The Board of Teacher Education (BTE) in the early 1980s

The 1980s saw a consolidation of the work of the teacher regulatory body in Queensland. The focus was the future, and the starting points were the 1978 Review of Teacher Education (the Bassett Review) and the 1980 Report of the National Inquiry into Teacher Education (Auchmuty Report). These two reports indicated the breadth of issues which, in times of increasingly rapid social and educational change, had to be taken into account in any review of teacher education at the time. The Board noted that teacher education needed to be seen as a career long process, with an emphasis on the establishment of a graduate profession - that is, "the firm establishment of the pattern proposed in the 1978 Review, with pre-service preparation being followed, after an induction period of teaching, by a further period of formal study leading to a degree in education or equivalent qualification, as a first step in the continuing professional development of the teacher throughout his career" (p. 7). This model was commonly referred to at the time as '3+x+1'.

A direct outcome of this work was the development of a revised draft set of "Guidelines for the Development of Teacher Education Courses and Awards in Queensland Colleges" at the beginning of 1981 for the development of Bachelor of Education upgrade programs at Colleges of Advanced Education.

In 1981, following the first decade of the BTE's existence, the following had been approved:

• initial accreditation of newly introduced three-year Diploma of Teaching courses;
• the fourth-year post-experience studies leading to a Bachelor of Education; and
• a range of in-service courses including upgrades to Diploma of Teaching programs and Graduate Diploma courses in speciality areas for example, mathematics education.

The year 1984 marked the end of the first decade of compulsory teacher registration. The considerable gains that teacher registration had brought to the qualification level and professional standing of teachers in Queensland was evident. By then, the proportion of registered teachers with three or more years of professional preparation had increased from less than one third to as much as three quarters.

In the May edition of eNews, developments in the period 1985-1988 will be reviewed.

References

Auchmuty, J. J. et al. (1980). Report of the National Inquiry into Teacher Education. Canberra: AGPS.

Bassett, G. W. (1978). 1978 Review Teacher Education in Queensland. Report of the Committee appointed by the Board of Advanced education and the Board of Teacher Education to advise on desirable development in teacher education in Queensland . Board of Advanced Education and the Board of Teacher Education, Brisbane.

Board of Teacher Education. (1980). Annual Report. Author.

Board of Teacher Education. (1983). Annual Report. Author.

Board of Teacher Education. (1984). Annual Report. Author.