A Model for Sustainable and Supportive Practicum in Rural and Regional Locations: A Pilot Study

1. A Model for Sustainable and Supportive Practicum in Rural and Regional Locations: A Pilot Study Josephine Ryan (ACU, Melbourne) Caroline Walta (La Trobe, Shepparton) Mellita Jones (ACU, Ballarat and Alan McLean, La Trobe Shepparton)

2. Overview • The project • Research perspectives • Pilot: activities and methodology • Findings • Directions

3. ALTC Priority ProjectPre-service Teacher Education Partnerships: Creating an effective practicum model for rural and regional pre-service teachers

4. Projected outcomes The project aims to create a sustainable, supportive model of practicum in rural and regional locations through: • Intervarsity cooperation ‘think tank’; shared supervision and inter-university regional preservice teacher clusters • Exploration of supportive communications technology (Skype for supervision; mobile phone for peer feedback …) • Exploration of approaches to creating sustainable partnerships with rural and regional teacher supervisors

5. Research context • Rural educational disadvantage (Hardré, 2009) • Higher education provision in rural areas -Bradley: need for universities to be “flexible and innovative” (DEEWA, 2008, p.111)

6. Research perspectives • Significance of the practicum • Scarcity of true partnerships between unis and schools (Ure, 2009) • ICT as mode of instruction and communication

7. Pilot • Semester 2, 2010, based on where both unis had practicum students 2 regions chosen: 1. Central Victoria (closer to Shepparton) 2. South western Victoria (closer to ACU Ballarat) • ACU and La Trobe PSTs from each region put together in Blackboard discussion groups (both blogs and issue-based groups)

8. Shared supervision (and data collection) • Using each other’s documentation lecturers visited their own and other uni’s PSTs and supervisors in their region • Interviewed PSTs and supervisors and Student Teacher Coordinators (STCs) about project initiatives • Practicum website; Skype for supplementary supervision

9. Recognition and reward for supervisors: to be explored • Communication approaches • Need for mentor pd? • VIT professional development credit? • Masters credit? • Other? • AITSL approaches-accreditation for supervisors

10. Methodology • Semi-structured interviews with PSTs and supervisors • Discourse analysis of PSTs online activities (not yet completed)

11. Findings Shared supervision • PTSs- • “(It’s) someone with experience...coming from either ACU or La Trobe...I don’t find it threatening.” • “We learn something new...the more people you can connect with, especially in this environment I think is really good.”

12. Shared supervision Supervisors • Having a qualified and experienced person visit more important than which university the lecturer represents. Lecturers • Soon forgot who were ‘their’ PSTs and who were not; valuable to see another course.

13. Technology • Inter-university clusters • . “This is the first time I’ve seen C. but we’ve chatted on Blackboard quite a few times and M. and I only met the other day and again we’ve had more contact by our Blackboard than we would have all being in the same location.”

14. Inter-university IT • Danger of access being too complex • Mature age PST: too many IT options: • “Blackboard …LMS… emails …it’s just another thing you have to do.” • Others cruised around as suited. • Lecturers found monitoring it engaging but voluminous.

15. Inter-university clusters • “I have agreed to catch up with someone who is working at a nearby school and go through some research stuff we’ve got coming up...Blackboard, the online tool enabled us to do that.”

16. Communication with Supervisors • On-going frustrations: non-arrival of documentation. • Interest in website for communication seemed more ‘if needed’. Email and phone were favoured. • Skype as an addition not replacement to face to face meeting.

17. Communication • ‘The human face is still hugely important”. • In terms of value of Skype project methodology of 2 visits took away incentive.

18. Professional development for supervisors • Differences between younger/less experienced supervisors (who were interested) and veterans (less) • AITSL accreditation: requirement to prove proficiency may be disincentive to be a supervisor • Lecturers would value the chance to work with supervisors on mentoring

19. Sustainable ways to recognise and reward supervisors • Credit-based maybe more appealing; money not as important as time • Affirmation for Deans’ recommendation of it being part of work load (Ure, 2009)

20. Directions for the project • Affirmation for inter-university practicum approach • Need to: • Streamline ICT instruction options • Find ways of balancing visits with ICT options • Delve deeper into finding ways for universities and teachers to talk about practicum.

21. Project website • http://www.joryan.id.au/

22. References Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. (2008). Review of Australian higher education. [Electronic version] accessedJanuary 16,2009. http://www.deewr.gov.au/HigherEducation/Review/Pages/ReviewofAustralianHigherEducationReport.aspx Hardré, P. (2009) Nurturing the rural teaching experience. Lessons from the United States. In T. Lyons, J.Choi & G. McPhan, (Eds.) (2009). Innovation for Equity in Rural Education, Symposium Proceedings International Symposium for Innovation in Rural Education, 11-14 February, UNE: Armidale, 137-145. Electronic version retrieved January, 2010 from http://www.une.edu.au/simerr/ISFIRE/pages/ISFIRE_proceedings.pdf Ure, C. (2009). Practicum Partnerships: Exploring Models of Practicum Organisation in Teacher Education for a Standards-Based Profession. Final Report of ALTC funded project.