The OECD-ENSI project and its relevance for teacher training concepts in environmental education

This article presents an account of the Environment and School Initiatives (ENSI) project. The philosophical basis of the project is outlined, and case studies from within the project provided as a basis for a consideration of some current issues in the field. It is concluded that one of the distinctive features of the ENSI project is its encouragement of praxiological, action research-based to curriculum and professional development. The case studies of suggest that some of the more conventionally prescribed charcteristics such as agreed sets of goals and professional competencies might need to be revisited.

Reflections of teacher education students learning of rhythm: Orff to an African beat

This article reports on students' reflections, gathered from questionnaire and interview data, on their learning of rhythm and on their attitudes and  motivation from having engaged with African music as non-music specialists using the Orff approach. The "traditional" Orff approach to classroom music was supplemented with African repertoire which builds on the nexus, identified by Amoaku (1 982), between the Orff method and the traditional way of music learning in African cultures. This article describes my experience as a South African working with Australian non-specialist primary teacher students of predominantly Anglo-Celtic background within the context of a music education unit at Deakin University's Melbourne (Burwood) Campus. As Nketia (1988) points out, I - like many expatriate music educators - have selected music from my own country of origin as the foundation to develop curriculum materials teaching rhythm through non-Western music. The results demonstrate worthwhile experiences and outcomes for both the students and myself.

Teacher or trainer? The shaping of teacher identity in adult education contexts

In response to changing government funding priorities there has been a shift away from the provision of needs based language and personal development courses for adults in community based contexts towards the delivery of vocational education. Much vocational education is characterized by competency-based curriculum and outcomes influenced by the needs of the current labour market as well as economic driven initiatives such as competitive tendering for short-term course funding. These trends have resulted in changes to the nature of curriculum, assessment, and the purpose and nature of the delivery of courses to adult learners. In turn, these changes affect the ways in which teachers see themselves and carry out their roles as professionals. This paper explores the ways in which the current discourses of vocational education shape teacher identities across a variety of vocational education contexts and the ways in which teacher identities are played out through training and teaching practices.

Partnerships for effective teacher renewal

The Quality Teacher Program (QTP) recently introduced by the Commonwealth Government is a three year program that provides funding to strengthen the skills and understanding of those in the teaching profession.

In Victoria, The Association of Independent Schools of Victoria (AISV) in response to this initiative, has developed a project entitled ‘School-based Teacher Renewal’ involving three independent sector specific strategies and one cross-sectoral strategy.

One of these strategies, ‘Teacher Renewal Through Partnerships’ is a strategy which focuses on schools establishing a teacher renewal coordinating team being assisted by a university facilitator to address issues of teacher renewal. Schools were required to develop a Quality Teacher Strategic Plan associated with target curriculum area/s. Integral to this strategy is the provision of an external facilitator to support the teacher renewal coordinating team in each school

Approximately 46 academic staff from Faculties of Education at Deakin University and The University of Melbourne are working in partnership with AISV across 50 schools on this three year project.

This project builds on successful teacher professional development outcomes learned from the previous Commonwealth project, the Innovative Links Between Universities and Schools under the National Professional Development Program (NPDP) from 1994 to 1996.

This paper, presented by the Project Directors from Melbourne University and Deakin University will describe outcomes of the ‘Teacher Renewal Through Partnerships’ program and discuss findings gathered from experiences to date of those involved in this partnership program.