Teacher narratives and curricular justice : a study of teachers' work in the disadvantaged schools' program in Victorian education

Investigates teacher contributions to conversations about theory, policy and practice concerning poverty and education. The research examines patterns in teacher interpretive categories drawn from action research texts and associated documentation in the Disadvantaged School Program in Victoria over a twenty year period. Deals theoretically with the sociology of curricular theory, history and practice through the utilisation of feminist, postcolonial and poststructural approaches to society and culture.

Preparing students for a world which is global in its outlook and influences: the rhetoric, reality and response

The imperative for schools and teachers to understand and teach with a global perspective has been reiterated in Victoria recently with the release of the Victorian Curriculum Reform Consultation Paper (VCAA, 2004). This paper states that, "the purposes of schooling are to prepare students for a world which is global in its outlook and influences." (p.4).

The introductory paragraphs of selected states' and territories' Studies of Society and Environment (SOSE) curriculum statements include and reiterate 'global' in the rationale for teaching and learning. Teaching in SOSE is charged with responsibility for incorporating 'global' into classroom practice. What is the role and place of SOSE in this teaching and how can SOSE teachers be better equipped to teach in a time of internationalisation and globalisation? Are teachers prepared to meet this challenge?

This paper will position the importance of teachers' lived experiences, their capacity to reflect upon these experiences, to their preparedness and competency in teaching 'global education' both within a SOSE classroom and beyond. How can personal critical reflection sharpen the focus for teaching in and to this global world? What are the place of narrative and the lived experiences of teachers in sharpening this focus? The data for this paper is drawn from a self study of the author who is studying a Masters by Research and teaches Social Education and Education Studies at Deakin University.

The paper argues that pedagogy around teaching global education in the classroom cannot be isolated from the teacher's identities, background experiences, which influence and shape their approaches to teaching in a global education curriculum. The methodology in teaching global education needs to be further aligned to teacher narratives and the lived experiences of teachers in order to link local, national and global domains.

The paper will describe how teaching for a 'world which is global in outlook and influences' can be researched by examining a selection of personal stories and lived experiences. The paper will conclude with a draft framework of global education that acknowledges reflection on lived experiences and narratives.

Global education: past present and future

This article traces the origins and history of global education, primarily in Australia, but also within a broader, appropriately global, context. We first identify and discuss the characteristics of earlier global education programs, and gradually move towards the present day where the long-standing and highly successful program in Australian schools recently conclude due to government budgetary constraints. We close by alluding to the next Australian Declaration of Educational Goals for Young Australians.

Surviving the maelstrom : teacher educator in the 21st century

A plethora of reports, research papers and commentaries have focused on teacher education in Australia, its quality, status and ability to adequately prepare teachers for the 21st century. There is however, little research on the worklives of teacher educators, in particular Australian teacher educators. That which does exist tends to focus on new teacher educators (how to best prepare and induct them) and experienced and senior teacher educators (personal reflections and narratives) (see for example, Acker, 1997; Cochran-Smith, 2002; Murray & Male, 2005). What is missing from this research field is an exploration of the contemporary contexts that shape the worklives of Australian teacher educators, and in particular how these contexts influence the work of teacher educators in between these two demographic groups. How post-induction early-mid career teacher educators (re)negotiate their professional identities in view of the changing role of ‘the teacher educator’ in the 21st century is therefore, an under-researched area of study. This paper provides a brief overview of the existent research on teacher educators and highlights areas in need of further examination. Two particular contexts shaping the work of Australian teacher educators are examined: the standards movement, and marketisation and the rise of new mangerialism as are the ramifications of these on the teacher education landscape. How these have impacted on how teacher educators perceive themselves and are perceived by others is subsequently explored as are the implications of these changing contexts on the work of teacher educators in the 21st century. To discuss these issues I draw on my experiences in teacher education and highlight the challenges and opportunities available for teacher educators as we try to ‘survive the maelstrom’. This paper is significant given the federal government’s commitment to social inclusion and an ‘Education Revolution” (ACDE, 2008). Education academics are critical to advancing the [Government’s] complex agendas around innovation, productivity and inclusion (ACDE, 2008, p1). In the next 15 years, over half of the currently working teacher education academics will retire. There is therefore a need to not only attract new and talented people into the teacher education workforce, but to retain those early-mid career academics who have entered teacher education, and are like me, finding it hard to “survive the maelstrom”.

Professional learning through narratives of practice

Narratives of practice are a primary means by which educators understand their work, shaping the identities and practices of those who engage with them. Written narratives are examined as a resource for professional learning in three contexts: a writing group for adult educators, a national professional development initiative and a teacher appraisal program.

Travellers’ tales : the expatriate english language teacher in the new global culture

Most of the research into ELT has focused on its linguistic and methodological aspects, which are based on Western scientific traditions. The contributions and experiences of English language teachers themselves, especially their work in overseas contexts, have frequently been overlooked. This volume aims to document the complexity of ELT as 'work' in new global economic and cultural conditions, and to explore how this complexity is realised in the everyday experiences of ELT teachers. The development of ELT from the colonial experience to its current status as a global commodity is explored; ELT is then situated in the discourses of globalisation, specifically within Appadurai's theorisation of global flows of people, images, ideas, technology and money, or scapes. Within this framework, narratives are constructed from the experiences of Native-speaking English teachers. These reveal much about the personal, pedagogical and cultural dimensions of ELT work in non-Centre countries, and will contribute to a greater understanding of the intercultural dimensions of ELT for all those who work in it, and in related educational fields.

Why do you write? Creative writing and the reflective teacher

Whether we write creatively or academically (or both) it takes time to understand the reasons why we ‘want’ to write, and the more we write the more we fully begin to appreciate why we write and why we have to write in the first place. From the age of nine, I kept a diary and now, 31 years later, I’m still writing down thoughts, opinions, feelings and aspirations. Nearly every day, I actively participate in recording my reflections. These reflections are part of an academic writing ritual that fuels research ideas and potential narratives associated with reflective teaching practices. I have discovered that the daily practice of imagining and writing compared to academic research and writing has more similarities than differences. Other creative writers who operate in higher education as learning and teaching academics have also taken note of ‘the similarity between the processes of writing fiction, and writing learning texts, not the contrasts’ (McVey, 2008, p. 290, emphasis). More specifically, I have come to realise that strengthening one’s use of the imagination via self-confessional writing exercises is a central ingredient in order to fulfill a well-rounded learning and teaching career.

Early career teacher attrition: new thoughts on an intractable problem

Early career exit from teaching has reached epidemic proportions and appears intractable. Previous attempts to find solutions are yet to make much of an inroad. The aim of the research was to discover what nine beginning teachers required to remain in the classroom, by adopting a phenomenological approach. The authors identified participants’ common experiences through semi-structured interviews and unprompted written narratives. Data were examined for trustworthiness by reference to the literature. Key words from the narratives were synonyms, or broadly synonymous with, optimism, arrested development or disillusionment. The process of leaving involved entry, characterised by optimism; early experiences, characterised by arrested development; pre-exit, characterised by disillusionment; and exit.

Understanding a transitional teacher education in globalized and neoliberal contexts

Many early career teachers commence their transition into the teaching profession in rural and remote schools. Separated from existing interpersonal/professional networks of support, early career teachers rely on new colleagues and school leaders in more complex ways than their peers teaching closer to home. Crucially, their emerging identities, resilience and motivations are therefore influenced and reinforced
through professional interactions. This paper explores the critical turning points and narratives of two early career rural teachers. The narratives were collected through reflect.goingok.com, a digital tool created by one of the authors; that enabled the teachers to engage in regular reflections about their transition from university to the classroom. In conclusion some of the implications of the co-narration of teacher identity, and how this informs a systemic approach that supports early career teachers in rural teaching practice is discussed.

Mathematics teacher education and technology

Various applications of electronic technology have contributed to the field of mathematics teacher education, but the array of tools now' available to teacher educators in developed countries can be somewhat daunting. In this chapter, the authors present an overview of some of these tools and the ways that they are being used. In addition, they address issues surrounding the development and applications of digital technology in teacher education programs in a number of countries. In particular, they present recent applications of videotapes, multimedia resources, internet-based communities, and tutorial conferencing facilities in pre-service and in-service education of mathematics teachers. As professionals who have used technology in teacher education, the authors blend their own insights into this review of technological tools and relevant issues.