The ACER Primary Teachers Survey for NSW went live on Monday this week! This survey is part of the NSW Labor Party’s pre-election commitment and will play a vital role in shaping the national picture of music education in our primary schools.
The survey, which has been sent directly to the Principals of schools selected to participate, invites educators from a representative sample of 100 government primary schools to share their insights on the quality and extent of music education and its impact on student learning. This included selection of 100 schools in consideration of ICSEA scores and metro/regional/remote. We are eager to hear from invited principals and teachers, regardless of their confidence in teaching music or their provided level of music programming.
Below is some contextual information which may be helpful in your reach out to colleagues.
Background:
The survey is jointly funded by Sound NSW and Alberts I The Tony Foundation which leads the Music Education: Right from the Start initiative. We have commissioned the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) to carry out this research.
This research is a collaborative endeavour, led by Alberts’ Music Education: Right from the Start initiative, and supported by the NSW Department of Education and the NSW Teachers Federation, to gather an up-to-date picture of the key characteristics of primary teachers who deliver music learning in NSW.
We want to understand what music learning is being delivered in classrooms, and the extent to which this learning meets the expectations of ‘quality’ music education. This will assist the identification of what additional supports or strategies could be put in place to assist schools and teachers and ultimately improve student outcomes.
The findings will provide essential baseline data to inform policy and program development for NSW public primary schools. In particular, with the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into Arts and Music Education and Training currently underway, this is a timely opportunity to help shape the next generation of music education in NSW. It follows the successful launch of our ACER SA Primary Teacher Survey report, Setting the Tempo, in May. We plan to replicate it in other states.
Are you a teacher that thinks deeply and critically about your practice? Or is this something you have never really had an opportunity to do but would like to engage in with others who think the same way?
I am seeking a group of committed critically reflective teachers, who are eager to experience what kind of transformational impact individual and collective critical thinking can have on their practice. Where you perceive yourself on the path of becoming “critically reflective” is unimportant. What is important is that you have a desire to think deeply about your practice!
In 2025, as part of my research project exploring critical thinking and teacher agency, participants will have the opportunity to join together in a community with other like-minded teachers, exploring the ideological nature of education and their work as teachers. Participation in this study will involve approximately 7 hours of commitment over a period of around 18 months. Participation will involve dialogue and reflection upon the various ideological impacts of teacher work in various Zoom conference meetings and through an asynchronous private chat group, followed by an individual interview at the conclusion of the project. I am interested in your personal experiences and opinions, not in information about specific schools and their practices.
For many of you who have either listened to my podcast segment, Ideology in Education, on the TER Podcast, or have read my posts on my Substack, The Interruption, you will know that this is something I am deeply passionate about and believe to be truly important for all teachers.
So, it doesn’t matter whether you:
- teach primary or secondary,
- have been a teacher for 20 years or have just started,
- work in the government, independent or catholic systems,
- are on-going, part-time or casual.
If you’re a registered teacher currently teaching in Australia, you can get involved!
If this seems like something you would be interested in being involved in or have further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me via email at tdmahone@deakin.edu.au and I will get back to you with further information about participating in the project.
Know of anyone who might be interested? If so, feel free to forward this information on (as is) via email or social media!
This study has received Deakin University ethics approval (reference number: HAE-24-046.
As a teacher (primary or secondary), has climate change affected your wellbeing in any way?
Would you be willing to share your experiences through an interview with researchers at the University of Melbourne, and help shape resources to support both teachers and students?
The interview would take about 1 hour, with a $50 gift card as thanks for your time. Primary and secondary school teachers can find out more and register interest here.
This project builds on the Climate Superpowers website – which was co-designed with and for young people – where people can take a quiz to find out about their climate superpowers, then explore over 100 ways they can use these strengths for learning about climate change, everyday action, transforming society and self-care.
It will add to the recently-released set of Climate Superpowers classroom resources, and create resources focusing on teacher wellbeing. The aim is to better support teachers through climate change challenges, which may relate to:
• students’ thoughts and feelings on climate change;
• teachers’ own thoughts and feelings on climate;
• possible tensions within school communities;
• systemic and resourcing issues;
• environmental events such as bushfires or floods.