Teacher – News, Research and Analysis – The Conversation

November 8, 2020

Is learning more important than well-being? Teachers told us how COVID highlighted ethical dilemmas at school

Daniella J. Forster, University of Newcastle

An educational ethicist talked to teachers about what ethical issues were most pressing during COVID. Here are the three that featured most.

South Africa isn’t producing enough teachers to meet the demand. Shutterstock

November 13, 2019

South Africa must up its game and produce more teachers

Mncedisi Maphalala, University of Zululand and Nhlanhla Mpofu, University of the Free State

What South Africa needs to do to recruit the number of teachers needed to offer quality education.

It’s estimated up to 50% of teachers leave the profession within five years of graduating. Shutterstock/VCoscaron

September 8, 2019

Fewer casual positions and less out-of-hours work could help retain early career teachers

Michele Simons, Western Sydney University; Anna Sullivan, University of South Australia, and Bruce Johnson, University of South Australia

If we don’t find ways to keep new teachers in schools then we face a teacher shortage, larger class sizes and more people teaching outside their field of expertise.

If you want to earn a high income in Australia, you’re often better off having no degree than having a bachelor degree in teaching. Shutterstock/Monkey Business Images

September 2, 2019

Three charts on teachers’ pay in Australia: it starts out OK, but goes downhill pretty quickly

Jonathan Nolan, Grattan Institute and Julie Sonnemann, Grattan Institute

Teachers get paid a decent starting salary but they soon fall behind other professionals the longer they stay in the job.

Men and women face different trade-offs when choosing careers. www.shutterstock.com

January 20, 2019

Why are teachers mostly female? Because men get better pay in other professions

Massimiliano Tani, UNSW

For women with a bachelor of arts degree, teaching is one of the highest paying jobs. The opposite is true for men.

Academic outcomes can be accomplished by high teaching quality. Shutterstock

January 7, 2019

Why South Africa will find it hard to break free from its vicious teaching cycle

Natasha Robinson, University of Oxford

The introduction of teacher standards may actually reduce teacher professionalism if not handled correctly.

About 40% of Australian physics teachers will retire in the next 10 years. Photo by jeshoots.com/Unsplash

July 10, 2018

Fixing the shortage of specialist science and maths teachers will be hard, not impossible

Simon Crook, University of Sydney

Many students in Australia don't have access to specialist teachers in science and maths, and the problem is only getting worse.

The programs are long and intense, the creativity and relationships aspect of the vocation has been eroded, there is pervasive negativity in the media, and comparatively poor salary and working conditions. Shutterstock

April 15, 2018

Seven reasons people no longer want to be teachers

Nan Bahr, Southern Cross University and Jo-Anne Ferreira, Southern Cross University

There's been a drop in the number of people enrolling in teacher preparation courses. This is due to problems such as pay, professional autonomy, and a national obsession with standardised testing.

Much more must be done to keep teachers in South Africa. Shutterstock

November 15, 2017

South Africa must do more to keep teachers from seeking ‘greener pastures’

Rian de Villiers, University of Pretoria

Policy needs to focus on making the teaching profession stable and more appealing. South Africa must ensure its locally trained teachers have more reason to stay in the country.

June 2, 2017

Fact Check: are half a million children being taught in super-size classes?

Steve Higgins, Durham University

A look at the issue of class sizes.

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