University of Canberra Media Centre | 30 May 2013 The University of Canberra is to receive $26 million to house a new Centre for Quality Teaching and Learning, which will deliver professional skills and applied, practice-led research to support the introduction of Government’s National Plan for School Improvement reforms. The new centre will collaborate with universities, researchers and teachers to support professional development for ACT teachers to “grow and develop, find new ways for teachers to be more effective and assist in the implementation of systems for continuous teacher performance feedback.” University of Canberra vice-chancellor Professor Stephen Parker says, … [Read more...]
CDU’s new suite of “quality assured” education courses
10/04/2013 by
CDU News | 8 April 2013 Charles Darwin University says a suite of education programs its offering this semester is among the first in Australia to align with new national quality standards. Each of the five undergraduate courses underwent a rigorous evaluation process before being accredited by the Northern Territory Teacher Registration Board on behalf of the Australian Institute of Teachers and School Leaders. The new four-year programs include a Bachelor of Education (Primary), a Bachelor of Education (Secondary) Health and Physical Education, a Bachelor of Education (Secondary) Music, a Bachelor of Education (Secondary) Visual Arts and a Bachelor of Education (Secondary) … [Read more...]
The Scan Main Edition 28 March 2013
28/03/2013 by
# 111 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Students give unis a tick A survey of 110,000 university students at campuses across the country has found found 80% rate their overall experience as "good" or "excellent", with all key demographic groups reporting consistent satisfaction. However, more than half of those surveyed believe paid work affected their study. And a majority of Australian students say support services are irrelevant to their needs.....[READ MORE].... Emerson endorses expanded uni access New education portfolio minister Craig Emerson has endorsed Labor’s massive expansion of university … [Read more...]
Millions wasted in education?
28/03/2013 by
That's not what the evidence says, according to Andrew Vann 28 March 2013 Over recent years we have seen a wave of angst about Australia’s school education. The complex issue of teacher quality is, of course, part of the equation, but state governments are also concerned that too many people are being allowed to study education leading to an oversupply of graduates. The dots are perhaps too easily joined here – governments now see raising university entry scores as a way to deal with oversupply, the problem of lifting the status of the profession and lifting quality all at the same time. After all, it’s easy to assume that lifting entry scores would be a solution when … [Read more...]
A fifth of teaching degrees might fail quality test
28/03/2013 by
The Australian | 26 March 2013 The chairman of the Australian Institute for Teaching School Leadership, Tony Mackay, says new national standards for accrediting teaching courses will result in a shake-out of the programs offered by almost 50 higher education institutions. Mackay says that while the accreditation process is in its early days, initial results suggest "as many as 20% will have serious work to do and, of those that will not get up at all, I'd be very surprised if it were less than 10%". It's a demanding process. There's an application process then requiring people to do more work, you don't immediately get through accreditation if you don't meet the … [Read more...]
The Scan Main Edition 18 March 2013
18/03/2013 by
# 110 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Education as a pathway out of social exclusion Social exclusion is a complex concept. In Educating oneself out of social exclusion, Heilke Buddelmeyer and colleagues examine the many dimensions of social exclusion and particularly focus on the positive role that education and training can play in overcoming it. They find that social exclusion is much more than being on a low income; education is a ‘powerful marker’, and this gives policy-makers a strong incentive to find ways of reducing the number of people who leave school before Year 12....[READ … [Read more...]
Commonwealth’s plan to improve teacher training
17/03/2013 by
Commonwealth Media Centre | 11 March 2013 Following on from the announcement of the NSW's government plan to "lift the bar" onteacher training, the Commonwealth governmen thas announced its own plan to introduce new, more rigorous standards for teacher training courses to improve the quality of teachers graduating from universities and being employed in Australian schools. The Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Science and Research, Chris Bowen MP, and the Minister for School Education, Peter Garrett MP, announced the new standards as part of the National Plan for School Improvement. Under the proposal, teaching degrees will have to introduce an improved admissions … [Read more...]
The Australian Higher Education Supplement 13 March 2013
14/03/2013 by
This is The Australian‘s own summary of lead items in its online edition. As this is a subscription service, you or your organisation will need to have a subscription to The Australian to view the full article. Overseas student costs rise 166pc Bernard Lane TUITION fees and living costs faced by international students have jumped 166 per cent over a decade. Young doctors train for country practice Stephen Fitzpatrick A full medical degree will soon be available in regional NSW. PM's Mr Fix-it urges science cultural shift Jill Rowbotham PUT simply, it's impossible to move in the … [Read more...]
