A Study On Teacher Education Pathway Of "Teach For Australia" Program

According to the Higher Education ranking of48countries in2012, Aussie rankedeighth. However, on the contrary, the quality of basic education had a serious declinein recent years, it will be worried that could the proud achievements of HigherEducation be able to maintain the status of a world-class level. One of the reasonswhy the Basic Education was falling behind is that the gaps of education qualitybetween different areas is so great, that the children from disadvantage place cannotreceive the same level of education compared with others in metropolitan area. Lowqualities of the teachers, high rate of outflow are the most serious problems. Australiahad started to put out a lot of ways to solve these problems,“Teach for Australia” isone innovative reform of them.In2009, under the leadership of Australian Government, co-operate the third sectorwith “Teach for Australia” project, aims to help Australia improve the quality ofteachers and achieve the goal of educational equity. The project selects45outstanding applicants from2000people. After6weeks intensive training and aseries of training methods, helping them become a “Associate”, assigned them to the“Placement School”, in order to show their expertise and strengths, developing theirleadership skills. Finally form a public education network to promote educationequity, and access to quality education. This thesis expects to lead to a more effectiveway to teacher education through “Teach for Australia” program.The main parts of this thesis consist of six chapters:The first chapter traces the origin and development of TFA program; Raisingproject’s three levels objectives: short-term, medium-term and long-term planning;Analysis of the project’s mechanism. This chapter seeks to grasp the whole projectsituation firstly.The second chapter elaborates the specific implementation and the arguments of TFA.Through recruitment, assignment, indicative cost, in order to ensure that teachertraining can be implemented smoothly and pay attention to the quality of the project;Investigate the arguments of this project can help us to have a more objectiveunderstanding.The third chapter focuses on analyses the pre-service training activities of theassociates. Due to the lack of knowledge and experience of education, it is importantto help the associates to accumulation teaching knowledge theoretical basis andpractical experience. Selected applicants undertake six weeks of initial residentialintensive education and preparation for classroom experience provided by “Summer School” arrangement in Melbourne Graduate School of Education to accumulateteaching knowledge exert their strengths.The fourth chapter focuses on analyses the ongoing study while teaching in theplacement school. Including Mid-Year intensive, educational adviser, clinicalspecialist, training and leadership adviser and in-school mentor. Insight into the TFAtraining pathway and traditional pathway, and what is the special point of this project.The fifth chapter summarizes the features of TFA pathway. Due to its own objectiveand characteristics of its targets, the pathway shows clinical, efficiency, practical,selectivity, etc.The sixth chapter summarizes the achievements of TFA pathway. The TFA initiativehas not been long enough established, and is had not enough provide to made anydiscernible impact on the status of the teaching profession in Australia overall.School personnel shared success stories during interviews and many students focusgroup participants also noted that Associates had a positive impact on them. Theyalso gain a positive influence from this project.