Teachers, Teacher Education, and Professional Development
AITSL was established in 2010 to provide national leadership for the federal, state, and territorial governments in promoting excellence in the profession of teaching and school leadership. The institute has responsibility for the creation and maintenance of national professional standards for teaching and school leadership as well as the promotion of high quality professional development for teachers and school leaders (including national oversight of the accreditation of preservice teacher education).
The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (implemented in 2011) describe expectations for teachers across three domains—Professional Knowledge, Professional Practice, and Professional Engagement—and four career stages—Graduate, Proficient, Highly Accomplished, and Lead.14 The Graduate and Proficient stages enumerate the mandatory requirements for entry into the profession. For beginning teachers, the requirements permit provisional registration, while teachers with the requisite experience may gain full registration.
In 2015, education ministers agreed to reform initial teacher education. State and territory teacher regulatory authorities currently accredit teacher training courses, and will continue to do so. However, the revised Accreditation of Initial Teacher Education Programs in Australia: Standards and Procedures (agreed to by education ministers in December 2015) commits states and territories to nationally consistent, strengthened accreditation of initial teacher education courses. The more rigorous standards will require universities to show how they will ensure their teacher education students develop the knowledge and skills they need to be successful in the classroom, as outlined in the graduate teacher standards.15
Teacher Education Specific to Mathematics and Science
Teacher education generally is provided by universities. There are two general forms of initial teacher education, which include a minimum of four years of higher education:
- A two year postgraduate qualification in education, following successful completion of a bachelor’s degree—Most secondary school science and mathematics teachers follow this route, as it allows subject-specific specialization.
- Integrated or combined degrees of at least four years comprising discipline studies and professional studies—Most undergraduate teacher education programs for students intending to become primary school teachers are either four year education degrees or dual degree programs completed concurrently. However, these programs offer limited opportunities for developing specialist knowledge in mathematics or science. Starting in 2018, every student entering a primary teaching course will be required to graduate with a subject specialization. This does not mean primary teachers will teach only in their area of specialization, but their expertise will be available at their school to assist other teachers in their area of specialization.
Requirements for Ongoing Professional Development
Australian education authorities recognize that professional development is imperative for maintaining the vitality of the profession. This belief is reflected in the Australian Charter for the Professional Learning of Teachers and School Leaders,16 which describes the importance and characteristics of high quality professional development in improving teacher and school leader practice, and the Australian Teacher Performance and Development Framework (developed at the same time),17 which outlines the critical factors for creating a performance and development culture in schools. A 2013 national survey of school staff indicated that, on average, teachers had spent 8 to 10 days engaged in professional learning over the previous 12 months.18