Shoving our way into young people's lives
- Authors: McGraw, Amanda
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Teacher Development Vol. 15, no. 1 (2011), p. 105-116
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: This paper uses Sizer and Sizer's concept of 'shoving' to examine the school experiences of a group of young people who left mainstream school early and some time later enrolled in an alternative educational setting designed to reengage early school leavers in formal learning. 'Shoving' is a way to explain why so many young people feel alienated in the school setting and consequently disengage from formal learning. It is used here to describe the rude, confrontational, disrespectful behaviour that many young people experience at school from peers, teachers and rigid school systems. For the young people involved in this study, the dominant school culture is perceived as 'aggressive', unfair and condescending; as a forceful political and relational dynamic where interactions are typically battles for control. Like any rich metaphor, 'shoving' is multi-dimensional and ambiguous. It also has a crucial dimension; a sense of being proactive and deeply moral. If educators intend to combat issues related to disengagement and early school leaving, they must position themselves to shove on behalf of young people. © 2011 Teacher Development.
Selection and rejection in teacher education: qualities of character crucial in selecting and developing teacher education students
- Authors: McGraw, Amanda , Fish, Tim
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education Vol. 46, no. 2 (2018), p. 120-132
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The focus of recent Australian political and media reports on the selection of candidates for initial teacher education programs has focused on the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) score as one of the key indicators of worth. This narrative study conducted in an Australian regional university focuses on the life stories of twelve pre-service teachers (PSTs) who received lower ATAR scores and who may well have been rejected by other universities. The PSTs’ narratives highlight that low achievement levels in the final years of schooling did not prevent them from being able to succeed in teacher education programs. We argue that high stakes tests as gatekeeping devices are simplistic measures that fail to recognise important qualities of character crucial to effective teaching. We suggest that qualities of character such as these are hard to quantify but are central to both selecting entrants to, and developing PSTs during, their teacher education programs.