Going Bush: preparing pre-service teachers to teach in regional western Australia.
Trinidad, Sue ; Broadley, Tania ; Terry, Emmy 等
BACKGROUND
In 1998 Western Australia's Rural and Remote Education
Advisory (RREAC) undertook an extensive consultation across the
State's vast and diverse regional areas. The purpose of the
consultation was to get a snapshot of what regional people were thinking
about the provision of education to their locations. The consultation
involved asking four questions: What do you think is really good about
rural and remote education in Western Australia? What do you think needs
to be improved about rural and remote education in Western Australia?
How can these things be improved? What do you see as the future for
young people in rural and remote Western Australia? In terms of things
that needed to be improved and how this should be achieved the findings
noted that "... the single most important issue was that of
staffing. It ranked by far as the single most mentioned, and most
elaborately discussed issue. This was confirmed when people were asked
to consider strategies to improve rural and remote education-again it
ranked most mentions. Overall, taken across data on both school and
TAFE, approximately 33.3% of the discussion involved staffing
matters" (Butoroc, 1998). Butoroc's analysis of the survey
results went on to show that issues around attraction and retention of
quality teachers to regional locations rated high on the list of
concerns. These concerns raised thirteen years ago in Western Australia
have parallels in other parts of regional Australia (for example Vinson,
2002; Roberts, 2003; Green & Reid, 2004; Miles, Marshall, Rolfe
& Noonan, 2004). Issues associated with attraction and retention of
teachers to rural locations remains a challenge in Western Australia
(Twomey, 2007; Daniels, 2007).
Within the first five years of their careers many teachers leave
the profession (Abbott-Chapman, 2006) and this is particularly so in
rural and regional practice where isolation in the way of geography and
professional development takes its toll (Herrington & Herrington,
2001). In Western Australia Daniels (2007) found that 25% of new teacher
graduates resign after two years service and that figures grows to 50%
by their fifth year of teaching. As we move into a new decade retention
is likely to intensify as the baby boomers begin leaving the workforce
and the nation struggles to satisfy the demand for skilled labour
brought about by the resource industry moving into another phase of
expansion. The pressure of staffing country schools will continue to be
an issue into the future.
Of all the issues surrounding the attraction and retention of the
education workforce to regional, rural and remote Australia, the
inadequacy of pre-service institutions to prepare teachers for working
and living in the bush is significant. In Western Australia RREAC's
1998 consultation identified better teacher preparation as the third
most significant way of improving regional, rural and remote education
after increased government funding and greater availability of
specialised study areas (Butoroc, 1998). The Human Rights and Equal
Opportunity Commission (HREOC, 2000) reported in their landmark National
Inquiry into Rural and Remote Education that pre-service teacher
education courses did not adequately equip pre-service teachers well for
working and living in rural, regional or remote Australia. Research by
Sharplin (2002) confirmed HREOC's view as did national research by
Lyons, Cooksey, Panizzon, Parnell, and Pegg (2006). Frid, Smith, Sparrow
and Trinidad, (2008, 2009), the Twomey Taskforce (2007) and the Daniels
Review (2007) found this to still be the case in Western Australia.
Often it would seem that the attraction of quality teachers to
rural Australia is not a supply problem. It is not uncommon, in Western
Australia at least, for there to be a number of graduates who are
offered appointments in non-metropolitan locations but do not take them
up preferring to wait until what they perceive as a more desirable
position in the city becomes available. One of the most significant
factors impacting on the attraction of teachers to work in rural,
regional and remote Australia is fear of the unknown (Sharplin, 2002).
This apprehension could possibly be explained by the demographical
phenomenon that Salt (2006) refers to as the "push from the
bush". In 1901, Salt points out, 52% of Australia's population
lived in rural location and only 15% resided in suburbia. The
contemporary situation, just over one hundred years later, is very
different and almost the reverse with only 17% of the nation's
population living in rural locations and 59% in suburbia. Picking up on
this fact RREAC noted in their 2007 Annual Activity Report (pp. 46-47)
that:
During a significant proportion of the last century rural life
dominated in Australia. As a result of this domination even those
who lived in suburbia or an inner city location had an
understanding of the bush. In many cases those living in non-rural
areas had links in some way, usually through family or work, with
Australia's rural life. With the restructuring of Australia's
rural economy in the latter part of the twentieth century, along
with the associated decline in rural population and the growth of
suburbia, the understanding of and empathy with Australia's
non-metropolitan life has been lost. For a significant number of
people in this country, rural Australia is an alien place. Many
of their beliefs are based on myths (Wallace and Boylan, 2007).
For those who take up the challenge to work in rural Australia
overcoming this alienation can be a difficult process with few
support structures in place to assist in building an understanding
of rural places and transition to what, in reality, is a different
world.
Pre-service education institutions need to expose their students to
the significant, broad and complex issues relevant to rural, regional
and remote education. These issues exist not only within the context of
rural, regional and remote schools but also their wider communities. The
role that universities play in supporting teachers develop their
professional identity is important and "best not left of
chance" (Cattley, 2007, p. 339). As Cattley points out, the
practicum experiences is integral to the development of professional
identity. Supporting pre-service teachers do this in what is for many
the very unfamiliar context of rural communities is a role that
universities need to address in a more vigorous way than they do
currently. This is particularly so when viewed in contrast to the
important role universities play in the pre-service preparation of rural
health professionals-the other keystone of regional, rural and remote
community well being.
In terms of better preparing pre-service teachers for working and
living in non-metropolitan locations universities need to develop
appropriate curriculum and ensure that pre-service teachers are involved
in quality placement programs in rural, regional and remote Australia to
learn the necessary attributes needed to be successful in these
positions. These attributes include such things as; classroom and school
strategies relevant to non-metropolitan teaching and learning, building
knowledge and skills associated with living and working in isolated
places and building skills around community awareness and involvement
in, what is, for many pre-service teachers, very unfamiliar ground.
According to Boylan (2005) pre-service rural education curriculum need
six essential program inclusions, namely: teaching and learning focus;
administration focus, community focus; personal focus; field experience
focus and professional learning focus.
THE PROJECT
Through a strong collaborative partnership of the four public
universities in Western Australia, a group of researchers came together
to work on the task of better preparing pre-service teachers with the
necessary attributes and expectations for rural, regional and remote
teaching, which may result in attracting and retaining more teachers to
these regions. This project was undertaken through a nationally funded
Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) Competitive Research and
Development Project titled "Developing Strategies at the
Pre-Service Level to Address Critical Teacher Attraction and Retention
Issues in Australian Rural, Regional and Remote Schools". This
project funded from May 2010 to May 2012 has set about to strengthen the
capacity and credibility of universities to prepare rural, regional and
remote educators, similar to the capacity and credibility that has been
created in preparing Australia's rural, regional and remote health
workers. The project is being completed in five phases, allowing the
production of exemplar curriculum modules/objects, the development of
rural, regional and remote field experiences, and the documentation of
outcomes through the production of case studies.
This paper provides a summary of the first year of the project with
emphasis on some preliminary research finds associated with expected
improved knowledge and skill development by First Year pre-service
teachers, across a number of teaching and learning fields as a result of
engagement with a curriculum object /module with a regional, rural and
remote content.
Outcomes from the First Year of the Project
The project has successfully completed Phases One and Two of the
project with Phase 3 underway.
The outcomes, process and focus for evaluation of Phase One have
included the mapping of current Western Australian rural, regional and
remote pre-service teacher education curriculum and field experience
models and comparison with national information. Collaborative mapping
between partner universities has resulted in a thorough understanding of
rural, regional and remote education curriculum and pre-service
experience within the Western Australian context. Secondly, the
identification of rural, regional and remote education curriculum and/or
field experience models used nationally and internationally. A thorough
Internet and literature search has been supported by follow up
interviews with specific institutions to elicit in-depth detail about
rural education curriculum and field experience. Universities in all
Australian States and Territories have been included along with selected
universities in Canada and the United States. The third outcome has been
the identification of structures and processes from the Combined
Universities Centre for Rural Health (CUCRH) which could be replicated
in the field of education and identification of common goals and issues
which could serve as a foundation for integrating or emulating education
with/within the CUCRH structure. Internet and literature search, along
with follow up interviews with CUCRH personnel has been used to develop
an understanding of existing structures and processes. Support
mechanisms to attract and retain health workers have been identified at
both the national and state level. The team is continuing to investigate
synergies that could be developed and/or replication models for
implementation of a similar model.
Phase Two has produced two outcomes. Firstly, the identification of
key fields of knowledge, central concepts, objects and course outcomes
of each universities teacher education curriculum, and secondly, the
sequencing of the field experiences of the four universities involved.
This has paved the way for investigating additional opportunities for
the development of collaborative field experience models across the four
universities with high level engagement by school systems and sectors.
Consultation with potential partners is continuing through the Rural and
Remote Education Advisory Council (WA) and Aboriginal Education and
Training Council (WA). One key element of the project is the extensive
consultation with key stakeholders through the Department of Education
especially the Remote Teaching Program (RTP), the Catholic Education
Office, the Association of Independent Schools of Western Australia, the
Western Australian District High Schools Administrators Association and
the Regional Development Commissions to develop suitable experiences for
pre-service teachers to meet the needs of the system and rural schools
and their communities. The Society for the Provision of Education has
been a founding partner of the project.
Currently Phase Three which is the Implementation of Student
Learning is underway. In this Phase the team also interrogated the
National Professional Standards for Teachers and identified, at the
graduate level, draft key rural, regional and remote content. The
intention is to also compile a list of applicable resources related to
pre-service and graduate teachers working and living in rural, regional
and remote locations. An example of the project's work in this area
is provided in Figure 1. The Project Team is establishing a strong
working relationship with the Australian Institute for Teaching and
School Leadership (AITSL) who are tasked with the preparation and
validation of the National Professional Standards for Teachers.
National Professional Standards: Graduate Teachers --Draft Key
Concepts and Possible Resources
The factthat the Australian Institute for Teaching and School
Leadership (AITSL) release of the Standards for Graduate Teachers
coincides with the TERRR Project, has given the team the opportunity to
begin developing key concepts and student resource links for the
standards. The TERRR Project Team believe this work will help
pre-service teacher education providers with Ideas about the regional
and remote focus needed In their curriculum to ensure that graduate
teachers can meet the standards In non-metropolitan teaching and
learning environments. rjhay
More Information about this work will be posted on the TERRR
Group-site Ifete/tehttp^/terrgroupsItB.corTi as the framework takes
shape.
An example of the work In progress Is listed below. TheTERRRTeam
acknowledges the support of the Reference Group and Network Partners,
especially the Remote Teaching Program Team, In helping to develop this
framework.
Data Collection from the First Year Students
Initial qualitative and quantitative data has been gathered from
First Year pre-service teachers through an online survey (n=200). Of
these 64 respondents 18 students provided a positive response regarding
follow up telephone interviews to further clarify the reasons for
answering the online question in the way that they did. This follow-up
interviewing is still in progress. The online data were gathered through
the implementation of student learning commenced with a trial of a
curriculum object at Curtin University that focused on rural, regional
and remote education linked to technology. First Year students in the
teacher education program for Early Childhood and Primary participated
in the trial. This module/object has been adapted and refined for
institution specific implementation for the other universities involved
in this ALTC Project. As part of the engagement with the curriculum
module/object participants had the opportunity to consider participating
in a regional, rural or remote practicum/field experience and were then
invited to complete the online survey asking them to indicate the extent
to which they expected to improve their knowledge and skills across 23
fields associated with the work of teachers if they participated in a
regional, rural or remote practicum/field experience. A seven point
Likert-type scale was used based on its effectiveness in terms of
validity, reliability and preference by respondents (Preston &
Colman, 2000).
FINDINGS
There were 64 First Year students who responded to the follow-up
online survey with a 32% response rate. Of those respondents there were
24 training to be Early Childhood Education teachers and 40 were
training to be Primary teachers of which 60 were females and four were
males. The majority of respondents (81%) were either under 20 years of
age (50%) or between 20-25 years (31%). The remaining respondent's
age range was between 30 and 50 years. Interestingly, 72% (49) were
living in the metropolitan area before they began their studies, while
28% (19) were from regional areas. In response to the question that
asked where do they live now, 87% (59) were living in Perth and only
(13%) or 9 were living in a regional area currently.
When rating the development of appropriate teaching/learning
strategies 64 students who responded to this question, 70% agreed that
through participating in a regional, rural or remote practicum/field
experience they expected that their knowledge and skills would be
improved. A further 24% of the students were in strong agreement.
More than half of the respondents strongly agreed (35 of 64 or 55%)
that by participating in a non-metropolitan practicum/field experience
they expected to improve their knowledge about the characteristics of
students attending regional/rural/remote schools. This was the highest
"strongly agree" response across the 23 questions of the
survey. A further 23 students, or 36.5%, agreed with this
expectation/view.
Of the under-graduate cohort that participated in this survey 29
(46%) expected that a regional, rural or remote practicum/field
experience would improve their knowledge and skills associated with
managing student behaviour. A further 26 students or 41% strongly agreed
while seven students equating to 11% only slightly agreed that they
expected such an experience would improve their effectiveness around
student behaviour. Those who only slightly agreed that they expected to
gain knowledge and skills in this field of their professional growth was
higher than for the previous two questions with seven participants, or
11% holding this view.
The spread of expectations around the benefit of a regional, rural
or remote experience associated with building knowledge and skills
associated with teaching in multi-age classrooms was similar to that for
managing student behaviour as the highest number of students, 27 (43%),
agreed with the view. Similarly, 25 (40%) strongly agreed while seven
students (11%) only slightly agreed.
While these expectations were high, the likelihood of having to
teach in a multi-age classroom in a non metropolitan school on
graduation for a primary graduate is high. In light of this, it is
interesting to note that the expectations around the possible learning
to be gained in this field of teaching and learning by participating in
a regional, rural and remote practicum/field experience was not
stronger. The breakdown of those studying to be primary teachers
compared with secondary teachers responding to this question would be
interesting. Likewise, as these students have not yet experienced a
regional, rural or remote practicum/field experience, and few of them
come from rural backgrounds, there could be a lack of understanding
about the high concentration of multi-age classrooms in regional, rural
and remote locations.
Response to this question was also positive with 29 of the 64 (46%)
respondents expecting that participation in a non-metropolitan school
experience would improve their knowledge about the availability of
support in regional, rural and remote locations and their skills in
accessing such support. A further 25 (39.7%) students also agreed that
this would be the case for them while an additional 11.1% gave the
notion slight support.
As to whether participating in a regional, rural or remote
experience would enhance knowledge and skills associated with
staff-student relationships in school, 36 of the 64 students (57%)
expected that this would be the case. A further 17 (27%) of students
gave the idea strong support.
Expectations that participating in a regional, rural and remote
practicum experience would develop knowledge and skills around
staff-student relationships outside of schools were strong with 30
students or 48% expecting this to be the case, 18 students (29%) gave
the idea only slight support. This was the highest slightly agreeing
response across all 23 questions covered in the survey. Further probing
as to the reason for this relatively low level of support would be
interesting. Such investigation could lead to some valuable insights
about pre-service students understanding of the differences between
regional and urban students and the close knit nature of living and
teaching in regional, rural and remote locations. As with further
probing around the thinking and reasoning to other responses, the
information gained could illustrate gaps in the curriculum in terms of
building knowledge associated with regional, rural and remote education
differentials and the need to enhance the curriculum to build better
understandings about those differences. This is considered in more
detail in the discussion below.
Regional, rural and remote communities have difference expectations
about their schools than their urban counterparts (for example see
Hatch, 2010). As Hatch notes, these expectations revolve around a number
of interactions including family-school relationships, community-school
relationships and school-community relationships (Hatch, 2010, p. 180).
Again, the expectations associated with participating in a
regional, rural and remote school experience enabling the development of
knowledge and skills associated with community expectations of the
schools were high with 29 students (46%) agreeing and a further 23 (36%)
strongly agreeing. Nine students (14%) gave the notion only slight
support again posing the benefit that could be gained from further
questions to probe the reasoning behind the responses.
The role of the school in regional, rural and remote locations is
different and related to the previous question associated with
expectations regional people have of their communities. This is
encapsulated by a comment by one of the participants who is already from
the bush:
I would be interested in participating in such a unit [Welcome to
the Bush] though having grown up in the bush and having worked for
many years on remote mine-sites I probably know a lot about the
lifestyle already. I have also switched to online studies so not
sure if you would look at offering this course that way. I would
be happy to undertake a regional practicum anywhere; of course the
bigger hubs (Kalgoorlie, Karratha, Port Hedland etc) would be
nicer, I think it would be great to experience teaching the lower
economic and small areas like Meekatharra, Paraburdoo etc.
In terms of participating in a regional, rural or remote
experience, students expected that they would be able to build on their
own knowledge and skills associated with the role of the school in the
community. This support was reflected with 32 students (51%) agreeing,
23 (36%) strongly agreeing and 10 (9%) slightly agreeing.
Just under half of the students, 29 (46%) strongly agreed that they
expected to improve their knowledge and skills about the general
operation of regional, rural and remote schools by participating in a
non-metropolitan practicum/field experience. A further 27 students (43%)
also agreed that this would be the case with five (8%) of students
giving the notion slight support.
The pattern of responses in relation to expectations about building
knowledge and skills around staff-staff relationships in and outside of
the school reflected sound support with 34 students or 54% of the survey
sample agreeing. A quarter of the respondents, 16 students (25%), gave
strong agreement while 12 students (19%) gave only slight agreement.
Half of the respondents, 32 students or 50.8% of the cohort agreed
that they expected to improve their knowledge and skills associated with
staff-staff relationships outside of school. Another 13 students (20.6%)
strongly agreed. 16 students or 25.4% of the sample gave the notion
slight agreement.
More than half of the respondents, 38 students or 60% agreed that
they expected their knowledge and skills about parent-student relations
to improve by participating in a regional, rural or remote
practicum/field experience. A further 15 students or 24% strongly agreed
that this would be the case while seven students (11%) gave slight
agreement. Two students slightly disagreed with the view.
Overall support for the expectation that a regional, rural or
remote practicum/field experience would enhance knowledge and skill
development associated with school expectations of teachers was also
positive with 31 students, 49.2%, agreeing and 22 students (34.9%)
strongly agreeing. Eight students or 12.7% of the respondents gave the
notion slight agreement.
Responses to the expectation that participation in a regional,
rural or remote practicum/field experience would enhance knowledge and
skill development associated with staff-parent relationships in school
was almost the same as those related to parent-student relationships
(Question 13). Here 38 students or 60% of the survey cohort agreed that
by participating in a regional, rural or remote practicum/field
experience they expected their knowledge and skills about parent-student
relations would improve. A further 17 students (27%) strongly agreed
while six students or 9% of the sample only slightly agreed.
In terms of expected improvement in relation to knowledge and
skills about staffparent relationships outside school to be gained by
participation in a regional, rural or remote practicum/field, 33
students (52%) agreed that this would be the case while another 15
students or 23% of the survey cohort gave the notion strong support. In
comparison 12 students, or 19%, slightly agreed while a further two
students slightly disagreed.
There was strong agreement, 30 students or 47% of the sample, for
the expectation that by participation in a regional, rural or remote
practicum/field one would improve their knowledge and skill development
about the availability of school resources. A further 25 students (39%)
agreed while a further five (8%), gave the notion slight agreement.
Of the cohort 29 students or 46% agreed that as a result of
participation in a regional, rural or remote practicum/field they
expected their knowledge and skills about community expectations of
teachers outside school hours would improve. A further 22 (35%) strongly
agreed while 10 students or 16% slightly agreed.
Expectations around the benefits to be gained by participation in a
regional, rural or remote practicum/field in relation to building
knowledge and skills about how to gain acceptance by the community
received a similar range of support to those about community
expectations of teachers outside school hours. 31 students or 49.2% of
the sample agreed and 22 students, 34.9% strongly agreed. Only one
student slightly disagreed.
Through participating in a regional, rural or remote
practicum/field 31 students or 49% agreed that they expected they would
build their knowledge and skills about the importance of participating
in community activities such as sports and clubs. A further 21 or 33% of
the students strongly agreed with this idea and nine students or 14%
gave slight agreement.
There was strong support from pre-service students that by
participating in a regional, rural or remote practicum/field experience
they would expect to improve their knowledge and skills around attitudes
and values of people who live in non-metropolitan communities. 32
students (50.8%) strongly agreed that this would be the case while
another 25 students or 39% agreed. Only three students slightly agreed.
Similarly, there was strong support for the view that as a result
of participating in a regional, rural or remote practicum/field
experience pre-service students would expect to improve their knowledge
or skills about non-metropolitan lifestyle with 29 students (46%)
strongly agreeing that this would be the case while another 25 of these
students or 39% of the sample agreeing with the view. Five students
slightly agreed.
In terms of the development knowledge and skills about development
of own living skills, 28 of the students or 44% agreed that by
participating in a regional, rural or remote practicum/field experience
would be helpful in this regard. Another 20 students or 32% strongly
agreed while eight or 13% of the students slightly agreed.
DISCUSSION
There is comprehensive acknowledgement from students that they
would expect to improve their knowledge and skills across a wide range
of questions associated with regional, rural and remote education by
participating in a practicum/field experience outside of the
metropolitan area. The aim of students participating in this
module/object was to begin the process of building an understanding of
rural education, to encourage them to think about 'going bush'
and to survey them regarding the learning they expected to gain from
undertaking a rural practicum. The highest percentage of responses in
this cohort were always either in the "agree" or
"strongly agree" category. Across 18 of the 23 questions, 50
or more of the 64 students responded by either agreeing or strongly
agreeing that they would expect to improve their knowledge and skills as
a result of participating in a nonmetropolitan practice as illustrated
in Figure 2.
This aside, it is still worth considering why the "strongly
agree" support was relatively low in comparison to the strongly
agree responses. Across the 23 questions that students were given the
opportunity to consider, there were only six questions that received the
highest percentage of "strongly agree" responses, those being:
2. Characteristics of students in regional/rural/remote schools
5. The availability of support provided for teachers in
regional/rural/remote locations: e.g. Regional Office
10. General operation of regional/rural/remote schools
17. Availability of school resources
21. Attitudes and values of people who live in
regional/rural/remote communities
22. Regional/rural/remote lifestyle
[FIGURE 2 OMITTED]
As can be seen, in all but one of the questions the words regional,
rural and remote was used. The other questions do not use these words
and are more generic in nature, asking students to respond about their
expected acquisition of knowledge and skills such as: community
expectations of the school; the role of the school in the community; and
staff-parent relationships outside school. The work of Green (2008),
Reid et al. (2010) and White (2010) has focused on the "Rural
Social Space" and how the three interrelated factors of economy,
geography and demography connect to create rural social practice and
space. In a similar vein Boylan (2004) notes that a range of social,
cultural, geographical, historical, political and service access factors
work together to "define the difference in working and living in
rural contexts compared with other locations" and that "the
preparation of teachers for rural appointments require specific
attention to these factors". In all of the questions to which the
students responded, the situation is very different between metropolitan
and nonmetropolitan schools because of the interplay between those
factors that make up Rural Social Space along with those to which Boylan
refers. When the words regional, rural and remote were not used in the
questions, it is possible that First Year students see no need for
developing a specific knowledge base and skill set to equip them for
work in regional, rural and remote locations.
Keeping in mind that only 19 of the respondents had a
non-metropolitan background, it is worth speculating the degree to which
these students had an understanding that there are many aspects of
regional, rural and remote education that are different across all 23
questions to which they were invited to respond. Extending this
speculation further, it could be assumed that the understanding of the
differences in non-metropolitan school/education held by metropolitan
pre-service teachers is limited (Sharplin, 2002). These students with a
non-rural background may, therefore, have responded in a way that
reflects their expected benefits of participating in any practicum/field
experience no matter what location. In other words, the responses to
those questions without the use of the words regional, rural and remote
could have been made assuming that a "school is a school" and
that differences caused by geography, distance, location and place have
no bearing a school or the education that takes place within them. A
comparison of pre-service survey results with those obtained from a
graduate cohort who the same survey after actually participating in a
regional, rural and remote experience highlights some interesting
differences which could support the fact that it is not until students
have an understanding of rural, regional and remote experiences that
they full appreciate the benefits that could be gained by participating
in a non-metropolitan practicum/field experience.
As a result of actually participating in a regional, rural or
remote experience graduates strongly agreed that their knowledge and
skills had improved across 15 of the 23 questions whereas in was only in
six of the questions that pre-service responses expected this to be the
case. As noted above pre-service teachers only gave a strongly agree
response when the words regional, rural and remote were used. Data from
the other participating institutions will provide further clarity on
this assumption.
The results discussed above are only from one of the universities
participating in this ALTC project. The intention is to now survey First
Year pre-service teachers in the other three universities.
COMPLETING THE SECOND YEAR OF THE PROJECT
As Phase three is completed it is intended that Phase four will
undertake an interrogation of a successful field experience program
currently in place at one of the universities that will help inform the
development and implementation of the 'Welcome to the Bush'
strategy. Phase five will conclude the project through evaluation,
reflection and sharing through a state Forum in May 2012.
Ongoing dissemination has occurred at National and International
research events. Further communication and dissemination has taken place
through TERRR Groupsite, the SPERA and Rural Education Forum of
Australia (REFA) websites to build a community of practice with
pre-service and newly graduated teachers, along with media releases to
major media organisations. This ALTC project is also exploring how
resource material gathered during the project can be located on the
Regional, Rural and Remote Teacher Education Curriculum (RRRTEC)
website. (http://www.rrrtec.net.au/). What the project team understand
is that students need to experience 'going to the bush' to
understand what it will be like.
Another important part of the project has been the role of
Evaluator and the Reference Group for this project. The Evaluator has
included attending monthly meetings, intensive planning days and several
points of dissemination therefore developing a thorough understanding of
the aims, deliverables and outcomes for the project. An initial meeting
of the Reference Group was held in July 2010 at the beginning of the
project with a second formal meeting in July 2011 reporting on the
outcomes of the first year of the project. These meeting have included
stakeholders with a vested interest in rural, regional and remote
education, including educational governance, community and industry
partners. The Reference Group has provided a broad range of expertise
and perspectives which has informed the future directions, actions and
outcomes of the project.
CONCLUSION
National project funding has enabled a group of educators from the
four public universities in Western Australia to work together on an
issue of national importance and that is what strategies can we use to
encourage educational professionals to 'go bush'? The team has
successfully completed the first year of the project which has involved
in Phase one extensive mapping of the current pre-service teacher
education curriculum in the four partner universities as well as
conducting a thorough investigation of an exemplar model of a combined
university initiative within the health sector (CUCRH). From this
investigation, common goals were identified to inform the project
deliverables. Phase two has involved revising the project objectives and
deliverables, which provided a very clear direction of curriculum
planning. Further consideration has been given to the practical
application of the curriculum into pre-service teacher programs at all
universities with the development of generic objects and modules of
curriculum, rather than entire units allowing the building on best
practice. The implementation of student learning, in Phase three is
currently being undertaken. This phase involves an extensive data
collection process from pre-service teachers and graduate teachers. The
trial curriculum module/object was implemented in one unit, at one
university. This data analysis has informed the future development and
implementation phase.
The Project Team has successfully formed an extensive network of
partnerships with key stakeholders involved in rural, regional and
remote education. These networks and the variety of dissemination
strategies undertaken have allowed for peer review, guidance and
external perspectives that will inform the final year of the project to
achieve its overall outcome of better preparing pre-service teachers to
'go bush'.
REFERENCES
Boylan, C. (2004). The state of rural education in pre-service
teacher education courses. Paper presented at the 20th National
Conference of the Society for the Provision of Education in Rural
Australia, Fremantle.
Boylan, C. (2005). Designing a course in rural education. Paper
presented at the 21st National Conference of the Society for the
Provision of Education in Rural Australia, Darwin 2005.
Boylan, C. R. and Wallace, A. R. (2007). Reawakening education
policy and practice in rural Australia. Paper presented at the 23rd
National conference of the Society for the Provision of Education in
Rural Australia, Perth. August 29-31.
Butorac, A. (1998). Summary report of consultations undertaken for
the Rural and Remote Education Advisory Council (RREAC). RREAC Narrogin
Conference, Narrogin.
Cattley, G. (2007). Emergence of professional identity for the
pre-service teacher. International Education Journal 8 (2).
Daniels, G (2007) Review of teacher recruitment practices.
Department of Education and Training: Western Australia.
Frid, S., Smith, M., Sparrow, L. & Trinidad, S. (2008). An
exploration of issues in the attraction and retention of teachers to
non-metropolitan schools in Western Australia. Education in Rural
Australia, 18(1), 20-29.
Green, B. & Reid, J. (2004) 'Challenging futures, changing
agendas? Sustaining and renewing teacher education in Australia',
Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 32, 3, 255-274.
Green, B. (2008). Rural social space. Working paper for TERRAnova
project. Bathurst: Charles Sturt University.
Hatch, J. (2010). Interaction between education providers and
communities in the Wheat-belt South. Paper presented at the 26th
National Conference of the Society for the Provision of Education in
Rural Australia, Sunshine Coast. September 15-17, 2010.
Herrington, A., & Herrington, J. (2001). Web-based strategies
for professional induction in rural, regional and remote areas. In P.L.
Jeffery (Ed.). Proceedings of the Australian Association for Research in
Education (AARE) International Educational Research Conference.
Fremantle.
Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission [HREOC]. (2000).
Recommendations: National inquiry into rural and remote education. Human
Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission: Sydney.
Lyons, T., Cooksey, R., Panizzon, D., Parnell, A. & Pegg, J.
(2006). Science, ICT and Mathematics education in Rural and Regional
Australia: The SiMERR National Survey, Canberra: DEST.
Miles, R.L., Marshall, C., Rolfe, J., & Noonan, S. (2004). The
attraction and retention of professionals to regional areas. Queensland
Department of State Development: Queensland Department of Premier and
Cabinet. Australia.
Roberts, P. (2003) Staffing an empty schoolhouse: Attracting and
retaining teachers in rural, remote and isolated communities, NSW
Teachers' Federation, Sydney
Reid et al. (2010). Regenerating rural social space? Teacher
education for rural, regional sustainability. Australian Journal of
Education (in press).
Salt, B. (2006). The big picture. Prahran, Vic: Hardie Grant Books.
Sharplin, E. (2002). Rural retreat or outback hell: Expectations of
rural and remote teaching. Issues in Educational Research, Vol 12,
49-63.
Vinson, T. (2002) Report on rural and remote education: Inquiry
into the provision of public education in NSW, NSWTF, Sydney
White, S. (2010). Creating and celebrating place and partnerships:
A key to sustaining rural education communities. Paper presented at the
26th National Conference of the Society for the Provision of Education
in Rural Australia, Sunshine Coast. September 15-17, 2010.
Sue Trinidad, Tania Broadley, Emmy Terry & Don Boyd
(Curtin University)
Graeme Lock & Matt Byrne
(Edith Cowan University)
Elaine Sharplin
(The University of Western Australia)
Sue Ledger
(Murdoch University)
Figure 1: Draft Key Concepts and Possible Resources for Graduate
Teachers working in RRR (Source: Project Newletter, Achievements:
"Developing Strategies at the Pre-Service Level to Address
Critical Teacher Attraction and Retention Issues in Australian
Rural, Regional and Remote Schools" Edition One, June 2011)
National Proffesional Standards: Graduate Teachers
--Draft Key Concepts and Possible Resources
The fact that the Australian Institute for Teaching and School
Leadership (AITSL) release of the Standards for Graduate Teachers
coincides with the TERRR Project, has given the team the opportunity
to begin developing key concepts and student resource links for the
the standards. The TERRR Project Team believe this work will help
pre-service teacher education providers with ideas about the regional
and remote focus needed in their curriculum to ensure that graduate
teachers can meet the standards in non-metropolitan teaching and
learning environments. More information about this work will be
posted on the TERRR Groupsite Website http://terr.groupsite.com as
the framework takes shape.
An example of the work in progress is listed below. The TERRR Team
acknowledge the support of the Reference Group and Network Partners,
especially the Remote Teaching Program Team, in helping to develop
this framework.
Focus Graduate
STANDARD 1 KNOW STUDENTS AND HOW THEY LEARN I
Physical, social and Demonstrate knowledge and
Intellectual development and understanding of physical,
characteristics of students social and Intellectual
development and
characteristics of students
and how these may affect
learning.
Students with diverse Demonstrate knowledge of
linguistic, cultural, teaching strategies that are
religious and socioeconomic responsive to the learning
backgrounds strengths and needs of
students learning strengths
and needs of students
religious and socioeconomic
backgrounds.
STANDARD 2 KNOW THE CONTENT AND HOW TO TEACH IT
Understanding of and respect Demonstrate bread knowledge
for Aboriginal and Torres of, understanding of and
Strait Islander people to respect for Aboriginal and
benefit reconciliation Torres Strait Islander
between Indigenous and non- histories, cultures and
indigenous Australians languages.
Literacy and numeracy Know and understand literacy
strategies and numeracy teaching
strategies and their
application In teaching areas.
Focus Key Concepts
STANDARD 1 KNOW STUDENTS AND HOW THEY LEARN I
Physical, social and RRR-funds of knowledge; asset
Intellectual development and based; understanding of RRR
characteristics of students health (otitis media, ENT
youth suicide: vision, foetal
alcohol syndrome; substance
abuse); mobility;
participation--engagement--
translence;
Students with diverse Special programs-two way
linguistic, cultural, learning; ESL; cultural
religious and socioeconomic competencies; Intercultural &
backgrounds ESL; cultural competencies;
Intercultural & learning
styles; authentic learning;
multiple Identities;
disadvantaged students--low
SES backgrounds; access;
STANDARD 2 KNOW THE CONTENT AND HOW TO TEACH IT
Understanding of and respect Use of appropriate language;
for Aboriginal and Torres awareness & sensitivity to
Strait Islander people to language; cultural competency
benefit reconciliation (Australian Aboriginal);
between Indigenous and non- Aboriginal History Place based
indigenous Australians learning;
Literacy and numeracy ALS; mud-age grouping; local
strategies literacy (IWA) programs
(Pllbara; klmberley
Murchison); ESL Local numeracy
programs
Focus Resources
STANDARD 1 KNOW STUDENTS AND HOW THEY LEARN I
Physical, social and Do You Hear What I Hear DoE
Intellectual development and KIT
characteristics of students
SEDRA Program Commonwealth
Students with diverse DoE Poverty Cycle
linguistic, cultural,
religious and socioeconomic Ways of Being, Ways to Talk;
backgrounds DoE Kit
ESL Resource Centre, fit
Claremont
STANDARD 2 KNOW THE CONTENT AND HOW TO TEACH IT
Understanding of and respect Protocols for Welcome to
for Aboriginal and Torres Country and Acknowledgement
Strait Islander people to of Traditional Ownership, DET
benefit reconciliation Brochure
between Indigenous and non-
indigenous Australians Solid Engklish, DET Publication
Deadly Ways, to Learn Deadly
Ideas, DoE Kit
Literacy and numeracy ABRACADABRA (Northern
strategies Territory); Literacy-WA;
Quick Smart(SIMERR);
Quicker & Smarter; Literacy
and Numeracy Partnership
Schools Starter Pack, DOE WA
2009
