Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-fv566 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-17T14:00:01.718Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A Discussion Paper: The Development of Professional Teacher Standards in Environmental Education

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 June 2015

Amy Cutter-Mackenzie ,
Barbara Clarke  and
Phil Smith
Amy Cutter-Mackenzie*
Affiliation:
Monash University
Barbara Clarke
Affiliation:
Monash University
Phil Smith
Affiliation:
Australian Association for Environmental Education
*
†Faculty of Education, Monash University, Peninsula Campus Office A3.32, McMahons Road, Frankston Victoria 3199, Australia. Email: Amy.CutterMackenzie@Education.monash.edu.au
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Professional teaching associations in Australia and abroad have been developing teacher and/or teaching standards and associated professional learning and assessment models in the key discipline areas since the 1990s. In Australia, a specific intent of this approach is to capture and recognise the depth and range of accomplished educators' teaching. Despite the increasing work in this area, there has been a dearth of discussion about teacher standards in environmental education and no previous attempt to research and/or develop professional teacher standards for environmental education in Australia. This paper discusses the history of teacher standards in Australia, and considers the implications for the development of teacher standards in environmental education. In doing so, we present a research-practice model that is currently being piloted in Victoria for developing accomplished professional teacher standards and learning in environmental education with and for accomplished Australian primary and secondary teachers.

Keywords

Environmental educationteacher excellenceaccomplished teacher standardsstandards in practice/teachingresearch/practice methodology
Type
Research Article
Information
Australian Journal of Environmental Education , Volume 24 , 2008 , pp. 3 - 10
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Board of Teacher Registration. (1993). Environmental Education: An Agenda for Preservice Teacher Education in Queensland. Toowong: Author.Google Scholar
Cutter, A., & Smith, R. (2001a). A chasm in environmental education: What primary school teachers ‘might’ or ‘might not’ know. In Knight, B. & Rowan, L. (Eds.), Researching in contemporary educational environments (pp. 113–132). Brisbane: Post Pressed Flaxton.Google Scholar
Cutter, A., & Smith, R. (2001b). Gauging primary school teachers' environmental literacy: An issue of ‘priority’. Asia Pacific Education Review, 2(2), 45–60.Google Scholar
Cutter-Mackenzie, A., & Smith, P. (2005). Taking environmental education from policy to practice: An initiative for the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (Discussion Paper): Australian Association for Environmental Education and Monash University.Google Scholar
Darling-Hammond, L. (1999). Reshaping teaching policy, preparation and practice: Influences on the National Board for Teaching Professional Standards. Washington: AACTE.Google Scholar
Doecke, B., Clarke, B., Bishop, A., & Prince, N. (2005). Developing portfolio assessment in english and mathematics: Insider and outsider perspectives on the implementation of professional teacher standards. Clayton: Monash University.Google Scholar
Hargreaves, A. (2003). Teaching in the knowledge society: Education in the age of insecurity. Maidenhead: Open University Press.Google Scholar
Hayes, T. (2006). Professional teaching associations and professional standards: Embedding standards in the ‘discourse of the profession’. Canberra: Teaching Australia.Google Scholar
Ingvarson, L. (1998). Professional development as the pursuit of professional standards: The standards-based professional development system. Teachers and Teacher Education, 14(1), 127–140.Google Scholar
McClaren, M. (1997). Reflections on “Alternatives to national standards in environmental education: Process-based quality assessment”. Canadian Journal of Environmental Education, 2, 35–46.Google Scholar
North American Association of Environmental Education. (2000). National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education. Retrieved February 21, 2008, from http://www.naaee.org/programs-and-initiatives/guidelines-for-excellence/ Google Scholar
Sachs, J. (2005). Keynote: Professional standards: Quality teachers for the future. Paper presented at the Sharing Experience: Ways forward on standards conference, Melbourne.Google Scholar
Spork, H. (1990). The classroom practices, professional preparation, attitudes and concerns of state primary classroom teachers in Brisbane North Region, Queensland, regarding environmental education. Unpublished master's thesis, Griffith University, Brisbane.Google Scholar
Teaching Australia. (2007). National professional standards for advanced teaching and school leadership. Canberra: Teaching Australia.Google Scholar
Wals, A., & van der Leij, T. (1997). Alternatives to national standards for environmental education: Process-based quality assessment. Canadian Journal of Environmental Education, 2, 7–27.Google Scholar
Zemelman, S., Daniels, H., & Hyde, A. (1998). Best practice: New standards for teaching and learning in America's schools. Portsmouth: Heinemann.Google Scholar