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volume 6 • number 1 • march 2007
Professional educator
‘for the profession’ Join us at www.austcolled.com.au
Indigenous education:outback innovation
Daring to trust: risk management
Integrating IcT: PD for leaders
professional educator • vol 6, no. 1 • march 2007 1
march 2007
ProfessIonal eDucaTorabn 19 004 398 145 issn 1447-3607print post approved pp 255003/02630
Published for the Australian College of Educators by ACER Press
EditoR dr Steve Holden [email protected] 03 9835 7466
jouRnAliSt Rebecca leech [email protected] 03 9835 7458
AuStRAliAn CollEgE of EduCAtoRS AdViSoRY CoMMittEEHugh guthrie, nCVERPatrick Bourke, gooseberry Hill PS, WAgail Rienstra, Earnshaw SC, QldMike Horsley, university of SydneyCheryl o’Connor, ACEPenny Cook, ACE
PRoduCtion Ralph Schubele [email protected] 03 9835 7469
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ACER Press 347 Camberwell Road (Private Bag 55), Camberwell ViC 3124
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All reasonable attempts have been made to trace copyright holders of material published. Material contained in Professional Educator is protected under the Commonwealth Copyright Act 1968. no material may be reproduced wholly or in part without written con-sent from the copyright holders. the views expressed in this publica-tion are not necessarily those of the Publisher or Editor and do not necessarily represent the views or policy of the Australian College of Educators or ACER. the Editor reserves the right to edit, abridge or otherwise alter articles for publication. All photographs have been published on the understanding that appropriate compliance with privacy legislation has been obtained. the attention of advertisers is drawn to the trade Practices Act 1974 and the provisions of the Act that apply to advertising. it is not possible for Professional Educator to ensure that advertisements published herein comply in all respects with the Act and the responsibility must therefore lie with the person, company or agency submitting the advertisement for publication.
2 eDITorIal and leTTers To The eDITor
4 oPInIon
• Kevin Vallencesayseducatorsare‘notyetcompetent’whenitcomes
tocompetency-basedtraining
• Mark Woodenexamineshowwellyoungpeoplearefaring
6 feaTureDomorestandards,regulations,compliancemechanismsandaudits
reducerisksandleadtosafer,andbetter,schools?Notnecessarily,says
Lee-Anne Perry
14 TeachIng anD learnIngTed MyerswenttotheKimberleytoexperiencefirst-handthechallenges
ofeducatingIndigenouspeopleinremotecommunites
22 InnovaTIonIntegratingICTisnotjustabouthardware,softwareorevenonline
communitiesofpractice.It’saboutface-to-faceprofessionaldevelopment
opportunities,especiallyforprincipals,saysNeil McCallum
30 naTIonal PersPecTIve and In brIef
32 IssuesSchool-basedteachereducation:isitthewayforward?Andrew Harvey hassomedoubts
42 revIew
43 The DIary
44 as I see IT... Tampering with a universal lawDanny Katzexplainswhyhavingyourteacherinyourhouseiswrong
Students at Luurnpa Catholic School, WA. Photo courtesy Ted Myers. See story page 14.
2 australian college of educators • acer
eDITorIal
EditorialWith a federal election later
this year, you can expect
education to be wheeled
out for media attention more
than once. Education, after
all, offers an opportunity for
polarisation. Look in the crystal
ball and what do we see? The
economy? Both sides in politics
will claim the ‘prudent’ high
ground. Water management?
Both sides will find plenty of
fix-it money – with maybe a
little federal-state fingerpointing
for variation. Climate change?
While there’s scope for
difference, climate change is
always going to be a tricky
hook on which to hang an
election. Education? Curriculum
reform and standards, teacher
supply and quality, and school
funding: they’re the sort of
thing that give politicians
endless opportunities to show
how different they are. All
the policy fingerpointing,
however, is likely to reduce
the education profession to a
mythical battleground between
didactic disciplinarians in suits
and union-zombie new-age
types in beanbags. Does that
reflect the reality in your staff
room?
letters to the editor
menTorIngDr Frederick Osman, Mathematics educator, Trinity Grammar School, Sydney, and Highly Accomplished Educators representative, Australian College of EducatorsTheAustralianCollegeofEducatorshostedanexcitinginitiativetowelcomeearly-careereducatorsbyputtingthemtogetherwithexperiencededucatorsfromacrossAustraliaatthefirstACEMentoringForumforEarlyCareerandExperiencedEducatorsattheMountSchoenstattConferenceandRetreatCentreinMulgoa,anhourwestofSydney,lastAugust.
Forumparticipantsenjoyedthreedaysworkingwithexperiencededucatorsfromavarietyofinstitutionswhoprovidedrelevantpracticalandtheoreticalmen-toringopportunities.TheForumwasalsoaformofprofessionaldevelopmenttohelpeducatorsestablishanddeveloptheirownmentoringprograms.
Thepowerofmentoringisthatitprovidesguidancetoindividualsintheirprofessionaldevelopment.Whilementoringexistsinaprofessionalcontextsuchastheworkplace,thedevelopingmentoringrelationshipisapersonalone,sotheeffectsofmentoringpermeatesocial,operationalandprofessionalstructuresandnetworks,bothwithinandoutsideanorganisation.
Mentoringinvolvesvariouselementssuchasrolemodelling,counselling,spon-sorship,friendshipandcoaching.Thewaythatmentoringisconceptualisedhasanimpactonallfacetsofamentoringprogram.Inparticular,itinfluencesthewaytherolesofmentorsandprotegésareunderstoodandhowtheyarepreparedforandsupportedinthoseroles.
Someoftheissuesforbeginningteachersidentifiedbyparticipantswere:timeandclassroommanagement,particularlythemanagementofdifficultstudents;howtoworkwithparentsandcommunities;howtosurviveemotionallyinacompeti-tiveeducationsystem;andhowtodevelopvariedteachingstrategiestocaterfordifferentlearningstyles.
Mentoringisgainingpopularityasaprofessionallearningstrategyforeduca-
torsatallphasesoftheirdevelopment.Themajorityofmentoringwritersstresstheimportanceofsomekindoftrainingformentors.Trainingforprotegés ismentionedlessoften.Thistraining,whichmightbebetterreferredtoasprepara-tionandsupport,isintegraltothedevelopmentandimplementationofaformalmentoringprogram.
Theprincipalthemeoftheforumwastodeveloprelationshipsbetweenmentorsandprotegésthatleadtoadevelopmentalprocesstopursuebestpracticeintermsofgoodinductionandmentoringtoenablesuccessfulteaching.ThemorespecificaimsoftheACEMentoringForumwere:• toprovidesupporttoeducatorsintheirearlycareerthroughtheprovisionof
goodinductionandmentoring• tomakemoreeffectiveuseoftheexpertiseofaccomplishededucatorsinorder
toimprovethequalityofteachingandadvancetheeducationprofession• toenhancetheleadershipskillsofaccomplishedandbeginningeducators,and• toharnessthecommitmentandenergyofaccomplishedandbeginningeduca-
torswithaviewtogeneratingandsustainingeducationalreform.FeedbackfromparticipantswasthatthefirstACEMentoringForumfor
EarlyCareerandExperiencedEducatorsmadegoodprogresstowardsachievingthoseaims.Participantsagreedtheeventwasagreatandpowerfulhands-onexperience.
professional educator • vol 6, no. 1 • march 2007 3
leTTers To The eDITor
suPPorT begInnIng TeachersBob Lipscombe, Senior Vice President, New South Wales Teachers’ FederationTheannualnationalsurveybytheAustralianEducationUnion(AEU)of1,300beginningteachers–thatis,teacherswiththreeyearsorlessexperience–indicatesthatthirty-threepercentofNewSouthWalesbeginningteachersdon’tbelievethey’ll be teaching in ten years time. Figures from the NSW Department ofEducationandTraining(DET),meanwhile,indicatethatapproximatelyfortypercentofteacherswillresignorretirebetween2006and2011.Putthetwotogetherandit’slikelywe’llfacesignificantshortagesinthenot-too-distantfuture.
TheAEUsurveyidentifiedthefollowingtopfourconcernsforNSWbegin-ningteachers:sixty-twopercentlistedbehaviourmanagement;fifty-ninepercentlistedclasssizes;fifty-twopercentlistedworkload;andfifty-onepercentlistedpay.Overall,theresultsofthesurveystronglysupportedthecampaignbytheNewSouthWalesTeachers’Federationforimprovementsforbeginningteachers,includ-inggovernmentactionatboththestateandCommonwealthleveltoencouragenewteacherstoremainintheprofession.Further,itshowsclearlythattheFederationwasrighttoidentifyimprovementsforbeginningteachersasapriorityforthestateelectionthismonth.
Goodsupportintheirearlyyearsofteachingwillhaveagreatimpactonretain-ingnewteachersintothefuture.
Beginningteachersbenefitfromawell-targetedandproperly-fundedinductionprogram.Intheirfirstyearsofteaching,beginningteachersalsoneedareducedteachingloadtoeasethemintothejob,asisalreadycommonplaceinmanyNSWprivateschoolsandsomepublicschoolsinsomestates.Tasmania,forexample,providesatwo-hourreductionintheteachingloadofbeginningteachersinpub-licschools,whileNSWCatholicschoolsprovidereductionsranginguptoadayperweek.Infact,inpartsofNSWwenowhaveDETbeginningteacherswithnoreductioninteachingloadsliterallyworkingacrossthestreetfrombeginningteachersinCatholicschoolswithaone-dayperweekreductioninteachingloads.Unfortunately,intheNSWpublicschoolsystem,oneisexpectedtodoexactlythesameonthefirstdayinajobassomeonewithyearsofexperience.
Beginningteachersrequireandbenefitgreatlyfromsupportandmentoringbyexperiencedteachers.InNSW,approximately2,000newpermanentteachersandmorethan1,000temporaryandcasualteachersentertheworkforceeachyear,yetthereareonlyfiftyfull-time-equivalentteachermentors.Althoughtheteachermentorprogramcommencedin2003,followingrepresentationsbytheFederationandothers,theNSWgovernmenthasdeclinedtoexpandthenumbersoffull-timeteachermentorstotheapproximately300neededtosupportallbeginningteachers.Indoingso,thegovernmenthasignoredanevaluationbyDET’sStrategicResearchDirectorate, inconjunctionwithanindependentacademic,ProfessorChristineDeer,whichdemonstratesjusthowsuccessfulithasbeeninthoseschoolswhereithasoperated.TherecentreleaseofDrLyndsayConnors’sTime and TidereportforthePublicEducationAlliancenowindicatesthesheerweightofevidencethatshowsthereisaneedforsignificantimprovementsforbeginningteachersintheareasofworkload,mentoringandprofessionaldevelopment.
TheNSWgovernmentneedstoprovidesupporttobeginningteachersinpublicschools,atleasttothesamestandardasthatprovidedtotheircounterpartsintheprivatesystem,tomaintainqualityoutcomesinallourclassrooms.
For more on support for beginning teachers, download TimeandTide, by Dr Lyndsay Connors, at http://www.nswtf.org.au/media/latest_2007/files/20070212_time.pdf
Congratulations to Frederick Osman, who wins
a voucher valued at $100 courtesy of Allen and Unwin in association with professional
educator. When it comes to the key educational issues we want
to know your opinion.
Write to us and win.*Email editor.profeducator@acer. edu.au; or write to Letter to the Editor, Professional Educator, ACER Press, Private Bag 55
Camberwell, Vic 3124.
Quality resources for teachers
www.allenandunwin.com
* Letters from ACER staff and families and Allen and Unwin staff and
families will not be eligible to receive a prize. Vouchers are redeemable
for Allen and Unwin titles or imprints to the value of $100.
4 australian college of educators • acer
oPInIon
the meaning of ‘competence’
in competency-based training
has been reduced to ‘performance’
because that’s easy to understand and
assess, says Kevin vallence.
THere’s aTVadthatshowsastackofshelvesladenwithbottlesofmotoroilbeingpushed,aninchatatime,toacheckoutcounter.ItremindsmeofthepaceofchangeinaspectsofTAFEdelivery.In2005,RexOdgersandInamedeightimpedimentstodeliveryflexibilityinTAFE.SincethenI’veidentifiedfourmore,includingcompetency-basedtraining(CBT),thecornerstoneinthepastdecadeofvocationaleducationandtraining.
ThoughCBTisinherentlyflexible,currentlytheextenttowhichitisunder-stoodandpractisedcreatesimpedimentstodeliveryflexibility.There’sbeenaslip-pagebetwixtthetheoreticalcupandthepracticallip.
Bluntly,afteradecade,it’stimetocheckwhatVETpractitionersunderstandby‘competence.’Itseemstomethatithasbeenreducedto‘performance’becausethat’seasytounderstandandassess.Competence,however,hasbeenlostbecauseit’sdifficultbothtounderstandandassess.
Thepassageoftime,ourmanagementphilosophy,ourstaffingpatternsandthewayweuselanguagehavealsoeachcontributedtotheslippage.
CBTinVETisabitoveradecadeold.Thisisashorttimecomparedtothepracticesitreplaced,butadeceptivelylongtimewhenwethinkofhowquicklylanguagechanges.Asapractice,beingonlyadecadeoldmeansthat,withthepos-sibleexceptionofpeopletrainedandassessedwithinthearmedservices,fewofushadourinitialvocationaltrainingassessedusingacompetence-basedmethodology;andifwewereteachinginavocationalcontextbeforethemid-1990swewerenotusingthismethodologytoassess.
Withinthissamedecadetherewasashifttomanagerialism–educatorswerereplacedby‘managers.’Asaresult,someTAFEmanagershaveneitheratheoreti-calknowledgenoranypracticalexperienceoftheassessmentmethodologythatiscentraltowhattheyaremanaging.Thiscriticaldoubleblindspotmeansthatteach-ersoftenhavenoonetowhomtheycanturnforauthoritativeadviceaboutCBT.Conversely,managershavenobasisforjudgingwhetherCBTiseitherunderstoodorbeingimplementedasitwasintended.
Wedon’tneedremindinghowrapidlywords,termsandacronymscomeintoandmovethroughourpersonalandprofessional language.Somereaderswill
rememberwhenthewordVETreferredtoablokewholookedafterthecows;SPAMwas‘spicedham’inatin;andthenearestanyonecametogooglingwasthegreatAustralianspinbowlerArthurMay.YetweusetheinitialsCBTasifeverythingtheystandforisuniversallyunderstood.Evenatthesimplestlevelofmeaningthisisnottrue.NurseswillhearCBTandthinkControlledBreathingTechnique;computerspecialistswillthinkComputer-BasedTraining;counsel-lorswillthinkCognitiveBehaviouralTherapy;andreaderswithassociationstocertainpartsofthebondagecommunitywillthinkofsomethingentirelydiffer-entand,Iimagine,considerablymoreexciting.IfyougoogleforCBT,youhavetoscrollthroughanumberofscreensbeforecompetency-basedtrainingappearsasanentry.
ManyTAFEinstitutesemployandrelyonahiddenworkforceofsessionalteachers.Toooftenthesecriticalstafffalloutsidetheprerequisitequalificationrequirementsandprofessionaldevelopmentexpectationsthatapplytocontractedorpermanentteachers.Officiallytheyareunabletoassessindependently,andthat’sprobablyjustaswellsincefewwouldhavethevaguestideawhatCBTmeans,letalonethatitsefficacyremainsproblematic.
CBThasrolledoffourtonguesfortenyears,butthereisdisconcertingevidencethatunderstandingandpracticehaveslipped,andcontributedtodeliverybeinglessflexiblethanitmightbe.
Is Tafe ‘nyc’ when it comes to
cbT?
Kevin Vallence (FACE) and Rex Odgers completed the Victorian Qualifications Authority study,
Flexibilityofqualificationstomeetthedistinctiveneedsofruraland
regionalcommunities, in 2005. This article is based in part on a pres-
entation Kevin Vallence made to a Victorian TAFE Development Centre
Leadership for Flexibility workshop in November 2006. His most recent
publication is ChangebyDesign, published by Innovative Resources. NYC refers to the CBT assessment
‘not yet competent.’
professional educator • vol 6, no. 1 • march 2007 �
oPInIon
THeAustralianlabourmarkethasbeenexperiencingboom-likeconditionsinrecentyears,soyou’dexpectastrongyouthlabourmarket.Thekeymessagepre-sentedinHow Young People are Faring 2006,however, isthatyouthhavefaredrelativelypoorlyinthatmarket,asreflectedinthecontinueddeclineinthenumberoffull-timejobsheldbyyoungpeople.
Ofcourse,youngpeopleareincreasinglytoldthattheroutetofuturesuccessisviaeducation,sodecliningnumbersinfull-timeemploymentmightbeareasonforcelebrationifthatreflectedrisingparticipationratesineducation.How Young People Are Faring,however,showsthattheproportionofyoungpeoplewhoareneitherinfull-timeworknorinfull-timeeducationremainsstubbornlyhigh.Anobviousquestionfollows:whatisthisgroupofalmost540,000youngpeopledoing?
Thereportinformsusthatofthe14.4percentofteenagerswhoareneitherinfull-timeworknorinfull-timeeducation,aboutforty-fivepercentareinpart-timejobs,justoveranotherquarterareunemployed,andasimilarproportionareneitheremployednorlookingforwork.Amongyoungadults,thefractioninthissituationishigher–23.3percent–andthecomparableproportionsofthisgroupinpart-timework,unemploymentandoutsidethelabourforceareforty-fivepercent,nineteenpercent,andthirty-sixpercent,respectively.Perhapsmostdisturbingofall,thereportemphasisesthehighlevelsofunderemploymentamongthepart-timeworkersinthisgroup.Aroundtwo-thirdsofteenagersandalmosthalfoftheyoungadultsinpart-timeemploymentandfull-timestudyprefermorehoursofwork.
Therearegoodreasonswhysomeyoungpeoplechoosenottoworkorstudy–childcare, ill-health,disability,or simplyoptingto takeayearout–soweshouldn’tautomaticallyassumethatalackofinvolvementinformaleducationorpaidemploymentisnecessarilyasignofinactivityorthatweaknessinthelabourmarketisthemaincauseofinactivity.Indeed,theAustralianBureauofStatistics,initsSeptember2005supplementtotheLabour Force Survey,classifiedas‘discour-agedjobseekers’veryfew–lessthan8,000–ofthealmost1.3millionpeopleundertheageoftwenty-fourwhoareoutsidethelabourforce.
How Young People Are Faringreliesoncross-sectiondata,whichonlytellusabouttheactivityofpeopleatasinglepointintime.Morerevealingwouldbe
informationthatenabledustotrackindividualsovertime,suchasthedatafromtheLongitudinalSurveyofAustralianYouth.GaryMarksfromtheAustralianCouncilforEducationalResearchhasanalysedthesedataandfoundrelativelyhighratesofmovementfrompart-timetofull-timeemploymentamongyoungpeople,whichsuggeststhatunderemploymentappearstobeatemporaryphenomenonforthevastmajorityofyoungpeople.Evenunemploymentmaynotbeaseriousproblemif it’srelativelyshort-lived,andall indicatorsarethat long-termunemployment–thatis, lastingmorethanoneyear–isbothdecliningandaffectsarelativelysmallproportionofthelabourforceatjustunderonepercent.
Policymakersshouldrightlybeconcernedwithensuringthatyoungpeoplearenottrappedinacycleofintermittentpart-timejobsthatareoflittlevalueinenhancinglong-termprospectsinthelabourmarket,butit’sequallyimportantthatweidentifyexactlywhoarethepeoplemostatriskofthis.
Finally,anoteofcautioniswarrantedabouttheimplicitassumptionthatfull-timeeducationisalwaysbeneficial.TheworkbyGaryMarksreferredtoearlier,forexample,suggeststhatmanygraduatesofourTAFEsystemarenotfaringpar-ticularlywell.Marksconcludesthatlessemphasisshouldbeplacedonvocationaleducationasasolutiontoproblemsintheschool-to-worktransition.MyviewisthattheTAFEsystemneedstobeoverhauledwithaviewtoensuringitcanbettermeettheneedsofprospectivestudentsandemployers.
How Young People are Faring 2006, a report from the dusseldorp skills Forum, indicates that many young people continue to fare relatively poorly in the labour market, but the news isn’t all bad, writes mark wooden.
Professional teachers
Mark Wooden is Associate Professor and Deputy Director of the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research at the University of Melbourne.
For the full report How Young People are Faring 2006, or HYPAF At a Glance, visit www.dsf.org.au
6 australian college of educators • acer
feaTure
eVeNadecadeago,itwouldhavebeenunusualforschoolleaderstohavelisted‘riskmanager’asoneofthedominantcomponentsoftheirmulti-facetedrole;now,riskanditsmanagementareseenasintegralpartsofaprincipal’sprofessionalrepertoire,sincenowthecommonplaceactivitiesofschoolingareseenasriskstobemanaged.Schoolsandschoolleadershavealwaysbeenheldaccountable,butthenatureandscopeofcontemporaryaccountabilityandauditregimeshaveesca-latedinrecentyearstoapointwheretheproportionofaprincipal’stimespentonaddressingaccountabilityrequirements,thewaytheserequirementsimpingeontheirfreedomtomakechoicesaboutthelearningenvironmentoftheschool,andthedeleteriouseffectontrustinrelationships,arecauseforgreatconcern.What’sneededisarobust,flexibleandsystematicapproachtoriskmanagementbuiltoninformedtrustinhumanjudgementtoenableschoolleaderstomanageriskinawaythatfostersadynamiclearningenvironment.
do more standards, regulations, compliance mechanisms and audits
reduce risks and lead to safer, and better,
schools?
not necessarily, says lee-anne Perry.
professional educator • vol 6, no. 1 • march 2007 7
feaTure
evolvIng unDersTanDIngs of rIsKRiskhasalwaysbeenwithus,butitsmeaninghasevolvedovertime,ashaveourresponsestorisk.‘Risk’derivesfromthePortugueseverbrisco,‘todare,’reflect-ingtheadventurousexploitsofsixteenth-centuryexplorerssettingouttodiscovernewworlds,newopportunitiesandnewriches.Inthispositivemeaning,riskwasoutward-looking,future-focusedandenterprising–therisktakersoughtnewandbetterthingsbytakingadvantageofthecircumstancespresentedinnature.
Thatmeaninghas,inourcontemporaryunderstanding,largelybeendisplacedbyanegativeconcept,whereriskisaboutdangerandwhatcouldbelost,ratherthanwhat,throughdaring,couldbegained,asMaryDouglasarguesinher1990article,‘Riskasaforensicresource.’Theseedsofthisshiftcanbefoundinrisk’searlyassociationwiththeinsurancebusinessandgambling,andwiththeiraccom-panyingtechnologiesofmeasurementdirectedatuncertaintyandtheprobabilities
Daring to trust
beyond risk minimisation
in schools
What’s the risk?
Risk and its
management are now
integral parts of a
school principal’s role.
Standards, regulations,
compliance mechanisms
and audits have created
a flawed model of risk
management which has
pushed trust in human
judgement from the
centre to the margins.
Effective risk
management
involves identifying,
understanding and
learning from both
error and the absence
of error to build an
informed culture.
� australian college of educators • acer
feaTure
oflossesandgains,aswriterslikeDouglas,PeterBernsteinandAnthonyGiddenshaveshown.Increasinglysophisticatedcomputertechnologieshavemeantthatrecord-keeping,data-processingandanalysisnowreachintojustabouteveryaspectof life,sothatrisk–orrisk-as-loss,simpleandcalculable,tobeminimisedoravoided–isnowattheheartofwhathasbecomea‘risksociety.’
Whileriskhasbecomecentral,it’snowalsofocusedmoreonwhatpeopledo,ordon’tdo,ratherthanonthenaturalworld.Theresult?Theefforttodayistoelimi-natetheuncertaintiesinpredictinghumanbehaviourandmakethesebehavioursmoretransparentinordertoenableregimesofinspection.Trustintheindividualhasincreasinglygivenwaytomonitoringandoversight.Riskassociatedwithhumanactivity,andthepotentialdangersandlossesitpresents,mustnowbeidentified,quantifiedandmanaged.Indeed,riskhasemergedasakeyorganisingconceptinthecreationofthemostdominantformofaccountabilityinourmodernglobalsocietycharacterised,inMichaelApple’swords,by‘vigilance,surveillance,“performanceappraisal”and...formsofcontrolgenerally.’(14)That’sledtoaconstantdemandfor‘evidence’inordertoshowthatorganisationsandindividualsareactingsuchthattheyarerisk-minimised.Forschools,thisisparticularlyapparentintheever-burgeoningarrayofpoliciesandprotocolstodowithchildprotection.
managIng rIsK anD elImInaTIng JuDgemenTTheseeminglyendlessproductionandimpositionofstandards,regulationsandothercompliancemechanismshascreatedasocietyof‘auditees’anxiouslyprepar-ingforauditsandinspectionsinaclimatecharacterisedbyleaguetablesandotherformsofpublicreportingwhichblameandpunishwhilepurportingtoshowtherelativeefficiency,or inefficiency,of institutions.Inschools,claimsaboutthecapacitytoensurestudentsafetyandwellbeing,tominimiseinefficientuseofoftenscarceresourcesandtomaximiseproductivityintermsofstudentlearningcanbetranslatedintoquiteprecisequantitativemeasuresthatcanbetrackedovertimeandreportedinasuccinctform.Aschool,essentially,becomes‘calculable’asariskorganisation.Indeed,riskandriskmanagementinschoolshavenowbeen‘renderednormal,’asJudithBessant,RichardHilandRobWattsputitinDiscovering Risk.Consequently,asRichardEricsonandKevinHaggertyargue,thedailyworknotonlyofschoolleadersbutofteachersandotherstaffhashadtochangebybecoming‘pluggedinto’aninstitutionalcommunicationsystembuiltaroundthesenewaccountabilities.
Whilethishasengenderedrisk-consciousnessaspartofthe‘natural’pedagogicpracticesofprincipals inschools,thenegativelogicofriskhasshapedaflawedmodelofriskmanagementwhichhaspushedtrustinhumanjudgementfromthecentretothemargins.Therearefourwaysinwhichthishascomeabout.
The culture of expertiseRiskmanagementisincreasinglyseenasaspecial-istdomainpeopledbyriskmanagement‘expert’consultantstoschools.Acultureof‘expertise’hasbeenpromotedthathashadtheeffect,asKennethThompsonarguesinhis1998book,Moral Panics,oftaking‘thedefinitionandcontrolofriskawayfromordinarypeople.’(30)Atthesametimetherisk-managemententer-prisehasgrownlargerasaresultofaregulatoryframeworkthat’s informationintensiveandknowledgegenerating,asHenryRothsteinandcolleaguesargue.Professional ‘experts’haveavestedinterestinmaintainingandexpandingthesystemsofaccountability,andincreatingadependencyandindeedvulnerabil-itywithinotherprofessionalgroups,likeschoolprincipals,whofeelthemselvesincreasinglyvulnerablewithintherisksociety.AsFrankFurediputsit,‘Managerswhoareafraidtomaketheirowndecisionshirehigh-pricedconsultantstoreaffirm
The seemingly endless
production and
imposition of standards,
regulations and other
compliance mechanisms
has created a society
of ‘auditees’ anxiously
preparing for audits
and inspections in a
climate characterised
by league tables.
theobvious:Itisgenerallysafertoadoptsomeoneelse’sbestpracticethantoengi-neeryourown..,yetforcompaniestothrive,employeesneedtofeelasthoughtheyareonanopen-endedjourneyofdiscovery,ofwhichunpredictabilityisakeypart.’(22)Asaresult,heargues,organisationsbecome‘dumbeddown,’andrisklosingthecapacitytotakethesortofconceptualleapsthatenterprising,andeducational,activityrequires.
The employment of technical knowledgeThegrowingrelianceonexter-nalexpertsandonthequantificationofriskhasalsogeneratedabeliefthatriskmanagementdecisionsarecredibleonlyiftheydependontechnicalknowledgederivedbytheuseof‘numericalandcalculativerationales,’whicharethenusedto‘augmentthelegitimacyofdecision-making,irrespectiveoftheirmethodologicallegitimacy,’asRothsteinandcolleaguespointout.(97)Thistechnicalknowledgedrawsondataaboutthepast,becauseit’savailable,buttheeffectisthatcontext-rich,case-by-casejudgementisdisplacedbycontext-poordecisionrules.Whenriskmanagementisbasedonsystemsprimarilyusinghistoricdataittendstobereac-tionaryanddefensiveratherthaninnovativeandvisionary,andtendstobecomeself-reinforcing.Becausedataiscontinuallygeneratedthatmustbe‘riskassessedandmanaged,’asRothsteinandcolleaguesreason,systemsbecome‘asolutioninsearchofriskproblems.’(95)
The cataloguing of risksOstensiblythepurposeofriskmanagementistoimproveorganisationalpractices,butit’softenthecasethatriskmanagementamountsmerelytothenamingofproblems,issuesoractivitiesas‘risks.’
shifting responsibilityNewrisk-managementstrategiessuchas,say,com-munitynotificationprovisions,canshiftordiffuseresponsibility,particularlybyreplacinghumanjudgementwithinflexibleregulation.
Despitetheproblemsinherentinmanyriskmanagementsystems,accordingtoRothsteinandcolleagues,thesesystemsarestillseenasawaytorespondtothedemandsbothofthosewhogovernandthosewhoaregovernedforprocesseswhichareseentobeobjective,rational,consistent,structuredanddefensible.Bethatasitmay,riskmanagementsystemsarereally,asMichaelPowersonicelyputitinhis1994book,The Audit Explosion,about‘thecontrolofcontrol,wherewhatisbeingassuredisthequalityofthecontrolsystemsratherthenthequalityofthefirstorderoperations.’(19)Lookedatthisway,regulatoryframeworksareobjectsofriskinthesamewaythatriskhasbecomeanobjectofregulationandcanbeheldtoaccountfortheirownlimitations,asRothsteinandhiscolleaguespointout.Riskmanagementbasedonsuchsystemsofcontrol,however,haslittletoofferschoolsaslearningorganisationsandisactuallyagreaterrisktoschoolsbecauseiteliminatesjudgementandreducestrustinjudgements.
The ImPorTance of TrusTHowisitthatriskmanagementthatreliesonexpertsusingtechnicalknowledgehaserodedtrust?Trusthasbeenerodedbythecultureofsuspicionreflectedintheimpositionofmultiplelayersofcompliancemechanismsoninstitutionssuchasschools.SusanGroundwater-SmithandJudythSachsgofurther:‘thegreaterthegovernancebyrules,’theysay,‘thelessthepracticeoftrust.Theseareexactlytheconditionsoftheauditsociety.’(345)Trust,however,iscriticaltoamodelofriskthatavoidsthe‘straight-jacketing’effectsofoverdoingaudit.
Trustisacomplexconceptwhichhasbeenexploredinarangeofdisciplines.Whiletherearemanydifferentdefinitionssomecommonthreadsemerge,asTKDasandBing-ShengTengidentifiedintheirextensive2004reviewofthelitera-ture.Generally,trusthasbothcognitiveelementsbasedonrational,instrumental
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judgementsandaffectiveelementsgroundedinrelationships.Thesecognitiveandaffectiveelementsarevariouslyexpressedascompetenceandcare,abilityanddependability,competenceandgoodwill,orabilityandintentions.Apersonseek-ingtrustislookingontheonehandforevidenceofcompetencesuchasatrackrecord,qualityassuranceprocedures,transparencyandawillingnesstoadmiterrors,andontheotherhandasenseofcarethroughthedemonstrationofrespect,responsivenessandauser-friendlyservice.
Riskmanagementincorporatingtrustbuildsonthecompetenceandcareofthetrustee.Theprevailingdominantmanagerialistformsofaccountability,however,involvetheimpositionofregulations,standardsandtargetsindicativeofsuspicionandcontrol.Moreover,managerialistimperativesprivilegemeasurementandcalculation,ratherthanaffectiveelements.Theconsequencesforschoolshavebeensignificant.
Patternsof relationships suchas thosebetweenparentsandschoolsarecurrentlybeingchallengedandchanged.Parentshavetraditionallyplacedtheirtrustinindividualteachersandprincipalsinaschoolinthecontextofpersonal,face-to-facerelationshipsandconfidenceintheirabilitytomakesoundjudge-mentsbasedonprofessionalexpertise.Complexexpertsystemssuchasschool
leadershipandteachingaredependentonthis trustbecause,asHaridimosTsoukasexplainedin1997,thepracticesintegraltothesesystems‘cannotbemade fully transparent simplybecause there isnosubstitute for thekindofexperientialand implicitknowledgecrucial toexpertise,andwhich involvestrustof thepractitioners.’ (835)Extensivemediacoverageof inappropriateconductbyasmallnumberofteachers,ofclaimsthatstudentslackbasiclit-eracy,numeracyandotherwork-readinessskills,andofpoorperformancebysomeschoolsonthenarrowperformanceindicatorsthatcomprisemany‘leaguetables’havecontributedtothegrowthof ‘moralpanics’aboutschoolingandeducationthatpromptgovernments,alwayswithacloseeyeonpublicsenti-mentaboutthestrengthoftheirclaimtogoodgovernance,toseektighterandtightercontrols.Theeffect?Trusthasgivenwaytomistrust;parental trustin the judgementofeducationprofessionalshasbeensupplantedbyrelianceongovernment-sanctionedmeasuresofqualityandsuccess. Indeed,SharonGewirtzhasarguedthatthismovementhasbeensopervasiveastoresult inthesubjugationofschoolprofessionalswhonow‘havetoliveintheshadowofconstantsurveillance.’(361)It’snotsurprisingthatsuchasituationencouragesrisk-aversebehaviourandrisk-minimisationstrategieswithinbothindividualsandorganisations.Innovation,experimentationanddaringarehardlylikelytobeafeatureoftheeducationallandscapewhenpeopleactivelyavoidanyideaoractivitywhichmightbeseenasrisky.
Twoofthekeyelementsofprofessionalismaretrustandahighdegreeofself-controloveractivities,thatis,thefreedomtomakeandactonjudgements.Beyondthat,asAndreasHoechtexplainsinhis2006articleonqualityassuranceinhighereducationintheUnitedKingdom,aprofessionneedstoestablish‘acontrollinginfluenceoverthenatureandprovisionofitsknowledgeandhavetheabilitytogaintrustandrespectinsocietyfortheroleitplaysinit.’(546)Arguably,professionalsineducationalinstitutionssuchasschoolsanduniversi-tiesarelosingcontroloverthenatureoftheirknowledgeandpurposeastheseareincreasinglyshapedbyexternallyimposedaccountabilityregimes.Hoechtfurthercontendsthat theresponseofmanyuniversitiesandschools,andtheprofessionalswithinthem,hasbeenpassiveandaccommodating.Reportsareproduced,targetsaremetorresetonce‘failure’isadmitted,curriculumchanges
Innovation,
experimentation and
daring are hardly likely
to be a feature of the
educational landscape
when people actively
avoid any idea or
activity which might be
seen as risky.
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aremade,protocolsimplemented,irrespectiveofthecompromisingeffectthesemayhaveonothergoalsoftheorganisation.
Trust,Hoechtargues,encouragesrisk-takingunderpinnedbypositiveexpecta-tionsofthecompetenceandcareofthosebeingtrusted.Trustinandwithinschoolsystemshasbeencompromised,however,notonlybytheescalationofinstrumentalformsofaccountabilitybutbytheresultingcommodificationofschoolingwhichlimitstheopportunityfortheprofessionalswithinschoolstoexercisejudgement.Curriculumdecisionsandpedagogicalpracticeshavebecomevaluedonly fortheircontributiontoproductivityasmeasuredbyinstrumentslikeleaguetables.Educatorshaveturnedintoserviceprovidersrespondingtoconsumers–parentsandstudents–andconcentratingonoutputstotheexclusionofinputs.Intheprocess,thefocusoftheirprofessionalpracticehastransferredfromcreativelyandflexiblyrespondingtoindividualstudentneedstoidentifyingandmeasuringthosefactorsdeemedmostliabletocauseriskeithertotheindividualeducatorortheinstitution,eventhoughtheideaofrenderingallpracticeswithinthecomplexsystemsofleadershipandteachingintocalculable,recordableandtherebyaccount-ableformsis impossible.Becausethat’s impossiblewetendinsteadtowardsthelessdifficultmeansofdescriptionofpractice.Forexample,whileattendanceat
professionaldevelopmentactivitiescanbeeasilycalculated,measuringthelearningandenhancementofactualpedagogicalpracticethatresultsfromsuchattendanceisnot.Staffabsenteeratescanbecalculated,recordedandreported;measuringateacher’swisdom,enthusiasmandresponsivenesstoindividualneedsismuchmoredifficult.Whatweendupwithisarelianceonatomisticandsuperficialmeasureswherewhatismeasuredbecomeswhatisvalued–givingthemostprominencetothemosteasilymeasuredriskfactors.
Accountabilitymeasuresare,then,bothacauseandaconsequenceofalackoftrust.Whilegivingtheimpressionofprovidingtransparencyandinformation,suchmeasuresconcealmanyofthedimensionsofschoolingsuchascharacterfor-mation,adaptabilityandenterprisethatdominateschoolplans,missionstatementsandmuchofgovernmentpolicyoneducation.Theydolittletofosterinnovationandlearningandsignificantlyerodetheintrinsicmotivationandresponsivenessofprofessionaleducatorswhofeelblamedratherthantrusted.
an eDucaTIve aPProach To rIsK managemenTJamesReason’sworkonerrorcausationprovidescompellingevidenceforthekeyrolethattrustinhumanjudgementplaysindevelopingasafetycultureinorganisationsandindevelopinganeducativeapproachtoriskmanagementthathasmuchtoofferlearningorganisationssuchasschools.Hisarticle,‘Safetypara-doxesandsafetyculture,’explainswhyasafeculturerequiresthedevelopmentofanumberofinterdependentsubculturesincludinganinformedandreportingculture,aflexiblecultureandalearningculture.(12)Let’slookattheseinabitmoredetailandconsidertheir implicationsforaneducativeapproachtoriskmanagementinschools.
An informed and reporting cultureInhis2000article,‘Safetyparadoxesandsafetyculture,’Reasonidentifiestheimportanceofdataininformingthepracticesoforganisations,particularlypracticesatthemargins,toidentifyandunderstandboththepositiveandthenegativefaceofsafety.Organisationsneedtoidentifyandunderstandnotonlywhathasgonewrongbutalsowhathasworkedwell.Asafeculture,inReason’sview,isonewherepeopleknowwherethe‘edge’is,between‘relativesafetyandunacceptabledanger.’(3)Thisedgeisariskyplaceintermsofbothdaringanddanger,wherethegreatestgainsandthegreatest
Organisations need to
identify and understand
not only what has gone
wrong but also what
has worked well. A safe
culture is one where
people know where
the ‘edge’ is, between
‘relative safety and
unacceptable danger.’
12 australian college of educators • acer
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lossescanbemade.Understandingwheretheedgeliesisimportantinaschoolcontext.Noschoolleaderwishestofallovertheedgeintounacceptabledangerslikeendemicpoorperformance,anunsafeenvironmentoralowreputationwithinandoutsidetheschool.Understandingtheedgeisalsocriticaltoschoolleaderswishingtofosteradynamiclearningclimateintheirschoolratherthansimplyadoptingamaintenanceapproachtoschoolplanninganddevelopment.Identifyingandunderstandingtheedgeinvolvesgoingbeyondtheacquisitionandanalysisofhistoricdataandthecollationofmeasurementsrequiredbynarrow,instru-mentalauditmechanisms.It involvesthesystematiccollectionandanalysisofdataonbothsuccessesanddisappointmentsorfailures.Toooften,organisationsdevoteconsiderabletimeandattentiontowhatisworkingwell.Moreoverthereisatendencyfororganisationsdeemedsuccessful,suchasthoseatthetopoftheleaguetables,tobeviewedashavingnoweaknesses,tobeerror-free.Reason’sworksuggeststhatthisisunlikelytobeso.Studiesinarangeoforganisationsrevealthateventhemostresistantorganisationswithhighlydevelopedsafetyprocessescananddohaveaccidents.(5)Simplybaskingintheglowofsuccessfuloutcomescanpromotecomplacency.InReason’sstudies,successfulorganisations–whathecallshigh-reliabilityorganisations–encouragethereportingofmistakesandless-than-satisfactoryoutcomes,andtakeanabsenceoferrorascauseforincreasedvigilanceandattention.Effectiveriskmanagement,then,involvesidentifying,understandingandlearningfrombotherrorandtheabsenceoferrortobuildaninformedculture.
A flexible culture Allorganisationshave,orshouldhave,layersofdefencestoprotectthemfromdamage–intheformoferrors,failuresorpooroutcomes–andtoprovideasoundfoundationonwhichtopursuetheirstrategicgoals.Reasonhasfoundthatorganisationaldefencesare,paradoxically,frequentlyinstrumentalinaccidents,errorsandpooroutcomes.Thisisbecauseorganisationaldefencesdependoncontrol,aimedatminimisingvariabilityinhumanbehaviour,andbecausetheelementsoforganisationaldefencesthatarerevealedandconcealedarenotalwaysclear.Reasonarguesthatwhilecontrolsintheformofstandardoperatingprocedures,protocolsandregulationsareclearlyessential,suchcontrols
relyonhistoricdatatoinformfuturegeneralisedpracticeandassucharenotalwayswellsuitedtodealingwithlocalconditionsandvariations.Rule-basedcontrolsworkwellinmanysituationsbutlocalvariationsmaymaketheminapplicableor,whenasituationhasneverbeenanticipatedorwasbelievedtobeinconceivable,irrelevant.Whenrule-basedcontrolsareinapplicableorirrelevantthey’reasourceofotherrisks.
Defencescanalsobecompromisedwhentheygetbiggerandmorecom-plex.Defencesinclude‘hard’defenceslikealarms,otherautomatedsafetydevicesanddesignfeatures,and‘soft’defenceslikeprocedures,rules,trainingandothermeasurespredominantlyreliantonpeopleandpaper.Thesedefencescanenhancethesafetyoftheorganisationbuttheycanalsocompromisesafepracticewhenpractitionersbecomeoverwhelmedbythenumberandscopeofdefences,andgapsappearinimplementation.Onoccasions,certaindefences,suchasmultiplecom-puterbackupmechanisms,allowfailuresorerrorstogounnoticed.Thisprocesscanconcealtheaccretionoferrorovertimeandcreateholesintheorganisation’sdefensivelayers.
Thesekindsofproblemspromptmanyorganisationstotrytoreduceoreveneliminatevariabilityinhumanbehaviour–becausehumanvariabilityisalliedinthemindsofmanywithhumanunreliability.Becausevariability,however,meanspeoplecanrespondtotheunknownandtheunexpected,organisationswouldbe
Many educators feel
overwhelmed and
compromise their own
professionalism by
passively complying
with accountability
requirements.
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betteroffdevelopingacapacitytomakesenseofthisvariationbasedonasharedunderstandingofthevalues,missionandgoalsoftheorganisation,inotherwords,toenhancehumanjudgementtobuildaflexibleculture,althoughonethatisstillcriticallydependentontheconcurrentdevelopmentofaninformedculture.
Inmostorganisations,majorcatastrophesorerrorsare,fortunately,relativelyrare.Thedatathathelpstodevelopaninformedculture,therefore,mustcomefromboththesuccessesandthesmallerandusuallymorefrequenterrorsordisap-pointingoutcomes.
A learning culture Akeyelementingeneratinganinformedandreport-ingcultureisthetypeofapproachusedbyanorganisationindetermining,andrespondingto,errorcausation.Mostorganisationsfocusonthemistakes,pro-cedurallapsesorincompetenciesofpeopleatthe‘pointyend’–thoseindirectcontactwiththeindividualsaffected–creatinganenvironmentofblameratherthanthetrustwhichisafundamentalconditionofareportingculture.Notonlyistrusteroded,theapproachismisdirected.Typically,ever-moredetailedpoli-cies,proceduralmanuals,protocolsandassessmentframeworksevolve,‘experts’areappointedtoinvestigateandformulateappropriateresponses,trustisfurthererodedandtheopportunitiesfortheorganisationitselftolearnfromtheerrorarelost.Ofcourse,someerrorsarecausedbyindividual‘blameworthy’actionswhichmustbeappropriatelysanctioned,buttheprimaryfocusshouldbeontheinforma-tionthatcanbegainedthroughanongoingprocessofreportingthatenablesanorganisationtolearnfromitsmistakes.
Focusingonanindividualalsofailstorecognisetheunderlyingfactorsthataresignificantcontributorstoanadverseoutcome.Reasonarguesthatsuchfactorsarerarelyisolatedorrandombut,rather,areusuallypartofarecurrentpatternorlinkedtootherinstancesofsystemicerrorcausednotbytheactivefailuresofindi-vidualsbutbysystemiclatentconditions–whathecallsinHuman Error‘residentpathogens.’Latentconditionsincludetimepressures,understaffing,unworkableprocedures,inexperience,lackofprofessionaldevelopmentandpoorsupervision.Inschools,theycanalsoincludesuchthingsaspolicyimperativeswhichdirectactivitytowardsparticularendslikehigh-stakestestingratherthanthedevelop-
mentofcriticalthinking,problemsolvingorindependentlearning.Whenanorganisationtakesasystemicapproach,it’sabletolookatmanylayersincludingtheindividual,thegroup,thetask,thetarget,theorganisationitself,andinternalandexternalpolicyimperatives.Withinareportingculturebuiltontrust,asys-temicapproachallowstheorganisationtobuildalearningcultureinwhichhumanjudgementissupportedandharnessedtotheadvantageoftheorganisation.
Currentapproachestoriskmanagementinmostorganisationsarebasedonsimplyminimisingriskandrespondingunreflexivelytotightlyspecified,decontex-tualisedprotocols,policies,benchmarksandtargets.Thereactionarynatureoftheseresponsesderive,inpartatleast,fromthepressuresofanauditsocietywhereorgani-sationsandindividualsfeelcalledtoaccountaccordingtotheprescriptionslaiddownbyexternalagenciessuchasgovernments.Thisaudit-centredformofaccountability,withever-burgeoningcontrols,limitstheautonomyandreducesthecapacityofpro-fessionalstoprovideflexibleandadaptiveresponsestoparticularcircumstances.Theresult?Manyprofessionaleducatorsfeeloverwhelmedbytheescalatingpressuresofsystemiccontrolsandcompromisetheirownprofessionalismbypassivelycomplyingwithaccountabilityrequirements.Schoolsneedtoengagewithriskmanagementandaccountabilitybydevelopinganinformedandreportingculture,aflexiblecultureandalearningculture.Whentheydo,notonlywilltheybesafer,they’llalsohaveagreatercapacitytorespondtoopportunitiestodareandtogrow.
Ask yourself
• Does an audit-centred
form of accountability
in your educational
institution restrict
your educational
objectives, programs
or practices?
• Do procedures exist
in your educational
institution to identify
and understand not
only what has gone
wrong but also what
has worked well?
• Does risk
management in your
educational institution
rely on rule-based
controls and do these
controls prevent or
allow for human
judgement?
Lee-Anne Perry is the principal of All Hallows’ School, Brisbane.
For references go to www.acer. edu.au/professionaleducator/ references.html
TeachIng anD learnIng
between a rock and a hard placeIndigenous education in a remote community
14 australian college of educators • acer
on almost every measure, the quality of life for aboriginal people is far below that of more recent arrivals, yet a great deal of action to redress this is taking place, especially in the remote areas of central and northern australia. Ted myers went to the Kimberley to experience first-hand the challenges of educating indigenous people in the remote community of Wirrimanu.
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At a glance • Luurnpa Catholic School
serves the Wirrimanu community – population 489 – in the southeast Kimberley region of Western Australia. The nearest town – Halls Creek: population 1,300 – is 285 kilometres away.
• Summers reach forty-five degrees, winters drop to a chilly five degrees; average rainfall is just 300 millimetres.
• Locals crowd together in just twenty-two houses – unless they want to use one of eighteen houses already condemned, or sleep rough.
• Unemployment, boredom, substance abuse and domestic violence are major problems.
• Stability in personnel and a stable curriculum at Luurnpa is providing students with something that goes beyond the short term.
• Overall attendance is at sixty-seven per cent.
• Improvements in the acoustics in every classroom are tackling conductive hearing loss – a major problem for Aboriginal children.
• Luurnpa could send up to twelve students to Broome for Year Twelve but the boarding hostel only has nineteen places for students in the Catholic system for the region as a whole.
WirriMANuisaboutasremoteasyoucanget.Atinycommunitybuiltontheredpindansoilandsurroundedbyendlessspinifexplainspunctuatedbytermitemounds,ithousesslightlylessthan500people.LocatedinthesoutheastKimberleyregionofWesternAustralia,it’sontheedgeoftwovastdeserts–theGreatSandyandtheTanami.Thenearesttown,HallsCreek,is285kilometrestothenorthwestalongthedusty,corrugatedTanamitrack.
TheWirrimanucommunitysite,originallycalledBalgoHillsbackwhenthesettlementwasestablishedintheearly1930sasaCatholicMission,ispartofthe2.6millionhectareBalwinaAboriginalreserve,homefortheKukatja,theWalmajarriandtheJarupeoples.
From1965to1983,theEducationDepartmentofWAranaprimaryschoolinthesettlement,butthecommunityelders,whorespectedthelegacyoftheformermissionaries,wantedtoestablishaCatholicschool.In1982theDeLaSallebroth-ersandtheSistersofMercyagreedtotaketheschoolover–andLuurnpaCatholicSchoolwasborn.
Luurnpa’sPrincipal,BrBernardCooper,saystheCatholicEducationOffice(CEO)inPerthandtheEducationDepartmentofWAhelpedinthedevelopmentoftheschool.‘ThereweremanyrequestsfromAboriginalremotecommunitiesfortheestablishmentofnewschoolsastheoutstationmovementprogressedandpeoplestartedmovingbackontotheirland,’Cooperpointsout.Wirrimanuwasoneofthefirst.OtherswereestablishedthroughouttheKimberleyregion.
LuurnpaCatholicSchooleducatesaround100studentsfromPre-primarytoYearTen.ItsbilingualfocusishelpedgreatlybythepresenceofAboriginalTeachingAssistants.
Coopertookoverin1999afteraseventeen-yeartenurebyfoundationprinci-pal,BrLeoScollen.‘Whenthevacancyoccurredin1999,Idecidedtotakeiton,’hesays.‘IfeltIcoulddomoregoodherethansofteroptionsdownsouth.’
challenges for InDIgenous PeoPle In remoTe communITIesAfterworkingfornearlythirtyyearsasaDeLaSallebrotherinschoolsinfourAustralianstatesandthehighlandsofPapuaNewGuinea,Cooperknewthenew
positionwouldfurtherchallengehisviewoftheworld.RemotecommunitiesinoutbackAustralia,hesays,havechallengeslikenootherplacehehasexperiencedandeveryonelivingtherehasmuchtocontendwith–andmuchtolearn.
‘TheAboriginesarenofools,’hesays.‘Theyareplaguedbydisadvantageandtheirparticularcircumstances–codeforgovernmentpolicyandatragichistoryofdispossessionandgenocide–thathaveeffectivelycapturedthem.
‘Balgo is reallyadetentioncentrewithout thebarbedwire–because thepeopleheredon’thavechoices.Theyareseverelylimitedinwhattheycandointhecommunityandtheycan’tmove.Mostarestuckherewhethertheywanttomoveornot.’
Fundingforessentialservices–fromthecommunitystoretorubbishcollec-tion,seweragetoawatersupply–isalwaysaproblem.
ThewayCooperseesit,thegovernmentplaysa‘divideandconquer’game.There’sneverenoughfunding,hesays,andwhateverfundingthereisseemstobeprovidedonanadhocbasis,withconstantlychangingpoliciesandprogramswhittlingawayatanalreadyinadequatebase.
Thereis,hesays,noviablesocialcontractforcingthegovernmenttoprovidenecessitiessuchashealth.‘Thesystemisbasedonanunequaltreaty.Thelandownershipissuehasnotbeenfinallysettledhereandthingsaresimplygettingworse.’
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Electricityisamajorcost–andbecomingincreasinglyexpensive.‘Thiscom-munityclosesdownwithoutelectricitytopumpwateroutoftheartesianbasin,’Cooperpointsout.‘It’sgeneratedbydieselaroundtheclockandthebillsarehuge.’Air-conditioningtheKindergartenclassroomsucksout100kilowattsperhour,thecostofwhichissubsidisedbytheCEO.
‘It’simperativethattheagenciesworktogetherfortheschoolandothercom-munityfunctionstoperformattheiroptimumlevel,’hesays.
‘Atthelastcensus,Balgohad489people.InSydney,basedonanaverageofthreepersonsperhouse,theywouldlivein163dwellings.Here,there’satotaloffortyhouses,ofwhicheighteenarecondemnedandfourneedknockingdown.Overcrowdingisamajorissuewhichhasadirectnegativeimpactonchildren’slearning.’
UnemploymentlevelsareincrediblyhighinmostremoteIndigenouscommu-nitiesandBalgoisnoexception.Artisthebiggestemployerinthecommunity,butnearlyeveryoneisunemployed,withfamiliesexistingondiminishingCommunityDevelopmentEmploymentProgram(CDEP)paymentsandothersocialservices.Theresultofthisaptlynamed‘sitdownmoney’?Boredom.
It’sthewomenwhotendtoholdfamiliestogetherandmanyearnalittlemoneyproducingtraditionalart,whileunemploymentisparticularlyaproblemformen–ofallages.‘Howdoyoumaintaindignitywhenyoudon’thaveajob?’asks
‘Balgo is really a
detention centre without
the barbed wire
– because the people
here don’t have choices.’
br bernard cooper
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Cooper.‘Whathappenstoyouridentitywhenyounolongerperformameaning-fulrole?Self-esteemfallsthroughthefloor.Howdoyoudealwithfailurethatisconstantlyinyourface?Thisiswhysubstanceabuseofalcohol,drugsandpetrol,thecheapestoption,isrife.Thisalsoleadstohighlevelsofdomesticviolence,withthewomenthevictimsofabusive,druggedordrunkmen.’
Howdoestheschooloperateinthisenvironment?‘Successfuloutcomes,’hesayswithremarkableunderstatement,‘arehardtoachieve.’
eDucaTIonal challengesBrRickGaffneyhasbeentheLiteracyCoordinatoratLuurnpaCatholicSchoolforthepasttwoyearswhileworkingtowardsaPhDlookingathowEnglishoperatesasthelanguageoflearninginsituationswherestudentsspeaktheirnativetongueathomeandintheplayground–whichisjustwhathappensintheBalgocom-munitywherestudentsspeakmainlyKakatjaathomeandamongstthemselves,withEnglishincreasinglyprevalentintheclassrooms.
Gaffneybelievesthateducation,asit’spractisedinremoteareas,hastochangedramatically. ‘What’sdoneinremoteschoolsisverysimilartowhatyou’dseehappeninginBroomeorotherurbancentres,’hesays,‘andthatcan’tbetherightwaybecausetheclassroomissuchaforeignenvironmentforIndigenouskids.Tobewithinfourwallsinasimilaragegroupissuchanunusualthingforthem.Theamountoftimetheyspendinsidefourwallsoutsidetheclassroom,otherthansleeping,whichisalsooftenoutside,isminimal.
‘Educationinaclassroomissodifferentandforeigntothem–andchalleng-ing.Thebottomlineisthatyouhavetobeabletositinyourseatanddowhattheteachersays.Nowthat’sdifficultforallstudents,evenofEuropeanbackground,butforthesekidshereit’samuchgreaterchallenge.Andthenthelayerontopofthatisthattheyarelearninginalanguagethatisnottheirown,andontopofthattheyarebeingtaughtbypeoplewhoarenotoftheirownculture.Theremustbeabetterwaytodoit.Ithinkwearedoinggreatworkhere,buttherehastobeafundamentalchange.’
ouTcomes: ImProvIng slowly ‘We’renotdoingbrilliantly,’saysCooper,‘butweareturningthingsaroundslowly.’
stability and routineWithonlytwoprincipalsintwenty-fouryearsandthecon-tinuouspresenceoftheDeLaSallebrothers,thecommunity’sdesireforstabilityhasbeenachievedandthat,Cooperemphasises,hasbeenessential.
‘Firstofall,peoplehavetostayherelongenoughtodevelopmorethansuperfi-cialrelationships.TeachersneedaninductionprogramsotheycanunderstandandconnectwithAboriginalculture.AboriginesarebitliketheJapanese.They’llsmileandsay“yes”toanythingtoavoidcausingoffence,whiletheymightbethinking“no.”It’sdifficulttofindoutwhattheymightreallybethinking,’hesays.‘YouneedtosuspendyournormalEuropeanmindsetinthisjob.
‘Ittakestimetobuildpeople’strustinyou.WhenIfirstcamehere,I’dgodowntothecommunitystoreonaSaturdaymorningandsimplysitaroundtalk-ingtopeople.’
StabilityinpersonnelisonethingbutstaffatLuurnpaalsohadtostabilisethecurriculumtoprovidesomethingthatgoesbeyondtheshortterm–andthatrelatestotherealitiesoflifeforthelocalpeople.
‘I’mhappyforsystemsandpolicytooverridetheattractionsofindependentorcreativelearning,’Coopersays.‘Thekidsneedroutine.Theyneedtoknowwhat
‘People have to stay
here long enough to
develop more than
superficial relationships.
Teachers need an
induction program so
they can understand
and connect with
Aboriginal culture.’
br bernard cooper
1� australian college of educators • acer
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toexpect.It’safactoflifeherethatteacherswillbecomingandgoing,butatleastthecoursesremainthesame.’
AttendanceErraticattendanceisaproblemformostremoteIndigenousschools.ThestudentsaremostlyengageduntilYearEightandthenthingstendtofallapart–mostdropoutwellbeforeYearTen.‘We’vemanagedtogetattendanceuptosixty-sevenpercentoverall,whichisthehighestever,’Coopersays.‘Wehaveuptoeightypercentintheprimaryyears,butit’smuchloweratthesecondarylevel.Asarule,iftheparentswanttheirchildrentocome,theywill.’
Mental and spiritual health‘Beforeastudentcanlearneffectively,theyneedtofeelgoodaboutthemselves,’Cooperpointsout.‘Webelievethisalsodependstoadegreeonspiritualhealth.WeusetheCEOWAReligiousEducationunits,whichhavebeenadaptedespeciallyfortheKimberleyregion,thatexplorethespecialwaysAboriginesexpresstheirfaith.TheGodthingisnotimaginaryforAborigines.Itformsarealpres-enceintheirlives.Theyareasacramentalpeople,sothecrossoverbetweenAboriginalandCatholicfaithisverysuccessful.It’scomplementaryandthereisnorealconflict.’
improved acoustics‘ConductivehearinglossisamajorproblemforAboriginalchildrenwithuptohalfourstudentsaffected,’explainsCooper.Causedbychronicinfectionsandrunnynoseswhichaffecttheeardrums,conductivehearinglossmeanslearningbecomesextremelydifficultforstudentssincetheydon’thearwhattheteacherissaying.Manywillpretendtheycanhear,whentheycan’t.Onesolu-tion–improvedacousticsineveryclassroom–makesabigdifference.
‘The kids need routine.
It’s a fact of life here
that teachers will be
coming and going,
but at least the courses
remain the same.’
br bernard cooper
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Teacher recruitmentAmajorproblem,Coopersays, isfindingstaffwhocanworkeffectivelywiththeAboriginalTeachingAssistantsandstudents.‘Theyarechallengedtogrow,justasIam,onadailybasis.It’sdifficulttothegettherightpeopleandthenkeepthemforanextendedperiod,’hesays.‘We’vebeensuccessfulinobtaininganumberofqualityteacherswhoalsostaythedistance–formorethanafewyears.Iuseeverystrategypossibletogetgoodteachers.MostseemtocomefromVictoria,butI’dlikemoresecondmentsfromWA.’
A pool of Aboriginal Teaching Assistants Luurnpahascultivatedandretainedagoodpooloflocalpeople–mainlywomen–overtheyearstohelpoutintheschool.Afterart,theschoolisthebiggestemployeroflocalpeopleinthecommunity.
National Accelerated Literacy Program‘We’vetakenthisprogramon,’Coopersays.‘It’smakingabigdifference.’
information and communication technologyIfIndigenousstudentsaretokeepupwiththemodernworld,theyneedhelpwithusingmobilephones,internetbank-ing,emailandcomputerskillsgenerally.‘Theinformationandcommunicationtech-
nologyteacherhasthehardestjobintheschool,’Coopersays,‘andisslowlymakingheadway.’Studentsarebeingtrainedtokeeppartoftheschoolwebsiteuptodate.
Vocational education and trainingIfyouwantstudentstowanttocometoschool,Coopersays,theymustseevalueinthecoursesthatwillhelpthemto
‘The failed CDEP system
stops the development
of anything. When
jobs are available,
the pathway is clearer
for people to see a
reason to be involved in
education.’
br bernard cooper
20 australian college of educators • acer
TeachIng anD learnIng
Ted Myers is the Head of Communications for the Sydney
Catholic Education Office.
Photos courtesy Ted Myers.
For further information about Luurnpa Catholic School visit
http://www.luurnpa.wa.edu.au
makemeaningfulchoicesanddevelopindependenceskills,whichhepointsoutissomethingtheircultureencourages.
ThelocalTAFECollegeatHallsCreekhasprovided1,000hoursofvoca-tionaleducationandtrainingforsecondaryclasses.‘It’scrucialthatthisprogramcontinues,’hesays,‘butfundingcutsarealwayshovering.’
ImProvIng ThIngs furTher?Supposehehadunlimitedresourcesandpower,whatwouldCooperdotomakethingsbetterstill?First,hesays,he’dadoptadevelopmentmodelthatlooksatusinggovernmentfundstodeliveremployment–sayinthebuildingindustry.‘There’sashortageofhousing,sowhypaytradesmentocomefromPerthatoutrageouspriceswhenlocalpeoplecoulddoit?
‘WeneedtocreatejobsinthiscommunityandthewaytodothatistogetridofCDEPandrecognisethejobsthatarehere,ashappensinanormaltown.Governmentdepartmentsneedtostartdeliveringthem–beitthewaterauthority,thepowerstation,thehousingtrust.AllthesemechanismsarenormalthingsinHallsCreek,buttheydon’texistouthere.
‘ThefailedCDEPsystemstopsthedevelopmentofanything.Whenjobsareavailable,thepathwayisclearerforpeopletoseeareasontobeinvolvedineducation.
‘ThesecondthingI’ddoistostrengthentheboardinghostelinBroometotakethehighflyers.WithunitsrelatedtolifeintheKimberley,there’sastrongerchancethatstudentswillremainengagedtoYearTwelvelevelandthenontouniversity,TAFEandaccesstoapprenticeship,butunfortunatelythereareonlynineteenplacesforthewholeCatholicsystemthisyear.Wehavefourstrongcandidatesandcouldsendtwelvedownfromthisschoolalone,buttheydon’thavethecapacitytotakethem.WeknowthatifwesendthemtootherboardingschoolsdownsouthinPerth,they’remorelikelytofailandbereturned.Theycanbecomeveryhomesick.
‘Forthosestudentswhostayonintheirlocalcommunity–byfarthemajority–thereneedstobemoreaccesstofurthereducation.BalgohasanAdultEducationCentrebutitstrugglestofitintoanyoftheestablishedsystems.TAFEandthe
statesystemsdon’tsupportitstronglyenoughandit’sreallyalittleoutsidetheresponsibilityoftheCatholicEducationOffice,’hesays.
‘Peoplearetryingtodotoomuchintoomanyareasandit’snotpossibletodeliver.There’satendencytoforcewhitecultureontoAborigineswhodon’treallywantitorunderstandit.Thereisagenerationthatiscomingthroughthathasn’tdonewellatEnglish–andthey’renotterriblyworriedaboutthatbecauseit’sledtoastrengtheningoftheirowncultureandlanguage.Atthesametime,itappearsthatallofthemoneyforlanguageandcultureisdisappearingfastandbeingreplacedbythedominantculturallanguageofEnglish.
‘Afterallthiseducationinacaringenvironment,moststudentsstilldon’thavesufficientlevelsofliteracyandengagementskillstointeracteffectivelywiththerestofmainstreamAustralia.Balgoishome.Thisiswheretheywereborn.Thisiswheremostwillremain.Withvirtuallynojobs,youngpeoplehaveanuncertainfuture,atbest.Ifthere’stobeanyprogress,therehastobesomekindofcompro-mise,ofwhitesaccommodatingblacksandviceversa.’
AsCooper’scolleagueandfellowDeLaSallebrother,CalCusack,putit,‘Thewhiteman’swayisnottheonlywayandalotofthetimeit’snotthebestway.TheAboriginalpeoplehavemanythingstoteachus.Wedon’thavealltherightanswers.’AftermorethanthirteenyearslivingandteachingatWirrimanuthat’sawisdomworthlearning,andworthpassingon.
‘The white man’s way
is not the only way and
a lot of the time it’s
not the best way. The
Aboriginal people have
many things to teach us.
We don’t have all the
right answers.’
br cal cusack
professional educator • vol 6, no. 1 • march 2007 21
TeachIng anD learnIng
22 australian college of educators • acer
InnovaTIon
FeWschoolprincipalshavebeenpreparedfortheirroleastechnologyleaders,andfewhavehadopportunitiesformeaningfulexperiencesinusingcomputerswithchildren.Whilemillionsofdollarshavebeenspentoninformationandcom-municationtechnology(ICT)inschoolsbystategovernmentsinrecentyears,accordingtoJohnSchillermostofthemoneyhasbeenspentonhardware,softwareandinfrastructureratherthanonstaffdevelopmentforteachersandprincipals.Theconcern,accordingtoastudybyDeniseMeredythandcolleagues, isthatdespitethislargeexpenditure,thepotentialforICTtoalterhowteachersteachandstudentslearninAustralianschoolshasnotbeenfullyrealised.
Accepting thehuge impactof ICTonour lives,educationandwork, it’svitalthatschoolleadersunderstandwhattheyneedtodotomakethebestuseoftechnologyforlearning.AsKenWalshpointedoutin2002,theyneedbothtounderstandthebigpictureanddeveloptheskillsrequiredtomakecrucialdeci-
Integrating IcTThe basics of successful strategic leadership
if you want to integrate information and communication
technology you need to think about more than
hardware, software and even online
communities of practice. You need face-to-face
professional development opportunities, especially for school leaders, says
neil mccallum.
professional educator • vol 6, no. 1 • march 2007 23
InnovaTIon
sionsaboutschoolbudgetingandstaffingthataffecttheintegrationofICTintostudentlearning.
ThosewhowanttoseegreateruseofICTforteachingandlearninghavefocusedonwhatgoesonintheclassroomdespitethefactthatthekeytosuc-cess istheschoolprincipal.Sure,manyprincipalshaveagoodunderstandingofthemanagementandleadershipofchangeinschools,butfurthersupportintheareaofprofessionaldevelopmentintheintegrationofICTisneeded.OneofthemainconclusionsfromJohnSchiller’s2003studyofschoolprincipalsasachangefacilitatorintermsofICTinNewSouthWaleswasthatthere’saneed‘forpolicymakers,professionalassociationsandforsystem-leveldecisionmakerstoreflectonanddevisesupportmechanismsandstrategiestoassistprincipalstofurtherdeveloptheirknowledge,skillsanddispositionsaboutICTintheirworkandattheirschools.’
AT A GLANCE
Strategic Leadership
in ICT
What does the Strategic
Leadership in ICT,
or SLICT, provide for
school leaders? SLICT
gives participants:
• information, time and
space to evaluate
where they are now,
and to review and
develop their vision
• space to share
practice
• scope to address the
issues relating to ICT
and its potential for
learning
• a chance to address
their personal
development needs
• the licence to
challenge each other
in terms of their
thinking about current
and future ICT
• a chance to think
long term, while
identifying short-term
solutions.
24 australian college of educators • acer
InnovaTIon
SinceschoolsinEnglandaremoreadvancedthanmostAustralianschoolsintermsoftheimplementationofICT,it’sworthlookingatthewayschoolleadersthereareformallysupported.
SchoolleadersinEngland–orheadteachers,asthey’reknown–canpartici-pateinaprogramcalledStrategicLeadershipinICTorSLICT.ManagedbytheNationalCollegeofSchoolLeaders(NCSL),SLICTisagovernmentorganisationsetupin2001toprovideinformation,resourcesandprofessionaldevelopmentforschoolleadersacrossEngland.NCSLissupportedbytheBritishEducationalCommunicationsandTechnologyAgency(Becta),anothergovernmentorganisa-tionwhichprovidessupportandinformationonICTforteachersandschoollead-ers.LocalauthoritiesalsorunSLICTcoursesincooperationwiththeNCSL.
TheSLICTprogrambringsschoolleaderstogethertoshare,challengeandsupporteachother.Theprogramisbasedontheprinciplesofvision,reviewandplanning.SLICTmixesselfreviewwithschoolreview,andprovidesonlineandresidentialcontactforparticipantsaswellasvisitstohostschoolswhereICThasbeenidentifiedasastrength.TheideaistogiveschoolleadersmoreopportunitiestoseegoodpracticeandleadershipintheuseofICT.Leadersvisitinghostschoolsfocustheirobservationsanddiscussionsaroundthethreekeyareasofpedagogy,resourcesandorganisation.
SLICTisaboutexploringandsharinggoodpracticeintheuseofICT.Ratherthanlookingfora‘universalICTsolution’thatcanbeappliedtoallschools,schoolleadersaimtoidentifytherolethatICTcanplayintheirownschool.
Theapproachistoengageschoolleadersindevelopingandimplementingavisionfortheirschool,startingbybuildingtheirconfidenceintheirowninformedprofessionaljudgement.It’snotaskillscourse.
a communITy of PracTIceTwoweeksbefore the residential componentof theSLICTprogram,partici-pantsareinvitedtojoinanonlinepassword-protectedcommunityontalk2learn,hostedbytheNCSL,andtoundertakeaself-reviewoftheirschool’suseofICT.Talk2learnprovidesacommunityofpracticewhereheadteacherscandiscussideas,sharepracticeanddeveloppolicy.Becta’sSelf-ReviewFramework(SRF)enablesschoolstoratetheirprogressonaspectsofICT,providingexamplesforvariouslevelsinthirteencategoriesaswellasaguidetodemonstratehowschoolscanmoveforwardwithICT.
TalktotheschoolleadersinvolvedandmostsaytheSLICTcoursehasbeenofgreatvalue,rankingthecourse’sthree-dayformat,theschoolvisitandtheoppor-tunitytodiscussrealissueswithhost-schoolleadersandstaffasthemostvaluable.Theycouldseewhatapproachesworkedinthehostschoolandcouldthinkabouthowtheycouldimplementthemintheirownschool.Theyalsosawbenefitsinworkingwithlike-mindedleadersmotivatedbythepotentialofICT.
Mostschool leadersalsosaytheonlineself-reviewtool isuseful,andusethe framework toplan for the future as it covers all aspectsof ICT in theirschool.TheyalsosaythatonlinetoolsandtechniquesprovidedbytheTrainingandDevelopmentAgencyforSchoolsassisttheminmanagingtheprocessofchange.
SchoolleadersworkwiththeirwholestafforanICTteamtoexaminetheircurriculumsoastointegrateICTintotheteachingandlearningprogram.ICTdoesn’tdrivetheprogram,thecurriculumdoes,whichmeansICTisusedonlywhereitenhances,enrichesandextendsthecurriculumandengages,enthusesandempowersstudents.
Ask yourself
• What existing and
potential networks or
communities of practice
are available to you to
support the integration
of ICT?
• How does your
educational institution
account for expenditure
on ICT infrastructure?
Does it account for the
total cost of ownership?
• Does your educational
institution have enough
technical support staff to
support robust network
functions?
professional educator • vol 6, no. 1 • march 2007 2�
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OnceschoolsreachaspecifiedstandardacrossallthirteenareasoftheSRFFramework,theycanapplytoBectaforaccreditationintheformofwhat’scalledtheICTMark.TheyneedtohavesuccessfullyintegratedICTacrosstheschoolinordertoattaintheICTMark.TheICTMarkofferssignificantstatussinceitrecognisestheworkbeingdoneintheschoolandcanbeusedtomarkettheschooltothecommunity.
ParticipantsintheSLICTprogramareshownhowtousetalk2learn,devel-opedbytheNCSL.Oneofthelargestonlineeducationallearningcommunitiesintheworld,talk2learnhasmorethan70,000schoolleadersregistered.Participantsincludeheadteachers,deputies,middle-levelleaders,bursars,schoolbusinessman-agersandadvancedskillsteachers.
Theaimsofthetalk2learnonlinecommunityaretoreduceisolationamongnewlyappointedheads,promotethesharingofgoodpracticeandofferemotionalandprofessionalsupport.
A2005NCSLstudyintothetalk2learnonlinecommunitycalled70,000 heads are better than one – available at www.ncsl.org.uk/onlinecommunities/extractedlearning/70000/index.cfm–foundthattheever-increasingcomplexityof leadershipresponsibilities,aswellastheneedtooperatebeyondtraditionalschoolboundaries,demandednewapproachestoleadershipthroughauthenticcollaborationofthekindprovidedthroughtalk2learn.(6)
Accordingto70,000 heads,oneofthekeyaspectstothesuccessofthis–orany–onlinecommunityistheroleofthefacilitator.Wherefacilitationiswithdrawnorinconsistent,communityactivityoftendecreases.Whereit’sproactive,consistentandvisible,communitiestendtoflourish,providedpurposeandexpectationsare
The SLICT program
brings school leaders
together to share,
challenge and support
each other. The idea is
to give school leaders
more opportunities to
see good practice and
leadership in the use
of ICT.
26 australian college of educators • acer
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clearandunderstoodbytheparticipants.(32)Intalk2learnthee-learningfacili-tatorencourages,supportsandenablesparticipantstosharetheirlearningwhilemaintainingafriendlyenvironmentsotheyfeelcomfortableindiscussion,shareinformationandpublishtheirownitems.Thefacilitatoralsoprovidestechnicalsupportbackedupbymeansofadedicatedphonehelpline.
Theproblemwithanonlinecommunityapproach,however,iswithtakeup.Ninetypercentofschoolleadersvisittheonlinecommunitysotheygetto
knowcolleagueswhoareabouttoattendthesameresidentialevent,althoughengagement drops off, sometimes quite alarmingly, afterwards. That’s to beexpectedimmediatelyafterwardswhenheadsreturntotheirschoolandarethrustintofightingthespotfiresthathavebeensparkedintheirthree-dayabsence,butthefactismanypost-residentialcommunitiessimplywitheranddiewhileasmallnumberthrivewithheadsreallyexploringissuesandlearningtogether.
NCSLstaffhavefoundthatthe‘ifwebuildit,theywillcome’approachdoesn’twork.That’snothowonlinecommunitiesgrow.Workingonlinecommunitiestakeintoaccountthenaturalnervousnessexperiencedbysomepeoplewhenworkingandcollaboratingonline.Smallcommunitiesworkwellwhenallmembersareactivelyinvolvedandbuyintoit,butthiscan’tbeexpectedfromagroupofschoolleadersthrowntogetherbythehappenstanceofattendingthesameevent.
That’swhyablendedlearningexperienceisnowofferedbySLICT.Itbeginswithacohortonlinecommunityinvolvingthoseprovidingthecourse,topractise
theonlinetechniquesrequiredtocollaborateonline,whichisthenexploitedfullyattheface-to-faceevent.Post-event,participantscanjoinnationaldiscussionsfacili-tatedbythosewhoprovidedtheircourseaccordingtoastrictandcleartimetableofevents.AmonthlyICTupdateandaccesstofurthercontentandvideocasestud-iesthroughalinkwiththeLearningGatewayalsohelptomaintainparticipationintheonlinecommunities.(53)Evenso,whilebeginningheadsfindtheonlinecommunityausefulresource,experiencedheadssaytheyprefertousetheirlocalnetworks.Somesaythey’reoverwhelmedbytalk2learn’s70,000membersandpreferemail,phoneandface-to-faceinteraction.Someusetalk2learntobrowsetopicsandtosearchforspecificinformationbutfewusetheforumfacility.
Severallocaleducationauthorities,likeDurham,havedevelopedtheirownlocalversionofSLICT.Theresponsehasbeenpositive:participantsfindthelocalcoursemorerelevanttothemandtheirschools;coursesarenon-residentialandthereforecheaper;accesstoalocalhostschooliseasier;anetworkisdevelopedamongfortyparticipantswhogenerallyalreadyknoweachotherandareincloseproximitytoeachother;andafacilitatorfromthelocalauthoritycoordinatesthecommunity.
Onlinecommunitiesmaybeusefulinsomecases,yet,astheNCSL’sDavidJacksonhasnoted,they’renosubstituteforface-to-faceinteraction,althoughtheycansupportitandsustainit.
Issues ThaT affecT IcT InTegraTIonTechnical supportBothEnglishandScottishgovernmentshaverealised theimportanceofprovidingappropriatetechnicalsupportinschoolssothatcom-putersystemsoperatewellandcanberepairedquickly.Somelargerschoolshavefulltimetechnicians,whichabsorbsaconsiderableproportionoftheoverallICTbudget.JamieMcKenzie,Editoroftheeducationaltechnologyjournal,From Now On,pointsoutin‘Thetruecostofownership’that,‘Inthebusinessworld,stand-ardsfortechniciansupportlevelsusuallycallforonetechnicianforeveryfiftytoseventy-fiveusers.Inschooldistricts(intheUnitedStates),theremaybeonlyone
Online communities may
be useful in some cases,
yet as the NCSL’s David
Jackson has noted
they’re no substitute for
face-to-face interaction.
professional educator • vol 6, no. 1 • march 2007 27
InnovaTIon
technicianforevery300to500desktops.Thislackofstaffingusuallyleadstoanunstablenetwork,abacklogofmalfunctioningdesktopsandmuchfrustrationforendusers.Understaffingalsochokesoffthedevelopmentofmanynetworkservicessuchasstorage,emailandtheprovisionofinformationservicesascrisismanage-mentbecomesthemainfocusofactivity.NetworkstarvationoccurswhenITdepartmentsdonothaveenoughstafftosupportrobustnetworkfunctions.’(6)
Total cost of ownership Thetotalcostofownership(TCO)ofaschool’sICTinfrastructureisthesumofallthecostsassociatedwiththepurchase,implementa-tion,operationandmaintenanceoftheservice.Someofthesecostscanbeeasilyquantifiedwhileothers,althoughsignificant,aremuchmoredifficulttoidentifyandquantify.CapitalexpenditureonICTinschoolsandcollegesrepresentsonlyasmallpartoftheongoingcostsof incorporatingtechnologyintoeducation.Decisionsmadetodaywithregardtotechnology,management,curriculum,policy-making,ICTtrainingandsupportwillhaveadirectinfluenceonthecostsaninstitutionwill incurtomorrow.Understandingtherelationshipbetweenthesedecisionsandfuturecostsisbecomingincreasinglyimportant.SeniormanagersinschoolsarenowmoreawareoftheneedtoplaneffectivelytoensurethatICTprovisionissustainableinthelongterm.
TheTCOwebsite–athttp://schools.becta.org.uk–providesanExcelspread-sheetandanonlinemodelforheadstocalculatethetotalcostofownershipfortheirICT.SamplesonthesiteclearlyitemiseICTcostsintermsofprofessionaldevel-opment,technicians,consumables,security,furniture,cablingandperipherals.
Decisions made
today with regard
to technology,
management, curriculum,
policymaking, ICT
training and support will
have a direct influence
on the costs an institution
will incur tomorrow.
2� australian college of educators • acer
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AccordingtoMcKenzie,therearesixaspectsofTCOthatdecisionmakersneedtoconsider,nottheleastimportantbeingtheneedforprofessionaldevelopment.‘Fewteachersarenaturallyequippedtomakeproductiveuseofnewtechnologies,’hepointsout.‘Theyoftenrequirefiftyto100hoursofintensiveadultlearningtograspthepotentialofnewtechnologiestotransformstudentlearning.Veryfewdistrictsareequippedtooffermuchmorethansoftwaretraining,atrapthatreducesthechanceofmakinganimpactupondailyclassroompractice.’(5)
Computer labs or computers in classes? TherehasbeenasteadymoveawayfromcomputerlaboratoriesinUKschoolstohavingmorecomputersinclass-rooms.Anotherpopularinitiativehasbeentrolleyswithbanksofwirelesslaptopcomputers.
strategiesTheeffectiveintegrationofICTdependsoneffectivestrategies,suchas:
• focusingfirstongoodteaching–‘IfICTcanbeincorporated,great;ifnot,don’tuseit’
• developinga‘webofsupport’toavoidhavingonepersonbeingtheexpert–‘Ifyouidentifyandsupportsome“champions”onstaffthenhopefullytherestwillfollow’
• creatinganICTteamonstaffratherthanhavingacoordinator
• providingUSBdrivesandCDssothatteacherscantakeworkandsoftwarehometotrial
• developingavisionforICT–leaderssaidthat‘thereviewandaudittoolwasusefulinidentifyingwherewewereatandwherewewantedtogo’
• gettingblockersonboard–leadersfeltthat‘reluctantstaffmaycomeonboardoncetheyseetheneedandimpactofthetechnologyandsoftware’
• providingin-houseprofessionaldevelopment,especiallyshortsessionsafterschool
• immersingkindergartenandpre-schoolclasseswithawidevarietyoftech-nology
• developinganenvironmentwherestaffarehappytoshareICTexpertisewith
otherstaffandtakeriskswithICT
• rememberingthatchangetakestime–incrementalchangesatapacesuitedtothestaffandschool,andwheresuccessiscelebrated,arebest
• piloting an ICT initiative before full implementation – leaders said ‘welearnedfromthepilotandwerethenconfidentwithimplementingthefullprogram.’
interactive white boardsInteractivewhiteboards(IWBs)havebeeninstalledinmanyUKclassroomsinrecentyearsandaconsiderableamountofresearchhasbeencompleted.Inaddition,thereareextensiveresourcesforIWBsavailableforteachersthroughTeachernetandBecta.SeveralLondonschoolshavepurchasedvisualisersasapresentationtechnologyinpreferencetoIWBs.Visualiserscanbedisplayedonalargerscreenandaresupportedbytheuseofagraphicstabletuponwhichtheteacherandstudentscanwriteordrawwhichisthendisplayedonthescreen.
ManyUKheadsandteacherssayIWBshavehadapositiveimpactonteach-ing.ThisevidenceissupportedbyresearchbyMalLeeandArthurWinzenriedonthesuccessfulintroductionofIWBsinAustraliaandoverseas.TheteachersintheirstudyembracedtheuseofIWBsandembeddedthetechnologyintheireverydayteachingsotheycan‘capitalise...upontheever-emergingdigitalopportunities.’(23)LeeandWinzenriedsaytherearetwomainreasonsforthissuccess:the
If we want to remain
competitive against
other industrialised
countries then the
Commonwealth and
state governments needs
to make a substantial
investment in ICT.
professional educator • vol 6, no. 1 • march 2007 2�
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Neil McCallum is the principal at Craigie Primary School in Perth’s northern suburbs. He was awarded a fellowship for research on which this article draws from the Western Australia Leadership Centre. The full report is available at: http://www.det.wa.edu.au/education/lc/index.html
For references go to www.acer. edu.au/professionaleducator/ references.html
focusisonenhancingthequalityofteaching;andprincipalsfacilitatedfunding,providedawhole-of-schoolfocusandsupportedtheprogramcoordinator.(24)
WhenyoucombinetheintroductionofIWBsinmostUKschoolsandmanyclassrooms,theconsiderablefundingprovidedbytheEnglishandScottishgov-ernments,andtheestablishmentofBecta,theNCSLandtheNationalGridforLearningandTeacher.com.uk,youhavearecipefortheeffectiveintegrationofICTinschools.Technologyalonedoesn’tleadtochangeorimprovedoutcomesforstudents.Allitcandoissupportthecurriculumandprovideavarietyofuse-fulandmotivatingresourcesforteachersandstudents.What’sreallyneededisprofessionaldevelopment.IntheUK,thathasbeeneffectiveandwellresearched,andhasgivenschoolleaderstheconfidenceandtoolsbothtodevelopavisionfortheirschoolandtomanagethechangeprocesseffectively.
CommonwealthandstategovernmentsinAustraliamustundertakeresearchanddeliverqualityprofessionaldevelopmentopportunitiesforprincipals,includ-ingtheprovisionofonlinecommunitiesandthecoordinationoffacilitatorsatthedistrictlevel.
ICTaccreditationwouldbeofconsiderableusetomanyAustralianschools.Itwouldbemotivatingfortheschoolcommunityandarecognitionofexcellence.Itwouldalsobeapositivemarketingtoolforschoolsintheircommunity.
The conservative estimate is that installing IWBs in every classroom inAustraliawouldcost$1billion–meaningthere’safurtherTCOfigureofanother$500millionneededforprofessionaldevelopmentandothercosts.IfwewanttoremaincompetitiveagainstotherindustrialisedcountriesthentheCommonwealthandstategovernmentsneedstomakeasubstantialinvestmentinICT.
30 australian college of educators • acer
naTIonal PersPecTIve
a shortage of qualified Maths and science teachers is
not the only problem, reports steve holden. australia also faces a possible shortage of
primary teachers and of school leaders.
national perspectiveA LAborgovernmentwouldcutuniversityfeesforScienceandMathsunder-graduatesbyalmosthalf,withmorecutsforthosewhobecometeachers,accordingtoOppositionleaderKevinRudd.
Labor’sself-styled‘educationrevolution’policywouldcuttheannualHECSfeeforMathsandScienceundergraduatesfrom$7,118to$3,998,thesamelevelasfornursingandteaching.Laborestimatesthepolicywouldcost$111millionoverfouryears.Announcingthepolicylastmonth,RuddsaidMathsandSciencewerecriticaltoAustralia’seconomiccompetitivenessandlong-termeconomicprosperity.
AccordingtoareportcommissionedbytheAustralianCouncilofDeansofScience(ACDS),‘ThePreparationofMathematicsTeachersinAustralia,’pub-lishedlastJuly,seventy-fivepercentofteachersofseniorschoolMathsheldaMathematicsmajor,butaworryingeightpercentofMathsteachershadstudiednoMathematicsatuniversity,whileoneinfivehadnotstudiedMathematicsbeyondfirstyear.ThereportbyKerri-LeeHarrisandFelicityJenszfromtheCentrefortheStudyofHigherEducationattheUniversityofMelbournealsofoundthatthreeinfourschoolsreporteddifficultiesrecruitingsuitably-qualifiedMathsteachers,especiallyinmoreremoteregionsandinQueensland.
Those findings largely confirm the situation regarding Science teachingpublishedin‘Who’sTeachingScience?’preparedbyHarris,JenszandGabrielleBaldwinfortheACDSandpublishedinJanuary2005.Accordingtothatreport,nearlyforty-threepercentofseniorschoolPhysicsteacherslackedaPhysicsmajor,oneinfournothavingstudiedthesubjectbeyondfirst-year,whileoneinfourChemistryteacherslackedaChemistrymajor,andfourteenpercentofseniorschoolBiologyteacherslackedaBiologymajor.ThirtypercentofschoolsreporteddifficultyinfillingvacanciesforChemistryteachers,whilefortypercenthaddif-ficultyrecruitingsuitably-qualifiedPhysicsteachers.
QualifiedMathsandScienceteachersaside,predictionsofaloomingteach-ingshortagesuggesttheworldwillneedanextraeighteenmillionprimaryschoolteachersinlessthantenyears.AccordingtoFredvanLeeuwen,GeneralSecretaryoftheglobaleducationunion,EducationInternational,aglobalshortagewouldhitAustralia’spublicschoolshardiffundingforpublicschoolsremainslow.SpeakingattheAustralianEducationUnionFederalConferenceinJanuary,vanLeeuwensaidtheproblemforAustraliaisthatitranksinthebottomhalfofOECDcountriesinpercapitaeducationexpenditure,andgovernmentfundingisextremelylow.
Ifretirementliesbehindaloomingglobalteachingshortageit’salsobehindalooming,andpossiblyworse,schoolleadershipshortage.AccordingtoLeadership Succession: Securing the next generation of school leaders, a report by Britain’sNationalCollegeforSchoolLeadership(NCSL),schoolsinBritainfaceadoublewhammy:toomanyschoolleaderswillretireoverthenextfiveyearsandtherearetoofewaspirantleaderstoreplacethemsincetheaverage‘apprenticeship’istwentyyears–fifteenasaclassroomteacherandfiveasadeputy.TheNCSL’ssolution?Systematictalentspottingofaspirantsandtheprovisionofopportunitiesforthemtoleadearlierintheircareersinordertoreducetheleadershipapprenticeshipperiod.SchoolsandsystemsinAustralia,NewZealand,theUnitedStatesand,well,everywherecanexpectsimilarmeasurestoaddresstheirschoolleadershipshortagessoonerthanlater.
professional educator • vol 6, no. 1 • march 2007 31
In brIef
In brief in your statEAuSTrALiAn CAPiTAL TErriToryThousands of ACT students and scores of teachers began the new school year at a new school after the ACT government closed three preschools and seven primary schools in its first round of closures.
WESTErn AuSTrALiAPolice officers from the Commercial Crime Division in Western Aus-tralia alongside investigators from the Commonwealth Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) raided the Australian Islamic College at Kewdale in Perth’s south in January, seizing three truckloads of documents and computers. The raid was part of an investigation of fraud allegations. It’s alleged the school has been rorting Commonwealth and state student subsidy systems. Australian Islamic College is the highest funded non-government school in the country, receiving $18.5 million a year in subsidies from the Commonwealth and state governments. No charges have been laid.
QuEEnSLAndMore than 29,000 children made history as Queensland began its first year of Prep. The initiative required 416 new classrooms, 420 refurbishments and 1,000 minor upgrades, as well as $2 million for professional development and $15.8 million for curriculum resources to support principals, teachers and teacher aides. An additional 100 teachers have also been employed to support the introduction of Prep.
Make sure in brief really covers what’s happening in your region. Email [email protected]
comPuTer use ImProves acaDemIc PerformanceStudentswhoareestablishedcomputeruserstendtoperformbetterinkeyschoolsubjectsthanthosewithlimitedexperience,accordingtoanOECDreport,Are students ready for a technology-rich world?publishedinJanuary.Thestudyprovidesthefirstinternationallycomparativedatainthisarea,basedontheOECD’sPISA2003assessmentofeducationalperformancebyfifteen-yearolds.Thestudyidenti-fiesarelationshipbetweencomputeruseandstudentperformanceinMathematics.Studentswhohaveusedcomputersforseveralyearsmostlyperformbetterthanaverage.Bycontrast,thosewhodon’thaveaccesstocomputersorwhohavebeenusingcomputersforonlyashorttimetendtolagbehindtheirclassyear.Girlsremainlessconfidentthanboysinperformingcomputerfunctions,especiallyhigh-leveltaskssuchasprogrammingormulti-mediapresentations.Girlsalsotendoveralltousecomputerslessfrequentlythanboys,whoaremorelikelythangirlstohavecomputersathomeinmostOECDcountriesandmorelikelytoplaycomputergamesanddoprogramming.
resource or ProPaganDa?An Inconvenient Truth,AlGore’scontroversialfilmonclimatechange,isbeingprovidedfreeinDVDformattoeveryhighschoolacrossAustralia,aprogrambank-rolledtothetuneof$80,000byrenewableenergycompanyJackgreenandcoordinatedbyJohnDee,thefounderofPlanetArk.Criticssaythefilmispropa-gandaanditssupplytohighschoolsillustratesalackof‘balance.’
cheaT checKer checKeD by coPyrIghTTheStudentUnionatRMITUniversityisattemptingtopreventRMITusingtheanti-plagiarismsoftware,Turnitin,onthebasisthattheweb-crawlingsoft-
wareusedbyTurnitinbreachestheintellectualpropertyrightsoftheauthorsofpapers intheTurnitindatabase.AccordingtoLizThompson,astudents’rightsofficeratRMIT’sStudentUnion,theTurnitindatabaseofstudentpapersbreachesAustralianintellectualpropertylawsbecausecopyrightremainswitheachstudentauthorandauthorsneitherprovidethepapersnorpermissiontoTurnitin. ‘Whenpeoplesignonlineforenrolment(atRMIT)there’sa littlebitdownthebottomthatsaysyouagreetohaveyourworktransmittedforthepurposesofdetectingplagiarism.Ifyoudon’tsignonforthat,youcan’tenrol.ThatistakenbyRMITaspermissionforTurnitin,whothenuseittomakeawholelotofprofit,’Thompsonsays.
booKs for TanzanIaHelptheSchoolofStJudeinTanzaniatohonouritsmotto–‘Fightingpovertythrougheducation’–bysendingdonationsofrelativelyrecentfictionandnon-fictionprimaryandsecondarylibrarybooks,classsetsofEnglishreadersforallages,orpencils,markers,chalkandexercisebooks.TheSchoolofStJudewasopenedin2002byAustralianteacher,GemmaSisia,asasponsorship-supportedEnglishMediumSchool fororphanedandvulnerablechildren fromthe low-estsocio-economicbackgrounds.Tosenddonations,[email protected]
32 australian college of educators • acer
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professional educator • vol 6, no. 1 • march 2007 33
Issues
THemodelofschool-basedteachereducation(SBTE),explicitlyarticulatedintheCentreforIndependentStudiesreport,Good Teachers Where They Are Needed(Buckingham,2005),hasreceivedconsiderableattentioninAustraliaandappearstobeinfluencingteachereducationprogramsassomeuniversities,likeCentralQueenslandUniversity,movetoincreasetheschool-basedcomponentofcourses.
ThemostlikelywaytheSBTEmodelwouldoperateisasapaidinternship,withapplicantsplaceddirectlyintoschoolsandcompletingsomeformofqualifica-tionpart-timewhiletheyteachintheclassroom,andwhileit’sinitiallyanappeal-ingmodel,andwhileitidentifiesanumberofproblemswithcurrentapproachestoteachereducation,thecaseforenablingteachereducationtobeconductedprima-rilywithinaschoolenvironmentisnotcompelling.Infact,theresearchsuggeststhatthewidespreadintroductionofSBTEislikelytobeexpensive,systemicallyinefficientandunlikelytoreduceteachershortages.Tosaythisisnottorefutethecentralityofprofessionalpracticetoteachereducationcourses,northeneedtoimproverelationshipsbetweenschoolsanduniversitiesinthepreparationofteach-ers;itistosaythateffectiveteachereducation,involvingcomplexpedagogicalandcontentknowledge,requiresaresearch-embeddedculture,andthatanapprentice-shipmodelisinappropriateforpreparinggraduatestosucceedin,andadaptto,ateachingenvironmentcharacterisedbyrapidandconstantchange.
Teacher shorTages AmajorargumentofproponentsofSBTEisthatitsolvestheteachershortageproblem.In2001theMinisterialCouncilonEmployment,Education,TrainingandYouthAffairsestimatedthatshortagesofupto30,000werepossiblebytheendofthedecade.(MCEETYA,2001)TheAustralianCouncilofDeansof Education, meanwhile, has consistently warned of teacher shortages andadvocatedtheneed formoreplaces tobemadeavailablewithinuniversities.(ACDE,2004)DisciplineareasofparticularconcernareScience,Mathematics,Technology(SMT)andLanguages,whilerural,regionalandpoorerschoolsarealsofrequentlycharacterisedashard-to-staff.SupporterssaySBTEcouldaddress
areasofteachershortage,primarilyby ‘reducingthedisincentivestoenteringtheteachingprofession.’(Buckingham,2005:1)Ratherthansacrificingayear’sincome,theargumentgoes,aninternshipmodelwouldenableteachingcandidatestoearnasalarywhilestudying.Intheory,thiswouldencouragemoretalentedapplicantswhomayalreadybeearningsubstantialincomes,particularlyfromtheSMTfields,toentertheprofession.
Anotableweaknessofthisargumentisthatitfocusesexclusivelyonattract-ingteachers.Teachershortages,bycontrast,arecausednotprimarilybyadearthofbeginninggraduates,butbyhighattritionratesandunevendistribution.TheattritionissuewasexplicitlyaddressedinAustralia’s Teachers: Australia’s Future(DEST2003:87),whichnotedthataroundtwenty-fivepercentofteachersleavetheprofessionwithinfiveyears.Ofcourse,thereasonsforsuchhighattritionratesarenotallnegative,andincludethefactthatteachingdegreesprovidehighlyport-ableskills.Neverthelessthefiguresrepresentachallenge,thefullextentofwhichisrevealedbyinternationalresearchshowingtherelationshipbetweenattritionratesandteachershortages.
AsDarling-HammondandSykesnote,‘retainingteachersisafarlargerprob-lemthantrainingnewones–andkeytosolvingteacher“shortages.”’(2003:3)IntheUnitedStates,attritionratesafterfiveyearsarebroadlycomparabletoAustralia,andtheturnoverofstaffinlow-incomeschoolsisestimatedtobefifty
school-based teacher education: it promises to reduce teacher shortages, increase the classroom experience of trainees and expand the diversity and raise the quality of applicants.
is it the way forward? andrew harvey has some doubts.
34 australian college of educators • acer
Issues
percenthigherthantherateinaffluentschools.(Ingersoll,2001:516)InAustraliain2006,theNationalCentreofScience,ICTandMathematicsEducationforRuralandRegionalAustralia(SiMERR)NationalSurveyfoundthat,‘TeachersinProvincialAreasweretwiceas likely,andthose inRemoteAreasaboutsixtimesas likely,astheirMetropolitanandProvincialCitycolleaguestoreporthighannualstaffturnoverrates(greaterthantwentypercentperannum)intheirschools.’(DEST,2006:vi)
Clearlyacontinualinfluxofinexperiencedteachersisnotideal,andisapar-ticularproblemforlow-income,ruralandregionalschools.Researchindicatesthatteachereffectivenessimprovesmarkedlyafterthefirsttwoyearsofservice(Hanushek,Kain&Rivkin,1998),yetwhilesomemeansofcounteringteacherattrition–suchasbettersalariesandconditions,moresupportintheearlyyearsofteachingandimprovedprofessionaldevelopment–havebeenwelldocumented,oneimportantfactorhasbeenlargelyoverlooked.
Thetypeofpreparationreceivedbyteachersislikelytobeafactorinteacherattrition.ExtensiveUSresearchsuggeststhatthelengthofteacherpreparationislinkedtothelikelylengthofteachingservice,whichleadstothesomewhatsurpris-ingconclusionthatthemostcost-effectivewaytotrainateachermayinfactbethroughafive-yeardegree,duetolowerattritionratesafterteachingcommence-ment.(DarlingHammond&Sykes,2003:22)ThereislessresearchinAustraliaonthisissue:arecentstudyfromtheAustralianCouncilforEducationalResearch(ACER)foundthat ‘teacherswhocompletedafour-yearundergraduatecoursegenerallyreportedmorefavourablyontheircoursethanteacherswhocompletedapostgraduate(shorter)degree’(Ingvarson,2005:7),butthere’slittleevidencetoshowwhetherthistranslatestotimespentinservice.
Look at SBTE, however, and the international research is discouraging.Numerousstudiesconfirmthatteacherswithlittlepre-serviceeducationleavetheprofessionattwoorthreetimestherateofthosewithmoresubstantialinitialprepa-ration.(Henkeetal.,2000;Greyetal.,1993)IntheUS,interestingly,theresultsaresimilarforTeachforAmerica(TFA),theprogramoftenlaudedbyproponentsofSBTE.TFAstudents,whoarehigh-achievinguniversitygraduateswhochoosetoworkinlow-incomeandhard-to-staffschools,havehigherattritionratesthancertifiedteachersinsimilarconditions.Soeveniffully-certifiedTFAgraduatesperformataroundthesamelevelastraditionally-certifiedgraduatesaftertwoyearsofteaching,asBuckinghammaintains(2005:10-11),thereremainstheproblemthattheydon’tstayintheprofessionforaslong.AstudybyDarling-Hammondandcolleagues(2005:26)showedthatthevastmajorityofTFArecruitsleftaftertheirsecondorthirdyearofteaching.
HighattritionmakesSBTEanexpensivemodelofprovision,asacknowledgedbyitssupporters.(Buckingham,2005:14)Apartfromtheinitialexpense,theeconomiccostsofcontinuallyre-hiringaremanifest,andareexacerbatedbythefactthatteacherswithexperienceperformbetterthanthosewithout.WhilethefullcostsofSBTEaredifficulttocalculate,they’relikelytobemuchhigherthanitssupportersconcede.
Anothermajorcauseofteachershortagesisunevendistributionacrossbothgeographicanddisciplineareas.Whiletheremayinfactbeanover-supplyofteach-ersinmetropolitanareasandinsomedisciplines,therearestillmanifestdifficultiesinfillingruralandregionalposts,andpositionsindisciplinessuchasScienceandMathematics.Inpart,thesedifficultiescanbeaddressedbyscholarships,debtwaiversandotherfinancialincentives.Inthecaseofregionalandruralstudents,however,thepreservationofstrongEducationfacultiesinregionalAustraliais
School-based teacher education• won’t reduceteachershortages
• won’t improvethequalityand
diversityofapplicants
• isn’t acost-effectivealternative
totraditionalpathways
• does identifyproblemsinpre-serviceteachereducation.
professional educator • vol 6, no. 1 • march 2007 3�
Issues
36 australian college of educators • acer
Issues
Whatever the
form and length
of professional
experience, it’s
essential that
graduates have
the opportunity to
reflect and build
on their practice,
and that theory and
practice are
interconnected.
Merely providing
more time in
schools, along
the lines of an
apprenticeship
model, is unlikely
to produce the
teachers required
for the Twenty-first
Century.
essential.TheSiMERRsurveynotesthat,‘aboutseventy-threepercentofrespond-entswholivedinruralcentreswhilecompletingtheirinitialteachereducationarecurrentlyteachinginProvincialAreaorRemoteAreaschools.’(DEST,2006:vi)TheRuralEducationForumofAustraliahasalsooutlinedanumberofmeasurestoimprovethenumberandqualityofplacementsinruralandregionalareas,followingtheargumentthatthosewhostudyinaregionalareaaremorelikelytoremainworkingthere.(REFA,2005)
Inthelongerterm,attractingapplicantsfromtheSMTfieldsdependsonimprovingthestatusoftheteachingprofession.AquickfixlikeSBTEmaybeneitherquicknorafix.Rather,itmayleadtoevenhigherratesofattritionandadiminutioninstatusoftheteachingprofession.Putsimply,theprofessionsattract-ingthehighest-qualityapplicantsarethoseofhighstatus.Loweringthebarforentryintoteachingisunlikelytoraisethestatusoftheprofession.Indeed,con-trarytotheearly-entrymodelofSBTE,thelimitedevidenceavailablesuggestsweneedtomoveawayfromone-year,end-ondegreesandrequireallteacherstostudyteachingforbetweeneighteenmonthsandtwoyears,albeitinincreasinglydiverseprograms.ReplacingthetraditionalDiplomaofEducationwithalongerdegree,asproposedbytheUniversityofMelbourne,mayhaveshort-termimpli-cationsforteachershortages,butmayalsoleadtoabetterknowledgebaseand
greaterretentionofqualityteachers.Teachingisacomplexprofessioninwhichthedepthofthepedagogicalandcontentknowledgerequiredissubstantial.Aswithsimilarprofessions,substantialpre-serviceeducationisrequiredtocreateacohortofprofessionalpractitioners.
ProfessIonal PracTIceAdvocatesalsoarguethatSBTEprovidesthenecessaryclassroomexperiencecur-rentlylackinginteachereducationcourses.AccordingtoBuckingham,SBTE‘effectivelyaddresseswidespreadconcernsthatuniversityteachereducationcoursesdonotprovidetraineeswithsufficientclassroomexperience,andthatgraduatesareill-preparedfortakingonfullteachingduties.’(2005:1)
Thisclaiminvolvestwoseparatebutrelatedconcerns.Thefirstisthatthequantityandqualityofclassroomexperienceiscurrentlyinsufficient.Evidencecitedforthisclaimincludesthe1998Ramsey Review,the2005Victorian Parliamentary Report into Teacher Educationandtheviewsofsomeprincipals.(See,forexample,ASPA,2003)Mostofthisevidenceisanecdotal,however,andthereremainslittleresearchintotheeffectofshorterandlongerperiodsofpracticalexperience.
Fewifanyteachereducatorswoulddisputethebeliefthatprofessionalpracticeshouldbeattheheartofteachereducation.Indeed,therearemanycasesofpartner-shipandpracticumarrangementsinthiscountrythathaveledtheworld.(ACDE,2002)AsAustralia’s Teachers: Australia’s Futurenoted,‘Manyinstitutionshavebeenpioneeringnewapproachestoextendingtheamountofpracticalexperienceanddiversifyingitscontent.’(DEST,2003:140)Inacknowledgingtheextentofthisinnovation,theauthorsofthatreviewnotedthat:‘Severalprogramsusetheoppor-tunityofpracticumsforstudentstoundertakefocusedactionresearchprojects....Anumberofteachereducationprogramsprovidestudentteacherswithexposuretoschoolsbeyondtheformalpracticums....Organisationsprovidingsocialsupport(forexample,theSmithFamily)andarangeofculturalorganisationsnowrecruitstudentsannuallytosupporttheirwork.’(DEST,2003:140)
Unfortunatelytherehasbeenlittleattempttomapthisinnovationsystem-aticallyortocompareexistingdiverseapproaches,andresearchintotheseareaswouldbewelcome.
professional educator • vol 6, no. 1 • march 2007 37
Issues
Today’sstudentsmaynotbeasdissatisfiedaboutclassroomexperienceasisoftenclaimed.AstheACERsurveyfortheVictorianInstituteofTeaching(2004)highlighted,teachersgenerallyratedtheircoursesquitefavourably,andwithinthatanalysis,‘schoolexperiencewasratedhigherthanotherelementsofteachereducationprograms.’(Ingvarson,2005:7)Substantialinnovationisbeingunder-takenwithinteachereducationcoursestoimprovetheclassroomandotherpracti-calexperienceofstudents.Possibilitiesfortheexpansionofprofessionalpracticeareneverthelesslimitedbycurriculumconstraints,bythecostofplacements,byresourcelimitationsreflectedinworseningstudent-to-staffratiosandbybureau-craticimpediments,particularlywithintheone-year,end-ondegrees.
Whatevertheformandlengthofprofessionalexperience,it’sessentialthatgraduateshavetheopportunitytoreflectandbuildontheirpractice,andthattheoryandpracticeareinterconnected.Merelyprovidingmoretimeinschools,alongthelinesofanapprenticeshipmodel, isunlikelytoproducetheteachersrequiredfortheTwenty-firstCentury.AsFraserhighlights,‘Theapprenticeshipapproachworkswellinpreparingpeopleforaprofessionasitiscurrentlypractised.Itdoesnotworkverywellinpreparingpeopletobereflectiveortoinnovateandbeleadersofchange.’(2002:8)SBTEwouldprivilegethepracticalcomponent,butfailtoaccountforthecomplexitiesofteachingintheknowledgeeconomy.
Thecryforgreaterclassroomexperienceisalignedtothesecondclaimiden-tifiedbyBuckingham,namelythat‘graduatesareill-preparedfortakingonfullteachingduties.’Toexaminethatclaim,it’sworthlookingattheexpectationsotherprofessionsplaceontheirgraduates.Teachingremainsvirtuallyaloneinthelackofstructuredassistanceavailabletobeginningpractitioners,despitethe
It’s not reasonable to
expect ‘teacher-ready’
graduate, whether
they graduate through
SBTE or the traditional
method.
3� australian college of educators • acer
Issues
factthatit’sacomplexprofessioninwhichthespeedofchangeismanifestandfullteachingdutiesarefrequentlycombinedwithadministration,socialwork,counselling,nursingandotherdutiesintheclassroomwiththeeffectthatfewbeginningteacherscouldbeconsidered‘teacher-ready’intheambitioussenselaiddownbytheVictorian Parliamentary Report.(2005)Thesolutiontoaperceivedproblemofinadequatepreparationisnottoreducethepreparation.Ifthereisanytruthtotheclaimthatteachersarenotreadytoteachatthepointoftheirprofessionalentry,themostobvioussolutionistoextendandexpandpre-serviceeducationasrequired.
Thecomplexitiesofcontemporaryteachingalsounderlinetheimportanceof ongoing professional development. Changes in discipline and pedagogicalknowledge‘requirethecontinualrenewalbyteachersoftheirownknowledgeandunderstanding’(DEST,2003),butprofessionaldevelopmentisunder-resourced,undervaluedandgenerallyinadequatetothetask.(SenateReport,1998)Highereducationcouldprovideaconsiderablepartoftheprofessionaldevelopmentneededthroughawardandnon-awardcourses,buttherearefewincentivesandmanyinhibitorstoteachersparticipatinginthepostgraduatestudythatcouldextendtheirprofessionalexpertise.(Ramsey,2000)
It’s not reasonable to expect ‘teacher-ready’ graduates as defined by theVictorian Parliamentary Report(2005),whethertheygraduatethroughSBTEorthetraditionalmethod.Teachingisacomplexandrapidlychangingscience.Justasdoctorsandlawyersneedtocontinuetolearnandadaptthroughouttheircareers,sodoteachers.Thepurposeofanyteachereducationprogrammustthereforebetoestablishsoundfoundationsonwhichknowledgeandexperiencecanbebuiltovertime.ThewidespreadsuccessofAustralianschoolstudentsininternationaltestssuchasPISAandTIMSSsuggeststhatteachereducationprogramsarecurrentlyprovidingthesefoundationsrelativelywell.(OECD,2002)AmoreseriousproblemliesinthecharacterisationoftheAustralianschoolsystemasa‘high-quality-but-low-equity’model.Improvingeducationaloutcomesinlowsocioeconomicandregionalandruralareasrequires,amongothermeasures,greatlyimprovedteacherretentioninthoseareas.SBTEisunlikelytoleadtoimprovedteacherretention
which,inturn,affectstheteachingqualitydesiredbyall.
greaTer DIversITy anD beTTer aPPlIcanTsAdvocatesofSBTEfrequentlyrefertothecurrentdearthofhigh-qualityteachingapplicants,particularlyinSMTareas.Irrespectiveoftheveracityofthisclaim,theclearestwaytoimprovethequalityofapplicantsistoimprovethestatusoftheteach-ingprofession.Payingallteachershighersalariesmightwellhavethiseffect,buttherealitiesofcurrentfundingarrangementsmakesignificantprogressonthisfrontunlikely.Amorefinanciallypalatableoptionistopayonlysometeachersmore;inthiscase,thosewithhigherqualifications.Rewardinghigherqualificationscouldeitherbedonesystemicallybysimplyadjustingcurrentsalaryscales,oraspartofamoreradicaldecentralisedsystemofmerit-basedpay,amodelnowfavouredbytheCommonwealthgovernment.Suchmodelshavebeencriticisedfortheirinabilitytodefine‘merit’inatransparentandmeaningfulway.Onedeterminantofthelevelofsalary,however,couldbethelevelofqualification,similartoschedulesadoptedinsomeUSjurisdictions.AsLovatoutlines:‘InPennsylvania,teachersbeyondthetopofthenormalscalecanmovetonewsalarylevelsbyundertakingarangeofprofes-sionaldevelopmentoptions,includingfurtheruniversitytraining.Arelevantmastersattainment,forinstance,canbeworthanextra$15,000andadoctoratethatmuchagain.Theresultisthatateacherwhoneverleavestheclassroomforadministration
Inadequate diversity
is a problem across
higher education.
The percentage of
applicants to Australian
universities from low
socio-economic areas
and non-English
speaking backgrounds,
as well as those
with disabilities or
Indigenous heritage,
has remained largely
unchanged over the
past decade.
professional educator • vol 6, no. 1 • march 2007 3�
Issues
40 australian college of educators • acer
Issues
canelevatesalarybyapproximatelysixtypercent,soenhancingtheirpersonalwealth,lifestyleandearlyretirementoptions.’(Lovat,2003:17)
Whilesuchasalarycalibrationwouldincreasethequalityofthecurrentteach-ingworkforce,itwouldalsoattractmoretalentedapplicantstotheprofession,bothwithinSMTandotherdisciplines.Withorwithoutmerit-basedpay,greaterrecognitionofqualificationsheldwouldleadtoamoreskilledandeducatedwork-force.Dependingontheflexibilityofthegoverningmodel,recognitioncouldapplybothtoformalqualificationssuchasmastersordoctoraldegreesandtolessformalprofessionaldevelopment.Iftheteachingprofessionisacknowledgedtobeascomplexaslaw,medicineandotherprofessions,thisneedstobereflectedintheinvestmentofgovernmentsandinthestructuresofteaching.Commissioningfurtherresearchtoexaminethelinksbetweenpostgraduatestudyandteachingqualitywouldbeausefulfirststepalongthispath.
Increasingthediversityofapplicantsisalsoimportant,andideallytheteachingprofessionwouldbebroadlyreflectiveofthesocietyinwhichitsmembersoperate.Inadequatediversityisaproblemacrosshighereducation.Thepercentageofappli-cantstoAustralianuniversitiesfromlowsocioeconomicareasandnon-Englishspeakingbackgrounds,aswellasthosewithdisabilitiesorIndigenousheritage,has
remainedlargelyunchangedoverthepastdecade.Allofthesegroupsareunder-representedinhighereducation,andtheimbalanceunderlinestheneedforgreatertargetedfundinginthecauseofequity.Teaching,ofcourse,suffersfurtherbyadearthofmaleapplicants,particularlyatprimarylevel.Thisspecificproblemcouldbeaddressedbythemeasuresalreadyoutlinedwhichwouldincreasethestatusoftheprofession,andalsobyopeningupclassrooms.Byintroducingteamteach-ing,byencouragingpara-professionalsandotherexpertsintotheclassroom,andbybreakingdownthe‘oneteacher,oneclassroom’model,theriskofaccusationsofimproprietyagainstmaleteacherswouldbereduced.Inshort,changestotheprofessionitselfaremostlikelytoincreasediversity,ratherthanmeasureswhichsimplybypassuniversitypre-servicedegrees.
currenT ausTralIan moDels AdvocatesofSBTEmaylooktotheBachelorofLearningManagement(BLM)atCentralQueenslandUniversity,reportedintheAugust2006issueofProfessional Educator,asanexampleofthemodelinpractice.TheBLMinvolvesappointingcandidatestoateaching-accreditedschoolfromtheirfirstweekatuniversity,andattemptstoembedstudentsintheworkoftheclassroom.TheprogramhasreceivedahighlyfavourableevaluationinapublishedACERstudy(2005),butthestudyitselfexplicitlyrefutestheideathattheBLMcanbeusedtosupportSBTE:‘Itwouldbeamistaketoassumethatthisstudyprovidessupportforsimplyincreas-ingtheamountoftimefutureteachersspendinschoolsduringtheirtrainingor,worse,formovingresponsibilityforteachereducationoutofuniversitiesandintoschools.’(Ingvarsonetal.,2005:84)
Despitethisdisclaimer, it’spossiblethatadvocatesofSBTEcouldusetheACERstudytosupporttheirargument,oratleasttosupporttheargumentforamuchgreaterpracticalcomponenttoeducationcourses.ThestudyfindsthatBLMgraduatesaremuchbetterpreparedthantraditionallypreparedgraduatesfromCQU,largelybecausetheBLMcourseprovidesstronglinksbetweentheoryandpractice,andanauthenticpartnershipbetweenschools,employingauthoritiesandtheuniversity.(Ingvarsonetal.,2005:81-82)
It’sdifficulttoplaceanyfaithintheseconclusions,however,duetotheinher-entmethodologicalweaknessesofthestudy.Therewerethreeelementsofthe
If the teaching
profession is
acknowledged to
be as complex as
law, medicine and
other professions,
this needs to be
reflected in the
investment of
governments and
in the structures of
teaching.
professional educator • vol 6, no. 1 • march 2007 41
Issues
Sadly, it’s still necessary
to debunk the myth that
anyone can teach.
Dr Andrew Harvey is the Deputy Director (Academic) of the Bendigo campus of La Trobe University.
For Jennifer Buckingham’s Centre for Independent Studies report, Good Teachers Where They Are Needed, go to www.cis.org.au/IssueAnalysis/ia64/IA64.pdf
For references go to www.acer. edu.au/professionaleducator/ references.html
ACERstudy:observationalstudyofgraduateteachers;asurveyofgraduateteach-ers;andasurveyofprincipalsatschoolsemployinggraduateteachers.Theinitialobservationalstudyinvolvedjustthirty-oneteacherswhohadgraduatedin2003.EighteenofthesehadgraduatedwithaBLMfromCQU,whilethirteenhadgradu-atedwithaBachelorofEducationfromavarietyofQueenslanduniversities.Thesurveyitselfconcedesthat‘itwasonlypossibletoimplementtoalimitedextenttheplanofusingschoolsthathadbothaBLMgraduateandanon-BLMgraduate,’andthattheselectionofgraduateteachers‘wasmoreopportunisticthanrandom.’(Ingvarsonetal.,2005:19)Theauthorsfurtheracknowledgethatthelocationofthestudy–nearCQU–‘mayhaveledtoabiasinfavouroftheBLMcourse,’andthatthethirteenBachelorofEducationteacherscannotbesaidtoberepresenta-tiveoftheseveralhundredprimaryteachergraduatesacrossQueenslandin2003.(2005:24)Thus,notonlywasthesamplesizesmall,butthecommensurabilityofthetwosetsofgraduateswasquestionableevenbytheauthors’ownadmission.Takentogether,theselimitationsmustcallintoquestionthevalidityofanyfind-ingsrelatedtotheobservationalstudy.
Thesecondelementofthestudywasaquestionnaireofgraduateteachers.Ofapproximately2,000teacherswhohadgraduatedfromaQueensland-basedteacher
educationprogramin2003,536returnedquestionnairesforevaluation.Onceagain,thestatisticalsignificanceofthefindingsisunderminedbythatresponserate–aroundtwenty-sixpercent.Thefinalelementofthestudyinvolvedaques-tionnaireofprincipals,andaskedforfeedbackaboutoneteacherateachschoolwhohadgraduatedfromaQueensland-basedteachereducationprogramin2003.Thequestionnairedeliveredanominalresponserateofforty-fivepercent,butoverhalftherespondentsdidnotindicatethetypeofcourseinwhichtheirteacherhadgraduated.Theeffectiveresponserate,then,wasaroundtwentypercent,whichonceagainmakesthedrawingofanyfirmconclusionsdifficult.
Asitstands,theACERstudyrecommendsmorecontentknowledge,andexplicitlyrefutestheideathatsuchknowledgecouldbeprovidedbySBTE:‘Teachereducationprogramsthatmightbehighly“practical,”inthesenseofgivingheavyemphasistoskillsinclassroommanagementforexample,willnotmakeupfora
deficiencyintheaspectsofcontentknowledgeidentifiedinthisstudy.’(Ingvarsonetal.,2005:60)Thatconclusionisconsistentwiththeargumentforrigorouspre-serviceteachereducationembeddedinaresearchculture.Nevertheless,moreresearchisrequired:theBLMmaywellbeaneffectivemodel,buttheonlyavail-ableresearchintoitsefficacylacksmethodologicalrigour.
Sadly,it’sstillnecessarytodebunkthemyththatanyonecanteach,amyththat’simplicitlyembeddedintheSBTEmodelandonethatcontinuestoreceivesupport from somecommunitygroups and, at times, governments.The caseagainstSBTEisstrong:it’sunlikelytoreduceteachershortages,improvethequal-ityanddiversityofapplicants,orprovideacost-effectivealternativetotraditionalpathways.Itsproponents,however,haveidentifiedanumberofproblemswiththeteachingprofessionthatdodemandpolicyshifts.Pre-serviceeducationshouldbestrengthenednotweakened;rewardsshouldbeprovidedforteacherstoundergoprofessionallearning,whichshoulditselfbewidelyavailable;differentialsalaryscalesshouldbeintroducedtorewardthoseundertakingformalpostgraduatequalifications;andweneedfurtherresearchintotheeffectivenessofdifferentpathwaysintoteaching,thediversityofteachereducationprograms,therelation-shipbetweenteachingqualificationsandquality,andtherootcausesofinequityineducationalprovision.Recognisingthecomplexityofteachingisthefirststeptowardsimprovingitsstatus.
42 australian college of educators • acer
revIews
by Benjamin Marks, Rodney
Marks and Robert Spillane
iSBn 0 855 723 734RRP $19.50
published by Michelle Anderson Publishing
reviewed by Brian Brennan
The management contradictionary
The Management Contradictionary,accordingtoitscover,isabookwhichshouldn’tbejudgedbyitscover.Thatmaximistrueenoughof its frontcover;aquickglanceat thebackcover,however,givesaveryclear insight intothemindsetof itstrioofauthors.BenMarksdescribeshimselfas ‘bornintoslaverytotheCommonwealthofAustralia;healsoworksforthetaxoffice.’RodneyMarks‘isAustralia’s(mis)leadingcomedian,’andRobertSpillane‘haswrittenmorethan110professionalarticlesthatnobodyreads.’Thisisdefinitelyabookforthosewho,liketheauthors,arenotpreparedtotakethemselvestooseriously,orwhowouldliketochallengethosewhodo.
There’satendencyintoday’ssocietyformanagementtobeseenastheanswertoallproblems.Managementlanguageisevolvingatanexponentialratetocaterforthemultitudeofissuesit’ssupposedtobeabletoaddress.Thosewhodon’tfullyunderstandthisnewlanguagearethoughttobeoutoftouchandobviouslynotsuitedtohigherlevelsofmanagerialleadership.Eveneducationisbeinginfiltrated,slowlybutsurely,bythepseudo-scientificjargonofbusinessmanagement.Butwait.WhatisThe Management Contradictionarydefinitionofleadership?‘Leadership,’theauthorsexplain,is‘Whataleaderdoes.Andaleadershowsleadership.Onlyaleadercanseethisapparentparadoxastruth.Thecorollariesofthistruthare:(a)ifyouthinkthisreasoningiscircular,you’llnevermakeittothetop,and(b)ifyou’renotconfused,thenyoureallydon’tunderstandwhat’sgoingon.’Ifyou’rereallyconfused,however,it’sprobablybesttocheckthemeaningofaparadox:‘Whenamanagersays:“Allmanagersareliars.”’Hmm.
Thinkforamomentofsomeofthemanagementlanguagethatwassoreadilybandiedaroundatyourlaststafforfacultymeeting.Didyourleadersorcolleaguesusewordslikeaccountability,addedvalue,changemanagement,competence,life-longlearning,multi-tasking,relevance,seniormanagementteam,vision?Didyoureallyfeelyouunderstoodwhatthesetermsmeant?Here’showThe Management Contradictionary definessomeofthem.
Changemanagement:fallaciousbeliefthatpeoplewanttochangetheirworkbehaviourorthat,eveniftheywantto,theycan.Apopularwaytoimplementachangemanagementprogramistochangemanagement.
Competence:gettingawaywithit.Relevance:thestandardbywhichalleducationisjudgedirrelevant.Seniormanagementteam:oligarchythatthinksitisanaristocracy.Inthehecticpaceoftoday’sworld,it’sdisconcertingtonotehoweasilymany
peoplehavebecomebrainwashedintoreadilyacceptingthatjargonandclichéscansomehowencapsulateenduringtruths.Marks,MarksandSpillanehavesetouttoreversethistrendbyprovidingalternativedefinitionstoover1,000managementterms.The Management Contradictionaryprovokesnewandhumorouswaysofthinkingaboutcommonlyacceptedinterpretationsofthesewordsandphrases.Theresultisasurprisinglyentertainingdictionarywhich,onceread,willneveragainallowyoutoapatheticallyacceptmindlesslinguisticobfuscation.
Inmostworkplaceswefindpeopleinmanagerialpositionswho,onsomeocca-sions,haveaproclivitytotakethemselvesalittletooseriously.The Management Contradictionary isatimelypublicationwhichmayjustbeaneffectiveresourcetohelpyouhelpthemtocombattheproliferationofpseudo-scientificbusinessmanagementjargon.
Brian Brennanis a Senior Education Officer
– Secondaryat the Catholic Education Office,
Sandhurst.
professional educator • vol 6, no. 1 • march 2007 43
The DIary
17-1� mayevent‘Middle schooling: reaching New Heights, building our Future’ 5th international Conference of the Middle Years of schooling AssociationIncreaseyourknowledgeandunderstand-ingofadolescence,andofpositivelearningenvironmentstohelpbuildbrightandrewardingfuturesforyoungpeople.placeConradJupiters,GoldCoastphone0738441138fax0738440909emailmysa2007@icms.com.auwebwww.mysa2007.com.au
1�-17 JuneeventThe Alliance of Girls schools Australasia Annual ConferenceTheAllianceofGirlsSchoolsAustralasiaconferenceaddresses:leadershipineducationtomentoranddevelopstaff;demo-graphictrendsingirls’education;knowledgemanagement,learningcommunitiesandchangemanage-
ment;andtheuseofdatatoinformteachingandlearning.Thisyear’sconferenceishostedbyLauristonGirls’School.placeLauristonGirls’School,MelbournecontactJanButler,ExecutiveOfficerphone0734882686emailjan.butler@internode.on.netwebsitewww.agsa.org.au
6-� Julyevent21st biennial Conference of the Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers ‘Mathematics: essential for learning, essential for life’The21stAAMTconferenceisachance
forteachersandresearcherstoworktogether,andshareideas.There’salsoadayofjointsessionswiththeconferenceoftheMathematicsEducationResearchGroupof
Australasia.placeUniversityofTasmania,HobartcontactAAMTemailoffice@aamt.edu.auphone0883630288fax0883629288websitewww.aamt.edu.au/2007
2� July-1 augusT eventDirections for Catholic educational Leadership in the 21st Century: The Vision, Challenges and reality4thInter-nationalConferenceonCatholicEducationalLeadershiphostedbyACUwillfocusonnewleadershipviewsandparadigmsforaglobal-isedandrapidlychangingworld.emailconferences@acu.edu.auwebsitewww.acu.edu.au/conferences
12-14 augusTevent‘The Leadership Chal-lenge: improving learning in schools’ The 2007 research Conference of the Australian Council for educational researchTheconferencewilladdresskeyissuesrelatedtobuildingleadershipinschoolsthatmakesadifferencetostudentlearningoutcomes.placeGrandHyattHotel,MelbournecontactMargaretTaylor,ConferenceSecretariat,ACERCentreforProfessionalLearningphone0398357403fax0398357457
[email protected]/workshops/conferences.html
1�-26 augusTeventNational science WeekCelebratescienceandtechnologyinyourschoolduringNationalScienceWeek.emailscienceweek@dest.gov.auwebsitehttp://www.scienceweek.info.au
30 sePTember-3 ocToberevent‘The roaring Forties: Winds of change’ Australian secondary Principals Association National ConferenceASPA’s2007conferenceisanopportunityforeducatorstosailintoHobartanddiscoverwhat’sgoingon.placeHotelGrandChancellor,Hobartwebsitehttp://www.aspa.asn.au
3-� ocTobereventAustralian school Library Association’s biennial National conference ‘Hearts on Fire: sharing the Passion – Learning, Literature and Literacies’ASLAXXisanationalforumforteacherlibrarians,schoollibrarystaff,informationspecialists,schoolleaders,classroomteachersandschoollibraryacademicstosharetheirknowledge.placeAdelaideConventionCentrecontactAleksDuricphone0294379333emailaleks@conferenceaction.com.auwebsitewww.asla.org.au/pd/conference
Want to know about professional development opportunities, conferences and just plain useful stuff? The Diary tells you what’s on.
44 australian college of educators • acer
as I see IT
Tampering with a
universal law
Danny Katz explains why having your teacher
in your house is wrong.
MYsucky-crawlyparents.Canyoubelievewhattheydidtome?Everyyearofmyprimaryschooltheywouldcommitthemostflagrantlyabusiveactofpeachyover-eagersaccharinesucky-crawliness...andactually...invitemyteacher...roundfordinner.MYCLASSROOMTEACHERWOULDENTERMYHOUSEANDSITATMYTABLEANDEATFOODWITHMEANDMYFAMILYINANON-EDUCATIONALCONTEXT.Itwaswrong,verywrong.Havingyourteacherinsideyourownhomeistamperingwithuniversallaws–it’sliketryingtoforcetogetherbakedbeanswithicecream,orsandalswithsocks,orAvrilLavignewithHilaryDuff.
Idon’tknowwhymyparentsdidit:maybetheythoughtitwasthepolitethingtodo,ormaybetheywantedtomeetnewfriends,ormaybetheywantedtodiscussthestateofmymentaldevelopment,becausebytheageofsevenIwasstillhavingtroublewithmytwo-timestables,andIcouldn’tpeestandingup.Whatevertherea-son,itwasamuch-dreadedannualexperience;thefirstteachertheyinvitedroundwasMrsGaffnee,myGradeTwoteacher.Sheshoweduponenightwithabottleofwine,andmyparentssatherdownandtheyallchatted,LIKETHEYWEREBUDDIES–evencallingherbyherfirstname,Helen.SINCEWHENDIDMRSGAFFNEEHAVEAFIRSTNAME?Iremembersittingatthedinnertable,notsayingaword,watchingthemeatinganddrinkingandlaughing,thinkingtomyself‘Imightjustgrabthatpairofsaladtongsfromthethree-beansalad...andramthemthroughmyownthroat.’BECAUSETHISWASMYSCHOOLTEACHER:thewomanwhomademestaybackonFridaystofinishmysubtraction,whomademepickuprubbishatlunchtimefordrawingawillyonmyworksheet,whogavemeaBforabrilliantstoryIwrotecalled‘MyTripToTheZoo,’whileGlennLudlowgotanA,andhiswascrap,hedidn’tevenknowhowtospell‘armadillo.’
Thenateight-thirty,whenitwastimeformetogotobed,Ihadtosaygood-nightTOMYTEACHER,wearingmyseahorsejammiesINFRONTOFMYTEACHER,thenIheadedofftomybedroomWHILEMYTEACHERHUNGOUTINMYHOUSE,ATMYTABLE,WITHMYPARENTS.Itwasfreaky,lyinginbed,listeningtothemchattingandlaughinguntillate,everynowandthenhearingoddmuffledwordslike‘Danny’and‘standing’and‘pee,’thenmorelaughing.
Thenextmorning,onmywaytoschool,Iwonderedhowthiswouldchangemyschoollife–wasMrsGaffneestillmyteacher,orwassheafamilyfriendnow?–andwerewesupposedtohangouttogetherduringlunchtime,chitter-chattingbesidetheGestetnermachine?THEFABRICOFTHESCHOOL-HOMESPACE-TIMECONTINUUMWASALTEREDFOREVER.WhenMrsGaffneefinallywalkedintotheclassroom,weallsaid‘GoodmorningMissGaffnee’andshesaid‘Goodmorningchildren–oh,andDanny,youtellyourparentsthatIhadaverypleasantdinneratyourhouselastnight.AndbythewayIreallylikeyourseahorsejammies!’Isaid‘Thankyou....Helen,’andatrecessIgotsuchatitty-twisterfromGlennLudlow,thirty-fiveyearslaterIstillstruggletofindoneofmynipples.
Manyotherteacherscametoourhouseovermyprimaryschoolyears,eachdinnermoretraumaticthanthelast:MrsElliotcameroundwithabottleofwine,andMrMaronshowedupwithabottleofwine,andevenoldPrincipalMealywasinvitedroundonenight–hebroughtabottleofwine,andworehisnylonhair-piecebacktofront,sothesideburnskeptgettingcaughtonhisears.
Ashumiliatingasallthesedinnerpartieswere,IsupposeIdidlearnanimpor-tantlife-lessonfromthem:theymademerealisethatteachersarepeoplelikeany-bodyelse–they’vegotfirstnames,they’vegotfamilies,theylikeagoodlaugh,andtheyenjoynicefood.Andmostofall.....theyreallyseemtolikedrinkingwine.Theydrinklotsandlotsofbottlesofwine.