Out-of-Field Teaching Toolkit Podcast: Recent Episodes
Margaret Paton
About and for K-12 educators who teach subjects for which they don't have the necessary qualifications. This fortnightly show features insights, tips and solutions from teachers, researchers, policymakers, entrepreneurs and more.
This episode steps back to see out-of-field teaching as part of a bigger picture. We look at the World Summit on Teachers in Santiago and its outcome, the Santiago Consensus. We hear UNESCO’s stark projections of a 50 million teacher shortfall by 2030. We consider Australia’s data gaps, stories from Tajikistan, and candid teacher voices on Reddit. Together these threads show how teachers are being stretched beyond their training — and why that mattersfor policy and identity. I also share a powerful idea I heard recently about the balance of know-how and show-how. And we preview the upcoming UNESCO-OOFTAS Conference.
Links:
https://asiaplustj.info/en/news/tajikistan/society/20250919/even-on-independence-day-we-were-in-the-cotton-fields-teachers-and-students-complain-of-forced-cotton-picking-in-sughd
https://www.unesco.org/sites/default/files/medias/fichiers/2025/08/world-summit-teachers-final-santiago-consensus-en.pdf
Out-of-Field Teaching Across Specialisations (OOFTAS) international symposium 2025 website
https://ooftas-collective.org/2025-symposium
Session recordings should be available now if not soon
UNESCO-OOFTAS Conference 18 October 2025
https://ooftas-collective.org/unescoooftas-conference-2025
This episode explores how the Independent Education Union of Australia is tackling out-of-field teaching as both a professional and workload issue. Assistant Federal Secretary Veronica Yewdall shares how shortages are forcing teachers to step outside their subject or age-group expertise—sometimes with surprising consequences, like one teacherpassing her school ‘stimetabling person in the corridor saying ‘Bonjour, ca va’, then being asked to teach French. The discussion covers the toll on teacher wellbeing, the need for mentoring and ongoing support, and how compliance reforms are cutting through red tape. With insights from across Catholic and independent schools, the union highlights what’s driving the problem—and what needs to change to keep teachers in the profession.
Links:
Independent Education Union
https://www.ieu.org.au/
Australian Teachers' Performance and Development Framework
https://www.aitsl.edu.au/tools-resources/resource/australian-teacher-performance-and-development-framework
Shifting the balance: Increasing the focus on teaching andlearning by reducing the burden ofcompliance and administrationReview to reduce red tape for teachersand school leaders [2020]
https://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-source/red-tape/review-to-reduce-red-tape-for-teachers-and-school-leaders.pdf?sfvrsn=7cb3d93c%7B%5C_%7D2
International Symposium 2025 (7–8 Sep, AEST — online & free).
Want the freshest research on out-of-field teaching? This episode previews the 12th International OOFTAS Symposium—an online, free, global gathering by the Out-of-Field Teaching Across Specialisations collective. Expect 22 short, sharp talks across 11 countries: identity, effective PD, OOF in STEAM/home ec/arts/CS, tech trials, and cross-system insights. Find out what to watch, how to join, and where to catch recordings.
Links:
OOFTAS symposium 2025 program
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57f5c6e0414fb53f7ae208fc/t/689d1ea98a868e3465b32195/1755127466004/12th+International+Symposium+program+Final.pdf
What can bush regeneration teach us about out-of-field teaching? In this episode, we explore how so-called “weeds”can be ecosystem transformers—reshaping landscapes in surprising ways. Drawing on Australian example weeds like lantana and African lovegrass, wI connect the dots between ecology and education, challenging assumptions about growth, adaptation, and success in unexpected environments.
Scholarly Citations
Akkerman, S. F., & Bakker, A. (2011). Boundary Crossing and Boundary Objects. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3102/0034654311404435
Barker, M., Goos, M. & Coupland, M. (2024). Relieving Out of Field Teaching in Australian Secondary Mathematics: Analysis of out-of-field secondary mathematics teaching upskilling initiatives in Australia. AMSI, AustMS, MERGA, Statistical Society of Australia, Actuaries Institute. https://amsi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/maths-ooft-report.pdf
Blake, D. (2013) Applied learning as a boundary-crossing pedagogy. https://mail.aare.net.au/publications/aare-conference-papers/show/8090/applied-learning-as-a-boundary-crossing-pedagogy-to-support-innovative-youth-education
Hobbs, L. & Porsche, R. (Eds.) (2022). Out-of-field Teaching Across Teaching Disciplines and Contexts. Springer. https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783030944771
Otrel-Cass, K. (2024) — https://educationaltechnologyjournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s41239-024-00463-4
Other links:
AABR: Bradley Method — https://www.aabr.org.au/learn/what-i-bush-regeneration/general-principles/the-bradley-method/
Gillies, C. & Compton, M. (2025) “Rewilding the University” — https://mcompton.uk/2025/04/02/rewilding/
Kuchta, E. C. (2025). Growing Grass Between Concrete — https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/australian-journal-of-environmental-education/article/growing-grass-between-concrete-a-chooseyourownadventure-game-for-rewilding-literature-pedagogies/6E278EB4A3B723ADFECC09BF23E208B0
Vicphysics SPP PD — https://www.vicphysics.org/events/spp/
Wikipedia: Bush regeneration — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bush_regeneration
What happens when out-of-field teachers feel more confident about their performance than their in-field peersdo about them? Professor Donna Pendergast AM from Griffith University in Queensland, Australia, joins us to unpack the surprising findings of her global study on home economics teaching. From the emotional toll on in-field mentors to the "Swiss cheese" gaps in system support, this episode explores what self-efficacy really means, and why passion still matters.
Links:Study cited: Pendergast, D., McManus, S., DuPlessis, A., & Deagon, J. (2025). Investigatingthe perceptions of self-efficacy of in-field and out-of-field home economics teachers. Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, 53, e70006. https://doi.org/10.1111/fcsr.70006
Griffith University profile: https://experts.griffith.edu.au/18640-donna-pendergast-am
National Teacher Workforce Action Plan 2022:https://www.education.gov.au/national-teacher-workforce-action-plan
What happens when no one signs up for your carefully planned research study? In this solo episode, I reflect on the challenges of involving out-of-field teachers in time-intensive research and why that struggle pushed me to rethink traditional data collection methods. I share how netnography and existing online conversations are reshaping my PhD project — and what this means for research ethics. It’s a call to listen differently, especially when participation feels like one ask too many.
Links:
Find out more about my PhD project if you’reconsidering participating in an interview: https://blogs.deakin.edu.au/success-stories-ooft-maths-science/phd-research-project-a-netnographic-exploration-of-self-perceptions-of-success-of-out-of-field-teachers-of-mathematics-and-science/
REFERENCES:
Briggs, C. (1986/1992), Learning How to Ask: A Sociolinguistic Appraisal of the Role of the Interview in Social Science Research, Cambridge University Press, New York.
Clandinin, D. J. (2006). Narrative inquiry: A methodology for studying lived experience. Research Studies in Music Education, 27(1), 44–54. https://doi.org/10.1177/1321103X060270010301
Ellis, C. (2007). Telling secrets, revealing lives: Relational ethics in research with intimate others. Qualitative Inquiry, 13(1), 3–29. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800406294947
Kozinets, R. V. (2020). Netnography: The essential guide to qualitative social media research. SAGE.
Nissenbaum, H. (2010).Privacy in context: Technology, policy, and the integrity of social life.Stanford University Press.
O'Toole, J. & Beckett, D. (2013). Educational research: Creative thinking and doing (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
Paulhus, D. L. (2002). Socially desirable responding: The evolution of a construct. In H. I. Braun, D. N. Jackson, & D. E. Wiley (Eds.), The role of constructs in psychological and educational measurement (pp. 49–69). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. https://www2.psych.ubc.ca/~dpaulhus/research/CIRCUMPLEX/ETS%20chapter.pdf
Powney, J. & Watts, M. (2018). Interviewing in educational research. Routledge.
Rubio, O. G. (1997). Ethnographic interview methods in researching language and education. In N. H. Hornberger & D. Corson (Eds.), Encyclopedia of language and education (Vol.8, pp. 153–163). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-4535-0_15
What builds real confidence for teachers suddenly teaching maths out of field? Dr Janelle Hill and Georgie Stuart from Charles Sturt University break down the impact of a free, credit-bearing micro-credential designed for secondaryteachers tackling maths without formal training. They share how practical strategies, peer support, and flexible course design are helping teachers feel more capable in the classroom - especially in regional and rural communities.Plus, why AI isn't the quick fix some think it is.
Links:
DrJanelle Hill, Charles Sturt University
https://arts-ed.csu.edu.au/schools/education/staff/profiles/teaching-and-research-staff/janelle-hill
https://study.csu.edu.au/find-courses/short-courses/microcredential-courses/maths-for-out-of-field-teachers
https://study.csu.edu.au/find-courses/short-courses/microcredential-courses/professional-certificate-in-educational-technologies
What happens when a research project doesn’t go to plan? In this short episode, I share how my PhD project onout-of-field teaching is evolving. Hear how teacher time pressures, public Reddit threads, and ethical netnography are shaping a new, triangulated approach to understanding teacher success. This is the last episode for season5 of the pod. Season 6 starts on Tuesday, 22 July 2025.
Links:
Association of Netnographic Research
https://netnographicresearch.org/
What do Victorian parents really think about out-of-field teaching? In this episode, Parents Victoria CEO Gail McHardyshares insights from years of advocacy on behalf of public school families. We explore how teacher qualifications, continuity, and communication shape trust in schools - and why relationships are everything. Gail also unpacks the limitsof school councils, the rising visibility of workforce issues, and how parents can advocate constructively at both local and systemic levels.
Links:
Victorian Parliament Inquiry into the State Education System (2023–2024): https://new.parliament.vic.gov.au/get-involved/inquiries/inquiry-into-the-capacity-of-the-victorian-school-system-to-deliver-a-quality-education-to-all-students/
Parents Victoria: https://www.parentsvictoria.asn.au/
Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT): https://www.vit.vic.edu.au/
Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA): https://www.vrqa.vic.gov.au/
Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA): https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/
Out-of-field teaching doesn’t happen in a vacuum - and Professor Jillian Blackmore makes that crystal clear in this far-reaching, provocative conversation. A Distinguished Professor of Education at Deakin University and a long-time critic of education reform, Jill unpacks the systemic and political shifts that have weakened public education, casualised the teacher workforce, and deepenedinequality in Australian schools.
From neoliberalism and human capital theory to the failures of school autonomy and flawed teacher recruitment practices, Jill explains why out-of-field teaching is just one symptom of a system under strain. We also explore her new research on how race, class, and gender shape access to the profession and why ‘best fit’ hiring may be a proxy for exclusion.
Whether you're a teacher, policymaker, or researcher, this episode will challenge your assumptions and prompt deeper questions about what must change to truly support all educators.
Links:
https://experts.deakin.edu.au/154-jill-blackmore
Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO)
https://www.edresearch.edu.au
Professor Linda Hobbs et al. – Research on Hard-to-Staff Schools (Deakin)https://www.deakin.edu.au/education/research/research-groups/education-policy-and-practice/research-projects/attracting-and-retaining-teachers-in-hard-to-staff-schools
Education International – Status of Teachers Reports
https://www.ei-ie.org/en/detail/15557/status-of-teachers-2021-global-report
OECD – Teachers and School Leaders
https://www.oecd.org/education/school/teachers-school-leaders.htm
In this bonus episode, I share details about my PhD research into how out-of-field high school teachers in NSW define and experience success when teaching maths or science. If you've ever taught outside your subject area, I’d love you to be part of this study. I explain what’s involved, how your input will be used, and why your story really matters.Links:
To find out more about the research project – including the plain language statement and consent form, visit
https://blogs.deakin.edu.au/success-stories-ooft-maths-science/phd-research-project-a-netnographic-exploration-of-self-perceptions-of-success-of-out-of-field-teachers-of-mathematics-and-science/
I've also posted a story about this project on my Medium.com profile. You can read it here:
https://margaretpaton.medium.com/teaching-maths-or-science-out-of-area-your-story-of-success-matters-244258a46470
What happens when you’re asked to teach a language you don’t speak—let alone teach? In this episode, I quiz Dr Christine Biebricher from the University of Auckland, whose research digs deep into the experience of New Zealand primary teachers tasked with teaching Mandarin out of field. We chat about courage, classroom strategies, professional identity, and why some teachers thrive while others struggle. If you’ve ever found yourself Googling “how to say hello inMandarin” five minutes before class (guilty), this one’s for you.
Links:
https://profiles.auckland.ac.nz/c-biebricher
Biebricher, C. (2023). Out-of-field Mandarin teaching and its effects on teacher identity developments – Experiences of Aotearoa New Zealand primary school teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 132, 104241. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2023.104241
Biebricher, C. (2023). Creating a sustainable Mandarin language programme in an Aotearoa New Zealand primary school – complexities and achievements. In D. Wang & M. East (Eds.), Chinese language education in Anglophonecountries: Perspectives from New Zealand (pp.149-162). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-35475-5_10 -this book chapter also reports on teaching Mandarin OOF, but looks at the success story of the school
Biebricher, C., East, M., Howard, J., & Tolosa, C. (2019). Navigating intercultural language teaching in New Zealand classrooms. Cambridge Journal of Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/0305764X.2019.1581137 -This article looks at teaching Mandarin, but with a slightly different focus, i.e. intercultural language learning and struggles of implementing that into teaching/stereotypes, etc.
Katelyn Mclaren, a public high school maths teacher based in far western NSW shares her inspiring journey from teaching Kindergarten to retraining in high school maths. She shares her passion and some of the challenges in teaching number and algebra, her strategies for connecting abstractmathematical concepts to real-world applications, and the importance of focusing on understanding rather than procedures. She explains how ‘slow maths’ happens in her classroom, when she’s learning at the same time as her students.
Links:
Graphing calculators
Desmos https://www.desmos.com/
Geogebra https://www.geogebra.org/
Online platforms https://www.khanacademy.org/math
Edrolo https://edrolo.com.au/
Other maths resources:
NSW (Australia) Mathematics Hub – Number and Algebra
https://www.mathematicshub.edu.au/search/nsw-det-guide-number-and-algebra/
NSW (Australia) Mathematics resources for Years 7–10:
https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/mathematics/mathematics-curriculum-resources-k-12/mathematics-7-10-resources
https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/mathematics/mathematics-curriculum-resources-k-12/mathematics-7-10-resources
What happens when the niggle to return to teaching meets the hard reality of classroom life? In this episode, I reflect on a short-lived (fly on the wall) return to secondary maths teaching, my ongoing microcredential journey, and the challenge of learning to “speak maths” as an out-of-field teacher. From false starts to fresh insights, I share what I’m learning about access strategies, differentiation, and what (out-of-field teaching) success might really look like when you're not yet fluent—but still showing up.
Annie Termaat, a PhD candidate at Deakin University's Art and Education faculty, shares her journey as a science teacher—from growing up in West Papua and Papua New Guinea to teaching in Turkey, Norway, and Malaysia. She reflects on thechallenges of teaching out-of-field, including behaviour management and working with diverse students, and discusses her experience writing science textbooks and researching metacognition. Annie offers valuable insights for teachers navigating out-of-field roles, highlighting the value of professional associations and staying open to new opportunities.
Links and resources mentioned:
Annie Termaat’s ‘Visualise Your Thesis’ video entry for Deakin University’s competition – she was a finalist in 2024
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Y07LpnKK8U
Cognitive Acceleration in Science Education (CASE)Academic article (ResearchGate):https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283231756_Cognitive_acceleration_through_science_education_The_CASE_for_thinking_through_science
Bernstein's Work on Language Codes and Educationhttps://www.vaia.com/en-us/explanations/english/language-and-social-groups/bernstein-elaborated-and-restricted-code
Bloom's Taxonomy -Teaching strategies (University of Arkansas): https://tips.uark.edu/using-blooms-taxonomyCSIRO Educational Resources
CSIRO Resource Library: https://www.csiro.au/en/education/resource-libraryCSIRO Publishing – Teacher Notes: https://www.publish.csiro.au/learning/teachernotes
Australian Academy of Science – Primary Connections
Primary Connections main site: https://primaryconnections.org.au
Australian Academy of Science – Primary Connections update:
https://www.science.org.au/academy-newsletter/australian-academy-science-newsletter-99/new-resources-primary-connections
Interview with Annie by Deakin University
https://redi.deakin.edu.au/news/meet-annie-termaat-redi-phd-candidate/
Some of Annie’s publications:
How can small secondary schools support the implementation ofinterdisciplinary units?
What matters in interdisciplinary unit design – messages fromsmall secondary schools
Teaching Science: Journal of Australian Science Teachers’ Association
https://indd.adobe.com/view/ffeea7dc-dbca-41b5-af11-46cd159ebff9
Associate Professor Mary Copeland from the University of Technology Sydney, Australia, unpacks calculus, describing it as “a way of measuring change over time.” She explains its two core concepts—understanding rates of change and totalling small parts to find a whole—and connects these ideas to real-life applications, from speed cameras to retinal treatments.
Mary highlights the foundational maths skills of algebra, functions, and graphs, while sharing resources like Maths Inside to support out-of-field teachers. This episode offers practical insights and inspiration for anyone tackling advanced maths topics.
Links:
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/mary-coupland-16638617/
Investigating Change: An Introduction to Calculus for Australian Schools
https://archive.org
Mathematical Association of New South Wales (MANSW)
URL: https://www.mansw.nsw.edu.au
Maths Inside - University of Technology Sydney
https://www.mathsinside.uts.edu.au
Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute (AMSI)
https://amsi.org.au
Mathematical Association of Victoria - free 14-video course for high school teachers who are teaching maths out of field
https://www.mav.vic.edu.au/Resources/Build-Me-Up
Khan Academy
https://www.khanacademy.org
Internet Archive (for older resources and textbooks)
URL: https://archive.org
PhotoMath App
https://photomath.com
Ethics approval can be a black box. That's why I'm keen to share my meanderings and ruminations about how I'm looking to tackle ethics for my PhD exploring self-perceptions of success of out-of-field teachers of mathematics and science.
Dr Greg Ashman, an experienced maths teacher and schoolleader from Clarendon College in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia shares practical strategies for out-of-field educators. Drawing on evidence-based practices like explicit instruction and cognitive load theory, Greg explains how these approaches can help teachers navigate unfamiliar maths content while building student understanding and confidence.
With a focus on clarity, scaffolding, and the importance ofprofessional collaboration, Greg offers actionable advice for K-12 teacherstackling maths teaching outside their specialisation. Whether you’re new to the subject or refining your methods, this ep offers valuable tools to enhance your teaching practice.
Links:
LinkedIn: Greg Ashman
https://linkedin.com/in/greg-ashman
Greg Ashman’s Blog: Filling the Pail
https://gregashman.wordpress.comCognitive Load Theory Resources
https://www.cognitiveloadtheory.com
Explicit Instruction: Resources for Teachers
https://explicitinstruction.org
Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers (AAMT)
https://aamt.edu.au
Greg Ashman’s Book: The Power of Explicit Teaching andDirect Instruction
https://www.amazon.com.au
Mathematical Association of Victoria (MAV)
https://mav.vic.edu.au
Professional Learning Resources for Out-of-Field Teachers
https://www.teacher.org.au
ResearchED Ballarat 2025
https://events.humanitix.com/researched-ballarat-2025
Heralding the 5th season of this humble, niche podcast. Find out about the theme for this year's Out-of-Field Teaching Across Specialisations international syposium to be held 7 to 8 February hybrid (online and in Belgrade, Serbia). And get an inkling of my ruminations for some (out-of-LEFT-field) ideas about which I'd like to present.
Link:
https://ooftas-collective.org/2025-symposium
A quick review of what the Out-of-Field Teaching Toolkit podcast has featured in season 4 in 2024 and what's coming up in 2025.
Any suggestions for interviewees or subjects for a future pod? Email margaret.paton1@gmail.com
Dr Mauricière de Govia, a New York-based educationleadership consultant, shares transformative insights for teachers stepping into unfamiliar subject areas. Drawing from decades of experience, Dr de Govia discusses the power of mentorship, the importance of consistent supportstructures, and the role of school leaders in fostering teacher and student success. Find out how ‘blackboard configuration’ consistency across a school helps everyone from students, teachers, leaders and parents. She alsohighlights strategies for navigating change, maintaining professional identity, and building resilience in challenging times. This conversation has useful strategies for teachers, education leaders, and policymakers committed tosupporting out-of-field educators.
Links:
Dr de Govia’s YouTube channel
https://youtube.com/@themaverickmavendrmauri?si=aYGbcepk--NjFhVw
On LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/drmauricieredegovia/
On Medium.com https://mdegovia.medium.com/
https://triplethreat.polishedsolid.com/mauriciere-de-govia/
Contact Dr Mauri on Thedegoviagroup@gmail.com
Former elementary school music teacher, Dr Guilana Conti, shares her insights into K-8 music pedagogies. She’s the Director of Operations and Equity at MusicWorkshop, a not-for-profit organisation. Dr Conti talks about the new hip hop curriculum launching late 2024 and shares how culturally responsive teaching can transform out-of-field teaching experiences.
Music Workshop was founded in the US by Amy Richter in 2012 and now offers free, culturally responsive music curricula and professional development to K-8teachers, helping 6M+ children across 100 countries. Links:
www.musicworkshopedu.org
https://www.linkedin.com/in/giulianaconti/
Dr Conti on another podcast talking about Music Workshop’s new Hip Hop course
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/does-olympic-breaking-reveal-we-need-to-go-back-to-school/id1473486455?i=1000665043114
This episode explores OOFT with Ebony Love, who has 15 years in education, now leads continuous improvement for teacher preparation in Texas and is tackling a PhD. She talks about how alternative certification, mentor programs, and new policies are changing the landscape for Texas teachers. Ebony’s story of moving from a chemistry background into debate coaching and gaining multiple teaching certifications highlights the possibilities of out-of-field teaching—and the hurdles teachers face. Draw insights on how Texas is leading efforts to support teachers’ growth and adaptability. She also shares her perspectives on how support structures can make or break the experiences of out-of-field teachers and impact their career longevity.
Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ebony-love-59770050/
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ebony-Love-4
Texas schools are hiring more teachers without traditionaltraining. They hope the state will pay to prepare them -The Texas Tribune - 4 September 2024
Tired of the blame-and-punish cycle in your classroom? Learn how restorative practices can offer a more effective and empowering approach to discipline andclassroom management. Adam Voigt, a leading expert in the field, joins us to discuss how out-of-field teachers can implement restorative practices to create a positive and inclusive learning environment for all students.
Links:
https://adamvoigt.com.au/about/
https://realschools.com.au/about/#:~:text=Adam%20Voigt&text=Just%20some%20of%20his%20achievements,school%20as%20it's%20inaugural%20Principal.
TED talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33caV5TymXM
Michaela Epstein, a former president of the Mathematical Association of Victoria (Australia), discusses her work with Maths Teacher Circles, an initiative she started in 2020 to offer professional learning opportunities for in-field and out-of-field teachers of mathematics. It’s all about collaboration. In this pod, Michaela highlights the value of making connections within maths and encouraging mathematical reasoning. She also emphasises the importance of helping students retain learned material, using cognitive science research and practical classroom strategies. Have a listen and check out her free resources, too.
Links:
Get Michaela's 10 most popular maths tasks: https://www.mathsteachercircles.org/OOF
Slow Reveal Graphs: https://slowrevealgraphs.com/
Which One Doesn't Belong: https://www.wodb.ca/
Internationally renowned expert in science and sustainability education, Associate Professor Peta White, from Deakin University, Australia, shares her tips & insights for educators. Out-of-field teachers will learn about a range (and sequence) and super-practical pedagogies to enliven science and sustainability curriculain your classrooms, and how explicit teaching features as part of the mix. Sustainability is a cross-curriculum priority in Australian K-12 schools. Multi-award winner Peta explains how collaboration is her secret sauce to being a prolific research scholar. She is the co-director of the Centre for Regenerating Futures at Deakin. Be sure to check out the links below, including for the upcomingAustralian Education Summit.
Links:
Deakin Uni profile: https://experts.deakin.edu.au/11457-peta-white
OECDprofile from a previous event: https://www.oecd-events.org/cop28/speaker/54cb616c-5085-ee11-8923-6045bd8eadf6/peta-white
Centre for Regenerating Futures
https://www.deakin.edu.au/faculty-of-arts-and-education/research/centre-for-regenerating-futures
https://regeneratingfutures.deakin.edu.au/
PISA 2025 Science Framework
https://pisa-framework.oecd.org/science-2025/
Sustainability in the Australian K-12 curriculum
https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/cross-curriculum-priorities/sustainability/
Australian Climate Change Education Summit 18 October 2024
https://events.humanitix.com/australian-climate-change-education-summit
and
https://ccesummitaustralia.deakin.edu.au
Australia Council for Educational Research | GlobalClimate Change Education infographic
https://www.teachermagazine.com/au_en/articles/infographic-climate-change-education-around-the-world?utm_source=CM&utm_medium=Bulletin&utm_campaign=20August
Deakin University’s Graduate Certificate of Sustainability
https://www.deakin.edu.au/course/graduate-certificate-sustainability
One of the75 notable British-Pakistani academics, Professor Nadia Siddiqui of Durham University in the UK offers comparative insights into Pakistani and UKeducation systems, but also the early childhood education sector. If you’re an out-of-field teacher in junior primary/elementary, it’s helpful to know the milestones your students should have reached before they started ‘big’ school. Nadia shares her expertise to guide you.
Links:
https://www.durham.ac.uk/staff/nadia-siddiqui/
Education Endowment Foundation – UK (check out their evidence and resources from early years, K-12 and beyond)
https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/
Early Intervention Foundation – evidence panel
https://www.eif.org.uk/people/nadia-siddiqui
History curricula can delve into complex and potentiallydistressing topics. So, how can you approach these subjects sensitively using trauma-informed teaching practices when you’re teaching out-of-field? Cathy Baron,President of the Australian History Teachers’ Association, shares her insights on this challenging issue. Her top tips include seeking guidance from experienced history teachers in your school or beyond, taking the time to learnthe content and complete worksheets before introducing them to your class, understanding your student cohort, mastering the skill of unpacking source documents (with her expert advice), and exploring professional development opportunities tailored for new and returning history teachers.
P.S. Current data on out-of-field history teaching isscarce. The most recent (2020) Australian figures show that 36% of humanities classes, including history, were taught by out-of-field teachers. In New SouthWales, at least a quarter of history classes were led by out-of-field teachers in 2023. (See the AHA resource in the links below).
Links:
The History Teachers’ Association of Australia
https://www.historyteacher.org.au/
Out-of-Field History Teaching in Australian Schools, summary sheet from the AustralianHistorical Association, 2023
https://theaha.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/AHA-Out-of-Field-Teaching-in-Australian-Schools-Summary-13-December-2023.pdf
National History Education Clearing House (US)
https://teachinghistory.org/
Edutopia:Teaching the Complexities of History
https://www.edutopia.org/article/teaching-complexities-history/
TheHistorical Association (UK)
https://www.history.org.uk/
Historiana.eu(Europe)
https://historiana.eu/
Update about the Out-of-Field Teaching Across Specialisations international symposium held 22-23 Aug 2024.
Links:
Official symposium website – scroll down to the ‘program and recordings’ to get the recordings
https://ooftas-collective.org/symposium-2024
OOTAS website
https://ooftas-collective.org/
The pod takes a deep dive into a successful mathematics retraining and mentoring program for teachers in the Australian state of NSW. Cassie Portelli and SimoneRichardson explain.
Links:
Enhance your Career: https://education.nsw.gov.au/teach-nsw/enhance-your-career
Mathematics Retraining Program: https://education.nsw.gov.au/teach-nsw/enhance-your-career/mathematics-retraining-program
Mathematics Mentoring Program: https://education.nsw.gov.au/teach-nsw/enhance-your-career/mathematics-mentoring-program
Miriam Lees, a former engineer turned maths teacher, head teacher and now an educational consultant with the Mathematical Association of NSW, Australia, sheds light on one of her favourite topics: trigonometry. Typically introduced in Years 9 and 10 in NSW schools, this subject builds upon the foundation of Pythagoras' Theorem, taught around Year 8. Miriam believes trigonometry can be easy to grasp when taught step-by-step. However, she emphasises the importance of providing a broader context to prevent students from viewing it as a mere 'black box' of formulas. By revealing the trigonometric ratios as shortcuts derived from similar triangles, she helps students see the underlying logic and appreciatethe elegance of the subject.
Links:
MathematicsNSW – MANSW
https://www.mansw.nsw.edu.au/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/miriam-lees-52a956154/?originalSubdomain=au
You won’t need to teach physics out of field by sitting on a bed of nails – the latter is part of the outreach science courses run by Ben Newsome, founder/CEO of FizzicsEducation. As a former biology-and-physics trained high school teacher, he explains how you can leverage your in-field area to teach physics; that physics can be distilled into four main concepts and an empty shoebox is your go-to prop to demonstrate those concepts. Oh, and don’t teach physics in a silo – reach out to your network, peers in the staff from, Fizzics Education and preference authoritative websites (with .edu or .gov domains) for yourresources. Learn more about bringing physics to life in your class.
Links:
Ben on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-newsome-cf-03169734/
https://courses.fizzicseducation.com.au/
NSW Dpt ofEducation Physics resources
https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/science/planning-programming-and-assessing-science-11-12/Physics
ANSTO
https://www.ansto.gov.au/education/resources
NationalScience Foundation (U.S)
https://www.nsf.gov/news/classroom/physics.jsp
OnlineTeaching Resources for Physics Instructors (U.S.)
https://physics.tcnj.edu/online-teaching-resources-for-physics-instructors/
AmericanAssociation of Physics Teachers
https://www.aapt.org/Resources/K-12.cfm
EuropeanPhysical Society – pedagogical resources
https://www.eps.org/page/edu_resources_eu
The PhysicsEducator
https://www.worldscientific.com/worldscinet/tpe
Find out what's in store for season 4 for this podcast to start next Tuesday (29 July 2024)
Heads up about what's in store for season 4, to come out from July 2024. Any suggestions for interviewees? Let me know on margaret.paton1[at]gmail.com.
Is a nationally consistent system for upskillingout-of-field teachers of mathematics in Australia possible? Professor Merrilyn Goos, from the University of the Sunshine Coast, and co-author of a majorreport reviewing upskilling initiatives, talks about the potential path ahead and why we need action soon.
Links:
Professor Merrilyn Goos, University of the SunshineCoast https://research.usc.edu.au/esploro/profile/merrilyn_goos_1/overview?institution=61USC_INST
On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/merrilyn-goos-93381431/
AMSI rpt: Analysis of out-of-field secondarymathematics teacher upskilling initiatives in Australia
https://amsi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/maths-ooft-report.pdf
ACER’s interview with Professor Goos
https://www.teachermagazine.com/au_en/articles/podcast-special-out-of-field-teaching?utm_source=CM&utm_medium=Bulletin&utm_campaign=7May
An estimated two-thirds of primary and one-third of secondary school students in Australia don’t have access to music education. Out-of-field teachers of music can bepart of the solution. Find out how you can upskill through professional development. Music education teacher, scholar, conductor & leader, Dr Jason Goopy, from Edith Cowan University in Western Australia, explains how toupskill your music teaching, even if you’re starting from a low knowledge/experience base. Teach students not just about music, but how to do it. And he shares lots of professional learning options to get you started.
On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasongoopy/
Teenage Boys, Musical Identities, and Music Education: An Australian Narrative Inquiry https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781003438878/teenage-boys-musical-identities-music-education-jason-goopy
The ECU GradDipTeach in secondary music course
https://www.ecu.edu.au/newsroom/articles/news/surge-in-music-teachers-holds-new-promise-for-musicians-of-the-future
Australian Society for Music Education Professional Learning
https://asme.edu.au/events/
Australian Kodály Certificate Courses
https://kodaly.org.au/akc/
Music in Me (formerly the National Music Teachers Mentoring Program)
https://musicinme.au/
Emeritus Professor John Hattie has perused meta-analyses based on a quarter of a billion students covering decades of peer-reviewed and scholarly studies (2400 of them!). His goal? To quantify the effect size (or not) of a diverse range of influences on K-12 student learning.Surprisingly, his synthesis suggests the effect size from teachers’ subject matter knowledge is close to zero. He explains why there’s more to it than just thinking that means out-of-field teaching doesn’t matter.
Links:
University of Melbourne profile | Honorary Professorof Education John Hattie ONZM https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/profile/428067-john-hattie
Visible Learning https://visible-learning.org/
Hattie Family Foundation https://hattieff.org
Namibia, in south-west Africa, may be the most stable democracy on that continent, but out-of-field teaching rates are “alarming” and "negatively affecting the quality of education", says Professor Jairos Kangira from theUniversity of Namibia. Learn more about what OOFT looks like in his country and what they’re doing about it.Links:
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jairos-kangira-88544826/
Google Scholar https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=8W15W2wAAAAJ&hl=en
Professor Kangira’s opinion editorial https://neweralive.na/posts/opinion-untrained-teachers-haunt-africas-education-systems
The Out-of-Field Teaching Across Specialisations Collective https://ooftas-collective.org/
Pitch your presentation idea to the collective’s international symposium to be held online in August https://ooftas-collective.org/symposium-2024
Luminary Aussie mathematics teacher Eddie Woo offers his tips on how to get over your and your students’ mathematics anxiety – tap into it, he says, to become a more empathic teacher. Eddie cautions teachers against just focusing on procedures and rules – you need fluency and understanding of mathematical concepts, too. If you’re looking to retrain as a mathematics teacher in NSW, be sure to check out the education department’s offerings, he says.
Links:
MisterWooTube https://www.youtube.com/@misterwootube
https://www.linkedin.com/in/misterwootube/
Eddie’s University of Sydney profile
https://www.sydney.edu.au/arts/about/our-people/academic-staff/eddie-woo.html
NRICH Maths
https://nrich.maths.org/frontpage
Math with Bad Drawings
https://mathwithbaddrawings.com/
Nix the Tricks
https://nixthetricks.com/
Why is it OK to say you can’t do maths?
My Medum.com story about a panel Eddie Woo was on.
https://medium.com/p/18b4ff5a12ea
NSW Education Department mathematics retraining program
https://education.nsw.gov.au/teach-nsw/enhance-your-career/mathematics-retraining-program
NSW Education Department Maths Trains Brains
https://education.nsw.gov.au/schooling/parents-and-carers/going-to-school/everyday-maths/languages
Leon Furze is a much-published author, high-school English teacher and school leader, now education consultant and PhD student delving in AI. He explains how out-of-field teachers (and schools overall) can use this emerging technology – and manage the risks, too.
Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonfurze/
https://leonfurze.com/
Practical AI Strategies: Engaging with Generative AIin Education
https://ambapress.com.au/products/practical-ai-strategies#:~:text=Leon%20Furze%20prompts%20educators%20to,to%20work%20with%20generative%20AI.
And while we're on the subject of teaching English out of field, here's another perspective.
Chances are if you’re teaching English out of field, Shakespeare will be on your text list. Dr Duncan Driver, Assoc Dean ofEducation at the University of Canberra, explains how to bring the bard to life in your classroom. Get inspired to teach English well with his these and other strategies – there’s not just one way to teach English well. Duncan’s a wordsmith with a PhD in Shakespeare and has worked in academia, journalism,theatre directing and acting.
Links:
https://www.canberra.edu.au/about-uc/faculties/education/staff/duncan-driver
http://duncandriver.tumblr.com
https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=oCmEjR8AAAAJ&hl=en
All Australian K-12 teachers should embed into their lessons the cross-curricula priority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people's culture and history. But, how to go about it if you’re feeling out-of-field? Proud First Nations woman, high-schoolteacher, union activist, and part-time law student Alex Leon demystifies what’s involved.
Links:
Alex Leon: Seeds of Change – Australian Education Union
https://www.aeufederal.org.au/news-media/news/2023/seeds-change
The Australian Curriculum v. 8.4
https://australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/cross-curriculum-priorities/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-histories-and-cultures/
8 Aboriginal Ways of Learning
https://australianstogether.org.au/other-resources/education/?authuser=0
https://cultureislife.org/education/?authuser=0
https://indigenousknowledge.unimelb.edu.au/curriculum?authuser=0#learning-areas
https://www.nma.gov.au/learn/digital-classroom?authuser=0
https://www.narragunnawali.org.au/curriculum-resources?authuser=0
https://healingfoundation.org.au/?authuser=0
https://www.sbs.com.au/learn/?authuser=0
https://cool.org/search?term=
Some of the above curriculum links require you to join as a member to access the resources (which takes two seconds and is free to do so).
https://www.8ways.online/
Map of Indigenous Australia – AIATSIS
https://aiatsis.gov.au/explore/map-indigenous-australia
When Australia’s First Nations people weregranted citizenship and all the rights other citizens have
https://www.aap.com.au/factcheck/indigenous-citizenship-myth-shrouds-1967-referendum/
1962 – when Aboriginal Australians were giventhe right to vote
https://digital-classroom.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/indigenous-australians-granted-https://education.nsw.gov.au/schooling/parents-and-carers/going-to-school/everyday-maths/primary/resources/five-ways-maths-is-used-in-aboriginal-culture-:~:text=Five%20ways%20maths%20is%20used%20in%20Aboriginal%20culture%20from%20counting,symbols%2C%20storytelling%20and%20land%20markers.right-vote
Mabo decision – National Museum of Australia
https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/mabo-decision
Northern Territory (NT) intervention – AmnestyInternational Report
https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/SEC010032010ENGLISH.pdf
Australian Capital Territory – EducationDirectorate | Teaching and Learning Resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education
https://www.education.act.gov.au/public-school-life/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-education/teaching-and-learning-resources
NSW Education Dpt – Embedding Aboriginal andTorres Strait Islander people's perspective through program and practice
https://education.nsw.gov.au/early-childhood-education/leadership/news/embedding-aboriginal-perspectives
NSW Education Dpt -Five ways maths is used in Aboriginal cultures
https://education.nsw.gov.au/schooling/parents-and-carers/going-to-school/everyday-maths/primary/resources/five-ways-maths-is-used-in-aboriginal-culture#:~:text=Five%20ways%20maths%20is%20used%20in%20Aboriginal%20culture%20from%20counting,symbols%2C%20storytelling%20and%20land%20markers.
Embedding Indigenous Knowledges – Mathematics Hub
https://www.mathematicshub.edu.au/plan-teach-and-assess/teaching/embedding-indigenous-knowledges/
Incorporating Indigenous perspectives – Primary Connections & Australian Academy of Science
https://primaryconnections.org.au/resources-and-pedagogies/indigenous-perspectives-frameworkDeadlyEd – for free resources including ‘Is this an appropriate First Nations resource?’ – A checklist for educators
https://www.deadlyed.com.au/blogs/news/an-easier-way-to-incorporate-aboriginal-perspectives
https://www.deadlyed.com.au/blogs/news/an-easier-way-to-incorporate-aboriginal-perspectives
A former Australian English high-school teacher, Carolyn Newall has taught across the globe. She’s pouring her expertise and energy into a running a new coaching program for those teaching English out of field. And she shares her tips and approaches to teaching English well.
Links:
https://www.weteachwell.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolyn-newall/
https://www.weteachwell.com/wtw-world-lit-podcast/
Ruminating over the gigification of teaching is what Professor Lucas Walsh and his team at Monash University are doing right now. So, we’ve got in early to hear his thoughts on this hot research topic and I’ve offered my two-cents’ worth as along-time gig worker in three sectors. In this pod, Lucas takes an ecological view of teaching – seeing it as part of a bigger system. He also touches on his significant work, updated yearly, on the Australian Youth Barometer, and how this could play into teaching as a gig.
Links:
https://research.monash.edu/en/persons/lucas-walsh
https://www.monash.edu/education/cypep/research/life-disrupted-young-people-education-and-employment-before-and-after-covid-19
https://www.monash.edu/education/cypep/research/young-women-choosing-careers-who-decides
https://bridges.monash.edu/articles/report/Young_people_navigating_working_life_in_and_beyond_the_gig_economy/24070035
Brief sneak peek at what's coming up in 2024 and an update on how my PhD into success stories about out-of-field high school teaching of mathematics and science is going. Season 3 starts late Jan.
Out-of-field teaching is all about ‘boundary crossing’(Hobbs, 2013) and this interview with UK doctoral student and academic Fiona Yardley highlights that journey. She has experienced teaching maths out of field, then in-field. Fiona’s researching how out-of-field teachers conceptualise maths through a critical complex theoretical lens and YES, she’schallenging the deficit discourse. She’s the Director of Learning and Teacher for the School of Teacher education at Canterbury Christ Church University.
Links:
https://www.canterbury.ac.uk/people/fiona-yardley
Presentation for the UNESCO/OOF-TAS October 2023conference
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw9JnFlaY74
Presentation for the OOF-TAS collective in 2021
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FDUUJ2bkWc
If you’re teaching mathematics outside of your qualification area in an Australian high school, listen up. A new highly subsidised part-time 12-week microcredential could be for you. Dr Lewes Peddell, a lecturer in maths and music ed at Southern Cross University talks about this new offering that kicks off in March 2024. We get under the hood to find out what’s involved in setting up this course, what it will cover, mentoring, and how it connects to the university’s other mathematics education programs.
Links:
Microcredential maths teaching course
https://www.scu.edu.au/study/education/mathematics-for-oof-teachers/
Orchid http://www.orcid.org/0000-0001-8947-877X
Google Scholar https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?hl=en&pli=1&user=zGYkTVUAAAAJ
Research Gate https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Lewes_Peddell
Where out-of-field maths teachers are welcome to lurk – previous Out-of-Field Teaching Toolkit Podcast episodeabout a project related to Dr Peddell’s work: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/margaret-paton/episodes/Where-out-of-field-maths-teachers-are-welcome-to-lurk-e1s9q9n/a-a9241vb
Curious if mathematical word problems are easier if your native language is Chinese or English? Find out in this episode when Italk to an ex history/maths teacher, with an applied linguisticsbackground, who has gone on to specialise in academia in mathematics. Professor Linda Galligan from the University of Southern Queensland in Australia is the Head of School and Dean of Mathematics, Physics and Computing. Some staff inher school teach mathematics content to pre-service teachers, and teachers who want to retrain in this content area; whilethe School of Education takes care of their mathematicspedagogy. While it’s an interesting division, good communication between the schools ensures it works.
Links:
University profile: https://staffprofile.usq.edu.au/profile/HOS-MathsPhysicsandComputing
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-galligan-usq/
PhD researcher, Yasser Meneses, hails from Nicaragua and is traversing the continents for his project to compare out-of-field teaching at an international level. He's unpacking the OECD’s Teaching and Learning International Survey, known as TALIS. Based at the University of Sydney in Australia, he’ll also peruse education policies in countries with higher and lower incidences of OOFT and interview policy stakeholders for more insights into the understanding and beliefs of OOFT in these countries. Find out how Yasser’s project is going – he’s almost half-way through.
Hundreds of people have read this story from my Medium.com profile since I first posted it in December 2018. Perennial tips on offer from my days of teaching high-school mathematics as a relief teacher.
Check out the print version here to access the links I mention:
https://medium.com/@margaretpaton/eight-tips-for-substitute-math-teachers-from-someone-who-is-one-38b10094cca5
What is the emotional labour of teaching, how is it different for out-of-field teachers and how can they manage it? Dr SaulKarnovsky from the School of Education at Curtin University in Western Australia, explains.
Links: /profile/view/Saul.Karnovsky
After studying journalism as an undergraduate, Jennie Darcy went on to teach English in regional Australian high schools for20+ years. Despite her own background deficits in studying literature, this became an area of passion. However, it also raised many questions for her about the value and purpose of studying texts and how best to engage resistant readers in country towns. Fast forward to now and she’s finishing her PhD during which she studied primary-trained educators as they transitioned into high-school English teaching. Together Jennie and these teachers re-imagined the joys, pleasures and affective value of reading literary fiction as they breathed life back into text study in junior English classrooms.
Jennie Darcy, Casual Academic, Deakin University
https://www.deakin.edu.au/about-deakin/people/jennie-darcy
Her three-minute thesis (she was a Deakin University finalist)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iaz-6PoHmnk
Hear the highlights of the 10th annual Out-of-Field Teaching Across Specialisations international symposium from Professor Raphaela Porsch. It was held 20-21 August, 2023 bended online and Glasgow.
Links:
https://ooftas-collective.org/2023-symposium (you might need to check back for the presentation recordings, please note)
John Southon, principal of Trundle Central School (K-12) in western NSW, Australia, takes this pod to a context we’ve not yet explored – what it’s like teaching out of field in a rural school. Once you travel 5km away from this site, the internet stops.
John left high school early and “functionally illiterate”, then took the long road to teaching.
He says OOFT is core business for teaching: “look at the title of the role – ‘teacher’”, he says. John explains how he supports OOF teachers and hooks into distance ed for expert teachers elsewhere. This is teaching done differently going by the school’s motto: ‘A challenging & learning environment’.
This pod was recorded on the lands of the Wiradjuri people in Central West NSW, Australia. I pay my respects to their elders, past, present emerging here on this land and on the lands on which you listen to this pod. Please note, the views expressed in this interview are those of the speakers, not necessarily the institutions for which they work or study at. Links: https://trundle-c.schools.nsw.gov.au/
NSW education department’s Rural Experience Program
https://education.nsw.gov.au/teach-nsw/enhance-your-career/rural-experience-program?gclid=CjwKCAjws7WkBhBFEiwAIi168-0mEkWHX9ItFLA8Wy4t3_pEO84jqyJjmLhc37ADlFZS53I5Vtyw3RoC_CkQAvD_BwE
An Australian Council for Education Research report says in remote locations more than a quarter of high-school classes are taught by an OOFT compared to 14% in metropolitan areas. (Weldon, 2016)
https://research.acer.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1005&context=policyinsights#:~:text=THE%20REPORT%20IN%20A%20NUTSHELL,-In%20this%20report&text=About%2016%20per%20cent%20of,per%20cent%20in%20metropolitan%20locations.
The pod welcomes back Associate Professor Linda Hobbs from Deakin University, Australia, who's the co-convenor of the Out-of-Field Teaching Across Specialisations Collective. The 10th annual international symposium is on 20-21 August 2023, in person at Glasgow Uni or online - yep, it's hybrid. Researchers, teachers, policy makers and more will gain a lot from it. Find out more about the program here and how to register to attend (FREE). Professor Raphaela Porsch from Germany is the co-convenor and the pod will do a post-mortem interview with her to hear about the highlights.
https://ooftas-collective.org/2023-symposium
Four decades of teaching (with some breaks) across three countries has given Canadian-based teacher Lydia Jakovac a good insight into this profession and as well as comparisons with other sectors. Thanks to the US designating her as ‘in field K-12’, she’ll technically never be out-of-field, but as she reflects, she’s felt out-of-field even while being in field. Find out how a Melbourne, Victoria trained maths and geography high school teacher journeyed to her most “rewarding and fun” current role as an elementary teacher in rural British Columbia.
This pod was recorded on the land of the Wuradjuri people, in Central West NSW, Australia and I pay my respects to their elders – past, present and emerging. Please note the view expressed on this pod are of the speakers, not necessarily the institutions for which they work or study at. If you enjoy listening to this pod, please like and share it on your podcasting platform and get in touch if you’d like to suggest a future interviewee. Contact Margaret.paton1@gmail.com,
Policies and national frameworks for teacher education, professional learning, teacher registration and more is the bread and butter of the Australian Institute of Teaching & School Leadership (AITSL). But all of that happens through a consultation process with the profession, education stakeholders and education ministers across Australia.
Danny Pinchas is AITSL’s General Manager – Teaching and School Leadership and explains how his organisation works with Australia’s eight educational jurisdictions, policy makers, professional associations, universities and unions and across all K-12 school sectors. AITSL is also collecting teacher workforce data and continues to drip feed insights, including about out-of-field teaching.
He also details how out-of-field teachers can tap into AITSL’s evidence-based resources, including ‘fly-on-the-wall’ videos from experienced teachers’ classrooms and how beginning teachers can be cyberly matched to an experienced mentor to help meet the professional standard ‘know the content and how to teach it’. And he notes that Australian universities are increasingly offering microcredentials to help out-of-field teachers upskill. Check out the pod for more.
Links:
AITSL Australian Teacher Workforce Data
https://www.aitsl.edu.au/research/australian-teacher-workforce-data
Danny Pinchas on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pinchas-022b0359/
AITSL Australian Teacher Workforce Data
https://www.aitsl.edu.au/research/australian-teacher-workforce-data
Australian teachers can access AITSL’s Facebook group, while overseas teachers will stil be able to access AITSL’s tools resources via its website
https://www.aitsl.edu.au/tools-resources Danny Pinchas on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pinchas-022b0359/
Listen to a luminary researcher who did the first research on out-of-field teaching and was instrumental in getting policymakers to enact a law against out-of-field teaching in the U.S. In the early 1990s, using large-scale national data, Professor Richard Ingersoll from the University of Pennsylvania, began studying the problem of OOFT -- teachers assigned to teach subjects in which they have no training or preparation. His work shows that OOFT is a school management issue, rather than a lack of teacher preparation or expertise. It has been a serious, but hidden, problem for most of the past century. Professor Ingersoll highlights the need to professionalise teaching, by expanding teacher "voice" in school decision-making, along with key stakeholders such as parents. He says solutions to the OOFT phenomenon include changing the culture of education, pivoting off the promising results of teacher-led schools, and the pockets of innovation in initial teacher education.
Links: Professor Ingersoll’s website: https://www.richardingersoll.com/. Under the tabs Impact, Publications and Presentations, you’ll find a section Teacher Preparation and Quality – for examples of his work on out-of-field teaching.
The No Child Left Behind Act (2001) was a federal law took effect in K-12 schools in the US from 2002 to 2015 and penalised schools that showed no improvement in students’ learning outcomes. https://www.britannica.com/topic/No-Child-Left-Behind-Act. Former President Obama rescinded unpopular provisions of that act when he brought in the Every Student Succeeds Act in 2015. Find out more about that act here: https://www.ed.gov/essa?src=rn
EducationHQ is an independent publisher that covers K-12 education news and features for Australian teachers and school leaders across all sectors – public, Catholic and independent. Editor Sarah Duggan has been at the helm for several years and delves into Twitter, research journals and more to keep tabs on educational issues. She shares her insights into the OOFT phenomenon, how her publication has covered it and why. Sarah says a common misconception in mainstream media sees teachers instead of the system blamed for this problem. You can hear her bent on OOFT in this pod.
To find out more about EducationHQ, visit: https://educationhq.com/; Twitter: @EducationHQ_AU
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-duggan-92aab597/?originalSubdomain=au
ACER’s ‘Out-of-field teaching in Australian secondary schools’ report by Dr Paul Weldon
https://research.acer.edu.au/policyinsights/6/
Two high-level longitudinal researchers offer their insights into OOFT through an educational psychology lens, which they describe as a very broad terrain.
Using the Job Demands Resources Model, they unpack what it means for a teacher to be embedded in multiple contextual layers. And, they knock on the head, the assumption that an effective teacher is effective in every context. It’s an issue of a teacher fitting into their environment.
Their recent work exploring the PISA data found some mathematics-qualified teachers were teaching other subjects out of field, NOT only maths. That revealed the OOFT phenomenon is about supply AND the distribution of teachers. They cover maths, science, STEM and more in this pod.
Help others find this pod – please rate and review it. And if you’re keen to suggest an interviewee for a future pod, get in touch via Margaret.paton1@gmail.com.
Links:
Professor Helen Watt, Director of Research Development (Social Sciences), Professor of Educational Psychology, University of Sydney, initiator of the Network Gender & STEM (www.genderandSTEM.com), Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, Fellow of the American Educational Research Association, and former Australian Research Council Future Fellow, https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=iFxaumYAAAAJ&hl=en
Professor Paul Richardson, School of Educational Psychology & Counselling, Monash University. He was previously Associate Dean Education and Associate Dean Research for the Faculty of Education at that university, too). https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lzYn0qMAAAAJ&hl=en
Here's the lowdown on how my PhD is going. I'm exploring perceptions of success of Australian out-of-field teachers of STEM-related subjects. Early days - still sharpening the saw. This is only week 26 of a six-year journey!
If you're a PhD student investigating OOFT and would love to share insights into your journey, please get in touch with me for a podcast interview. I'd love to include more voices. Email: margaret.paton1@gmail.com.
Dr Stephen Quirke is an assistant professor in mathematics education based at the School of STEM Education, Innovation and Global Studies at Dublin City University. He researches through the lens of teacher identity, focusing on mathematics teachers undertaking a national priority program that retrains out-of-field teachers to become in field. About 20% of his country’s maths teacher workforce are graduates. It’s huge! That program emphasises mathematical knowledge over how to teach it – mathematical pedagogical content knowledge. But, as his PhD research shows, there were some surprising results.Assistant Professor Quirke also offers insights into the teacher workforce – the numbers and percentages for demand and supply. If your country is lookingto deal with the issue of insufficient qualified mathematics teachers, this interview will be thought provoking.
Links:
Dr Stephen Quirke’s university profile https://www.dcu.ie/stemeducationinnovationglobalstudies/people/stephen-quirke
Irish Government priority areas for upskilling post-primary teachers
https://eurireland.ie/2021/04/06/ministers-announce-additional-places-for-post-primary-teachers-in-matha-physics-spanish-and-irish/
Dr Jennifer Bleazby, a teacher educator and researcher from Monash University, Victoria, Australia talks about best practices to help your students learn and critique religions, philosophies and world views. She explains how the subject Religious Instruction differs from General Religious Education in Australia. Dr Bleazby argues teaching GRE well is needed now more than ever to encourage tolerance of different perspectives. Chances are, OOF educators will teach GRE as part of humanities/social sciences, but there’s a shortage of teachers with ‘religious studies’ university qualifications. And the next time you use Cosmic Kids Yoga in your secular classroom, beware of the possible backlash. Dr Bleazby explains what you can do to be more ‘mindful’ of the sensitivities.
Links:
Dr Jennifer Bleazby, Senior Lecturer, School of Education, Culture and Society, Monash University https://research.monash.edu/en/persons/jennifer-bleazby
The (Australian) Victorian curriculum’s worldviews materials - an example of materials to support GRE taught within other school subjects, mostly humanities
https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/curriculum/foundation-10/crosscurriculumresources/Pages/WorldViewsandReligions.aspx
Social Education Victoria https://www.sev.asn.au/
Humanists Victoria - Check out their learning resources here https://vichumanist.org.au/resources/
Rationalists Society – Dr Bleazby has received a research grant to investigate religious education in Australian public schools.
https://rationalist.com.au/research-grants-program/
Taking a zigzag path to eventually becoming a luminary in international mathematics education - that’s Merrilyn Goos’ back story in a nutshell. These days’ she’s a Professor of Education at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. She’s also the Vice-President of the International Commission on Mathematics Instruction. She directed an innovative program to retrain out-of-field high school teachers of mathematics in Ireland from 2017 to 2020. And, she wrote the award-winning book, Teaching Secondary School Mathematics (Allen & Unwin). Professor Goos shares her experience of teaching out-of-field and the journey to becoming a maths education specialist and beyond.
Do you have any comments about this podcast or would you like to suggest an interviewee for afuture episode? Get in touch – margaret.paton1@gmail.com.
Links:
Professor Goos’ USC profile: https://www.usc.edu.au/staff/professor-merrilyn-goos
International Commission on Mathematics Instruction: https://www.mathunion.org/icmi
Professor Kim Beswick explains why. She’s been quizzed in state parliament about out-of-field teaching and, by day, is the director of the Gonski Institute for Education at the University of NSW, Australia. Professor Kim Beswick also researches equity issues and heads mathematics education for her university. She talks about why those teaching maths need to understand the content before they look at the pedagogy – how to teach it.
Her UNSW profile: https://www.unsw.edu.au/staff/kim-beswick
The transcript of her answering questions about out-of-field teaching from the Measurement and outcome-based funding in NSW schools – State Parliament’s education committee 29 November 2019
https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/lcdocs/transcripts/2283/Transcript%20-%20Measurement%20and%20outcome-based%20funding%20in%20New%20South%20Wales%20schools%20-%2029%20Nov%202019%20-%20corrected.pdf
Measure and outcome-based funding in NSW Schools. Informed by the Data: Evidence-based education in NSW
https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/lcdocs/inquiries/2539/PC3%20-%20Final%20Report%20-%20Measurement%20and%20outcome%20based%20funding%20in%20NSW%20schools%20-%2018%20February%202020.pdf
Dr Raphaela Porsch is a key player in the global Teaching-Across Specialisations Collective of researchers looking into the out-of-field teaching phenomenon. She writes in German and English. Here’s a link to her AD Scientific Index ranking https://www.adscientificindex.com/scientist/raphaela-porsch/1762605.
And, you can check out her research group at the university of Magdeburg: http://www.ewad.ovgu.de
Network "Fachfremdes Unterrichten" (it’s German group of the global Teaching-Across-Specialisations-Out-of-Field Teaching Collective)
This link is in German http://www.psysensus.de, so hopefully Google Chrome can translate that one for you.
Any feedback to this pod or suggestions for future interviewees? Contact margaret.paton1@gmail.com
Here's an insight into the tangly start of a PhD project researching the out-of-field teaching phenomenon. A neophyte researcher's baby steps into a very different writing world. If you're a PhD student - at any stage of your journey - looking into out-of-field teaching and would like to be interviewed on this podcast, get in touch via margaret.paton1@gmail.com. The more the merrier.
Be a fly on the wall to hear what goes into the decision-making of principals when they allocate high school teachers to teach outside of their qualification areas. The president of the Australian Secondary Principals’ Association talks about his own and his peers’ experience.
https://www.aspa.asn.au/
Like to offer your feedback to this episode or suggest someone for a future pod interview? Contact margaret.paton1@gmail.com
Greg Oates is an associate professor of mathematics education at the University of Tasmania, Australia. He’s taught maths from middle school to pre-service teacher education. We talk about teaching physical education out-of-field – you may know that plenty of PE teachers are roped into teaching maths out-of-field. Listen on to find out why! Plenty more here about teaching maths OOFT, too. Got any feedback or suggestions for future episodes? Email the host, margaret.paton1@gmail.com
out-of-field-teaching #K12education #teaching-math-out-of-field
Do you teach English out-of-field? Time to stomp and clap, says Dr Lucinda McKnight. Check out this pod to find out why. As well, did you know you could feel ‘out-of-field’ as an in-field English teacher if you taught a text you weren’t comfortable with or didn’t really know well? It can happen!
Dr McKnight is a senior lecturer at Deakin University in Victoria, Australia focusing on pedagogy and the curriculum. Her award-winning research into curriculum design looks at its role in teacher identity, autonomy and professionalism, esp. in English. She’s an ARC DECRA fellow and former English teacher, published poet/writer, and award-winning playwriter, too. You can find out more about her: https://blogs.deakin.edu.au/genderandeliteschools/dr-lucinda-mcknight/.
One of her best-performing research papers is called Meet the Phallic Teacher – that’s a teacher of any gender who’s ever more compliant. It explores designing curriculum and identity in a neoliberal imaginary. She talks about that paper and her exploration into out-of-field teaching as an educational researcher with a background in English and history teaching.
You can find the full transcript (lightly edited) here: https://realcommunications.com.au/teaching-english-out-of-field/
Dr William DeJean, founder/CEO of educational consultancy, Unleash Learning, aims to create "embedded, systematic, long-lasting change" in schools so learning sticks. He explains how OOF teachers feature in that. Dr DeJean has lectured at universities, and worked with schools in the USA (in his then home-state of California) and Australia - with each school, he has a three-year process to embed a teaching-and-learning system throughout the school. As well, formerly as a high school teacher, he was named teacher of the year among 26,000 teachers in San Diego County.
A lightly edited transcript of this interview will be available shortly on https://realcommunications.com.au/
Listen to a professor of mathematics, Colleen Vale, from Monash University in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, share her research insights into how out-of-field maths teachers can be better supported. Her research interests include inclusion, gender equity and digital technologies as well as STEM education. Colleen is based at the university’s School of Curriculum Teaching & Inclusive Education.
Or you can listen to a lightly edited transcript.
In this season, I (Margaret Paton, your host) already have several interviews with researchers and an education consultant already in the bag. Feel free to share your feedback about the podcast, and I welcome your suggestions for future interviewees. Contact me at margaret.paton1@gmail.com.
I’m on a quest to move beyond just perpetuating a negative discourse about out-of-field teaching. I’m a specialist education journalist and a part-time PhD student at Deakin University looking into out-of-field teaching. I don’t represent Deakin University in this podcast – all views I utter are my own.
The Out-of-Field Teaching Toolkit podcast is about building a community of practice for researchers, teachers, policymakers, educational consultants, universities, education departments and unions.
out-of-field-teaching #K12education #teaching-math-out-of-field
Hear the highlights of the 15 or so episodes on season one of this podcast.
A huge thanks goes to Rich Bowden, whose expertise I call on for he audio editing of these episodes: https://www.richbowdenwriting.com.au/
Season 2 will start on International Teachers’ Day on Tuesday, 24 January, with a fresh episode issued each second Tuesday thereafter.
Please review my pod – I’d love to hear what you think. It also helps others find this podcast.
And, any feedback, comments, suggestions for topics/interviewees, please let me know. You can reach me via email on margaret.paton1@gmail.com.
The Mathematics Association of NSW (MANSW) has been working with South Cross University’s TEACHLABto tackle the ‘wicked problem’ of how to upskill and support out-of-field maths teachers in regional, rural and remote areas of Australia. It’s had some good results using the framework of a community of practice for in-field and out-of-field teachers to rub shoulders together (metaphorically).
The project, called ‘An investigation into factors impacting on the development of teacher-of-mathematics identity and retention in regional, rural and remote areas of NSW’, is headed by Professor David Lynch and MANSW provided the funding.Find out more about the project from this interview with MANSW’s executive officer, Darius Samojlowicz. You can check out his research papers on ResearchGate.
And, this podcast welcomes your feedback as well as suggestions for people to interview and out-of-field teaching/teacher issues to cover for the second season. It will kick off 24 Jan 2023.
Dr Jim Van Overschelde stands out from the pack of researchers – he takes a quantitative approach to exploring this phenomenon. He’s an Associate Professor in Curriculum & Instruction and Co-Director, Evaluation and Research at Texas State University. Texas is unusual in its comprehensive collection of data that tracks people throughout their education. It even goes granular so, as Dr Van Overschedule explains, you can link student performance to whether or not they’ve been taught by out-of-field teachers for particular subjects. We’re not talking PISA, TIMMS here either.
Check out the pod for more details.
You can also check out his papers on Google Scholar, and Acadamia.
Are you an out-of-field teacher, researcher or have an interest as a consultant, school leader, policymaker, or even a student or parent? Maybe you'd like to share your views in an upcoming podcast. Then get in touch with me via email margaret.paton1@gmail. I welcome ideas/angles for future podcasts, too, if you're feeling a bit shy about taking part in a podcast interview.
Can you imagine a first-year teacher fronting up to her principal and saying 'NO' to doing out-of-field teaching and offering the research to back that up? And then being able to teach only in-field - using her geography teaching qualification? Dr Susan Caldis, a lecturer in the School of Education at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia shares this anecdote as part of her deep dive into her PhD and subsequent research.
Resources:
Decadal Plan/ Strategic Plan for the Discipline of Geography https://www.science.org.au/files/userfiles/support/reports-and-plans/2018/geography-decadal-plan.pdf
The GEOG Standards: https://agta.asn.au/files/Professional%20Standards/geogstandards.pdf
Susan also has a chapter in this tome about OOFT: Hobbs, L. & Porsch, R. (Eds) (2022). Out-of-field Teaching Across Teaching Disciplines and Contexts. Springer.
Cassandra Portelli is an award-winning mathematics teacher, who says she wasn’t a ‘maths champion’ while studying at uni. She started her career teaching everything except science from kindergarten through to Year 12. These days, she’s the Head Teacher of Mathematics at Hunter School of Performing Arts, in Broadmeadow, NSW, Australia, and has a particular interest in building her students’ financial literacy. She shares loads of tips and tactics for educators teaching maths out of field. You can connect with her on LinkedIn.
Here's an update on my progress towards getting my foot into the PhD program at Deakin University, Victoria, Australia, to research out-of-field teaching.
Resources mentioned:
The Doctoral Experience (book)
On the Origin of Stories (book)
Tara Brabazon - website, YouTube channel
Thesis Whisperer (blog)
On The Reg (podcast)
Grad Coach (website) - not Graduate Coach as I called it in the pod
Seven Vinton is the Professional Learning and Curriculum Leader at Oberon High School in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. He segued into teaching and has distinguished himself as possibly the only out-of-field teacher who co-wrote not one but two text books for the subject in which he was teaching out of field. In this episode, you'll hear how he segued into the role and is building upon it.
Liz Jackson is a former PE high school teacher who runs professional development for K-12 educators running entrepreneurial programs for 150 schools in Sydney, Australia. She says even educators teaching content that’s ‘in field’, (i.e. they’ve got the university qualifications) still feel 'out of field' when they teach entrepreneurial education. Her role also covers online learning, upskilling, and pathways for teachers.
And Liz is also working on a PhD to detail the ecosystem of schools involved in entrepreneurialism – either their own in-house programs or by partnering with industry/other organisations. Her work aims to recognise, classify, evaluate and measure program effectiveness. If your Australian K-12 school runs an entrepreneurship program, get in touch with Liz as she’s keen to interview teachers. Reach out to her on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-jackson-19ab83119/
She’ll also be presenting at the upcoming Spark Festival – Australia’s Festival of Innovation, Tech, and Ideas, which runs from 12-27 October 2022. https://sparkfestival.co/
Introducing Dr Paul Weldon, a senior research fellow from the Australian Centre for Educational Research (LinkedIn). His authoritative research into out-of-field teaching in high schools makes for interesting reading because it shows how each state and territory in Australia define OOFT differently.
Please note: more detailed show notes and transcripts will become available over time.
Are you an out-of-field teacher who wants to experience success? Then listen on! I quiz a teacher who enjoys hopping from subject to subject, continuously learning and challenging himself. He sees himself as a teacher first, rather than a specialist teacher. Is Justin onto something? Maybe he's the teacher of the future. Here's a link to his YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/Promysta
Does the idea of doing an education-related PhD tickle your fancy? Come along for the ride as I update you on the progress of my quest to tackle a betwixt OOFT topic for a possible PhD. In this pod, I share my research proposal.
If you think a science teacher can't be out of field when they're teaching one of the science subjects in a school, think again. Dr Emily Rochette talks about what it was like for her as a chemistry graduate teaching earth sciences. These days she lectures in science education at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education at the University of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. Her PhD delved into positioning theory and she shares some highlights of that in our chat, particularly relating to out-of-field teaching. You can connect with Emily here: https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/profile/569618-emily-rochette.
Correna Haythorpe, president of the Australian Education Union, delves into the issues of out-of-field teaching.
In this special 5-minute episode, I talk about a little-known aspect of the teacher shortage ... teaching graduates who flounder in casual, relief & temporary teaching, often out-of-field, and their struggle to find a school to supervise them to proficiency so that can keep teaching. This is a snapshot of my journey.
Your host, Margaret Paton, talks about returning (part-time) to out-of-field teaching after a three-year break.
Former educator - and yes he's done a fair whack of out-of-field teaching - Ben Grozier founded and is the CEO of ClassCover (www.classcover.com.au) in 2011. It's a software platform that matches schools with teachers across Australia and New Zealand for casual, relief, temporary as well as permanent work. A spinoff is the Relief Teachers' Association, which holds an annual online or in-person conference. Ben sees out-of-field work as part and parcel of teaching - learn more about his platform, its plans, the association and Ben's views about out-of-field teaching.
Here's someone who researches out-of-field teaching for a living - Associate Professor Linda Hobbs, from the School of Education at Deakin University, in Victoria, Australia. She's also that school's Associate Head of Research. You can find out more about her work here: https://www.deakin.edu.au/about-deakin/people/linda-hobbs
For a copy of the transcript of this recording, please email the podcast host margaret.paton1@gmail.com.
Do you teach a school subject or stage for which you're not qualified? Then this fortnightly podcast is for you. I'll be talking with experts about out-of-field teaching practice, research, policy, success stories and innovation.
Transcript:
Welcome to this new podcast about and for out-of-field teachers.
That’s when K-12 educators teach a subject without the necessary qualifications, according to the Out-of-Field – Teaching Across Specialisations Collective. And it’s happening a LOT due to the increasing school teacher shortages in Australia and globally.
I’m Margaret Paton, a former out-of-field teacher based in Australia and I’m also known as Margaret Jakovac when I put my novice academic researcher hat on. By trade, I’m an education writer and my words appear in The Australian Educator and The Australian Teacher Magazine.
Despite training as a primary or elementary school teacher, I preferred high school teaching. That’s how I landed in the out-of-field teaching space. Teaching Japanese was a hoot – I don’t know this language, but thanks to the substantive teacher leaving detailed lesson plans, and having smooth learning routines for her classes, it was a hoot. Teaching metal fabrication was my personal minefield. I couldn’t connect that to anything I knew, which was gnawingly obvious to the students. There’s no way I could reign in their behaviours to get them on task.
So, this podcast is part-therapy for me as out-of-field teacher for over seven years, on and off, which was at times harrowing. I also want to share success stories about out-of-field teaching done well –where school contexts offer the support such teachers need. I want to move beyond the deficit model of out-of-field teachers. It’s a fascinating space, and I hope you’ll think so, too.
Each fortnight, I’ll share my interviews with out-of-field teachers, as well as researchers, policymakers and even entrepreneurs who explore this space, and offer insights and possible solutions. We’ll talk about:
· the history of out-of-field teaching – did you know the US banned it for a few years this Millennium?
· What’s the state of play now?
· how can out-of-field teachers harness signature pedagogies to be on the front foot as they walk into classrooms
· You’ll learn how a beginning teacher successfully lobbied her principal, so she never had to take an out-of-field class – she had some convincing research to back up her claims, and a
· As well, we’ll check out what are the hot areas of research and, how can you keep tabs on them, and much more.
This podcast is created in Central West NSW, Australia, on the lands of the Wiradjuri people. I would like to acknowledge the Wiradjuri people who are the Traditional Custodians of the Land. I would also like to pay respect to the Elders, both past and present, of the Wiradjuri Nation and extend that respect to other Indigenous Australians who are listening.
So, look out for the first episode in a couple of weeks. I’ll talk to a researcher who’s an international expert in this area, with many symposia, conferences, books, research papers and projects to her name. Associate Professor Linda Hobbs from the School of Education at Deakin University in Victoria, Australia, is the first cab off the rank. And a discloser – she’s my university supervisor!
Please be sure to subscribe, so you get these insights straight into your news feed.
Thank you