Catholic teachers’ postgraduate qualifications and students’ end of schooling outcomes: A large scale Queensland based comparative study

A key feature of the current era of Australian schooling is the dominance of publically available student, school and teacher performance data. Our paper examines the intersection of data on teachers’ postgraduate qualifications and students’ end of schooling outcomes in 26 Catholic Systemic Secondary Schools and 18 Catholic Independent Secondary Schools throughout the State of Queensland. We introduce and justify taking up a new socially-just measurement model of students’ end of schooling outcomes, called the ‘Tracking and Academic Management Index’, otherwise known as ‘TAMI’. Additional analysis is focused on the outcomes of top-end students vis-à-vis all students who are encouraged to remain in institutionalised education of one form or another for the two final years of senior secondary schooling. These findings of the correlations between Catholic teachers’ postgraduate qualifications and students’ end of schooling outcomes are also compared with teachers’ postgraduate qualifications and students’ end of schooling outcomes across 174 Queensland Government Secondary Schools and 58 Queensland Independent Secondary Schools from the same data collection period. The findings raise important questions about the transference of teachers’ postgraduate qualifications for progressing students’ end of schooling outcomes as well as the performance of Queensland Catholic Systemic Secondary Schools and Queensland Catholic Independent Secondary Schools during a particular era of education.

Analysis of the admissions tests for teacher training in Spain and Finland: knowledge or competences

One of the most decisive factors in the quality of education and academic performance of students is quality, preparation and dedication of the teachers. The exquisite system of selecting candidates for teacher training programs is one of the fundamentals of success of the Finnish Education System. The responsibility of choosing the best students to convert them into teachers is a challenge that involves a significant reform of university admission. Achieving this goal involves the choice of strategies and educational tools in accordance to the complexity of the demands presented by the teaching profession in the digital age. This study describes, analyzes and compares the admission tests in the University of Spain (PAU) and Finland (VAKAVA), for those who wish to become professional educators, in order to understand the possible influence of these tests to select the most suitable candidates to develop into future teaching professionals. The results showed that in Spain, the entrance test to universities is developed in a general way for all the students that aspire to any field of knowledge, while in Finland, the test is specific and particular for students aspiring to the field of education. The results of this study can guide and encourage the necessary changes that have to be done in the admission tests to Spanish university in general and to teacher education faculties in particular.

Evaluating the Norfolk physical education program with respect to fitness-level improvement

The grades seven and eight physical education program of the Norfolk Board of Education was evaluated with respect to fitnesslevel improvement, an objective of the Ministry of Education for the province of Ontario. The Canada Fitness Award battery of fitness tests was used to measure fitness levels. It was established that in September the students were unfit, and in May they were fit. This indicated that the Norfolk physical education program was effective, with respect to the criterion used for this research. In addition, it was discovered that fitness-level improvement was significantly related to certain variables: teacher qualifications, teaching experience, school, and participation in extracurricular physical activity. Considering the results of the research, it was recommended that the Norfolk Board of Education hire young, qualified physical education teachers; create the position of Physical Education Consultant; and strive to create equitable resources for physical education instruction, in order that the school to which a student belongs no longer will be a determinant of fitness improvement.

A LDB e o impacto da qualificação dos docentes nos indicadores de desempenho dos cursos de graduação da UFPA

Este estudo tem como objetivo avaliar o impacto da qualificação (stricto sensu) realizada pelos docentes da UFPA, no período de 1985 a 2009, nos indicadores taxas de sucesso e taxa de evasão do ensino de graduação da instituição.Inicialmente foi realizada a contextualização do ensino superior brasileiro antes e depois da aprovação da atual Lei de Diretrizes e Bases da Educação, onde se buscou caracterizar a universidade enquanto instituição e descrever a trajetória da pós-graduação no Brasil. Após a identificação dos institutos e cursos da UFPA foram coletados, junto aos anuários estatísticos, relatórios de gestão e sistemas oficiais da instituição, os dados relativos à qualificação de docentes, ao número alunos ingressantes, concluintes e matriculados. Estas informações foram armazenadas e processadas por um sistema informatizado criado pela pesquisadora para possibilitar a realização de cálculos e promover associações entre os dados referentes à qualificação docente e os indicadores que mensuram a graduação da UFPA. O sistema identificou a existência de relação entre a qualificação e as taxas de sucesso e de evasão, e, com o coeficiente de correlação de Pearson foi possível medir o nível dessa relação. Concluiu-se, através das análises estatísticas e tendo por base os marcos teóricos, que embora o número de docentes qualificados tenha aumentado, a taxa de sucesso não cresceu na mesma proporção. Inferiu-se que o aumento da qualificação dentro da instituição foi decorrente da LDB, o que tornou possível afirmar que a LDB intensificou a política de qualificação docente, porém, não melhorou os indicadores que mensuram a graduação da UFPA. Assim sendo, o estudo comprovou que não basta qualificar docentes. Outros fatores interferem na melhoria dos indicadores de desempenho do ensino de graduação. Espera-se, com esta pesquisa, suscitar a reflexão e o debate acerca do ensino de graduação na UFPA junto à gestão dos cursos e à Pró-reitora de Graduação, bem como contribuir com o direcionamento das políticas de ensino de graduação por meio da disponibilização do sistema SIAGRAD, que poderá se constituir em uma ferramenta importante para a gestão acadêmica da instituição.

The teacher's manual; containing a treatise upon the discipline of the school, and other papers upon the teacher's qualifications and work.

Mode of access: Internet.

Sabbath school teacher's manual, or The important office and necessary qualifications and studies of the teacher.

Mode of access: Internet.

Dancing to too many tunes : contemporary course design in teacher education

Contemporary course designers in schools and faculties of Education are finding themselves dancing to many tunes, arguably too many tunes, in order to have their initial teacher education courses accredited by external agencies whilst satisfying internal approval processes and, critically, maintaining the philosophical integrity of their programs and their institutional watermarks. The “tunes” here are the agendas driven by and the demands made by distinct independent agencies. The external agencies influencing Education include: TEQSA (Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency) which will assure alignment to the AQF (Australian Qualifications Framework); professional bodies such as AITSL (Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership) which now accredits all pre-service teacher Education courses across Australia and assures alignment with the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers; and the state and territory regulatory authorities that have an impact within a specific jurisdiction, for example, the Queensland College of Teachers (QCT) and the Teacher Registration Board of Western Australia (TRBWA). This paper – whose findings have been arrived at through a year-long OLT National Teaching Fellowship - will outline the complex and competing agendas currently at play and focus on the disjuncture evident in the fundamental defining of who is a “graduate.” It will also attempt to identify where there are synergies between the complex demands being made. It will argue that there are too many “tunes” and the task of finding a balance between compliance and delivering effective initial teacher education may not be possible because of the cacophony of their conflicting demands.

Re-thinking discourses of teacher professionalism in early childhood education: An Australian perspective

The professionalism of early childhood teachers has been the subject of increasing attention globally for over a decade (Moss, 2006; Osgood, 2012; Urban, 2010. In order to understand ways pre-service early childhood teachers make sense of professionalism, this chapter examines some of the discourses of early childhood teacher professionalism, and focuses on qualifications as one way in which being professional is discursively produced. In particular, the chapter makes visible some of the discursive tensions involved in student intentions to pursue careers in primary school teaching/specialist early childhood teacher in primary school, rather than in the child care sector. In doing so, it makes visible some of the effects of particular discourses of professionalism and the ways they may be taken up by students as they make important career decisions.

The modern world. Teacher's resources.

Esta serie aporta un nuevo enfoque a los contenidos históricos tradicionales y va dirigida a alumnos de once a catorce años, que estudian historia en la etapa 3 (Key stage 3) del curriculo nacional inglés. Además, cumple con los requisitos del nuevo National Strategy, del National Literacy Strategy (NLS), del History Programme of Study y del Qualifications Curriculum Authority (QCA). Asimismo, se utiliza como herramienta en el ICT y como introducción a la Educación para la Ciudadanía del currciculum nacional inglés. Esta guía incluye hojas fotocopiables para ejercicios y recomendaciones al profesor para ampliar las actividades incluidas en estos planes de estudio.

Into the twentieth century. Teacher's resource pack.

Este recurso refuerza los conocimientos del libro del alumno, cuyo contenido se adapta al plan de trabajo para Historia en la etapa 3 (key stage 3) de secundaria de la Qualifications and Currículo Authority (QCA), agencia encargada de desarrollar el currículo nacional inglés. Pues, incorpora actividades para mejorar la enseñanza, el aprendizaje y el rendimiento escolar en historia, que pueden utilizarse en contextos diferentes: de forma individual, como base para el trabajo en grupo, para la discusión en clase o para tarea en casa. Otras actividades sirven para asegurar la comprensión de conceptos clave por los alumnos y para desarrollar otras habilidades como la ciudadanía, la alfabetización y las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación (TIC). Este material docente, para fotocopiar, incluye además hojas de evaluación y seguimiento.

Understanding philosophy of religion : AQA teacher's book.

De acuerdo con las especificaciones de Estudios Religiosos de AQA (Assessment and Qualifications Alliance) para los niveles AS y A2, el libro presenta material de apoyo e ideas para el desarrollo en clase de los distintos temas en la enseñanza de la religión. Incluye actividades de investigación para los alumnos, preguntas de respuesta corta y preguntas de desarrollo para cada lección, resúmenes de los temas clave y de los términos fundamentales y ejemplos de respuestas a preguntas de exámenes que los alumnos pueden usar como base para su preparación.

AQA A2 Geography : teacher guide.

Guía del profesor que da soporte al proceso de aprendizaje en clase y al libro de texto del nivel A2 de AQA (Assessment and Qualifications Alliance), enseñanza secundaria bachillerato, en el área de Geografía. Cubre las unidades 3 y 4 de la especificación AQA. Contiene los siguientes temas: tectónica de placas y riesgos asociados, tiempo, clima y los riesgos asociados, ecosistemas (cambio y desafío), ciudades del mundo, desarrollo y globalización, conflictos contemporáneos y desafíos. Incluye comentarios a las respuestas y puntuaciones de todas las preguntas del libro de texto, orientación sobre las técnicas de trabajo de campo, ejercicios de evaluación y casos de estudio adicionales. El cd-rom contiene presentaciones PowerPoint y los contenidos en formato pdf.

Middle Schooling Teacher Education: Where are we at in Australia?

Commonwealth and State bodies have made substantial investments into curriculum initiatives, research, and reform with a focus on middle schooling. To a considerable degree, the success of middle schooling is dependent upon teachers' preparedness to enact and embrace initiatives and research. Research has shown that the success of school improvement and reform initiatives hinges, in large part, on the qualifications and effectiveness of teachers (Killion, 1999; Garet, Porter, Desimone, Birman, & Yoon, 2001). While some research and professional development in Australia has targeted the school site, pre-service teacher education is clearly a vital yet under-researched area due to its relatively recent introduction. Recent research that includes middle years teacher education (MYTE) (Killion, 1999; Mertens & Flowers, 2004; NCES 2001; NMSA, 2003) and reports from a system that has been working with middle schooling for some time indicates that teachers need specific teacher preparation before they enter the middle level classroom and continuous professional development as they pursue their careers. In Turning Points 2000, one of the seven recommendations is to staff middle grades schools with teachers who are expert at teaching young people in their middle years, and engage teachers in ongoing, targeted professional development opportunities (Jackson & Davis, 2000). Given there are now two dedicated programs towards MYTE (Edith Cowan University and The University of Queensland), other institutions containing elements of MYTE, and others considering MYTE this symposium will summarise current initiatives and research in MYTE, critique the state and place of MYTE in Australia and begin discussions towards teacher education programs that improve the efficacy of middle schooling.