Isolated Children's Parents' Association Australia

Submitter information

Name

Isolated Children's Parents' Association Australia

Where are you located?

Queensland

What type of area do you live in?

Remote

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

No

Elevating the profession

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

Somewhat disagree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

Teaching in rural and remote contexts must be included in any targeted national campaign to raise the status and value the role of teachers. Teaching needs to be promoted as a rewarding, fulfilling and respected career. All teachers must be supported, valued and respected as professionals by Governments, communities, schools’ parents and students regardless of where they are teaching. Teaching in rural and remote Australia comes with its own complexities and challenges and this must be recognised to ensure recruitment and retention of competent, committed, confident and highly effective teachers who can deliver a consistently high standard of education in these locations. Geographically isolated students need to be considered as a unique disadvantage group in any discussions and consideration of education programs, including teacher education and the recruitment and retention of teachers in rural and remote Australia. The value of the teaching profession needs to be ongoing and coupled with a national campaign and processes in place to ensure teachers are respected and their health and wellbeing is paramount.

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.

Neither agree nor disagree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

Students who aspire to gain employment as teachers in rural and remote Australia need specific training during the initial teacher education course to ensure they are competent and highly effective and job-ready for the rural and remote context.

Education providers must recognise the unique circumstances surrounding the learning context of rural and remote students and ensure that all teachers working in geographically isolated schools are specifically trained to teach this cohort and within these contexts. Preparation for the complexities, challenges and uniqueness of teaching in a rural and remote school, living remotely, engaging in the community and the isolation from family, friends and colleagues is vital to improve recruitment and retention of teachers to these areas. The implementation of a major in Rural and Remote Education and modules on teaching students with specific learning needs should be incorporated into the teacher education courses incorporating the range of unique challenges requiring specific knowledge, understanding and skills relevant to teaching in rural and remote areas.

As an adjunct, teaching students should complete rural and remote school and distance education school practicums with support to live in a rural and remote community and experience living and working in a rural and remote area.
Assistance throughout the teaching course for students who express a desire and commitment to teach in rural areas upon completion of their course, and incentives for teachers to take up positions in rural and remote locations would assist in the recruitment and retention as the students would have the knowledge and skills and insight. These measures could include travel, accommodation and living expenses for practicums, relocation incentives (quality accommodation, travel, rental assistance), quality induction programs, mentor programs, mentor programs and additional support for professional development ensuring availability, accessibility and resourcing and salary loading and other financial incentives.

Strengthening Initial Teacher Education (ITE)

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

Neither agree nor disagree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

A review into initial Teacher Education should include the recognition of the unique circumstances surrounding the learning context of rural and remote students and ensure that all teachers working in geographically isolated schools are specifically trained and prepared for the complexities, challenges and uniqueness of teaching this cohort, living remotely and engaging in the community.

To ensure teachers are well prepared for teaching in the rural and remote context teacher education courses should include a major in Rural and Remote Education and modules on teaching students with specific learning needs.
The course should incorporate the range of unique challenges requiring specific knowledge, understanding and skills relevant to teaching in rural and remote areas including multi-age classrooms and curriculum tools, the distance education environment, online learning tools, use of communications facilities, an understanding of the nature of geographically isolated school environment and the role of the home tutor and strategies for coping with the unique dynamics that exist in small rural and remote communities and schools.

The course should include rural and remote school practicums with support to experience living and working in a rural and remote community, quality induction and mentor programs and additional support for professional development.
The teaching of students living in geographically isolated locations with specific education needs and learning difficulties requires an increased awareness of student needs, an appropriate level of skills and knowledge, and access to appropriate programs and support staff, including allied health professionals. Content pertaining to specific learning challenges and disorders affecting learning should include an understanding, knowledge and skills to effectively recognise learning difficulties, facilitate early recognition, identification and assessment, assist, manage and meet the needs and abilities of children with specific needs and learning difficulties, implement recognised learning programs and develop management programs for students with specific needs.

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?

Data collection, meaningful analysis and interpretation of that data and the management of student behaviour are significant drains on time to teach. High quality administrative support systems that ensure teachers can direct their energy and expertise to teaching instead of documentation and record keeping are required. Some schools and/or teachers already have such systems in place, so a blanket approach is not the answer. A system that allows teachers to identify what they, as an individual, need to optimise their time and energy for teaching in their classroom will value them and service classroom need rather than the needs of bureaucracy. A blanket approach devalues the individuality of our effective teachers and ignores the idiosyncrasies of individual classrooms. Clear and definite networks of sharing these effective and successful systems between teachers at rural and remote schools to facilitate a culture of mentoring and collegiality across regions could avoid the time consuming ‘re-inventing the wheel’ at separate schools.

An early childhood education system that identifies and begins to address specific learning and/or developmental needs before students start school and then integrates within the school system to ensure continuity of support for those students will create a smoother transition for students into their first years at school and lay a platform for effective, time efficient teaching.

Authentic social and emotional support of students will help to address the behavioural issues that continually interrupt effective teaching in many classrooms. Specific behaviour and classroom management strategies need to be part of all initial teacher education courses.

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?

Slightly effective

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

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.

Somewhat agree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

If measures to achieve priority areas 1-4 above are effectively implemented, retention of teachers will much easier. Elevation of the profession that supports, values and respects teachers, incentives to draw teachers to rural and remote regions to improve teacher supply in areas of need including relief staff, the strengthening of initial teacher education to produce teachers who feel well prepared and classroom ready and systems and supports to maximise time to teach will alleviate many of the reasons teachers leave their profession.

In addition to these priority areas, teachers need to be provided with support to cater for the individual needs of their students, especially for those with special learning needs. Teachers need trained support staff who help them provide relevant learning experiences for students with special learning needs so they can achieve their individual goals at school.

The HALT program has been a blanket approach that isn’t easily implemented, especially in rural and remote schools where opportunities to lead certain types of programs are not available. Individual teachers compile a portfolio of their work and pay $1500 over two assessment stages for the chance to be awarded as a highly accomplished or lead teacher. This devalues the effective teachers who then go looking for an urban school to expand their opportunity for professional growth and acknowledgement and promotion. The unique challenges of teaching in rural and remote schools should be valued, recognised and rewarded within a teacher certification system. Teachers in rural and remote locations need opportunity and support to attend professional development and then the opportunity to implement and share their learning on return to their rural and remote school community.