Former Committee: House Standing Committee on Education and Vocational Training

Committee activities (inquiries and reports)

Inquiry into Teacher Education

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Terms of Reference

To inquire into and report on the scope, suitability, organisation, resourcing and delivery of teacher training courses in Australia’s public and private universities. To examine the preparedness of graduates to meet the current and future demands of teaching in Australia’s schools.

Specifically, the inquiry should:

1. Examine and assess the criteria for selecting students for teacher training courses.
2. Examine the extent to which teacher training courses can attract high quality students, including students from diverse backgrounds and experiences.
3. Examine attrition rates from teaching courses and reasons for that attrition.
4. Examine and assess the criteria for selecting and rewarding education faculty members.
5. Examine the educational philosophy underpinning the teacher training courses (including the teaching methods used, course structure and materials, and methods for assessment and evaluation) and assess the extent to which it is informed by research.
6. Examine the interaction and relationships between teacher training courses and other university faculty disciplines.
7. Examine the preparation of primary and secondary teaching graduates to:
1. teach literacy and numeracy;
2. teach vocational education courses;
3. effectively manage classrooms;
4. successfully use information technology;
5. deal with bullying and disruptive students and dysfunctional families;
6. deal with children with special needs and/or disabilities;
7. achieve accreditation; and
8. deal with senior staff, fellow teachers, school boards, education authorities, parents, community groups and other related government departments.

8. Examine the role and input of schools and their staff to the preparation of trainee teachers.
9. Investigate the appropriateness of the current split between primary and secondary education training.
10. Examine the construction, delivery and resourcing of ongoing professional learning for teachers already in the workforce.
11. Examine the adequacy of the funding of teacher training courses by university administrations.

The Inquiry should make reference to current research, to developments and practices from other countries as well as to the practices of other professions in preparing and training people to enter their profession.

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