TEACHER EDUCATION in DEVELOPING PACIFIC ISLAND COUNTRIES Penelope Sero
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
JISTE Vol. 18, No. 2, 2014 ONE SIZE DOESN’T FIT ALL: TEACHER EDUCATION IN DEVELOPING PACIFIC ISLAND COUNTRIES Penelope Serow, Neil Taylor, Greg Burnett, Terence Sullivan, Dianne Smardon, Jodana Tarrant, and Emily Angell University of New England Australia Abstract: In global terms, the world is facing chronic teacher shortages “that will persist beyond 2015 for future decades to come if current trends continue” (UNESCO, 2013). UNESCO reports that the East Asia and Pacific Region need to fill an additional 57,000 teaching positions to achieve universal primary education standards. The closing of the global teacher gap requires development of new policies and strategies in hand with a financial commitment that has a long-term focus. In one developing Pacific Island country, a new model is being implemented where they have partnered with an Australian university to develop quality teacher education programs with a Pacific focus. This article will report on the needs analysis, the development of this strategy, the design hurdles, and the implementation phase of the project. Key words: Pacific Island countries, flexible or blended delivery teacher education Introduction capital and consequently improving economic and social development. There Developing Pacific Island countries, is now general consensus that success and frequently in isolated locations, battle with failure in achieving quality education lies a heightened lack of available local primarily in the hands of classroom teachers and often call on expatriate teachers (Lingam, 2012), and it is vital to teachers on fixed-term contracts to teach in recognise the centrality of the classroom their schools. Whilst this alleviates the teacher’s role in this. In particular, it is the immediate need of physically having a professional competence of teachers that is local teacher in front of a class of students, considered the most important contributing the financial commitment to this process factor in improving the quality of does little for sustainable development of education, as teachers are responsible for local teachers. translating curriculum, resources, and educational policies into effective practice Another strategy implemented by aid (Gamage & Walsh, 2003; Grodsky & agencies has centred upon the funding of Gamoran, 2003). The professional local teacher training institutions that competence of teachers, however, depends operate independently. Teacher training to a large extent on the quality of their institutes in smaller developing nations preparation and, in particular, the courses have struggled to find suitably qualified in the pre-service programme, which must and experienced academic staff and to be aligned with and relevant to the work develop quality teacher education and responsibilities teachers will meet programs that are internationally inside and outside the classroom (Gendall, comparable (Serow, Tobias, & Taylor, 2001). 2013). Developing Pacific Island countries in the Quality education is generally considered South and Central Pacific, many in to be a key determinant in building social extremely isolated locations, struggle with 19 JISTE Vol. 18, No. 2, 2014 a lack of well-trained local teachers. This The Republic of Nauru, formally known as is often because of poor quality teacher Pleasant Island, is an island country training institutes which lack suitably located in Micronesia in the Central qualified and experienced academic staff Pacific. Nauru’s population is and consequently fail to develop quality approximately 10, 000. For an island of teacher programs that are internationally 21 square kilometres, it is well known comparable (Serow et al., 2013). One globally as one of the three great such case is the Republic of Nauru; where phosphate rock islands of the world. The until recently, all efforts to implement mining of phosphate deposits provided effective teacher education have had very substantial wealth to the island inhabitants poor outcomes, leaving the country with in the late 1960s and into the 1980s. For an acute shortage of properly trained some of this period, Nauru had the highest teachers. To some extent employing per-capita income of any sovereign state of expatriate teachers on fixed-term contracts the world. As a result of the extensive has alleviated this problem. Whilst this mining, Nauru has very little capacity for meets the immediate need of physically industry and the large area that has been having a teacher in front of a class of mined is uninhabitable and requires the students, the financial commitment to this completion of a massive rehabilitation process does little for sustainable program. After exhaustion of the development of local teachers. phosphate deposits in the 1980s, Nauru became well known in Australia for the This paper presents a new model of opening of Australian Government teacher education recently implemented in Detention Centres for the assessment of the Republic of Nauru. In this model the asylum seekers for refugee status. Nauruan Government has partnered with the University of New England to develop The Nauru Teacher Education Program quality teacher education programs with a Pacific focus. The initial program The Nauru Teacher Education Program commences with an Associate Degree in (NTEP) begins with an Associate Degree Teaching (Pacific Focus) that is aligned to in Teaching (Pacific Focus) in accordance the Australian Quality Framework. This with the Australian Quality Framework will feed into a further Bachelor of with a pathway to be developed of a Education (Pacific Focus) qualification. further two years equivalent to achieve a The blended delivery model, as the model Bachelor of Education (Pacific Focus). offers online teaching material with Aid- The mixed-mode delivery model offers a funded additional on-island support. As combination of online teaching material the students remain in the context of their with Aid-funded additional on-island community for their studies, the delivery support. An essential component of the and assessment for learning practices process is the mentoring aspect aimed at within the course are responsive and relate building a local team of educators with the directly to the wider school community of capacity to provide local academic support their Pacific Island country. Building local to complete international teaching educator capacity with a view to the qualifications and so gradually requiring provision of future mentoring of students less in-country support from the completing international teaching university. To meet this goal, the program qualifications is a key aspect of the relies on online delivery of most resources. programme. Required textbooks and large electronic files are freighted to Nauru. Context 20 JISTE Vol. 18, No. 2, 2014 Selection of candidates to undertake the Getting effective infrastructure and a high degree involved an English writing and level of academic support in place has comprehension test administered by the been key to the successful implementation University of New England to all Nauruan of NTEP. This has involved the delivery candidates. Based on the results of this and installation of state-of-the-art IT test and review of each candidate’s work equipment and internet/networking experience and qualifications, 47 capabilities providing students with the candidates were offered placement in the resources they need to successfully Associate Degree. Two additional complete their course work. To date, a students were offered candidature in the suite of 20 MacBook Pro laptop Masters of Education Program at the computers, a lockable charging trolley, University of New England. two data projectors, three iPad minis, and two printers have been installed. Prior to beginning the Associate Degree in Macintosh computers were chosen Teaching (Pacific Focus) in Trimester 1 of specifically because of their superior 2014, all candidates (with the exception of security capabilities, which reduce the risk candidates in Secondary Education of viruses entering the systems and specialising in science and mathematics) network. Furthermore, the computers have were required to complete ‘literacy and been customised to disable the saving of numeracy enabling units’ which targeted files to the computer desktop. Students prerequisite content knowledge in these must use dedicated SD cards (which have areas required for teacher education been provided) to store material rather studies. This is particularly important as than flash or thumb drives as this further the majority of pre- and in-service teachers reduces the chances of infection by enrolled in the program from Nauru viruses. On-line access has been provided require extra support in the areas of through the installation of five modems. literacy and numeracy to prepare them for At this stage, the modems are on a tertiary study. Candidates in Secondary residential mode of access. Students now Education with a specialisation in science have access to the University of New are required to complete pathway units in England online delivery platform, Moodle, English, maths and science prior to and have been successfully enrolled in the beginning the degree, and candidates in enabling and pathway units via the online maths are required to complete an enabling registration platform. All of the provided literacy unit and a pathway mathematics technology infrastructure will remain with unit. In addition, the first cohort of the Nauru Ministry of Education for use students undertook an ‘Introduction to beyond