Context as Key to (Re)Shaping Teacher Education: Informing Policy in Australia

• In Event: Roundtable Session 25
  In Roundtable Session: International Perspectives on Teacher Education Policy and Practice

Abstract

This paper presents findings from the first Australian large-scale longitudinal study designed to generate an evidentiary basis for policy decisions regarding teacher education and beginning teaching. The study investigated the career progression of graduate teachers from teacher education into teaching employment, tracking their perceptions over time on the relevance and effectiveness of their teacher education programs. Drawing on surveys, intensive case studies and a mapping of teacher education to explore notions of diversity and the impact of context in schools and universities, the paper explores teacher education characteristics that best prepare graduate teachers for the diverse contexts in which they begin teaching. This study locates itself alongside international debates around teacher quality, teacher effectiveness and the outcomes of teacher education.

Authors

• Diane E. Mayer, The University of Sydney

• Jodie Kline, Deakin University

• Bernadette Mary Walker-Gibbs, Deakin University

• Simone Jane White, Monash University

• Michelle Ludecke, Deakin University