This qualitative study adopts an analytical autoethnograhic approach to present an exploration of school culture and pedagogic effectiveness as experienced by a casual relief teacher in six P-12 public schools in Victoria, Australia, 2022-2023. Organisational culture theory, as presented by Schein, and culture and effectiveness theory, as…

Effective professional development (PD) can be a powerful tool in school success and teacher satisfaction; however, teachers often report their PD experiences as lackluster or not responsive to their immediate needs (Desimone, 2011; Guskey, 2009; Lutrick & Szabo, 2012). Teachers need professional support in today's educational environment to…

There has been a threefold increase in the employment of casual academics in Australian universities within the last 20 years, to the extent that most teaching and marking is now undertaken by casual academics, also known as sessional staff. Yet, casualised teaching and assessment has been considered a risk to student engagement and success, and…

This article, which comes out of a research project exploring teaching as intellectual work, focuses specifically on a young woman who worked as a substitute teacher after she graduated from a two-year teacher education program at her local university. For Penny, substitute teaching was an interruption as she shaped a professional life moving…

School districts across the United States have had to make many difficult decisions to prepare for the 2020-2021 school year amid the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. A seemingly impossible dilemma dominated planning: Should schools reopen buildings to provide much-needed in-person instruction but potentially risk the health…

In spring 2020, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic led to an unprecedented and sweeping shift in the landscape of public schooling in the United States. Beginning in March, schools across the country closed their doors and adopted remote learning supports that varied in degree and type. In May 2020, researchers from the RAND…

As K-12 teachers and administrators grow increasingly concerned with issues of accountability, research-based methods, and intervention strategies, little discussion exists on the impact of substitute teachers in the classroom. In the rush to analyze test scores, are the days covered by substitute teachers even considered? Though districts are…

Substitute teachers are an important part of students' K-12 educational experience and can have an impact on students' learning. However, without proper training or guidance, substitute teachers are often asked to merely monitor students as they complete worksheets or watch videos. Finding substitute teachers for foreign languages (such as…

The academic progress of students can be negatively affected by unplanned or extended absence of their teachers that inevitably will occur. This problem is especially acute in larger schools. Research suggests that using substitute teachers may not always provide an effective means of sustaining student progress. Gaps may exist in a common…

Over the course of their K-12 studies, it has been found that students may have replacement teachers for an estimated 5-10% of their instructional time (Billman, 1994; Nidds & McGerald, 1994). A well-conceived plan can help a teacher ensure an effective learning experience instead of just a "roll-out-the-ball" day whether his/her absence was…

"Teaching practice through substitute teaching" is an educational innovation with Chinese characteristics. It is a model of aid that is effective when applied to the educational and teaching resources of the poverty-stricken regions and also serves as an important reform in the internship system of normal university students. The priority of…

This article dealt with methods for making substitute teaching more effective. The purpose was to articulate a sequential method for maximizing the effectiveness of substitute teaching while providing substitutes with a comprehensive method for diligently and flexibly earning respect and using reflection to continually improve substitute teaching.…

This study examined whether a quality professional development course, "Infusing Technology", influenced the use of technology by elementary and middle school teachers in West Virginia. "Infusing Technology" was designed to help school-based team learning communities use technology in their instruction while engaging students…

In this article, the author introduces innovative activities designed for students to eliminate the teacher's stress of the last days of school. As an elementary teacher for many years and now a substitute teacher, the author states that she had always dreaded the last week of school. To minimize stress and to keep the children learning, she uses…

Presents 25 activities suggested for use by substitute teachers who come in on short notice. (JMB)