Tracey Sempowicz

The transition from student to classroom teacher presents many opportunities and challenges. Introduction to Education welcomes pre-service teachers to the field of education, providing an overview of the context, craft and practice of teaching in Australian schools. Each chapter poses a question about the nature of teaching and explores authentic classroom examples, contemporary research and literature, and the professional, policy and curriculum contexts of teaching. Thoroughly updated, the second edition continues to cover both theoretical and practical topics, with chapters addressing assessment, planning, safe learning environments, professional experience, and working with colleagues, families, caregivers and communities. Each chapter features: chapter opening stimulus materials and questions to activate prior learning and challenge assumptions; connections to policy and research with questions to encourage critical thinking and professional literacy; voices of educators and students that provide authentic classroom examples of the practical application of theory

Current approaches to inclusive education in Australian schools, supported by legislation and policy are slowly raising awareness about the diverse needs of children from complex trauma backgrounds. One group of children who experience complex trauma are children adopted from overseas countries (Intercountry Adoptees). These children and their support needs are often absent in education research, teacher training, and development. The research reported in this paper, informed by theories of attachment and complex trauma supports the goals of inclusive education, identifying school practices that appear to promote resilience in some children while other practices perpetuate ongoing struggles. This paper presents key findings from a multi-case study of ten adoptive families in Queensland (15 parents;15 children aged 6 to 12 years) to suggest divergent perspectives on traditional meanings of attachment, including the impact of multiple attachment disruptions on the children's school experience. Insightful theoretical explanations and case study examples reveal the potential ongoing impact of complex trauma on these children at school resulting from their early life experiences. Children's perspectives are captured through drawings and conversations, extended by their adoptive parents through the analysis of interview data and documents they provided. Findings emphasise the importance of school culture, leadership, teacher professional development, and the relational aspects of teaching and learning to further advance inclusive education in schools by supporting the ongoing resilience and development of children with unique trauma histories.

Dr Tracey Sempowicz is a lecturer at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, teaching in the areas of Inclusive Education and Child Development and Learning.

She is also an adoptive parent to three teenage children who were adopted from overseas as infants. In this podcast episode Tracey talks about her PhD thesis which examined the primary school experiences of intercountry adoptees from the perspectives of adoptive parents and their children.

In Australia, teachers are expected to teach a diverse range of students, including children adopted from overseas who have experienced attachment disruption and complex trauma early in life. International research identifies the potential vulnerability of this minority group at school. However, teachers' backgrounds, knowledge and experience, as well as curriculum policies and school practices, may influence how teachers respond to the diverse needs of these children. Drawing on examples from a qualitative study which used focus group interviews and a multi-case study of 10 adoptive families, this article applies developmental and social constructionist perspectives to analyse the potential impact some common curriculum units may have on these children's experiences of school. This paper reports on the way in which various units in the Australian Curriculum may provide obstacles and opportunities for inclusion, with particular examples provided from the English and History Curriculum. Findings show there is a need for greater awareness, understanding and sensitivity in teaching approach, as well as flexibility in teachers' professional agency and discretion in the selection of resources when responding to the educational needs of intercountry adoptees.

The movie "Lion" is a snapshot into the life of Saroo Brierley who was born in India and adopted by a Tasmanian couple. As a young adult he searches for and finds, against all odds, his birth mother and sister. The story had its poignant moments for me personally as the mother of three adoptive children and resonated with many people all over the world. But I could not help noticing the movie was silent on the part that interested me most, the middle part where Saroo grows up in a different country, adjusting to a new language and culture. My personal experiences as a classroom teacher, teacher educator in the fields of Educational Psychology and Inclusive Education, and mother, led me to focus my research on the primary school experiences of intercountry adoptees from adoptive parents and children's perspectives. I wanted to look at how well our schools cater for this group of children and what, if anything, should change to improve their educational experiences?

Intercountry adoptees represent a minority group in Australian schools. This research reveals that the majority of children appear to adjust well and have positive school experiences. It also shows, however, that the impact of attachment disruption and complex trauma on these children's development and subsequent school experience may not be understood by school personnel. This qualitative multicase study uses attachment, trauma, child development and social constructionist theories to examine the primary school experiences of intercountry adoptees, from the perspectives of adoptive parents and their children. This study recommends a "Consultative Partners" Model for managing the intercountry adoptee's school experience which makes better use of available social resources and places the child at the centre of policy and practice considerations in schools.

Reflective practice appears crucial for professional growth, and making connections between mentoring practices and mentees' reflections may assist mentors to guide reflective processes. This interpretive study initially explores, through the literature (e.g., Dewey, Schön), common processes of reflective thinking and uses a mentoring feedback framework with six practices to collect and analyse video, audio and observational data around two mentor-mentee case studies. The findings showed that these mentors (experienced primary teachers) articulated expectations for teaching, modelled reflective practices to their mentees (preservice teachers), and facilitated time and opportunities for advancing teaching practices, which influenced the mentees' reflective practices and their pedagogical development. This study showed that the mentors' personal attributes influenced the mentoring relationship and the mentees' abilities to critically reflect on their practices.

Mentors (cooperating classroom teachers) have a shared responsibility with universities for developing preservice teachers' pedagogical practices, particularly towards becoming reflective practitioners. Preservice teachers need to participate actively in their own learning, by reflecting and acting on the mentor's constructive feedback provided during planning and feedback dialogue sessions. This case study uses feedback practices outlined within a five-factor mentoring model to analyse dialogue between a mentor and her respective mentee during different stages in their school-based programs (first practicum). This investigation uses multiple data sources such as video and audio-recorded interviews, archival documents from participants such as lesson plans, reflections and reports to examine preservice teacher's reflections and implementations of practice as a result of her mentor's feedback (e.g., establish expectations, review lesson plans, observe teaching then provide oral and written feedback, and evaluate progress). Findings indicated that reflective thinking was more apparent when the mentor did not dominate conversations but instead asked astute pedagogical knowledge questions to facilitate the mentee's reflections on practice.

A key concern for preservice teachers is classroom management, including student behaviour management, which also has been a factor associated with teachers leaving the profession within the first five years. This study investigates the mentoring practices used to guide the mentee's classroom management. Using multiple data sources (e.g., lesson plans, preservice teacher reflections, mentor reports, and video and audio-recorded interviews), this case study uses a five-factor mentoring framework to analyse mentor-mentee dialogues about classroom management practices. Data indicated 30 out of 34 mentoring practices provided input into the mentee's classroom management; however there was no overt evidence on mentoring aims, curriculum, timetabling or assessment that facilitated the mentee's development of behaviour management. Specifically, drawing on the system requirement documents, modelling the school's behaviour management program, articulating pedagogical knowledge about implementing behaviour management, and providing feedback presented the mentee with opportunities for effective implementation.

More than 20% of beginning teachers leave the profession within the first five years of teaching. Early-career teachers, including preservice teachers, claim that classroom management can cause significant apprehension and managing student behaviour is high on the list of priorities for teachers, particularly as unsuccessful student management can produce teacher stress and early burn out. Mentors have a shared responsibility with universities for developing preservice teachers' pedagogical practices, particularly classroom management which appears as a key issue for preservice teachers. This case study uses a five-factor mentoring model to analyse dialogue between a mentor and mentee through multiple data sources (e.g., video and audio-recorded interviews, archival documents from participants such as lesson plans, reflections and reports) to investigate mentoring practices which assist the development of a preservice teacher's classroom management practices. Data indicated a strong relationship between the personal attributes and pedagogical knowledge of the mentor and the development of effective classroom management practices by the mentee. © Common Ground, Tracey Sempowicz, Peter Hudson, All Rights Reserved.