The identity of civics in teacher education

This essay proposes that a precondition for considering how teacher education can address issues of citizenship requires clarification of the identity of a civically active teacher and the purposes of teacher education. I argue for the development of critically conscious teachers, and examine how the construction and pedagogies of teacher education can support this goal. Drawing on selected examples of current practices in teacher education programs in Australia, it is argued that the aim of teacher education is to re-orientate pedagogies inside the tertiary classroom, and reposition the pedagogies of teacher education beyond the tertiary classroom to generate the transformative learning experiences needed to develop critically conscious teachers who can nurture citizens of the future.

Critical multicultural teacher education

This thesis examined how best to prepare teachers to work in bicultural and multicultural New Zealand. Drawing on life history interviews with teacher education students, it identified key areas for reform, including closer examination of practices in multicultural education and greater acknowledgement of the cultural background of teachers themselves.

Early career teaching : learning to be a teacher and staying in the job

This article provides insights into the ways that teacher education programs might equip early career teachers beginning their professional identity. Situated in Melbourne (Australia), it discusses tertiary music education preparation for the profession and recognises the value and importance of having critical friends and mentors as a beginner teacher. By using narrative reflection both lecturer and graduate allow their voices to be heard as they make a contribution to understand the challenges new teachers face when building their professional identity and ‘staying in the job’. The discussion provided by the graduate, outlines her experience and engagement regarding the ‘positives’ and ‘negatives’ as she establishes her professional identity. Concerns and issues raised may be similar to those experienced by others. The lecturer contends that ongoing research with graduates is necessary when preparing pre-service students as they begin developing their teacher identity and remain within the profession after graduation.

Locating child protection in preservice teacher education

A recent report delivered by the Australian Centre for Child Protection has highlighted the need for empirical evidence of effective pedagogies for supporting teaching and learning of child protection content in Australian teacher education programs (Arnold & Maio-Taddeo, 2007). This paper advances this call by presenting case study accounts of different approaches to teaching child protection content in University-based teacher education programs across three Australian States. These different cases provide a basis for understanding existing strategies as an important precursor to improving practice. Although preschool, primary and secondary schools have been involved in efforts to protect children from abuse and neglect since the 1970s, teacher education programs, including preservice and inservice programs, have been slow to align their work with child protection agendas. This paper opens a long-overdue discussion about the extent and nature of child protection content in teacher education and proposes strategies for translating research into practice.

Teacher educators and 'accidental' careers in academe : an Australian perspective

While teacher education is often seen as the key to preparing qualified teachers who are able to educate students for the demands of the twenty-first century, relatively little attention is paid to the teacher educators who actually do this work. Given the increased demand for teacher educators in Australia due to retirements, and the changing political and institutional context of teacher education, it is timely to understand a little more about the teacher educator workforce. Who are they, why do they work in teacher education, what career pathways have led them to teacher education, what are key aspects of their knowledge and practice as teacher educators, and what are the critical issues faced by those working in teacher education? This paper reports on a study that investigated the pathways into teacher education and the career trajectories of a small group of teacher educators working in a range of university sites in three states in Australia. The study draws on interview data to examine the ways in which these teacher educators talk about the accidental nature of their career pathways, their views about teaching and research, and the variable ways in which experiential and research knowledge are recognised and valued within the field of teacher education and in the academy. The report highlights important considerations for the preparation of the next generation of teacher educators as well as for their induction, mentoring and career planning in order to build and sustain a viable teacher education workforce for the twenty-first century.