Hayes Park Public School principal Phil Seymour has backed national reforms to improve the quality of graduate teachers.
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And the NSW Primary Principals Association president believes the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) is on the right track with its moves to strengthen the school-university arrangements.
“The really important thing we are trying to do is get teachers classroom ready after they graduate,” Mr Seymour said.
“Making sure unis are offering the best courses to get those excellent teachers is vital.
“We’ve said as a principals association across Australia that there should be a minimum of 100 days in schools over the length of their course.
“So you want the mix of both the theory and the practice.
“That’s why it is important there is a great partnership between schools and universities to ensure that those courses are going to deliver us great teachers.”
Last week the Education Council - whose members comprise all education ministers - announced AITSL’s new responsibilities to lead certain aspects of the initial teacher education (ITE) reform agenda with key partners.
AITSL CEO Lisa Rodgers said the organisation was committed to supporting the national reforms so Australian school students have a teacher that is classroom ready from day one.
Last Friday that Education Council agreed on a NAPLAN review, which the Victorian branch of the Australian Education Union said did not address principal, teacher and parents’ concerns about the failings of NAPLAN standardised testing.
“We need an urgent and comprehensive review of NAPLAN itself, not just the presentation and reporting of NAPLAN data,” AEU Victoria president Meredith Peace said.
“The scope of the review announced today is superficial. [Education] Minister [Simon] Birmingham is being disingenuous in hoodwinking the public into thinking a review is taking place.”
Mr Seymour, who is a long-time critic of NAPLAN, agreed with the AEU that NAPLAN takes too much time and creates too much stress for students.
“Because everyone is focused on doing extra work and preparing for the tests, that stops good teaching. That’s not what we want,” he said.
“We need a genuine review of NAPLAN.”
Agron Latifi
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
