A day in the life of an early childhood teacher: identifying the confronting issues and challenges that arise

Recent emphasis upon Early Childhood as an educational priority for the Australian Government has resulted in increases in funding, government initiatives, course providers and the introduc- tion of new policies to the sector in order to improve the quality of early childhood education. The study reported here investigated the "reality" of what it means to be an Early Childhood Teacher within this changing context and identified the roles and responsibilities and the associated chal- lenges. A case study involving observation and interviews with five Bachelor qualified Teachers from varied early childhood settings was undertaken in order to gain knowledge about their ex- periences and perspectives on their work. The data were analyzed using a grounded theory ap- proach involving the identification of key themes and issues about the nature of teachers' work. The findings revealed that in their everyday practice teachers played a complex array of roles that required them to contribute far more than just their teaching skills and knowledge. They were expected to concurrently enact the roles of educator, leader, advocate, communicator, counsellor and administrator whilst juggling everyday challenges including a "lack of time", the need for "further support and more resources" and "building successful partnerships with parents".

Workplace education and training : are TAFE teachers prepared for their evolving roles?

The implications of the research are that many TAFE teachers are ill-equipped to perform the roles, that, in the future, may well be expected of them. The reasons for teachers not being competent in a number of areas appear to include a lack of investment in human capital, a lack of adequate teacher training and a lack of relevant staff development contributing to many having neither the knowledge nor the skills to fulfil their evolving roles.

`All things to all people`: indigenous teachers in the Australian teaching profession

This paper reports on the findings of a four-year study that seeks to understand the experiences and career pathways of Indigenous teachers in Australia. We present data obtained from in-depth interviews with current and former teachers in order to provide a qualitative account of what lies behind demographic trends in Indigenous teacher recruitment and retention in Australia. The paper highlights the expectations of school and wider communities that Indigenous teachers will be 'all things to all people' and will fill a number of complex and sometimes conflicting roles within and beyond classrooms. We speculate that these expectations contribute to their decisions to resign from the school system to work elsewhere. We also introduce and problematise the notion of the Indigenous teacher as a category in the consciousness of teachers, administrators and other participants in the discourses of Australian schooling.
We conclude by arguing the need for non-Indigenous student-teachers to be better prepared to work alongside Indigenous colleagues and to take more active roles in the implementation of policy and initiatives around Indigenous education. The paper also raises implications for the recruitment and retention of Indigenous teachers.

Integration: parents and teachers working together

The successful integration of a child with a disability requires an effective partnership between professionals and parents. This means participation on an equitable basis with decisions regarding the child's educational needs. At this level it is necessary for both parents and professionals to review their active roles, so that collaborative decision making can be reflected in practice. An important component of this current perspective is the concept of the family as part of a socially structured system, where there is a need to recognise both the formal and informal pressure, which act on the family and the child. It is necessary to consider this broader family context in which the child is immersed, so that planning can be family/child orientated rather than just professionally driven. Within this context the unique knowledge and understanding of the student, by parents, is a pivotal part of planning for individual needs. Parents can be active partners in the educational process of program planning, implementation and evaluation.

Educating teachers in child protection : lessons from research

This paper examines research about child protection preparation of teachers. Such research indicates that the nature of the training required to "do the public good" would differ markedly from that which is currently on offer in most teacher education courses. Whilst teachers have the potential to operate as frontline respondents in combating child abuse, the limitations of their training create a situation in which they are "worried, lacking in confidence and stressed about their ability to comply with mandatory reporting legislation" (Bluett, 2002). The consequences to the community are substantial: not only are there disincentives for teachers to participate in child protection roles and the increased likelihood of poor quality reporting, but children subjected to abuse may be unable to access protective services via the school system. The paper distills the findings of recent studies to identify design parameters for effective teacher preparation in child protection. The paper concludes that a program informed by research has the potential to produce enhanced outcomes for children, teachers and the broader community.

Perceptions of roles and responsibilities in online learning : a case study

The extensive introduction of online technologies to support teaching and learning is impacting how teachers teach and students learn. It is also affecting both teaching staff’s and students’ perceptions of what each others’ roles are. The research reported here is part of a larger study that explored different aspects of teaching and learning in online environments. This study was undertaken within an Australian university and involved an institution-wide survey of students. The paper reports on students’ perceptions of their roles as online learners and the expectations they have of online teachers. The outcomes of the research suggest that different cohorts of students have different expectations. These expectations are informed by their mode of study and also by their perceptions of how staff engage with online teaching. Recommendations include proactive management of student expectations by staff, as well as a commitment by staff to meet those expectations.

Telecommunication technology and the professional development of teachers : challenge and opportunity

The thesis explores an effective model for using the internet in a distance training program for secondary school teachers. The professional development program, the dissertation, titled The Virtual University: Professional development for teachers, was initiated based on aspects of telecommunication technology and the professional development for Thai school teachers. The question of this program was “How could information technology be used in developing an appropriate professional development model for Thai teachers?” Prior to the project, the four research studies were conducted to formulate the related base line information and supported framework for the program development. The four researches are: (1) Telecommunication Technology in Thai Schools, (2) The Role of University on Science Teachers Development, (3) Computer Education Curriculum for Student Teachers: Theory and Practice, and (4) Teachers’ Perceptions of the Academic Link Project Between Schools and Universities for Teacher Professional Development. The first research study provides the information about the necessary basic factors for change in Thai secondary schools and the new insights and understandings about change in Thai schooling. The major findings were the understandings about teachers’ need for professional development, the available support in Thai school for professional development, and the limitations of professional development of teachers. The second research study provides the information about the roles of university faculty on initiation and operation of science teacher development programs, science teaching and learning resources centers, science instructional media design and production services, science teaching clinics, and science teachers’ associations. The third research study provides the conceptual framework for both preservice and inservice curriculum development program for teacher development. The last research study provides a base of descriptive information about the perspectives of school teachers towards the academic link project between schools and universities and the partnership which can assist in its establishment. The findings of these four research tasks were used for the formation of the framework of the dissertation. The EDNET Project, an example of teachers’ professional development through the information technology based training, was developed and implemented with ten school teachers in Khon Kaen.

Native English speaking teachers and Taiwanese English teachers' professional identity

The study found that Native English Speaking Teachers (NESTs) helped Taiwanese English teachers define their weaknesses, strengths, roles and values through relationality. NESTs brought competing discourses to the profession. In addition, team teaching has become a site of tension threatening Taiwanese English teachers in activating their professional agency.

Classroom teachers as co-researchers : the affordances and challenges of collaboration

The article outlines the aspects of the research design that engage with teachers in schools and discusses some of the challenges and affordances that the relationships (between the teachers, the schools, the research partners and the researchers) experienced in the project, Literacy in the 21st Century: Learning from Computer Games. The article has a particular focus on the teachers' work as co-researchers, their descriptions of working in the project and some of the issues for teachers and researchers in working in this way. The data used for the analysis includes the teacher writing, interview data and researcher observations. The teachers who participated in the project designed and delivered curriculum using computer games in various ways including making their own games, evaluating games, analyzing game structures, and examining the culture around games and the ways in which games and other technologies are merging. Some of these curriculum units are described elsewhere in this issue (Beavis & O'Mara, 2010). This article's purpose is to follow the teachers' professional learning experiences rather than detail these curriculum designs, which the teachers will describe elsewhere. The paper concludes with our personal reflections on the affordances and challenges of working this way for us in our different roles in the research team.

Tensions in home–school partnerships : the different perspectives of teachers and parents of students with learning barriers

This paper presents the findings of a qualitative study of learning partnerships between teachers and parents of students with learning barriers. The aim was to investigate the beliefs and understandings of parents and teacher participants around roles in partnerships, so as to identify operational processes that support effective collaboration. The study was based on the premise that home–school partnerships have been established as a positive influence on the education of students with learning barriers but tensions exist within these partnerships in practice. In the study it was posited that some tensions stemmed from differences in role understandings between parent and teacher. Data revealed key themes emerging from the case studies. Findings indicated that parents and teachers believed that involvement and partnerships are integral to supporting the learning of students with learning barriers. However, differences emerged as to how teachers and parents constructed and interpreted involvement and operational processes supporting partnerships, and the significance each group placed on different aspects of collaboration between parent and teacher.

Moments of disruption and the development of expatriate TESOL teachers

TESOL teachers, like mainstream teachers, often experience key incidents in their professional development. In expatriate TESOL, however, unfamiliar cultural and linguistic contexts may disrupt teachers' sense of both professional and personal identity. In this article, narratives constructed from interviews of teacher experiences document a selection of critical events and discuss their implications for professional development in TESOL. Teachers reported that deep reflection on their experiences led to a re-conceptualisation of their professional and cultural identities. The analysis of their reflections may have significant implications for TESOL work in the context of the global and the local. The narratives specifically explore teachers' initial experiences of readjustment, awareness of differences in expectations of their roles as teachers, the impact of being perceived as representatives of 'Western' culture, and their re-appraisal of the educational and cultural-linguistic values of 'home'.

Teachers' perceptions of their abilities to be educational leaders in Victorian childcare settings

In the context of new national regulatory requirements for designated educational leaders in early childhood settings, 11 Victorian teachers participated in semi-structured interviews exploring their perceptions of their ability to act as educational leaders in their childcare centres. Analysis of these interviews showed that, while teachers successfully made changes within their rooms, only those with a formal title or authority expressed confidence in their ability to lead change across their centres. Barriers to leadership included lack of time and a perception that their teacher qualifications 'did not buy authority'. A hierarchical model of leadership appeared dominant within the centres. The findings suggest both time allowance and formal role designation as strategies to support the new leadership roles, but also raise questions about the most effective models for supporting teacher leadership in childcare contexts.

Exploring first year teachers’ identity transformation through theatre-based research

Why are beginning teachers leaving the profession in large numbers? Are they leaving because of their dissatisfaction with teaching? Are they leaving because of the conditions of their work that shape their identity? Teacher identity work emphasises it is important beginning teachers understand their professional identity as something shifting, fluid and emerging – not fixed. These and other water metaphors – such as ‘washout’, ‘sink or swim’, and ‘thrown in the deep end’ – are often used to describe beginning teachers’ experiences. Such words and metaphors assist to portray the fluid and unpredictable nature of identity transformation. However, these survival terms also influence beginning teachers to believe that their transition to teaching will be difficult. Recently there has been an increased concern over beginning teacher attrition linked to the difficulties they encounter in their early years of teaching. Yet the conditions of beginning teachers’ work in Victorian schools in Australia – including the contractual nature of employment of first year (1yr) teachers – encourage these 1yr practitioners to view their work as semi-permanent. As a result these 1yr teachers do not see themselves as teaching for extended periods of time, as was once the case. Throughout 2011 twelve 1yr teachers shared their experiences of identity transformation in semi-structured interviews with the researcher. Their interview data was analysed through a theatre-based research method, examining how first experiences shape teachers’ future practice and identity. This presentation includes excerpts from the theatre-based research performance ‘The First Time’, and expands on the methodological approaches taken to analyse the data in a way that reflects the fluid and unpredictable nature of teachers’ identity formation and transformation. This qualitative study allows categories of description to emerge from the data rather than pre-determining categories of investigation. As such the processes of scripting, rehearsing, and performing, were utilised to analyse and re-present the data. In an aim to uncover questions that have been buried by answers, the research is oriented as a phenomenographic inquiry. This mode of inquiry seeks to describe, analyse, and understand the qualitatively different experiences 1yr teachers undergo in their identity formation and transformation. The results of this research reveal that beginning teachers’ identity transformation through their first experiences have both individual features specific to each teacher’s roles and aspirations, and extra-individual factors such as interactions, affiliations, and status, which shape their identity. Categories of description that have emerged from the analysis include survival, liminal, and hegemonic discourses, artifacts as symbols of belonging, and the impact of the contractual nature of teaching. Implications of this research focus on the importance for beginning teachers to develop an understanding of the transformative nature of identity in relation to the practice of teaching, to counter the negative preconceptions beginning teachers are told to expect as rites of passage upon entering the profession. The research outcomes have implications for teacher educators and in-service teachers negotiating the waters of an ever-changing profession.

Re-imagining teachers’ identity and professionalism under the condition of international education

Around the world, 4.3 million students are engaged in international education each year. However, there is a paucity in theory and empirical research on teachers’ professionalism in international education. This paper aims to fill out this gap and contribute to our understanding of teachers’ changing roles and identity due to the impact of internationalisation and the growth of international students. Drawing on positioning theory as a conceptual framework to understand teachers’ roles and identity, this paper shows the emergence of teacher sub-identities as a reciprocal intercultural learner and an adaptive agent. It argues that these sub-identities are central to teachers’ development of cosmopolitan qualities in the contemporary context of international education.