Introduction to the Teaching Profession – Module 1: What Is Teaching?

Edith Cowan & Her Legacy

  • 1861–19321861\text{–}1932: social worker, suffragette, first woman in an Australian parliament
  • Campaigned for migrant rights, infant health centres, women’s entry to professions, improved government schooling

Early Schooling & Access

  • Pre-19th19^{\text{th}} century: formal education reserved for wealthy children paying fees
  • ≈19th\approx19^{\text{th}} century onward: schooling expands to broader population
  • Ragged Schools & makeshift venues addressed poverty-driven gaps

“Rules for Teachers” (1872) ‑ Snapshot of Expectations

  • Daily manual duties: lamps, water, coal
  • Strict moral/behaviour codes; dismissal for marriage (women) or “unseemly conduct”
  • Minimal pay rise only after five fault-free years

Western Australia: Key Milestones

  • Early Swan River Colony: survival > education; UK press warned of a “degraded society”
  • Industrial Revolution ➔ governments enact free, compulsory, secular Education Acts (by 18951895)
  • Perth Modern School (1907): first state secondary school, breaking church-fee model
  • Quairading State School (1915): John Kickett’s successful campaign against Indigenous segregation

Shift to Contemporary Schooling

  • Innovation & technology redefine learning demands
  • Schools now aim at lifelong learning: teaching students how to learn, not mere fact recall
  • Parents/students viewed as consumers; teachers as accountable learning facilitators

Influences on Schooling

  • Social & cultural conditions
  • Beliefs & value systems
  • Politics & economics

21st-Century Skill Domains

  • Learning: critical & creative thinking, collaboration, communication
  • Literacy: information, technology, science
  • Life: flexibility, initiative, social skills, productivity, leadership

Unit Focus (EDL1240 / EDU1310)

  • Identify characteristics of effective teachers
  • Evaluate teaching across settings via reflection
  • Analyse curriculum & pedagogy contexts
  • Communicate effective instruction, learning & assessment
  • Engage in professional learning & meet professional-practice requirements

Reflection Prompt

  • What type of teacher do you want to be?