Practice based research and critical pedagogy – rethinking teacher education for vocational educators AVETRA 2012 Conference Rydges Capital Hill, ACT April 2012 Dr Helen Anderson Lisa Maurice-Takerei

Background No national requirement to undertake teacher education for tertiary educators Some SSBs have minimal requirements for particular or individual unit standards Individual providers set their own requirements. These tend to be minimal Qualifications do exist at certificate and diploma level

Large Institute of Technology 200+ staff Inclusion of teacher education requirement into lecturer career path Formalising informal PD What kind of teacher education do we want?

What is the work of post-school vocational and technical educators? Technicians or Professionals – Cookie cutter delivery of standards and assessment procedures or collaborative professionals the acquisition of competencies or the development of professional knowledge to assist professional decision making and responsibility

Some themes in teacher education Theory building (Leach, 2011) Identity development (Seddon, 2009) Reflection on practice/experience (Boud, 1993) Educator development is tied up with identity, autonomy and agency Theory building/reflection/collaboration/ discourse building (Hodkinson, 1998) Little scholarship that considers teacher education in terms of role identity and practice of vocational educators Time and opportunity

CTT - Graduate Profile Teaching is making a series of decisions, implementing those decisions and evaluating those decisions in the context of a formally approved programme. Responsible teaching/decision making is principled when the focus is on optimising effective learning opportunities for the student. Teacher education is about engagement with theory, establishment of models, identification and response to learning contexts and growth in professional judgement.

Able to: observe and gather information inquire/ask questions analyse/identify theory/predict plan and act critique/reflect/improve

Effective Practice with Literacy and Numeracy Certificate in Tertiary Teaching – Use assessment data to identify areas of focus for teaching – Plan a lesson/series of lessons using a new teaching strategy linked to area of focus (trial) – Video – Discuss/reflect (use of post assessment data)

You are more likely to behave your way into new ways of thinking than you are to think your way into new ways of behaving Michael Fullan (2006)

video/slides Earlene Wood Literacy Strategies.pptx VIDEO_TS.IFO

Feedback/questionnaire Advantages/disadvantages of using video? What did you notice? Change in practice? Did video support; the trialling of new strategies, reflecting on the trial, acting on the reflection? What did you learn most?

Some responses Challenging and informative I talk too quickly I will simplify my language more You get to notice what you do You see how you are seen by students I will check in more with students afterwards I see how students respond to my teaching …it is immediately obvious More repetition. More clarification. Slower pace

Teaching in VET as complex and multi-dimensional Discipline experts Novice teachers Student focussed

Teaching in VET What a teacher thinks, believes and knows how to do Pedagogical Content Transformational Collaboration/theory building/reflection/discourse building Identity, Autonomy, Agency

Self-reflexive video as a tool Reflection, collaboration, discourse building – theory building – Slowed down teaching (replay) – Points for discussion (….because) – Teachers worked together (opened their classrooms/workshops) – Opportunity to develop theory (grand theory and personal theory)

References Fullan, M. (2006). Turnaround Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Hodkinson, P. (1998). Technicism, teachers and teaching quality in vocational education and training. Journal of Vocational Education and Training, 50:2, Leach, L. (2011). Tertiary Teachers and Theory Avoidance. New Zealand Journal of Teachers' Work, 8(1), Manukau Institute of Technology. (2010). Certificate in Tertiary Teaching Level 5. NZ: Manukau Institute of Technology. Seddon, T (2009). The productivity challenge in Australia: The case for professional renewal in VET teaching. International Journal of Training Research, 7:1, Shulman, L. (1987). Knowledge and teaching: Foundations of the new reform. Harvard Educational Review, 57(1), Shulman, L. (2005). Signature pedagogies in the professions. Daedalus, Summer, Viskovic, A. (2005). 'Community of practice' as a framework for supporting tertiary teachers' informal workplace learning. Journal of Vocational Education and Training, 57(3),

Lisa Maurice-Takerei Helen Anderson