Higher Entry Standards and ‘Old-School’ Teaching Methods Needed for Better Teachers, Says Expert Panel

A teacher teaches language to students at St. Johns High School, in Sydney, on Oct. 14, 2012. William West/AFP via Getty Images

Experts have recommended a revamp to Australia’s approach to developing its future teachers, including higher entry requirements, a return to explicit teaching instruction, and more support for mid-career transition to teaching.

A panel of experts led by Professor Mark Scott, the vice-chancellor of the University of Sydney, released its paper that reviewed how the teaching profession is being taught in universities as Australia struggles with teacher shortages and falling education outcomes.

“Teaching is a tough job, and it is increasingly demanding—but it can also be incredibly valuable and rewarding,” Scott said.

“We have to work together across the country to improve conditions for teachers and raise standards for students.

“Initial teacher education can play a significant role in making sure our future teachers are properly prepared for the classroom and that they are spending time on the things that matter most.”

They noted the importance of attracting high-quality teacher trainees, proposing for an entry requirement of 80 ATAR for initial teacher education (ITE) programs.

The report said there was a “strong positive relationship” between a student’s ATAR score and their likelihood of staying and finishing teaching programs.

An analysis of graduate outcomes from the Department of Education similarly shows that higher ATAR students are more likely to go on to become employed as teachers.

Currently, ATAR requirements for an undergraduate degree in education can go as low as 40.

Buckley Park College students pose for a photograph as Emma Henrikson (centre) holds a phone showing her Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) results on Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) results day at Buckley Park College in Melbourne, Monday, Dec. 12, 2022. AAP Image/Luis Ascui

Another way to attract high-quality teachers was incentives to encourage mid-career professionals to transition into a teaching career.

It noted that financial loss as the most significant barrier to entry, including the absence of income during the teaching degree, the cost of the degree, and pay cut between the prior profession and teaching.

Typically, a mid-career professional will need to undertake a two-year full-time master’s degree to receive teacher qualifications.

According to a previous review of teacher education, shortening the course from two years to one year was equally as attractive as a $20,000 increase in pay.

The panel suggested that a paid internship model could be adopted to allow students to receive practical experience while receiving income as part of their degree.

Teaching the Teacher

When future teachers graduate from their ITE programs, they need to be able to demonstrate skill in explicit teaching practices in literacy and numeracy and their appropriate subject expertise, the report said.

“All ITE students, primary and secondary, should be taught and understand how to explicitly teach reading and writing, not only through the English curriculum but across all subjects,” it said.

“In ITE programs, numeracy should be highlighted as a fundamental component of learning, discourse and critique across all areas of the curriculum and as the responsibility of all teachers regardless of level or subject.”

Many experts have noted that explicit instruction is the most effective teaching practice based on evidence.

Explicit instruction is the “old-school” method where the teacher clearly and concisely demonstrates every step to completing a task or solving a problem.

A learning environment consisting of orderly and structured classrooms, teacher-led instruction, and knowledge-rich lessons best fosters creativity and critical thinking. Wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock

This contrasts with implicit instruction, where the student is encouraged to explore the answer themselves through self-directed learning and trial and error.

Implicit instruction has grown in popularity across the board, with its proponents arguing that it encourages students to develop critical thinking and practical problem-solving skills.

However, literacy and numeracy outcomes have continued to fall as governments have committed record-high levels of funding to education.

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“Teachers should know that a lack of explicit instruction can lead to cognitive overload,” the report said.

“When minimal guidance is provided, and students are completing new tasks or identifying new learning by themselves, without prior instruction or scaffolding from their teacher, their attention is focused on the process and goal of completing the task, rather than thinking about the new learning and moving it to long-term memory.”

Together with explicit instruction, assessment and timely feedback is another effective method to help students quickly correct errors and improve.

“Feedback is one of the most powerful tools to support student learning,” the report said.

Scott told the Australian Financial Review that if Australia really wanted to turn education outcomes around, Labor must stare down unions, the existing teacher workforce, and university academics who are against changing how the profession is currently taught.

“It would be in the unions’ best interests and staffs’ best interests that graduating students arrive equipped,” he said.

The paper is currently open for public consultation and the final report will be handed to the government by June 30.