Equipping teachers for turbulent times

Universities are responding to multiple crises in Australian schools with the introduction of a variety of courses that help to address rising mental health issues among students and a desperate shortage of qualified teachers.

Surveys suggest increased numbers of school students are suffering poor mental health or wellbeing.Credit: Notre Dame University

The need is obvious. Studies show high school and primary school principals unable to fill current teacher vacancies, and a critical shortage of early years teachers is set to worsen, with government figures projecting a shortfall of 10,600 pre-primary teachers within three years.

Wellness is also a key issue. A survey conducted by mental health organisation ReachOut found the number of students reporting poor mental health or wellbeing had doubled from 25 per cent in previous years to 56 per cent in 2021.

A recent survey by the Australian Psychological Society indicates that the problem is growing, with mental health disorders observed in children as young as 18 months increasing since the onset of the pandemic.

Notre Dame University Associate Professor Shane Lavery.Credit: Notre Dame University

The University of Notre Dame Australia is tackling the issue with a new Graduate Certificate of Wellbeing in Education that equips qualified teachers with the advanced skills and practices needed to support wellbeing for both staff and students.

The co-ordinator of postgraduate studies in the School of Education, Associate Professor Shane Lavery, points to increasing wellness problems in schools and says of the new certificate: “Not only can we do it, we must do it.”

“It’s an online course available nationally, and the basic aim is to send wellbeing leaders into all schools, including pre-schools, equipping them with the advanced skills needed to support students’ and colleagues’ wellbeing and resilience, and to lead others to do so,” he says.

The postgraduate program has six components: positive education, wellbeing in student achievement, building resilient teachers in schools, leading mindfulness for learning, pastoral care in schools, leading wellbeing in education, and leading pastoral care in schools. Applicants must complete four of the courses, and can choose any four.

“It’s a part-time course, so teachers can do it at their own pace, but it must be completed within two years,” Lavery adds. “All the courses fit into our Master of Education in Leadership and Management, so graduates can easily transition into a master’s degree and do the two courses they haven’t already done, plus another two.”

The Australian government has announced an education plan that includes a one-off “Student Wellbeing Boost”, with the average school receiving $20,000 to be used for school mental health professionals and initiatives that boost wellbeing.

The drastic shortage of pre-school teachers is also being addressed with the university’s new Bachelor of Education (Early Learning), which offers multiple career pathways and enables graduates to work with children in the vital developmental stage of their first five years.

“The skills graduates will learn are vitally important, because if we can get it right in the early years we will help children to grow into happy, successful and well-balanced adults who contribute to society and treat those around them with kindness and understanding.”

Associate Professor Christine Robinson, Notre Dame’s School of Education

“The course is offered full-time at Notre Dame’s Sydney campus, as well as online in some cases, and has been designed to offer multiple pathways,” says Associate Professor Christine Robinson of Notre Dame’s School of Education.

“It’s a full-time, four-year course available to high school graduates, but is also designed in consultation with industry, so that people already working in the sector who want to up-skill can complete the program without needing to come to campus.

“Students will study at the cutting edge of learning and developmental theory and develop a wide range of advanced skills. Practicum – placement in schools and early learning centres as a student teacher – is also heavily embedded. It starts in the first year, and includes 80 to 95 days across the entire course.

“The skills graduates will learn are vitally important, because if we can get it right in the early years we will help children to grow into happy, successful and well-balanced adults who contribute to society and treat those around them with kindness and understanding.”

Notre Dame University Associate Professor Christine Robinson.Credit: Notre Dame University

Notre Dame’s Bachelor of Primary Education and Bachelor of Secondary Education – both four-year, full-time or equivalent part-time courses at the university’s Sydney campus ­– are also helping to address the teacher shortage.

The Bachelor of Primary Education is the only such degree in NSW offering International Baccalaureate certification, which can open up global as well as national job opportunities.

The university focuses heavily on practical experience, with many more practicum hours in its education degrees than other universities, enabling students to confidently enter the workforce as soon as they graduate. According to the federal government’s Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) 2021 Graduate Outcomes Survey, Notre Dame is the number one university in Australia for overall employment of graduates (undergraduate category).

To help meet the critical demand for teachers, Notre Dame has received federal funding for hundreds of additional Commonwealth-Supported Places (CSPs) in education degrees over the next two years.

For more information, visit: The University of Notre Dame Australia’s education programs. Applications are now open for first semester, 2023.