The statement comes after the Federal Government announced a plan to put course applicants through a number of interviews, aptitude assessments and written statements on top of their required tertiary admission score in a bid to lift the quality of teaching graduates around the country.
With a teaching course offered at the Fremantle campus providing around 250 teaching graduates a year, Professor Hammond said they welcomed a national approach to teacher education with cooperation between the Education Department, schools and universities and that entrants to teaching courses should be high academic performers with well-developed literacy and numeracy skills.
‘It is essential that teachers educating future generations are dedicated, compassionate and intelligent and that they have been equipped with the skills and capabilities to operate in the complex classroom environment of the 21st century,’ she said.
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READ NOW‘While the University of Notre Dame supports the impetus for improved teacher quality, it advocates that this should be done through supporting the outcomes of teacher education in conjunction with on-going support and professional development for both new and experienced teachers and the focus should not be primarily placed on the entry requirements of teacher education.’
Fremantle MHR Melissa Parke said the plan aimed to make teaching training courses more rigorous and comprehensive to ensure teachers succeed in providing the highest standard learning opportunities.