Edition 1, April 2006
Letter from the Chair
In this first newsletter for 2006 I'd like to welcome the 436 teachers who have recently registered in the Northern Territory. Many of these newly registered teachers have just completed their university degrees and are embarking on their first year in professional employment. The Board wishes them a challenging and rewarding career.
This year the Board will be working closely with Charles Darwin University and Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education staff, as they review their preservice teacher education programs. Both institutions are consulting widely and providing an opportunity for all those involved to reconsider the needs of future teachers and students. The Board is fully engaged with these reviews and looks forward to working with all teachers involved in the process.
Secure website
On the 2005 renewal notice, registered teachers were asked if they were prepared to have their name and birth date appear on a registration list available to employers on a secure website.
While over 70% of teachers were happy with this proposal, some were doubtful that any website was secure, while others were concerned about possible misuse of the information.
For the registration list to be useful to employers, we needed to have 100% approval. As we did not get this level of support, the proposal was abandoned.
Thank you to everyone who gave us feedback, your comments were very much appreciated.
Statistics at a Glance
- All but 17% of teachers registered in 2005 renewed their registration for 2006.
- There are 4200 registered teachers in the Northern Territory.
- Applications for registration under mutual recognition laws account for 47% of new applications.
Literature review
Gallagher, C and Kiggins, J, 2005, ‘Boys Own Adventure Story’, Professional Educator, Vol 4, No. 4, pp13-17.
Great reading for any primary school teacher trying to engage boys in reading. This very practical research will inspire you and perhaps challenge you to rethink your literacy program, or affirm that you are already engaging boys in reading.
Professional Standards
Within the next few weeks every registered teacher will receive a copy of the Northern Territory Standards of Professional Practice for Teaching. This is an important document. The Board commends it to you as an affirmation of your current practice and an inspiration to your continued professional endeavours.
Please help us
The Teacher Registration Board sends out important communications to all registered teachers. For these to be effective, we need to have accurate postal addresses.
If you have changed your personal address or workplace, you can notify the Board by calling 8999 5964 or emailing trb@nt.gov.au
If you have changed your name, you will need to complete the Change of Details form on the TRB website and send in certified evidence of the change.
Behind the scenes
The Teacher Registration Board was established to ensure that only people who had suitable qualifications and were of good character were registered and remain registered.
While much of the Board’s work in this area is confidential, it can report that it conducts a rigorous assessment process and denies registration to:
- people who are not appropriately qualified
- those whose English is not at a level suitable for teaching; and, less commonly
- those who are deemed to be not good character.
In addition to this work, the Board has conducted inquiries into allegations of unprofessional conduct and has investigated complaints against teachers.
As the Board requires a criminal history check only on application for registration, it has established protocols with the Commissioner of Police for the exchange of information so that criminal history data can be updated.
Overseas travel
The Teacher Registration Board is part of an international network of registration authorities. If you are planning to teach overseas, we may be able to put you in touch with the registration authority necessary for employment. Email us if you think we can help.
Apologies and thanks
Please accept TRB apologies for the inadequate proofreading of the last newsletter. Our thanks go to those teachers who so willingly engaged in the task of post-publication editing.
Committees of the Board
The Board has recently established four committees to assist it with its core business:
- the Professional Development and Course Accreditation Committee has cross-sector representation and has mapped out a full program for supporting professional development in the Northern Territory in 2006
- the Professional Standards and Ethics Committee also has a full schedule, as it works with teachers to put in place a full set of standards and an ethics statement by the end of the year
- the Inquiries and Complaints Committee has a schedule of policy development; as does
- the Registration Processes Committee.
Mutual Recognition within Australia
Some teachers registered in the Northern Territory have been concerned that having their registration recognised in other states has not been an automatic process.
Mutual recognition laws in Australia require the recognition of qualifications across state boundaries but entitle each registration authority to ask for a range of documents including an application form. This will mean that, if you apply for registration in another state under mutual recognition, you will to be required to submit an application form and provide documents relating to your personal details and academic qualifications. You will also be required to pay the set fee and, in most cases, consent to a criminal record check. Once you have met these requirements, you are assured that your application for registration will be approved.
Copies of the Mutual Recognition Acts are available on the Teacher Registration Board website.