10. Professional development
Overview
Lack of access to professional development is an important concern for rural and remote teaching staff. Professional development can lead to career enhancement and in some States it is linked to promotional opportunities. In Western Australia for example, lack of access to professional development leads to promotional disadvantage where merit based selection is the criterion for promotion (Butorac 1998, page 4).
In addition, professional development impacts on the pedagogical practice and delivery in the classroom setting. Teachers need to have current information about their discipline as well as information about education practice.
In a small schools teachers may be required to teach across a number disciplines. If they have some expertise in information technology they may become the school computer technician. In the absence of health professionals, language specialists, psychological and developmental specialists, they may find that they become the substitute. Small schools demand flexibility.
In spite of a heightened case for professional development in rural and remote schools, the barriers of distance, insufficient funding and the lack of relief staff mean that rural and remote teachers have less access to professional development than their metropolitan counterparts.
A number of contributing factors limit access to professional development.
Research indicates that:
For the rural teacher geographical isolation may prohibit regular participation in relevant professional development. Costs are substantially greater than in the urban situation. Travel costs, and the resultant time away from school, place undue pressure on the school finances and the school program. The availability of relief staff may be limited. Time away from family commitments is a consideration that cannot be ignored. Individually, and in combination, these factors combine to restrict access to professional development.Geographic isolation calls for a reassessment of the present provision of professional development for rural teachers. A differential resourcing formula, applied to professional development, would provide a necessary degree of equity in attempting to overcome the limitations imposed by isolation. Existing technology has the capacity to address some of the professional development needs of rural teachers. It can provide teachers with access to colleagues and to required expertise and is likely to be a cost effective alternative in some settings. In others, it may be the only option (Tomlinson 1994, pages 82-83).
Evidence to the Inquiry
The lack of casual staff in rural and remote areas makes it difficult for teachers to attend training and development days (Submission 37, National Isolated Children's Parents' Association).Last updated 2 December 2001.Professional Development often involves travel costs. We stretch our professional development budget by asking teachers to cover their own travel costs (Submission 50, Clifton State High School, Qld).
Staff professional development suffers immensely. Training and development budgets are a joke in rural schools. Four thousand dollars a year cannot properly reimburse staff, pay for their release and pay the course costs if staff have to regularly travel over 200Km return or further. That does not include overnight accommodation for two day conferences. Poor staff professional development means diminished outcomes for students (Submission 11, Trangie Central School, NSW).
I think in terms of our schools too we have to invest significantly in staff development. We have a lot of younger people working in schools who themselves won't stay as teachers for a long time; so there's a foreshortened professional development cycle, which creates problems in the schools. No sooner do you get somebody organised then you've got to do it again.
The other thing that we've constantly battled with is the lack of being in a collegial network. You know, you feel very isolated, particularly if you're in a one-teacher school or a very small school you don't feel like you're part of a professional body. I think that's where, perhaps, the further use of these sorts of technologies could link teachers together. I think one of the best models that I saw was what's called the Warlpiri Triangle. There are schools in the Warlpiri-speaking area that have, virtually on their own bat, banded together to do development of bilingual teaching approaches to different areas of the curriculum, not only the teaching of language itself. For example, there's been a whole series of workshops done on the teaching of maths within a bilingual framework; for example, how to use the Warlpiri language and Warlpiri worldview as an adjunct to the teaching of mathematics and in fact what areas of mathematics aren't open to Warlpiri concepts. The use of language can often be very misleading to students, as well as being helpful, unless you actually map out where it's helpful and where it's actually going to impede the development of maths concepts.
I think the Warlpiri Triangle has done a lot of useful work in curriculum and development but, more importantly, it's established a sort of a regional entity for the teachers so that they feel like they're not battling it out day after day in the classrooms, with no-one else sharing their situation. I think that would probably stabilise the employment out bush (Bill Griffiths, Director of Catholic Education (NT), Darwin public hearing, 10 May 1999).
[There is a need for] greater funding to support professional development of Indigenous educators, in particular, independent community-controlled educational settings, to upgrade their skills as educators and be recognised as equal (Submission 52, Yipirinya School, NT).
The abolition of the transfer (guarantee) situation and the introduction of merit selection that has occurred in some States has created a situation whereby rural and remote children are being disadvantaged. The education of these children is being sacrificed as teachers can no longer feel confident about promotional positions and being able to return to metropolitan teaching positions after serving time in rural and remote areas, sometimes in extreme isolation. However, often the experience gained in an isolated area produces a more adaptable, confident teacher who has had to deal with situations without the benefit of peer or other forms of professional support. Recognition of these particular skills obtained in isolated areas should be seen as an advantage (Submission 37, National Isolated Children's Parents' Association).
