Australian Catholic University has welcomed new guidelines released by the federal Government to improve professional experience programs for initial teacher education students.
ACU Executive Dean of Education and Arts Mary Ryan said the guidelines, released last Friday, developed by the Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership, provided a national framework to improve in-school placements and allow for greater consistency among initial teacher education (ITE) providers across the sector.
“In-school placements are a vital part of a student teacher’s journey into the profession and these guidelines will help to ensure that all pre-service teachers receive best practice experiences,” Professor Ryan said.
“As Australia’s largest provider of teachers, ACU is proud of our rigorous teaching courses and robust professional practice programs, which in recent years have seen record numbers of pre-service teachers enter hard-to-staff and regional, rural, and remote schools across the country.
“It is vital our pre-service teachers have diverse in-school experiences and opportunities to blend theory and practice to allow for professional growth and increased confidence in their knowledge, skills, and abilities.
“This gives them a chance to put ACU’s evidence-based teachings in areas including explicit teaching, formative assessment, effective classroom management techniques, and literacy and numeracy practices into action.”
Professor Ryan said ACU’s commitment to best practice in-school experiences for pre-service teachers was highlighted by its successful advocacy for financial support for students undertaking placements, and the variety of flexible ITE programs on offer which prioritised time spent in the classroom.
“Theory is important as it provides the foundation for a teacher’s evidence-based understandings and knowledge. However, at ACU we have long recognised that time spent in the classroom applying these learnings in authentic contexts and honing one’s skills and teacher identity is just as important,” Professor Ryan said.
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ACU supports new initial teacher education placement guidelines (ACU)
