Does Knowledge Matter? Technology Strategies for Out-of-Field Teaching.

The long expected, and inevitable teacher shortage is with us. In Victoria alone, as of March 2023 there were around 1000 vacancies, with the national figure estimated at more than 4000. The reasons for this are clear to all educators, but seemingly opaque to politicians and much of the public.  

However, those numbers do not take into account the huge number of teachers teaching out-of-field. Out-of-field teaching is when a ‘qualified’ teacher is teaching a subject they didn’t train in. So a teacher who did not study maths at university level or through their initial teacher education could find themselves teaching a maths class. The numbers of teachers in this position have been growing steadily and are far higher than 4000. At the same time there is a growing body of evidence that shows students don’t engage as well in classes with out-of-field teachers. And the same evidence shows that teachers don’t do well when they are teaching classes in subjects they are not familiar with.

This is a serious issue. Today we are very fortunate to have one of the global, leading voices in this field in the person of Associate Professor Linda Hobbs from Deakin University. 

The purpose here is not just to talk about the problems, but to look at how technology is, and can, be used to provide digital professional development for teachers. 

Join us as we hear from a panel of leading Australian educators talking about the issue and exploring how digital technologies can assist in supporting out-of-field teachers and slow the avalanche of teacher attrition.