School of Education

Individuals living in remote areas of Australia are typically in a disadvantaged situation, compared to persons living in urban or densely populated areas, when it comes to access and enjoyment of basic services (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2018). There are multiple reasons for this disadvantage, but it is widely reported that service providers such as schools face a set of unique challenges that impact on their deliverable outcomes (Commonwealth of Australia, 2020). Halsey (2018) emphasised the challenges associated with delivery of quality educational services in rural and remote schools, and these included accessing diverse curriculum offerings, provision of quality IT services, and collaborating with other schools. The Next Steps: Report of the Quality Initial Teacher Education Review, released in 2022, reported that forty-seven (47%) of teachers felt underprepared by their ITE program including in supporting diverse learners and students with a disability (Australian Government, 2022).

Limited access to professional learning opportunities and inability to employ staff with specific expertise, often means students with special educational needs in regional and remote schools are provided with less support and fewer options for appropriate courses than those in metropolitan regions (Lamb & Glover, 2014). Further, there is evidence that children living in very remote communities are “twice as likely as those living in major cities to be developmentally vulnerable” (Children and Young People with Disability, Australia, 2020, p. 3). Challenges arise when one considers that the context of disability within these communities requires classroom teachers (many of whom are new graduates) to understand both the nature of the disability and the unique culture that exists for the individual (De Bats, 2003; Jorgensen et al., 2012).

Responding to the acknowledged challenges in supporting the educational development of teachers, and in turn, the students they teach in rural and remote areas of the country, is difficult. Some of the characteristics of effective Professional Learning (PL) are hard to facilitate in schools where there are restrictions in geographical and financial access (Glover, 2017; Stelmach, 2011). Professional experience (PEx) in rural and remote schools has the potential to develop pre-service teachers’ (PSTs) skills to support the diverse needs of students in these settings and facilitate positive experiences that prepare them to take up positions in the schools (Adie & Barton, 2012; Auld et al., 2016). However, establishing quality experiences for PSTs embarking on these PEx placements is not without challenges. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) need to acknowledge PST’s potential lack of confidence in undertaking these high-stakes experiences without their typical support-networks, a lack of cultural awareness (and knowing what to expect in rural and remote locations), limited training, possibly limited prior experience in working with students with special educational needs, and the potential for limited mentorship on the ground, particularly around supporting a diverse range of students (Adie & Barton, 2012; Sharplin, 2002, 2009).

Thus, HEIs must support PSTs on PEx in rural and remote communities on two levels: addressing the challenges associated with the geographical location of the schools and addressing the potential additional needs of students in these settings. Improving communication technologies (fast tracked in response to COVID-19 [Department of Education, Skills and Employment, 2020]) appear to present the best potential to support PSTs on rural and remote PEx and facilitate the development of professional learning communities. For example, evaluations of web-based professional learning programs found this approach to be effective for a range of professional development purposes from pre-kindergarten (Downer et al., 2011; Main & Slater, 2021; Pianta et al., 2008) to Secondary settings (Gregory et al., 2017). Additionally, the use of videos to support teacher reflection and professional growth is well documented (see Matsumura et al., 2019; Powell & Diamond, 2013). The coaching platform for this research, Capturing Observations and Collaboratively sHaring Educational Data (COACHED), enables online delivery of performance feedback and includes content acquisition podcasts with embedded modelling videos. This platform has been shown to be effective in supporting in-service teachers and pre-service teachers (Alves et al., 2017; Kunemund et al., 2021; Peeples et al., 2018) to develop practices identified as effective for students with special educational needs. Previous research has also identified the advantages of developing learning communities during PST PEx (LeCornu & Ewing, 2018). The project team will explore the use of COACHED for PSTs in regional and remote schools as well as supporting the development of a community of practice to enhance the experiences of PSTs during rural and remote PEx.

Aims

The project aims to develop collaborative processes through online coaching and resources to support inclusive practice for early childhood and primary pre-service teachers undertaking professional experience (PEx) in regional and remote schools in Western Australia. The aim is to evaluate the efficacy of an online coaching platform in supporting pre-service teachers to develop effective practice in the inclusion for students with special educational needs (SEN). It is expected that the processes and resources would be able to be used and/or modified by stakeholders to suit a variety of teaching contexts.

Process