A Model for Sustainable and Supportive Practicum in Rural and Regional Locations: A Pilot Study Josephine Ryan (ACU, Melbourne) Caroline Walta (La Trobe, Shepparton) Mellita Jones (ACU, Ballarat and Alan McLean, La Trobe Shepparton)

Overview The project Research perspectives Pilot: activities and methodology Findings Directions

ALTC Priority Project Pre-service Teacher Education Partnerships: Creating an effective practicum model for rural and regional pre-service teachers

Projected outcomes The project aims to create a sustainable, supportive model of practicum in rural and regional locations through: 1.Intervarsity cooperation ‘think tank’; shared supervision and inter-university regional preservice teacher clusters 2.Exploration of supportive communications technology (Skype for supervision; mobile phone for peer feedback …) 3.Exploration of approaches to creating sustainable partnerships with rural and regional teacher supervisors

Research context Rural educational disadvantage (Hardré, 2009) Higher education provision in rural areas -Bradley: need for universities to be “flexible and innovative” (DEEWA, 2008, p.111)

Research perspectives Significance of the practicum Scarcity of true partnerships between unis and schools (Ure, 2009) ICT as mode of instruction and communication

Pilot Semester 2, 2010, based on where both unis had practicum students 2 regions chosen: 1. Central Victoria (closer to Shepparton) 2. South western Victoria (closer to ACU Ballarat) ACU and La Trobe PSTs from each region put together in Blackboard discussion groups (both blogs and issue-based groups)

Shared supervision (and data collection) Using each other’s documentation lecturers visited their own and other uni’s PSTs and supervisors in their region Interviewed PSTs and supervisors and Student Teacher Coordinators (STCs) about project initiatives Practicum website; Skype for supplementary supervision

Recognition and reward for supervisors: to be explored Communication approaches Need for mentor pd? VIT professional development credit? Masters credit? Other? AITSL approaches-accreditation for supervisors

Methodology Semi-structured interviews with PSTs and supervisors Discourse analysis of PSTs online activities (not yet completed)

Findings Shared supervision PTSs- “(It’s) someone with experience...coming from either ACU or La Trobe...I don’t find it threatening.” “We learn something new...the more people you can connect with, especially in this environment I think is really good.”

Shared supervision Supervisors Having a qualified and experienced person visit more important than which university the lecturer represents. Lecturers Soon forgot who were ‘their’ PSTs and who were not; valuable to see another course.

Technology Inter-university clusters. “This is the first time I’ve seen C. but we’ve chatted on Blackboard quite a few times and M. and I only met the other day and again we’ve had more contact by our Blackboard than we would have all being in the same location.”

Inter-university IT Danger of access being too complex Mature age PST: too many IT options: “Blackboard …LMS… s …it’s just another thing you have to do.” Others cruised around as suited. Lecturers found monitoring it engaging but voluminous.

Inter-university clusters “I have agreed to catch up with someone who is working at a nearby school and go through some research stuff we’ve got coming up...Blackboard, the online tool enabled us to do that.”

Communication with Supervisors On-going frustrations: non-arrival of documentation. Interest in website for communication seemed more ‘if needed’. and phone were favoured. Skype as an addition not replacement to face to face meeting.

Communication ‘The human face is still hugely important”. In terms of value of Skype project methodology of 2 visits took away incentive.

Professional development for supervisors Differences between younger/less experienced supervisors (who were interested) and veterans (less) AITSL accreditation: requirement to prove proficiency may be disincentive to be a supervisor Lecturers would value the chance to work with supervisors on mentoring

Sustainable ways to recognise and reward supervisors Credit-based maybe more appealing; money not as important as time Affirmation for Deans’ recommendation of it being part of work load (Ure, 2009)

Directions for the project Affirmation for inter-university practicum approach Need to: 1.Streamline ICT instruction options 2.Find ways of balancing visits with ICT options 3.Delve deeper into finding ways for universities and teachers to talk about practicum.

Project website

References Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. (2008). Review of Australian higher education. [Electronic version] accessed January 16, erEducationReport.aspx erEducationReport.aspx Hardré, P. (2009) Nurturing the rural teaching experience. Lessons from the United States. In T. Lyons, J.Choi & G. McPhan, (Eds.) (2009). Innovation for Equity in Rural Education, Symposium Proceedings International Symposium for Innovation in Rural Education, February, UNE: Armidale, Electronic version retrieved January, 2010 from Ure, C. (2009). Practicum Partnerships: Exploring Models of Practicum Organisation in Teacher Education for a Standards-Based Profession. Final Report of ALTC funded project.