The changing landscape of teacher education in Australia

Abstract

In this paper we argue that the nature of reform in teacher education in Australia is occurring in a context of significant economic change and restructuring across the whole public sector. However, while there is ongoing radical change in the field of higher education and school education we would contend that there has been relatively little state mandated revision of the form and content of teacher education programs. We describe reforms that occurred over the past decade that have had an impact on teacher education. To date policies regarding teacher education in Australia have not been specifically concerned with reforming of the teaching profession as an individual entity but rather a reconceptualising the contexts in which teachers work, particularly with respect to regulatory frameworks. What has changed is the relationship between the academic providers, the system providers of teacher education and the profession itself; and the ways in which there is an increasing acknowledgment of the role of teacher workplace learning as a vehicle for continuing professional development. This is a point we take up later in the paper when we outline two recent initiatives that have been part of the broader education and industrial reform agenda.