Anonymous #087

Submitter information

Name

Anonymous #087

Where are you located?

Australian Capital Territory

What type of area do you live in?

Metropolitan

Are you an education professional?
(e.g. teacher, school leader, learning support assistant, teacher’s aide)

Yes

Which sector do you work in?

Literacy intervention

What is your occupation?

also a speech pathologist

Elevating the profession

The actions proposed recognise the value teachers bring to students, communities and the economy.

Somewhat agree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

4. Targets to increase the number of classroom teachers recognised as high achieving and highly accomplished.
The financial cost of this program has been prohibitive to me and not value for my own money.
Trialing areas of expertise is important. Time and money should be provided to support teachers to complete this process. It could also be reflected in a pay increase

Improving teacher supply

The actions proposed will be effective in increasing the number of students entering ITE, number of students completing ITE and the number of teachers staying in and/or returning to the profession.

Strongly agree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

Actions sound good.
Important to get excellence in the early childhood sector where the most impact can be made for long-term outcomes for children and society
Paid positions at university to attract students
In the ACT, experienced teachers who retire are lost to the relief teacher pool as they are required to complete the same amount of professional learning as full-time teachers. This is at their own financial cost and their personal time. By reducing the relief pool you burn out teachers having to do inbuilt relief. By reducing the number of points in the Teachers Quality Institute TQI registration process to 10 from 20 and providing opportunities for professional learning and paying for their time in attending it you will see a return to the workforce of retired teachers and relief teachers.

Strengthening Initial Teacher Education (ITE)

The actions proposed will ensure initial teacher education supports teacher supply and quality.

Somewhat agree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

• strengthening initial teacher education programs to deliver effective classroom ready teachers, with particular attention to teaching reading, literacy and numeracy, classroom management, cultural responsiveness, teaching students with diverse needs and working with families/carers

It is imperative that pre-service university courses reflect evidence-based best practices based on rigorous research in the teaching of literacy. currently, they persist in teaching outdated invalid methods of teaching literacy. This results in teachers being unprepared to teach literacy in the most efficient and scientific way, this results in catastrophic outcomes for students who fail to acquire literacy skills and are condemned to a lifetime of struggle in employment, relationships, low SES, well-being, and incarceration (refer to Dr. Pamela Snows research in this area). Our primary schools are full of teachers who do not know how to teach reading and writing and students who are disengaged and frustrated. The implications of this can not be overstated. Currently, I teach in a secondary school and see the impacts of illiteracy every day on behavior, student engagement, and learning outcomes. This drives down teacher satisfaction and impacts their safety in the workplace due to student behavior.
Universities should be made to comply with research-based pedagogies and assessments when training teachers and this must be linked to funding. The individual belief or values of a university lecturer should be allowed to prevent this.
Numeracy is in a similar situation.
Evidence-based pedagogies such as explicit instruction must be taught and pedagogies with a weak evidence base such as inquiry learning and learning styles must not be taught and encouraged as is the current situation.

Maximising the time to teach

The actions proposed will improve retention and free up teachers to focus on teaching and collaboration.

Somewhat agree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

Identify the most effective use of initial teacher education students, teaching assistants, and other non-teaching staff.

There is much current research into the effective use of teacher assistants in schools. It is important that this is referenced and decisions made on the effective use of paraprofessionals in schools that result in better learning outcomes and inclusive practices rather than teachers giving the supervision of the neediest students over to the paraprofessional.

References:
Inclusive Education for the 21st Century, Theory, Policy, and Practice edited by Linda Graham 2020
The effective use of teaching assistants by Tanya Vaughan 2018
https://www.australianteacheraide.com.au/
Teachers’ Perceptions of Their Work with Teacher Assistants: A Systematic Literature Review 2021 Claire Jackson et al. Monash University, Clayton
https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/
https://maximisingtas.co.uk/

Recommendations on making better use of LSAs
• Preparedness
o Class teachers plan lessons effectively, and explicitly plan the LSAs role in them to supplement teaching
o Teachers spend time with the students who need additional support
o Time for joint planning, preparation, and feedback between teachers and LSAs before and after lessons.
o Encourage LSAs to make notes on their observations in class for feedback
o Professional development for teachers on how to manage and organise the work of LSAs
o Appropriate quality training for LSAs

• Supplement, not replace the teacher
o Clear roles, responsibilities, boundaries, and expectations of teachers and LSAs
o Use LSAs to add value to the class teaching as an additional resource not as a replacement

• Scaffold for student independence
o Train LSAs to foster independence. Bosanquet framework: 2nd Edition The Teaching Assistant's Guide to Effective Interaction: How to Maximise Your Practice By Paula Bosanquet, Julie Radford, Rob Webster Copyright Year 2021
 Observation, allowing time, self-scaffolding
 Prompting or encouraging
 Clueing (questions or information)
 Modelling
 Correcting
o Focus on process not product of learning

Better understanding future teacher workforce needs

How effective are the proposed actions in better understanding future teacher workforce needs, including the number of teachers required?

Very effective

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

improvement of salaries is important as teachers reach a threshold very quickly after 9 years of service.
There is no incentive to stay in the classroom. Teachers seek leadership positions to increase their salary and we lose good teachers in the classroom and end up with ineffective leaders,
It would be great f teachers had some way of more flexible leave. Our four week annual leave is locked into the Christmas period and we cant take holidays at times to suit other family members or travel seasons.

Better career pathways to support and retain teachers in the profession

The proposed actions will improve career pathways, including through streamlining the process for Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher (HALT) accreditation, and providing better professional support for teachers to retain them in the profession.

Strongly agree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

I would like to add that nowhere in this document is the ACT cited as taking action/initiative under any of these objectives. This is disappointing.
Also there is no reflection of the interaction between parents/carers and teachers. Teachers are often abused by parents even when calling to offer support or discuss students' needs.
"I don't have time"
"I am too important to be bothered with this" or my job is more important "
"What did you say or do to make my child behave like this"
Verbal and physical threats are a reality in schools

Ageism is strong in the teaching workforce. This discourages teachers from staying in schools
Males are promoted more than females in the profession

Increased allied health professionals in school will make a differnece
Speech pathologists, OT, social workers, youth workers, nurses, psychologists
More early intervention