The main focus of this paper is positioned on discussing the two most significant educational issues for teachers in Australian schools today. The paper goes further to give justifications on why the stated issues are significant to these teachers and their impact on the teachers’ practice in general. The discussion revolves around four frameworks of education; cross-cultural teaching, pedagogy, curriculum and policy.
The two major issues are limited experience by teachers in the teaching area of Indigenous Australian Studies and difficulties in adjusting to new technology in delivery of content to learners. A quantitative and qualitative research was carried out on the study of Australian Teachers in Schools and National Inquiry into the School History with the aim of ascertaining the level of education for Australian teachers and their ability to deliver content to learners in an effective manner (Zammit & University of Western Australia, 2007). The study confirmed inadequate teaching experience by the teachers in teaching Indigenous Australian Studies. The National Inquiry into School History was formed and supported by the Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs under Commonwealth to find out the nature and status of Australian school history. It mainly focused on qualitative study techniques to find out the methods through which history was being taught in all the states and territories. Another study was carried out to investigate the problems teachers come across when using the interactive whiteboard to deliver content to the learners (In Johnston, 2013). Educational technology has really changed education not only in Australia but in the whole world. It has transformed the way teachers teach and how learners learn. The changes have not changed the fundamental approaches to learning but they have changed the way educational stakeholders approach learning. The main challenge to Australian teachers is acquiring new skills to enable them deliver knowledge to learners by use of technology. The new era of information communication technology has posed a great challenge that needs to be addressed immediately to ensure that quality education is passed to learners in a modern way.
The problem of inadequate experience among teachers is a significant issue among teachers because the Australian curriculum is meant to support all learners to acknowledge and understand the value of Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal cultures to the Australian society at large (Wan & Gut, 2011). The continued failure among indigenous learners especially during the adolescence stage is a shameful feature of the Australian education. Learners who need to gain from a school experience which meets the required standards are likely to leave school with very minimum qualifications and skills. This is a clear justification why it is an issue of great significance which needs to be addressed because even after undergoing the school system learners are still not able to meet the standards of all-rounded people the Australian society just because the teachers are not well versed with indigenous studies to guide them. The National Policy on training, education and employment came up with clear goals for Australian Indigenous learners but, despite efforts to meet these goals, inequality in education for indigenous learners remains to be vast. While large numbers of indigenous learners succeed in school, many of them leave school before even completing Year 10 and a small number go up to Year 12 unlike non-indigenous learners.
The impact of teachers lacking knowledge in the area of indigenous studies is that they are unable to deliver content to learners in the classroom. These teachers are forced to rely on Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal aides to offer indigenous input. On one hand they offer a sociocultural link to learners while on the other, they display a belief that educational equality for indigenous Australian learners is either unachievable or only achievable over an extended period of time (In Johnston, 2013). This issue is critical and needs to be solved because interaction of indigenous teachers with non-indigenous teachers makes the indigenous ones feel inferior because they run short of explanation why the indigenous learners fail terribly when undertaking classroom tests. Non-indigenous teachers are, therefore, disadvantaged because they don’t have the required confidence in classrooms to teach indigenous learners because they can’t teach what they don’t understand.
One of the primary principal commented that he has many talented teachers in his school but they have very poor knowledge in history. Many of these teachers are neither confident nor willing when it comes to taking up history classes because of their inadequate knowledge in the area. The impact of this issue is the poor performance by learners when it comes to history. It is clear according to the research that learners record low points in history because they don’t gain much from their teachers as expected. The report also indicated that respondents showed strong concerns on the inadequacies in the teachers’ professional development and preparation for handling the sensitivities and content of indigenous history (Zammit & University of Western Australia, 2007). This issue was so rampant among secondary school teachers who were interviewed. For instance, the area of learning was generally not considered as a staffing priority among many schools. Therefore, teachers with inadequate knowledge normally teach students in the lower secondary schools. The study based its discussion on the declining state of the Australian history as a subject in schools. There are views that the subject lacks coherence and that over the years it has been and it is still repetitious. The teachers stressed on how learners have developed a negative attitude when it comes to studying the subject simply because very few teachers are willing offer guidance to these learners.
Many teachers who were interviewed were more committed to Indigenous Australian Studies and in primary schools it was noted that there is a positive emphasis on culture and indigenous history. On the other hand, indigenous history in secondary schools appeared to be more difficult. Some interviewees were of the view that the community is full of racism and that there are colleagues who mock at the issue of having Aboriginal studies as part of the curriculum. In teacher training centers, there exists a conflict between creating dedicated professionals and delivering well-qualified practitioners in the teaching profession. In Griffith, as in many other Australian universities, only few teachers undertake Indigenous Australian Studies yet all of them are assumed through their degree qualifications to have acquired substantial knowledge to be able to teach environmental and societal studies which under a state priority contains core outcomes requiring the study of Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal Studies (Wan & Gut, 2011). However, for several years Aboriginal teachers have considered public indifference as a great barrier to the development and success of the Aboriginal education programs. Graduate teachers are considered the major agents of change required in developing and shaping a cultural conception and clear understanding of the Indigenous Australians by public. To achieve this urgent goal, there is a great need to involve pre-service teachers in cross-cultural areas of teaching. This will lead to learners understanding who they are and grasping a clear perspective of the Indigenous Australian affairs which is likely to enhance great changes in the classroom setting.
An indigenous approach is recommended to make these changes in the university teacher education program in order to achieve effectiveness when it comes to teaching students. Indigenous teachers have adopted a different and unique approach to teaching; the cross-cultural approach which can easily be expressed in the context of their Indigenous Worldview about learning, teaching and understanding. The study also reveals that Indigenous teachers have brought about a relevant change in learner understanding. The discipline of Indigenous Australian Studies bonds the fields of sociology, education science and philosophy as one discipline and learners understanding can be well represented through little gain of knowledge and substantial acquisition of critical thought in the discipline or subject understanding. Due to the diversity and broad coverage of Indigenous Australian cultures, it becomes both impossible and inappropriate to come up with a single prescriptive discipline for all indigenous communities and universities. For learners, they receive an experience which aligns to their prior understanding and a shift to real understanding and conceptualization of the Indigenous Australians together with contemporary issues. Indigenous teachers keep their dignity in several ways aligning to family/home, community, state, work and both national and international attachments. It is therefore noted that Indigenous Australian curricula develop a wide range of cross-cultural perspectives. To ensure that graduate teachers deliver content to learners satisfactorily in the area of Indigenous Australian Studies, this area must be included in the university curriculum hence ensuring inclusive learning which is able to address cross-cultural issues in the Australian education system.
Another significant issue to be addressed is the use of technology among Australian teachers when teaching. Educational technology involves the use of software and hardware which are used in teaching and learning environment to enhance content delivery. Interactive whiteboard is one way of transforming the teacher’s role and improving classroom activities. The chalkboard has been advanced into an interactive electronic board where the student can feel and see his/her achievement simultaneously. By finger-touch, a teacher is able to draw, drag or write something, shape illustrations and manipulate a text for easy understanding among the learners. However, research has shown that many teachers in Australia are taking more time to adapt to new technology in teaching. Many schools have interactive whiteboards in classrooms yet teachers still do the pen-and-talk thing and assess learners using pen and paper. They stand before students giving lectures when they can let technology work (Mukerji & Tripathi, 2010).
Inability to fully integrate information and communication technology in teaching is a very significant issue among Australian teachers because it hinders digital learning and the problem must be addressed with utmost care to ensure that Australian students are not disadvantaged compared to other students around the globe when it comes to acquiring quality education. The impact of this issue on teachers is that they are not in a better position to deliver content to learners using digital means, some of them are forced to apply the manual ways of teaching and therefore not able to meet the required standards in teaching. ICT integration in Australian schools in significant because learners need to use updated materials when learning. Using a 10 year old textbook in class may be risky because it is outdated. On the other hand, software can only be updated to provide the latest learning materials for students to use. When the syllabus changes, the schools will be required to purchase new textbooks when other schools only have to update their software which is cheaper compared to purchasing new books. The impact of this on the teachers practice is that they keep teaching students using outdated materials hence learners are not aware of the current trends around the globe. The teachers are also not updated on the new teaching techniques hence they end up being irrelevant because their knowledge cannot be developed.
This issue is also significant in Australian schools because teachers still use poor assessment methods which should not actually be the case. Assessing the performance of learners can and should be done instantly by use of technology. Understanding the learners’ grasp of content in real time can be achieved by using tablets in classrooms. Students can be questioned by a teacher with multiple choice problems. They can then input answers and the feedback score is given instantly to both students and the teacher. Corrections can be done long before students sit for their examinations leading to improved performance. This step is far from achievement simply because the teachers are not in a good position to use tablets and computers. The impact on their practice is loss of confidence when interacting with learners who understand technology matters. Students are also affected because they record low performance, a problem that needs to be solved with immediate effect. Technology is important because learners get motivated when they receive their results on time (Mukerji & Tripathi, 2010). Delayed results which is a product of manual assessment systems demotivates learners, therefore, there is a great need to educate teachers on ICT for the benefit of students in Australian schools.
Several reasons referred to as barriers have been highlighted by scholars on why technology is a significant issue among Australian teachers. One major barrier is ineffective training among the teachers. It is noted that there are no sufficient training chances for Australian teachers in the application of information and communication technology in classroom settings. Recent research in Australia has shown that the main barrier to ICT implementation in science subjects is inadequate in-service training for science teachers (Hughes, Deer, Neal & Australian College of Education, 1987). Training as an issue is very complex due to the fact that it is vital to put into consideration various components to achieve effectiveness in training for these teachers. There is need to carry out skills training, pedagogical training and ICT application in the initial teacher training. Inadequate training in digital literacy, inadequate didactic and pedagogic training in ICT implementation in the classroom setting, and inadequate training in application of technologies in specific areas of science were the cited obstacles in using latest technologies in teachers’ practice. Implementing pedagogical training for Australian teachers, rather than merely teaching them how to apply ICT tools in content delivery is a vital issue which must be acted upon for the benefit of the students. If teachers must be told the value of applying ICT in content delivery then their training must emphasize on pedagogical issues. Research has indicated that after teachers attending development courses in ICT they are still not able to apply ICT in teaching; instead, they can only set up a printer and run a computer (Heywood, 2005). The reason is that the courses only put emphasis on teachers gaining basic ICT skills and do not teach them ways of developing pedagogical aspects of ICT.
Negative attitudes and resistance to change is another barrier that has hindered the integration of ICT in education among Australian teachers. Research has indicated that implementing latest technologies in education calls for change and teachers will deal with this change in different ways (Hughes, Deer, Neal & Australian College of Education, 1987). Taking into account the attitudes of different teachers to change is not only necessary but vital because their beliefs and perceptions have a great impact on how they teach learners. One main area of their attitudes on application of latest technologies is their conceptualization and understanding of how the technologies will either directly or indirectly add value to their teaching and students' learning. Many teachers who have not yet embraced the latest technology like computers in content delivery are still of the opinion that use of ICT in teaching and learning does not have any benefit or has unclear benefits. Change from present to desired performance level is contributed by driving forces which are encouraging like creativity, power of new developments, ease of communication and internet access while its delayed or dragged by resisting forces which are discouraging like lack of teacher expertise, poor technical support or inadequate time for planning. If teachers can’t see any need to switch their professional practice then there is a high possibility that they will not adapt to latest technologies at all. It has been noted that teachers who don’t want to accept change are not resisting the need for this change but they lack the required education to enable them accept the change and are offered inadequate long-term chances to internalize the latest technologies for their own benefits (Mukerji & Tripathi, 2010). Resistance to change has negatively impacted on the Australian teachers because many have not yet developed a positive attitude towards news technologies and therefore they are unable to employ these technologies in their practice of teaching disadvantaging the students.
This paper has discussed the two most significant issues for teachers in Australian schools today. Australian educational administrators should ensure that all university students who are preparing to be teachers go through the Australian Indigenous Studies to help solve the problem of inadequate teachers in this area. Both indigenous and non-indigenous students must study and understand the Australian culture in order for them to fit in that society. Little knowledge in ICT among teachers has negatively impacted on their practice especially in the area of content delivery. The administrators must come up with a plan for in-service training for teachers to solve this problem.
References:
Zammit, K., & University of Western Australia. (2007). Teaching and leading for quality Australian schools: A review and synthesis of research-based knowledge. Place of publication not identified: University of Western Australia. College of Arts - School of Education.
In Johnston, J. (2013). Contemporary issues in Australian literacy teaching.
Wan, G., & Gut, D. M. (2011). Bringing schools into the 21st century. Dordrecht: Springer.
Mukerji, S., & Tripathi, P. (2010). Cases on technological adaptability and transnational learning: Issues and challenges. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference.
Hughes, P. W., Deer, C. E., Neal, W. D., & Australian College of Education. (1987). Better teachers for better schools. Carlton, Vic: Australian College of Education.
Heywood, J. (2005). Engineering education: Research and development in curriculum and instruction. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley-Interscience.
