Abstract:
The development of teacher education programs has always been open to a plethora of influences that include political, economic, social and philosophical factors at one level and personal preferences at another. Much of this influence has been captured in a suite of reviews of preservice teacher education in Australia and elsewhere. Notwithstanding the reviews and research, each semester English teacher educators prepare and deliver their “core business”, despite the challenge of preparing teachers, within a regulated timeframe, to teach English to a diverse student population. In recent times, the demands placed on teacher educators to deliver quality English instruction has been exacerbated by ongoing, changing curriculum requirements, adjustments to Australian teaching standards, the movement of Year 7 students into high school, and pre-service teachers’ personal competence in language use.
This research project accounts for the volume of considerations that encompass the moral, social, pedagogical and personal dimensions of English teaching. Additionally, attention is directed at the number of large-scale reviews of preservice teacher English education that seemingly elicit little change. Rather than replicate past research, this project is based on different methodology – action research, which allowed the researcher to inquire into individual practice from the ‘inside - outside’ and work, within a personal space, to achieve reform.
To that end, practitioner based inquiry clarified concerns held by the researcher about an essential feature of university education programs - course design which includes content, design and delivery. This involved two cycles of qualitative research. Prior to the beginning of the first cycle, data was collected from varied sources about a particular course and this, together with recommendations obtained from the literature review, informed the action stage of the first cycle. Observation of course success was obtained from pre and post questionnaires completed by students enrolled in the course in Semester 1 2014, and interviews conducted with those students, past students, mentor teachers and tutors. Reflection on the collective information influenced the course design in Cycle 2, of the project.
Now that both phases of the research has been completed, and data collected and interrogated, findings obtained from the study suggest there are significant lessons to be learned. The first relates to course development that adheres to established principles. The second follows from this and relates to program development. The third has close connections to the personal language knowledge and skill of participants. It is proposed, that those lessons could influence university course design in English and other disciplines.
This research project accounts for the volume of considerations that encompass the moral, social, pedagogical and personal dimensions of English teaching. Additionally, attention is directed at the number of large-scale reviews of preservice teacher English education that seemingly elicit little change. Rather than replicate past research, this project is based on different methodology – action research, which allowed the researcher to inquire into individual practice from the ‘inside - outside’ and work, within a personal space, to achieve reform.
To that end, practitioner based inquiry clarified concerns held by the researcher about an essential feature of university education programs - course design which includes content, design and delivery. This involved two cycles of qualitative research. Prior to the beginning of the first cycle, data was collected from varied sources about a particular course and this, together with recommendations obtained from the literature review, informed the action stage of the first cycle. Observation of course success was obtained from pre and post questionnaires completed by students enrolled in the course in Semester 1 2014, and interviews conducted with those students, past students, mentor teachers and tutors. Reflection on the collective information influenced the course design in Cycle 2, of the project.
Now that both phases of the research has been completed, and data collected and interrogated, findings obtained from the study suggest there are significant lessons to be learned. The first relates to course development that adheres to established principles. The second follows from this and relates to program development. The third has close connections to the personal language knowledge and skill of participants. It is proposed, that those lessons could influence university course design in English and other disciplines.