Teaching Beginning Teachers to ‘Think What We Are Doing’ in Indigenous Education

2014 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Kameniar ◽  
Sally Windsor ◽  
Sue Sifa
Keyword(s):  
Beginning Teachers ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Indigenous Education ◽  
Indigenous Australians ◽  
Formal Schooling ◽  
Indigenous Australian ◽  
Hunger Games ◽  
White Middle Class ◽  
University Lecturers

Working with beginning teachers to assist them to begin to ‘think what we do’ (Arendt, 1998) in both mainstream and Indigenous education is problematic. This is particularly so because the majority of our teacher candidates, and indeed most of their university lecturers, are positioned close to the racial, social and cultural centre of Australian education. That is, teachers and teacher educators tend to be white, middle class, educationally successful, and accepting of the main premises and assumptions, purposes and values of formal schooling in Australia. This proximity to the centre can lead to an inability to question ideas and practices that, while everyday and seemingly innocuous, are frequently dangerous and destructive for those at the margins. In this article, we illustrate the normative power of hegemonic ideas by using aspects of the teen fiction The Hunger Games as an analogy for ‘thoughtless’ and unquestioning acceptance of authority. We then describe and discuss a pedagogic practice used within the Master of Teaching program at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education. The practice is designed to challenge normative understandings about Australian history, teaching Indigenous Australian students, and to encourage engagement with the German-American Jewish philosopher and political theorist Hannah Arendt's provocative question ‘What are we doing?’ (Arendt, 1998, p. 5). We conclude the article with a challenge to re-think current policies and practices in the education of Indigenous Australians.

PEARLs, Problems and Politics: Exploring Findings From Two Teaching and Learning Projects in Indigenous Australian Studies at The University of Queensland

2014 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Mackinlay ◽  
Katelyn Barney
Keyword(s):  
Critical Pedagogy ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Indigenous Education ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Indigenous Australian ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Education Theory ◽  
Curriculum Renewal ◽  
The University

This article explores the implementation of PEARL (Political, Embodied, Active, and Reflective Learning) in two courses at The University of Queensland: a first-year introductory Indigenous Studies course and a second year Indigenous Education course. We draw on findings from a 2-year (2010–2011) Office for Learning and Teaching (then ALTC) funded curriculum renewal project and findings from a pilot project (2013) implementing PEARL in a compulsory Indigenous Education course for all pre-service teacher educators in primary and secondary teacher training at The University of Queensland. Drawing transformative education theory into conversation with critical pedagogy and anti-colonial/racist education, we share student data from focus groups, questionnaires and reflective journals to examine the shift in students’ understanding of Indigenous issues, histories and peoples. Finally, we reflect on the ways the results hold great potential for the further implementation of PEARL into other university level courses, specifically in relation to a ‘pedagogy of solidarity’ between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.

Indigenous higher education sector: the evolution of recognised Indigenous Leaders within Australian Universities

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stacey Kim Coates ◽  
Michelle Trudgett ◽  
Susan Page
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Indigenous Education ◽  
Indigenous Australians ◽  
Access To Higher Education ◽  
Public Schooling ◽  
Indigenous Students ◽  
Early Experiences ◽  
Commonwealth Government ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Over Time

Abstract There is clear evidence that Indigenous education has changed considerably over time. Indigenous Australians' early experiences of ‘colonialised education’ included missionary schools, segregated and mixed public schooling, total exclusion and ‘modified curriculum’ specifically for Indigenous students which focused on teaching manual labour skills (as opposed to literacy and numeracy skills). The historical inequalities left a legacy of educational disparity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Following activist movements in the 1960s, the Commonwealth Government initiated a number of reviews and forged new policy directions with the aim of achieving parity of participation and outcomes in higher education between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Further reviews in the 1980s through to the new millennium produced recommendations specifically calling for Indigenous Australians to be given equality of access to higher education; for Indigenous Australians to be employed in higher education settings; and to be included in decisions regarding higher education. This paper aims to examine the evolution of Indigenous leaders in higher education from the period when we entered the space through to now. In doing so, it will examine the key documents to explore how the landscape has changed over time, eventually leading to a number of formal reviews, culminating in the Universities Australia 2017–2020 Indigenous Strategy (Universities Australia, 2017).

scholarly journals Occurrence and timely management of problems requiring prompt intervention among Indigenous compared with non-Indigenous Australian palliative care patients: a multijurisdictional cohort study

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. e042268
Author(s):  
John A Woods ◽  
Judith M Katzenellenbogen ◽  
Kevin Murray ◽  
Claire E Johnson ◽  
Sandra C Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Cultural Barriers ◽  
Survival Models ◽  
Indigenous Australians ◽  
Specialist Palliative Care ◽  
Indigenous Australian ◽  
Phase Duration ◽  
Core Element ◽  
Similar Frequency

ObjectivesAnticipation and prompt relief of symptoms among patients with a life-limiting illness is a core element of palliative care. Indigenous Australians commonly encounter cultural barriers in healthcare that may impair outcomes. The Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration collects patient care data for the purposes of continuous quality improvement and benchmarking, with each recorded care episode divided into phases that reflect a patient’s condition. We aimed to investigate differences between Indigenous and non-Indigenous patients in the occurrence and duration of ‘unstable’ phases (which indicate unanticipated deterioration in a patient’s condition or circumstances), and determine attainment of the relevant benchmark (resolution of unstable phases in ≤3 days in 90% of cases) for both groups.DesignCohort study.SettingAustralia-wide hospital-based and community-based specialist palliative care (1 January 2010 to 30 June 2015).Participants139 556 (1502 Indigenous and 138 054 non-Indigenous) adult patients.Outcome measuresIndigenous and non-Indigenous patients were compared on (1) the risk of a phase being categorised as unstable, (2) the duration of unstable phases, and (3) the risk of unstable phases being prolonged (>3 days). Crude and adjusted estimates were produced from three-level robust Poisson regression and complementary log-log discrete time survival models.ResultsUnstable phases occurred with similar frequency overall among Indigenous and non-Indigenous patients (adjusted relative risks 1.06; 95% CI 1.00 to 1.11; not significant after correction for multiple comparisons). The duration and risk of prolongation of unstable phases were similar in both patient groups, with no significant differences evident among subgroups. The benchmark was not met for either Indigenous or non-Indigenous patients (unstable phase duration >3 days in 24.3% vs 25.5%; p=0.398).ConclusionsDespite well-documented shortcomings of healthcare for Indigenous Australians, there is no clear evidence of greater occurrence or prolongation of unanticipated problems among Indigenous patients accessing specialist palliative care services in hospital or the community.

COVID-19 and cancer: Strategic health promotion for indigenous Australians during a pandemic.

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e24028-e24028
Author(s):  
Carolyn Der Vartanian ◽  
Vivienne Milch ◽  
Gail Garvey ◽  
Cleola Anderiesz ◽  
Jane Salisbury ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Indigenous Populations ◽  
Indigenous Australians ◽  
Culturally Appropriate ◽  
Access To Health Services ◽  
Positive Health ◽  
Indigenous Australian ◽  
Australian Community ◽  
The Impact

e24028 Background: Given the impact of COVID-19 on Indigenous and ethnic minority populations observed globally, keeping COVID-19 out of vulnerable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous Australian) communities remains a priority. Compared to non-Indigenous Australians, Indigenous Australians experience disparities in cancer incidence and outcomes due to social disadvantage, increased cancer-related modifiable risk factors, poorer access to health services and lower participation in screening. During the pandemic, cancer-related investigations and treatment reduced significantly in Australia, leading to potential decreases in cancer diagnoses and consequences for future survival outcomes. Concerned about the risk of morbidity and mortality due to COVID-19 for Indigenous Australians, as well as worsening cancer outcomes, Cancer Australia undertook strategic health promotion initiatives, to inform and support optimal cancer care. Methods: In consultation with respected Indigenous colleagues to ensure cultural appropriateness of language and information, we published a dedicated webpage titled ‘ Cancer and COVID-19 – what it means for our Mob*’ with tailored information, advice, and links to key resources and support services for Indigenous Australians. We also released a video titled ‘ Act early for our Mob’s Health’, providing targeted, culturally appropriate, consumer-friendly information to encourage Indigenous Australians to see their doctor or Aboriginal Health Worker with symptoms that may be due to cancer. Results: The information hub has been well-received among the Indigenous Australian community, receiving over 3,200 visits, and the social media campaigns have received over 1.4 million impressions and 46,000 video views between mid-March 2020 to mid-February 2021. This campaign has supported proactivity among the Indigenous population in keeping their communities safe during the pandemic, maintaining a population rate of COVID-19 of less than one percent of all confirmed cases in Australia. Conclusions: Culturally appropriate information and resources developed through the process of co-design can help to influence positive health behaviour change in Indigenous populations. We predict that our strategic, multi-channel health promotion campaign is contributing to keeping the Indigenous Australian community safe and informed during the pandemic, with additional work needed to monitor cancer rates and outcomes and address the ongoing information needs of the community. *Mob is a colloquial term to identify a group of Indigenous Australians associated with a family or community from a certain place.

Morphology Matters, but What Do Teacher Candidates Know About It?

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 246-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin K. Washburn ◽  
Candace A. Mulcahy
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Morphological Structure ◽  
Reading Teachers ◽  
Complex Process ◽  
Secondary Grades ◽  
Striving Readers ◽  
Complex Words

Skilled reading is a complex process in which many subskills are involved, including an awareness of the morphological structure of language. Morphological awareness is the ability to understand how words are broken into meaningful units (e.g., affixes, root words). Explicit and systematic teaching of morphological concepts are reported to help striving readers, particularly those in upper elementary, middle, and secondary grades, with reading. To teach morphological concepts and their relation to reading, teachers need to have both awareness and knowledge of morphology. In the present study, general and special education teachers’ knowledge of morphological concepts are examined. Results indicate that teachers, regardless of type of certification (general vs. special education) or grade level (elementary vs. secondary), have difficulty identifying morphemes in both simple and complex words. Suggestions for what and how teacher educators can integrate the teaching of morphological concepts into teacher preparation contexts are provided.

scholarly journals Conceptions of Competency: A Phenomenographic Investigation of Beginning Teachers in Malaysia

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pauline Goh
Keyword(s):  
Beginning Teachers ◽  
Empirical Data ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Interpretive Research ◽  
Head Teachers ◽  
Behaviour Management ◽  
Critical Dimensions ◽  
Outcome Space

I use phenomenography, which is an interpretive research approach, to seek and to discover what beginning teachers in Malaysia conceive and understand as competence in relation to what they do everyday as teachers. Phenomenographic approach is used because of its potential to capture variation of understanding, or way of constituting, the conceptions of competency. The outcomes of this study, therefore, are: (a ) Categories of description which capture the critical dimensions of how beginning teachers in Malaysia understand the conceptions of competency, and, (b ) An outcome space that describes the relationships between the categories. The results show that beginning teachers’ conceptions of competence fall into five qualitatively different categories: (a ) Classroom and Behaviour Management, (b ) Knowing Subject Matter, (c) Understanding Students; (d ) Reaching out for Assistance and Support, and (e ) Possessing Values of Professionalism. The relationships between these categories are represented diagrammatically as the outcome space. The empirical data through phenomenography has provided a platform for teachers and teacher educators to ask: (a) " What are the implications, for beginning teachers, of their differing ways of understanding the conceptions of competency" (b) " How can teaching institutions better prepare pre - service teachers for their early years of teaching," and, (c) "How can appraisers (e.g., Principals, Head Teachers, Course Coordinators) use the outcomes to better plan any evaluations of competency?" I discuss each question in the article.

scholarly journals Critical Self-Reflection as Disruption: A Black Feminist Self-Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-38
Author(s):  
Benikia Kressler
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Teacher Educator ◽  
Junior Faculty ◽  
Junior Faculty Member ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
White Middle Class ◽  
Self Study ◽  
Educators Of Color

As the PK-12 student population grows more diverse, the teaching population steadfastly continues to be white middle-class women (NCES, 2016). Critical teacher educators understand the importance of preparing pre-service teachers to become culturally responsive and sustaining (CR/S) practitioners by engaging in culturally relevant education (CRE). Critical teacher educators, particularly those of color from historically marginalized groups, can be important advocates in the struggle to strengthen the teaching candidate pool of CR/S practitioners. Building a cadre of teachers, who are poised to decolonize minds and spaces, sustains the work of many teacher educators of color. However, the acts of teaching and learning in most institutions of education are inundated with oppressive norms such as white privilege, xenophobia and anti-blackness. It is this reality in which I, a Black female junior teacher educator, attempt to disrupt normative teaching practices within a special education course. This self-study examined insight derived from a focus group as well as from my self-reflections conducted over the course of two semesters (Spring 2018 to Fall 2018). Using a qualitative methodological approach, the findings indicated tensions between my vulnerable position of being a junior faculty member and my desire to dismantle normative deficit practices through critical self-reflection.    

scholarly journals A base de conhecimentos e a identidade de mentores participantes do Programa de Formação Online de Mentores da UFSCar-Brasil

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Grizzo Gobato ◽  
Aline Maria De Medeiros Rodrigues Reali
Keyword(s):  
Beginning Teachers ◽  
Knowledge Base ◽  
Content Knowledge ◽  
Education Program ◽  
Teacher Identity ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Pedagogical Knowledge ◽  
Experienced Teachers ◽  
Specific Content

O objetivo deste artigo é analisar a base de conhecimentos de professores experientes e participantes do Programa de Formação Online de Mentores da UFSCar-Brasil, bem como responder à seguinte questão: quais dos conhecimentos específicos, pedagógicos e sobre a função de mentor, que o auxiliarão a desempenhar a nova função, podem ser apreendidos nos professores experientes, participantes do Programa de Formação Online de Mentores? O Programa é responsável pela formação de mentores, sua proposta curricular é flexível e foca o desenvolvimento profissional de professores experientes. A investigação qualitativa baseou-se na análise descritivo-interpretativa das narrativas presentes em quatro atividades, realizadas durante o processo formativo, de quatro participantes. Foram analisados conhecimentos pedagógicos gerais, conhecimentos de conteúdo específico, conhecimentos pedagógicos do conteúdo, conhecimentos sobre formação e atuação docente e, por fim, conhecimentos sobre a função de gestor, de mentor e da escola. Como resultado, percebe-se que a base de conhecimentos atribuída ao mentor se assemelha à dos profissionais gestores e formadores de professores, ainda que a prática da mentoria e em sala de aula seja importante para que a base seja continuamente remodelada e aperfeiçoada para melhorar o desempenho do mentor e, possivelmente, dos professores iniciantes por ele acompanhados. Palavras-chave: Programa de Formação Online de Mentores; Identidade docente; Base de conhecimentos para o ensino ABSTRACTThis article aims to analyze the knowledge base of experienced teachers and participants of an Online Mentor Education Program from UFSCar Brazil and to answer the question: what specific, pedagogical and mentoring skills, that will assist the mentor to fulfill a new role, are evidenced by the experienced teachers participating of Online Mentor Education Program? This mentor training program has a flexible curriculum and focuses on the professional development of experienced teachers. The qualitative research was based on the descriptive and interpretative analysis of four narratives from four selected participants from a wider group and written during the training. It analyzed pedagogical knowledge, specific content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge content, knowledge about training and teaching practice and knowledge of the manager role, mentor and school. As results, the data analysis shows that the mentor knowledge base resembles the professional managers’ and teacher educators’. However, teaching and mentoring practice is important so that this knowledge base is continuously remodeled and improved, thus improving the mentors’ performance and, possibly, of beginning teachers accompanied by them.Keywords: Online Mentor Education Program; Teacher identity; Knowledge base for teaching

scholarly journals Developing Communities of Praxis: Bridging the theory practice divide in teacher education

2013 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 359-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael James Anderson ◽  
Kelly Freebody
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Beginning Teachers ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Teach For America ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Initial Teacher Education ◽  
Practical Significance ◽  
Education Policies ◽  
The University ◽  
New Education

Teacher education in universities is under pressure. In many new education policies there is a renewed focus on teacher quality, and therefore quality initial teacher education. In some countries this renewed focus has led to a resurgence of “alternative approaches” to teacher education such as Teach for America / Australia. One of the most persistent complaints about pre-service teacher education is that educational theory presented in these programs does not relate sufficiently to the real work of teachers. In an attempt to overcome these real or perceived divides, tertiary drama educators at the University of Sydney constructed a professional experience program based on both the community of practice model (Lave and Wenger, 1991) and Frierean notions of praxis (1972). The community of praxis approach emphasises the importance of integrating theory and practice to support the development of beginning teachers. This article outlines the development, implementation, and evaluation of this approach, including the reasoning behind its foundation and the theoretical and practical significance of such an approach for teacher-educators.

A University-Community Partnership in Teacher Education From the Perspectives of Community-Based Teacher Educators

2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 140-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorena Guillen ◽  
Ken Zeichner
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Research University ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Community Based ◽  
The Pacific

This article examines the experiences of a group of nine community-based mentors of teacher candidates who partnered for several years through a local, community-based organization with the graduate elementary and secondary teacher education programs at a research university in the Pacific Northwest. Following a brief discussion of the history of partnerships between teacher education programs and local communities, we report the findings of a study of the perspectives of these community mentors on their work with teacher candidates and university teacher educators.

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