In this discursive and wide-ranging paper I want to do two things: first, to interrogate the conditions that led to, and continue to wreak havoc as a result of, the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), and that underpin current policy approaches to teacher education in Australia and other western countries; and second, to move in the direction of…

In our current moment there is a resurgence of interest in pedagogy as an object of research and policy. In this context the Redesigning Pedagogies in the North (RPiN) project sought to improve educational outcomes for students from low-socioeconomic status communities by researching teachers' efforts to develop more connected pedagogies. However,…

A critical/creative paradigm in contemporary English carries with it an imperative that students should be given opportunities for deep engagement with texts relevant to what matters in their everyday lives. In this paper, I argue that the materiality of everyday life includes the physical and geographic places where we live. When students live in…

Presents stories describing one teacher's knowledge in practice, arguing for the epistemological role of caring in teaching. The teacher's narratives describe what she knows from having caring relationships with her students and how that alters her pedagogy. The paper suggests that complex relationships between caring and knowing involve constant…

This paper describes the experiences of four beginning secondary school teachers in Australia during their first two years of teaching, looks at policy and literature on existing teacher orientation programs and needs, and makes recommendations for further research and program development. Significant contradictions of policy and practice are…

In the late 1980s, three steps were added to the incremental pay scale for teachers in all Australian state and territory education authorities. The original intent of this Advanced Skills Teacher (AST) concept was to provide an alternative career path for teachers wishing to remain primarily in a teaching role, a career path comparable in status…

The following essay explores aspects of my professional identity as a teacher of English, presenting a focus on "the reflexive project of the self" (Goodson, 1998). I argue for the way rich professional learning can occur by keying into a discourse that values penetrating reflection on classroom practice, teacher identity, self and…

Education systems around the world are talking about "lifelong learning", "futures", "critical literacies", and so on. What do these things mean in the context of being a teacher of mathematics? In this article, the author attempts to put these things into perspective. She contends that, in clarifying any situation…

Five articles explore ideas about the nature and kinds of courses dealing with language and education that should be developed in teacher education programs in the Australian school curriculum, specifically where English as mother tongue is used. They include: "Some Recent Developments in Mother Tongue English Teaching in Australia"…

This study examined the background characteristics, work experience, extent of contact with the world of work, and attitudes towards work of teachers in secondary schools in Queensland; and these teachers' views concerning the role and aims of secondary education, particularly as they relate to preparation for the world of work. Comparisons are…

The emergence of globalization and its impact on knowledge, communications, economies, social structures, and institutions such as education is rapidly changing the context, content, and methods of teachers' work. Consequently, the continuing professional development of teachers, especially in Australia with its aging teacher force, is essential.…