Teacher professionalism and cultural diversity: Skills, knowledge and values for a changing Australia

Abstract

In this paper I critically examine the changing nature of teacher professionalism in relation to educational policy-making, specifically, the new national policy for values education in Australian schools, and a newly endorsed Cultural Understandings syllabus for teaching in New South Wales' secondary schools. I argue that these policy changes connect teachers' work to a broad citizenship agenda, where values formation is increasingly seen as a core responsibility of teachers, and intercultural education is proposed as a domestic strategy for social cohesion.

Attitudes of Classroom Teachers to Cultural Diversity and Multicultural Education in Country New South Wales, Australia

“…Education authorities in Australia are committed to ensuring that schools should be safe environments where students can learn free from discrimination and bullying (Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs 2008). The new National Curriculum in Australia includes Intercultural Understanding as one of seven general capabilities to be studied from pre-school to senior high school (Hilferty, 2008; http://www.acara.edu.au/curriculum/general_capabilities.html).…”

Early Childhood Teachers’ Perception of the Professional Self and In Relation to the Early Childhood Communities

“…These domains include Self-image: how teachers describe themselves in their profession; Self-esteem: the evolution of self as a teacher, defined by both self as well as others; Motivation to teach: reasons for teachers' retention and attrition; Task perception: the expectation of teachers of their tasks and roles; and Future perspective: teachers' perception for their professional growth (Kelchtermans, 2009). Hilferty (2008) argues that a teacher's sense of professionalism is a social setup ''that is being defined and redefined through educational theory, policy and practice'' (p. 53). EC teachers' professional perceptions are defined by impacts across a variety of dimensions (Tukonic & Harwood, 2015).…”

Teachers’ Cultural Maps: Asia as a “Tricky Sort of Subject Matter” in Curriculum Inquiry

“…Asia literacy curriculum requires teachers to engage theoretically with “culture.” It poses difficult conceptual, methodological and practical questions for teachers and students, especially when trying to understand non‐Western experiences through curriculum developed by Western scholarship (Nozaki, 2009a). Theoretical work is implicit in developing a culturally responsive pedagogy and interculturally inclusive curricula as “complex tasks [that] demand an extended professionality from teachers who are required to move beyond mere subject and pedagogical expertise” (Hilferty, , p. 66).…”