Deck 20: Teacher Standards

Question 1

How do Gonczi, Hager and Oliver (1990) define a 'competent professional' and why do attributes need to underlie the concept of 'competence'?

Answer 1

A competent professional has the attributes necessary for job performance to the appropriate standards (Gonczi, Hager & Oliver, 1990). That is, the professional possesses a set of relevant attributes such as knowledge, abilities, skills and attitudes. It is necessary to use the term 'attributes' because competence is an intangible construct - it cannot be observed directly.

Question 2

Preston and Kennedy (1994) criticised the language of the Draft Competency Framework for Teaching (1993) as:

A) not inclusive.
B) inaccessible.
C) too focused on outcomes.
D) too generic.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

In a comparison of the General Capabilities (ACAR, 2011) and Key Competencies (Mayer, 1992), the Key Competency 'Solving problems' is similar to the General Capability:

A) Ethical understanding.
B) Critical and creative thinking.
C) Literacy.
D) Personal and social capability.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

An area of professional practice that requires a high degree of professional performance is called a:

A) standard.
B) competency.
C) domain.
D) attribute.

Question 5

When measured against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, teachers who are recognised as being highly effective, skilled classroom practitioners are accredited as:

A) Graduate Teachers.
B) Proficient Teachers.
C) Highly Accomplished Teachers.
D) Lead Teachers.

Question 6

The 'first wave' of professional standards for teachers in the 1990s was largely:

A) outcomes-based.
B) competency-based.
C) subject-specific.
D) skills-based.

Question 7

In the US, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) requires teachers who wish to be certified as 'highly accomplished' to:

A) obtain qualifications at a Masters level or higher.
B) allow an independent observer into their classroom.
C) submit a referee report from the school leader.
D) submit a portfolio of work examples and complete assessment exercises.

Question 8

The Domains of Teaching in the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers do not include:

A) Professional Values.
B) Professional Knowledge.
C) Professional Practice.
D) Professional Engagement.

Question 9

The National Institute for Quality Teaching and School Leadership was established in 2003 and renamed Teaching Australia in:

A) 2004.
B) 2005.
C) 2006.
D) 2007.

Question 10

The time between approval of a 'National Framework for Professional Standards of Teaching' in 2003 and the release of a final set of standards was:

A) 7 years.
B) 8 years.
C) 9 years.
D) 10 years.

Question 11

In the National Standards and Guidelines for Initial Teacher Education (ACDE, 1998) an example of Standard 14 'working in schools and systems' would be to:

A) gain a knowledge of relevant curriculum documents and resources.
B) encourage student behaviour which promotes learning.
C) understand human growth and development.
D) have an understanding of teacher roles outside the classroom.

Question 12

A national Competency Framework for Beginning Teachers was developed as part of the:

A) National Inquiry into Teacher Education in 1980.
B) National Project on the Quality of Teaching and Learning in 1996.
C) National Standards and Guidelines for Initial Teacher Education in 1998.
D) Inquiry into Teacher Education in 2003.

Question 13

The objectives of Teaching Australia did not include to:

A) foster and drive high-quality professional development for teachers and school leaders.
B) strengthen the teaching profession.
C) support and advance the quality of school leadership.
D) support and advance the quality of teaching in Australian Schools.

Question 14

In 2009 Teaching Australia became the Australian Institute for Teaching and:

A) Learning.
B) Professional Standards.
C) Teacher Education.
D) School Leadership.

Question 15

The use of competency-based standards does not emphasise:

A) inclusion of methods to provide evidence such as direct observation of projects.
B) that standards can be established at one universal level.
C) performance.
D) key professional tasks or elements.

Question 16

Is the following statement True or False? 'The standard "Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments" is included in the domain "Professional Engagement".'

Question 17

What are the various elements and emphases of competency-based standards and what are the advantages and disadvantages of competency-based teaching?

Question 18

Louden (2000) argued that the 'first wave' of standards frameworks developed in the 1990s were deficient in:

A) representing only a few of the duties teachers undertake.
B) providing too much contextual information.
C) describing a field of knowledge as if it were unproblematic.
D) focusing on specific rather than generic skills.

Question 19

What are two advantages and two disadvantages of competency-based teaching?

Question 20

Why was it so difficult to produce a conceptual structure for national standards for the teaching profession?

Question 21

Provide an overview of the key components of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers and explain what each will mean for you as a beginning teacher. Choose one 'focus area' and one 'descriptor for graduate teachers' from Standard 1 'Know students and how they learn' (see Table 20.5 on p. 414) and use it to reflect on what you have already done that demonstrates that focus area and what you will need to do in the future to be able to better demonstrate it.

Question 22

Is the following statement True or False? 'Any assessment of a graduate teacher against all focus areas for each of the 7 standards would require the collection of data on 37 elements.'