Worldwide, teachers' work continues to be the subject of discussion and debate, especially in terms of teacher competence and its appropriate appraisal. Available literature offers a number of perspectives of beginning teacher competence, yet the voices of beginning teachers themselves are not represented. This paper outlines the findings of a…

There has been an increased emphasis on training and recruiting appropriately qualified teachers of science and mathematics (ACDS, 2002; MCEETYA, 2004; Harris, Jensz & Baldwin, 2005). There has also been concern over the age profile of the current teaching force which is generally older in comparison to other professionals and the implication…

Due to the difficulties inherent in staffing rural schools it is increasingly common for beginning teachers to fill school leadership roles early in their careers. The accelerated progression of some teachers impacts on the overall nature of leadership in rural schools and creates unique pathways, generally different from those available to…

How does one become an effective teacher? What can be done to stem high attrition rates among beginning teachers? While many teachers are left to "sink or swim" in their first year--learning by trial and error, there remain a number of outstanding examples of collaboration and collegiality in teacher induction programs. Analysis of the…

This paper reflects on a new pre-service teacher education initiative, "Classmates." "Classmates" is a collaboration between the University of Western Sydney (UWS) and the New South Wales Department of Education and Training (DET), South Western Sydney Region. "Classmates" aims to prepare pre-service teachers to work…

This paper is a reflective exploration of major challenges facing new teacher educators as they make the transition into the academy, and of ways that best support them. The transition problems identified in the emerging body of literature about teacher educator career entry were offered for comment to a small group of new teacher educators in an…

This research focused on the perceptions of pre-service and beginning health and physical education (HPE) teachers in relation to their preparedness for teaching. A questionnaire was designed to engage with teacher professional standards addressing (i), professional knowledge; (ii), professional relationships and (iii), professional practice.…

Investigates teachers' professional lives during their early years of teaching in the Victoria, Australia area. Suggests that the concept of the beginning teacher as a novice progressing to expert had limited value. Reveals the critical influence of the social and political context in enabling supportive communities to foster the proper…

Professional Development is critical for improving and maintaining teacher quality and the effect flows on into the classroom. Factors influencing the success of Professional Development activities include potential for workplace change, the diverse effect and understanding of adult learning principles, subject specificity, effective mentoring and…

At a regional Australian university, a Learning Circle approach was implemented with a small group of first year education students who identified themselves as "at risk" of failure in the tertiary context. As part of their participation in weekly meetings, the students engaged in discussion, reflection and problem-solving related to…

Currently enthusiasm for mentoring of new teachers has re-emerged among teacher employing authorities in Australia and the United States. The literature on mentoring provides strong support for the importance of mentoring in retaining good teachers and in invigorating the teaching workforce; it also abounds in practical strategies and processes…

The main objective of this study was to explore the experiences of two novice elementary school teachers for factors related to self-efficacy and motivation to teach science. The experiences were analyzed for evidence of: (1) successful performance, vicarious experience, verbal persuasion, and emotional arousal as contributors to the development…

Despite the recognition of the problems faced by beginning teachers, the provision of effective induction programs both in Australia and other nations has been less than universal, with only approximately one-half of beginning Australian teachers involved in any substantive form of teacher induction program. This paper offers a review of…

This article reports the findings of a study exploring early-career music teachers' perceptions of the effectiveness of their pre-service teacher education programmes in Queensland, Australia. It also explores influences impacting upon early-career music teachers' perceptions of effectiveness and early-career music teachers' perceived needs in…

Early-career music teachers are well placed to comment on the effectiveness of pre-service teacher education. Their perceptions are particularly relevant in determining why music teachers are "burning out" at an early stage of their career. This article explores how 15 early-career Australian music teachers perceive their job and their…