Chapter 6
THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF ADULT EDUCATORS SINCE 1991
In Come in Cinderella the Committee noted several characteristics
of professional development in ACE:
- on-going training was regarded as important for administrators, teachers/tutors,
and the management committees of community-based providers;
- few adult and community educators possessed formal qualifications
as teachers of adults;
- in-service training was sporadic, poorly-funded, and often undertaken
on a user-pays basis;
- the acquisition of qualifications was regarded as a means of `legitimising'
ACE provision; and
- the absence of defined career structures in ACE worked against the
establishment of structured training and development for ACE workers.
The role of the ACE practitioner since Come in Cinderella has
become increasingly complex, requiring the performance of a range of tasks
including:
- seeking alternate sources of funding;
- introducing the concept of fee-for-service;
- the delivery of accredited curriculum;
- implementing quality concepts, key competencies and understanding
recognition of prior learning and
- an increased administrative role to meet program evaluation and national
data collection requirements.
The ACE sector continues to be characterised by a heavily part-time and
volunteer workforce. The professional development challenges facing this
group in the light of the major thrust towards the delivery of accredited
training programs, and the implementation of quality assurance programs
are enormous.
Traditionally, people have entered ... adult education from some
other occupational field or in a part-time and/or voluntary role. Many
voluntary and/or part-time educators of adults did not possess formal
post-secondary educational qualifications at all. This aspect of recruitment
into the field has contributed to the diversity, openness, strength
and persistence of the adult education movement despite its marginal
status within the educational system.
Of course, this aspect has another side. Until quite recently,
the needs of individual adult educators for personal and professional
development were largely left to those individuals to organise and undertake
as best they could. Consequently, adult educators developed professionally
largely as a result of on-the-job experiences, some employer sponsored
workshops and in a very few cases, formal study at the graduate level.
There has been, over the last decade or so, a growing agreement among
Australian adult educators on the need for more formal experiences to
support the orientation, induction and development of adult education
personnel. [1]
In recent times, the professional development thrust within the ACE sector
has arisen because of much the same forces that have operated more broadly
in the communitythe push for certification of competencies, the linking
of competencies to remuneration, and the pursuit of competitive advantage
using the professional qualifications of staff as indices of a quality
service.
The ACE sector's initiatives in professional development
In an increasingly competitive environment, funding agenciesand in particular
governmentspossess the whip hand in terms of requiring service agencies
to demonstrate their commitment to quality, which invariably translates
into agencies requiring their staff to obtain relevant qualifications.
Individual ACE providers, or groups of providers, have for many years
attempted to provide professional development opportunities for their
tutors and administrators. In such a poorly resourced sector, with its
heavy reliance on volunteer and part-time workers and hence large turnover
of personnel, such opportunities were few and far between. Moreover, there
was no coherent statement of the skills and qualities to which such professional
development should be directed. Fortunately, some progress has been made
in this regard, but it has been confined largely to professional development
needs of managers and administrators.
ACE providers, and particularly their national representative body the
Australian Association of Adult and Community Education (AAACE) recognised
the importance of establishing their credibility as quality providers
if the ACE sector was to assert itself on the contemporary education and
training scene. As well, ACE providers saw that it was simply good practice,
and in their staffs' interests, to articulate clearly the nature of their
business, and to identify the skills and competencies required for effective
operation.
As a result, a Steering Group and Reference Group were established to
develop competency standards for managers and administrators in the ACE
sector. In September 1995 these were endorsed by ANTA's Standards and
Curriculum Council, and relevant resource kits and guidelines were prepared
to assist ACE providers with the necessary professional development. The
AAACE was recognised as a Competency Standards Body (CSB).
The ACE Standards are the recognised work performance standards specified
by the ACE `industry' so that people and organisations know what is needed
in terms of performance outcomes. Assessment of performance involves the
collection of evidence of performance assessed against the competency
standards. The standards are divided into units of competency which correspond
to the various levels of the Australian Standards Framework.
The Committee applauds the seriousness with which the ACE sector has
taken the matter of quality assurance and standards for its administrators
and managers. The Committee notes that AAACE has sought an extension of
its CSB status to implement the ACE Standards, and it encourages the sector
to develop as well national standards for the range of other activities
associated with ACE provisioncommunity development and teaching, for example.
An interesting development is the increasing manner in which `national
and state ACE bodies are moving into the role of industry bodies responsible
for professional development, accreditation and quality within the industry.
Their capacity to do this needs to be enhanced by recognition and support
for these increased roles.' [2]
The efforts at the national level have been taken up in various degrees
by the States. Quality assurance manuals have been produced. Courses have
been developed leading to Certificates in ACE Teaching, for example, or
in Management of Adult and Community Education. Individual providers have,
to varying degrees, sought to promote quality provision through the professional
development of their staff. For example, the WEA was a member of the management
team which developed and implemented core modules in the `Teaching in
ACE' Certificate. This qualification enables ACE teachers to meet minimum
training requirements of the NSW Vocational Education & Training Accreditation
Board for the delivery of accredited courses. The Evening and Community
Colleges Association of NSW has also developed a number of tutor training
modules geared to its Certificate in ACE.
There is now a substantial body of experience and materials upon which
to consolidate a rigorous quality framework for the ACE sector, in both
the administration and teaching domains. The Committee believes that it
is vital that ACE is supported towards achieving this end.
| The Committee RECOMMENDS that the Commonwealth government
support a national project to identify and develop standards for teaching
and learning in community-based ACE settings in a manner similar to
the national ACE Standards for Administrators and Managers. |
Professional development for delivering accredited training
A major influence on the direction of, and opportunities for, professional
development since 1991 has been the Commonwealth government's funding
support for accredited training. However, because professional development
support has been tied to the delivery of accredited programs, the bulk
of ACE provision has not benefited from the funds and opportunities that
have been available.
Prior to the establishment of ANTA, the TAFE National Staff Development
Committee undertook a number of major initiatives directed at the professional
development of the VET sector. One of the most effective and well-funded
was the implementation of a National Framework for Professional Development
of Adult Literacy and Basic Education Personnel. The Framework appears
to have had more impact on TAFE than ACE providers, even though since
1991, the community-based ACE providers have become major deliverers of
ESL and literacy programs. (The tender specifications for providers of
ESL and literacy courses included a requirement for professional development
activity.) Even with such resources going to professional development
in the literacy training area, the generally part-time and low status
nature of literacy teaching have militated against a fully fledged professionalisation
of this area of activity.
In 1994 the TAFE National Staff Development Committee was renamed the
National Staff Development Committee (NSDC) and its reporting responsibility
changed from DEETYA to ANTA. Commonwealth allocations of funds to the
Committee were significant and included allocations of $6 million in 199495
and $4 million in 1995-96. The NSDC developed training packages and supported
a range of professional development activity in the VET sector. The Committee
was disbanded in 1996 and responsibility for providing approval and advice
on staff development matters taken on by an ANTA CEO Subgroup. There is
currently $1 million allocated by the Commonwealth, the bulk of which
is dedicated to familiarising providers with the requirements of the revised
traineeship and apprenticeship arrangements.
With Commonwealth funding largely curtailed, responsibility for professional
development has been devolved to the States and Territories. Although
the Committee did not receive much evidence in relation to the support
for professional development at the State level, some witnesses expressed
concern at the abandonment by the Commonwealth of its responsibilities
in this area.
A recently published report emanating from ANTA entitled Learning
Across Frontiers explores the professional development needs of the
VET sector in an international context.
Internationalisation is ... a process of cultural change in VET
directed at aligning the work of VET with key changes in the international
environment. As such, internationalisation is pervasive and affects
curriculum, staff development and the external relations of VET, quality
and standards, and the overall culture and ethos of an institution.
[3]
While the reports focuses on issues of globalisation and the importance
of international networks, there are some key themes which the Committee
regards as germane to staff development more generally. These themes resonate
with key notions in adult education which are being urged upon governments
by the Committee, namely, lifelong learning and an integrated approach
to education and training. The ANTA report notes that:
An important theme identified in our review of literature on staff
development relates to the need to broaden past approaches to staff
development so as to involve a more rounded and balanced approach to
developing the whole person. A central aspect of this broadened approach
... relates to going beyond cognitive aspects ... to include affective
aspects as well. ... This emphasises the need for approaches to staff
development ... that `form whole human beings'. This relates also to
the objective of enhancing creativity and the capability for innovation
and enterprise ... [4]
The ANTA report goes on to emphasise a `learning approach to development',
and refers to the experience of the ANTA National Staff Development Committee
which led to the implementation of a new approach to staff development
characterised as `work-based learninglearning which occurs through the
daily experiences and interactions of groups and individuals within an
organisation.' [5] Such work-based learning
falls into three domains:
- instrumental learning: job-focused or technical learning generally
aimed at skill development and productivity
- dialogue learning: learning about an organisation's culture,
vision and interdependencies, and focusing on job satisfaction, team
relationships, coaching and mentoring
- self-reflective learning: involves planned or experiential
activities through which individuals come to know themselves and the
nature of the work they perform, and through which personal changes
in values or beliefs become possible. [6]
In the Committee's view, such an approach to professional development
is wholly consistent with the principles of lifelong learning and the
concepts which have always informed the practice of adult educators. It
is imperative that ACE providers are able to provide opportunities for
staff to undertake professional development across the three types of
learning just described.
In Come in Cinderella the Committee recommended the establishment
of a professional development fund `along the lines of the Higher Education
Staff Development Fund'. The Committee believes that the need for professional
development is even more urgent as the competencies push and the requirements
for quality assurance in a competitive environment require ACE providers
to show that their teaching and administrative staff are appropriately
qualified. Community-based providers have a particular claim for professional
development support as they invariably lack the large institutional framework
or staff numbers that can accommodate staff being `off line' for professional
development purposes.
The Commonwealth has, in past years, made explicit commitments to the
professional development of educatorsthe National Professional Development
Program for school teachers; the Higher Education Staff Development Fund
for university lecturers; the ANTA National Staff Development Committee
initiative for the VET sector. Given the proven capacity of this last
group to develop strategies and resources for professional development,
the Committee believes that there is still a significant role for that
group to play in facilitating best practice at a national level.
| The Committee RECOMMENDS the re-establishment of the National
Staff Development Committee under the new NACVET Authority. Its role
should be expanded to address the professional development needs of
teachers and administrators working in community-based ACE providers.
|
Formal qualifications for adult educators
There has always been a core of professional training available to adult
educators through tertiary institutions at the degree level and beyond.
This has often been linked with research initiatives, and the Committee
was encouraged by the increase in activity which has occurred since Cinderella,
on both the training and research fronts. According to UTS Associate Professor
Morris, Convenor, Higher Education Network of AAACE:
from about the mid-1980s onwards a number of forces to do with
the organisation of adult education, developments in vocation education
and training, the growth of accreditation, and even the restructuring
of higher education came together to fuel the growth of these formal
award programs. [7]
About 20 institutions provide professional training leading to formal
academic awards for adult educatorswho represent a broad range of occupations
such as TAFE teachers, evening college principals, and community health
workers. There are a number of awards available, ranging from diploma
to doctorate level.
There are probably about 4,500 bodies studying adult education
in Australian institutions of higher education. There are about 160
members of academic staff teaching those students, whose major responsibility
is in the area of adult or vocational education.
[Roughly] 18 per cent were at the level of the associate
diploma; 37 per cent at the level of the three year bachelor
or the old diploma level qualification; about 11 per cent
at the four year bachelor qualification, and many of those were people
converting from a three year bachelor qualification to a four year bachelor
qualification; about four per cent at the graduate certificate; 24 per cent
at the graduate diploma; and about six per cent at the masters level.
There were about 17 effective full-time student units enrolled in PhDs
or doctors of education in the field of adult Education at that time.
[8]
While much of the training is at the undergraduate level, there is a
growing cohort of graduate and postgraduate students. At UTS, for example,
there about 250 people taking part-time Masters degrees in adult education.
In 1991, UTS had no doctoral students in adult education; in 1996 there
were twenty.
The Adult Education program at the University of New England (UNE) responded
to demands from experienced teachers and trainers for a post graduate
award in adult education. In 1993 the university introduced a Graduate
Certificate in Adult Education and Training. The majority of these UNE
students are employed full or part time. The distance education mode provides
a convenient form of study while the opportunity to relate their study
to their workplace provides the practical relevance most students and
employers are seeking. The number of students enrolling in postgraduate
awards in Adult Education has more than doubled in the last two years,
fuelled by the impact of current changes in policy and practice. [9]
Interestingly, there has been an increased range of occupations of students'
enrolling in award courses in adult education. Previously, students initial
training tended to be as primary and secondary school teachers. However,
competition for jobs, employer demand for formal qualifications, and the
requirement for certificated teachers in vocational courses submitted
to state accrediting agencies have seen a surge in demand from other areas.
Areas include Skillshare and similar vocational training agencies, private
training colleges, nurse education, business and other government training
agencies. [10]
The recent emphasis on the professional education of adult educators
has meant that those responsible for developing the relevant training
courses have had to deal with diverse requirements and commitments of
people working in the ACE sector. Professor Morris, from UTS, highlighted
for the Committee some of the issues which have confronted course designers
in preparing curriculum for formal award programs:
- The term `adult educator' covers a range of activities, from teaching
to organising to counselling.
- The idealism and missionary zeal which has traditionally informed
adult educators' practice has tended to resist professionalisation.
- There is a tension between academic respectability as defined by universities
and professional relevance defined by practice in the field. [11]
However, the Committee believes that the pressures towards quality assurance
outlined earlier are bound to resolve these issues in favour of a more
professionalised ACE workforce. This renders problematic the issue of
how professional education is going to reach the vast numbers of part-time
teachers and volunteers which make up that workforce.
Should a start be made at the apex or the base of the adult education
personnel pyramid. In other words, should we provide a lot of education
for the few fulltime practitioners or should we provide a little for
the huge number of part-time practitioners. Probably we need to address
both groups by means of a staged sequence of short courses for the development
of part-time teachers and formal award level courses for full time adult
educators. [12]
The Committee is of the view that the professional development of ACE
practitioners should be considered within the context of ensuring a sound
infrastructure for the ACE sector. While infrastructure includes such
things as facilities and technological resources, it also includes personnel
infrastructure. It is important that ACE providers are able to demonstrate
the quality assurance which is necessary if they are to become eligible
for Commonwealth funds as registered providers.
The Committee believes that, in the manner of the employee assistance
schemes that have worked so well in industry, ACE employees would be willing
to devote their own time to professional development. However, adult educators,
including volunteers, would be reluctant to seek out professional benefits
for themselves if the development activity impacted too severely on the
time they could devote to their students and programs. Professional development
initiatives would therefore require arrangements which made it possible
to `backfill' their role.
The Committee acknowledges that the push for professionalisation risks
devaluing the contributions of volunteers, who may wish to continue supporting
ACE activity, but who do not seek professional development, nor feel the
need to become formally qualified. The Committee's view is that professional
development opportunities must be made available within the ACE sector,
but without imposing unrealistic demands on volunteer workers. The use
of Recognition of Prior Learning approaches to assessing competency and
earning credit towards formal awards should be a practical way of assisting
this cohort of workers to become qualified if they so choose.
Footnotes
[1] Submission no 76, vol 5, p136 (Professor
R Morris)
[2] Submission no 51, vol 4, p 47 (Evening and
Community Colleges Association of NSW)
[3] P Kearns and K Schofield. Learning across
Frontiers: Report on the Internationalisation of Staff Development in
Vocational Education and Training. ANTA, 1997, p iii
[4] Kearns and Schofield. Learning across
Frontiers, p 16
[5] Kearns and Schofield. Learning across
Frontiers, p 17
[6] Kearns and Schofield. Learning across
Frontiers, pp 17-18
[7] Submission no 76, vol 5, p 139 (Higher Education
Network, AAACE)
[8] Transcript of evidence, Canberra,
1 August 1996, p 62 (Professor Morris)
[9] Submission no 22, vol 1, p 23 (University
of New England)
[10] Submission no 22, vol 1, p 23 (University
of New England)
[11] Submission no 76, vol 5, p 141 (Higher
Education Network, AAACE)
[12] Submission no 76, vol 5, p 143 (Higher
Education Network, AAACE)