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Wanted: graduates who can teach children to read
The Australian - 12/11/2005
Samantha Maiden
Australia's universities are failing to deliver graduates who can teach children to read and are spending less than 10 per cent of lectures on basic literacy skills.
A national survey of teacher education institutions has found that half of faculties devote just 5 per cent of course time to teaching reading, with students graduation without enough hands-on classroom experience.
The inquiry, Teaching Reading, also says every child should be tested for literacy and reading skills when they start school and again twice yearly during their first three years. And it recommends that school results travel with the estimated 100,000 school-age childrens who moved interstate each year so teachers can track their progress.
A confidential student identifier could be used to keep a record of their results.
Education Minister Brendan Nelson is expected to announce a shake-up of teacher training in universities in response to the report, prepared by a panel of experts including Ken Rowe, when it is released on December 1.
His report finds the preparation of new teachers to teach reading is "uneven across universities" and that an evidence-based approach, including greater instruction on phonics and vocabulary knowledge and text comprehension, is required.
"The literacy competency of student teachers was raised as an issue in all focus group discussions," the report says. "In general term, the reputation of effectiveness of teacher preparation among new graduates is not high.
"Increasing time on reading instruction, improving the content of teacher preparation courses and school practice arrangements, together with improvements in new graduates' personal literacy, should be examined."
School experience was also lacking, varying from between just 50 to 100 days in the classroom over the four year degree.
Booming enrolments in teacher training, which have increased by 38 per cent since 1996, have also created new pressures on teaching degrees.
"There is anecdotal evidence that during this time there was a decline in the numbers of staff employed in universities to support these students," the report says.
Opposition education spokeswoman Jenny Macklin said yesterday the report had identified an "alarming" rise in student-to-staff ratios in universities. "This is a direct result of the Howard Government slashing higher education funding," she said. "This is clearly having an impact on the quality of teaching in our universities."
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