<![CDATA[My Site - News]]>Wed, 20 May 2026 04:45:16 +1000Weebly<![CDATA[From Hors D'oevres to Main Course!]]>Tue, 24 Feb 2026 05:04:14 GMThttps://www.aats.org.au/news/from-hors-doevres-to-main-course
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Completion of the Alphacrucis NECSTEP* Research:
Publications, SETS Framework and More

​*Alphacrucis University College NECSTEP (National Embedded Cross Sector Teacher Education Pilot)
Research Publications
Continuing our food metaphor for the NECSTEP project, we have moved on from afternoon tea cupcakes to the main meal.  After discovering that sustained engagement was central to bonding the other factors for school embedded teacher training in Phase 1 of the project, the research team began to take the findings and develop some bite-sized pieces to share with the wider academic world. Three articles have been submitted to journals for review showcasing areas of the research. 
 
These areas include: 
  1. A case study of the overall NECSTEP project  
  2. An exploration of the central bond (Sustained Engagement)  
  3. A zoom in on the key ingredient, Mentoring, in the teaching school model 
 
​We are excited to share where you can read these in the coming year. 
School Embedded Teacher Support (SETS) Framework
The results of this project through Phase I and Phase II included input from every sector of the pre-service teacher training journey. This has allowed us to develop a framework to support mentors and pre-service teachers in their consideration of ‘professional readiness’. The School Embedded Teacher Support (SETS) Framework is a valuable resource that allows mentors and pre-service teachers to focus on elements of readiness as identified by YOU – the pre-service teachers, mentors, principals, Teaching Hub directors and ITE providers. 
 
To aid the implementation of the SETS Framework, it is accompanied by the SETS Guidebook, explaining some of the background of the research, the elements of readiness, and a how-to guide for optimal use of the framework in your context. The SETS Framework with Guidebook will be launched at the NICE Symposium at Alphacrucis in May 2026. ​
Research Informed Mentoring Courses
Alphacrucis University College has also developed a Graduate Certificate in Coaching and Mentoring which includes identified needs from teaching schools as found in the NECSTEP research.  
AC is also offering an online self-paced short-course for Mentoring Pre-Service Teachers.  This affordable short-course will also be further discounted for AC partners in 2026. ​
Thank you for the part you have contributed to this important body of research at this critical time in the education sector.  We will be continuing to work with the data from both stages of the project to explore other areas of research and further publications.   ​

For more information:

Contact 
Ms. Cassandra Pendlebury
Alphacrucis (AC) National Teaching School Partnerships Director
cassandra.pendlebury@ac.edu.au

​NECSTEP research team
Dr. Rachel Perry (ACU),
Associate Professor Susan Westraad (AC),
Associate Professor Tony Loughland (UNSW),
Professor Johannes Luetz (AC)
​Ms. Cassandra Pendlebury (AC),
Dr. Vanessa Miller (AC),
Mrs. Emily Shea (AC)
]]><![CDATA[Refining the Recipe]]>Mon, 07 Apr 2025 04:04:56 GMThttps://www.aats.org.au/news/refining-the-recipe

Phase 2 of the Alphacrucis NECSTEP* research builds on the ​active ingredients found in Phase 1

*Alphacrucis University College NECSTEP (National Embedded Cross Sector Teacher Education Pilot)
Phase 1: Finding the recipe’s active ingredients
In Phase 1 of the Alphacrucis NECSTEP research we were looking for the core ingredients that prepare teacher readiness and how the teaching school model can heighten this readiness. We are grateful for the 66 Pre-service Teachers, Graduate Teachers, and Mentor Teacher’s stories and insights. This rich data has reinforced the complexity of Teaching School model (school-embedded initial teacher education) but has also provided clarity in relation to the active ingredients we are exploring. 
​Analysis of Phase 1 data shows that Pre-service Teachers and Mentor Teachers believe that the need to support and develop the mindset and professional identity of a teacher, along with individual and collaborative reflection, are as important to readiness as the more traditionally measured classroom practice-related elements. A sneak peak of this analysis shows Sustained Engagement ​plays a central role as a core  active ingredient  for professional readiness. The Alphacrucis NECSTEP research team will be submitting a journal article based on Phase 1 data and the core active ingredients at the end of April 2025.
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Phase 2: Refining the recipe with personalisation
Phase 2 of the Alphacrucis NECSTEP research is soon to get underway to refine our teacher-readiness recipe with ‘partner chefs’ at the 2025 AATS Leadership Symposium.  
The aim of the Alphacrucis ​NECSTEP research is to develop a framework to support pre-service teachers towards “readiness” as professional teachers. We are calling this the School-embedded Teacher Education Readiness Support (STERS) Framework.  
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We don’t like cooking alone though, so we will invite you to join us as we use the results from Phase 1 to co-construct a skeleton STERS Framework. Interested Teaching Schools leaders, principals, and their pre-service teachers plus mentor teachers will then get to truly refine the recipe for their context and circumstance. 

For more information:

Contact 
Ms. Cassandra Pendlebury
Alphacrucis (AC) NECSTEP National Director
cassandra.pendlebury@ac.edu.au

​NECSTEP research team
Dr. Rachel Perry (ACU),
Associate Professor Susan Westraad (AC),
Associate Professor Tony Loughland (UNSW),
Ms. Cassandra Pendlebury (AC),
Dr. Vanessa Miller (AC),
Mrs. Emily Shea (AC)
]]><![CDATA[2025 Teaching School Leadership Symposium]]>Mon, 31 Mar 2025 02:03:09 GMThttps://www.aats.org.au/news/2025-teaching-school-leadership-symposium
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]]><![CDATA[The Research Journey Continues]]>Fri, 11 Oct 2024 18:00:40 GMThttps://www.aats.org.au/news/the-research-journey-continues
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Over the last few posts, we have explored the focus of the NECSTEP (National Embedded Cross Sector Teaching Education Program) research, likening what we are seeking to find as the core ingredients of a cake. We see these as the ‘active ingredients’ that support the professional readiness of pre-service teachers in school-embedded, or employment based, models of initial teacher education. We also considered the definitional challenge we are facing due to the lack of consistent language and its implications for gathering information, sharing knowledge and moving beyond existing small scale research. Within this context, we have collected data and engaged in some exciting dissemination opportunities along the way.

Phase 1 - 2024

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Phase 2 - 2025

The School Embedded Initial Teacher Education Readiness Index is the focus of Phase 2. Findings from Phase 1 will be central in framing its structure and approach. This framework will be designed not as a assessment or testing tool, but a way to identify strengths and areas where pre-service teachers would benefit from support. Based on the literature review and Phase 1 data, the Index will also recommend who is best placed to provide this support within a sustained, school-embedded model. 

For more information:

Contact Dr. Rachel Perry (Research Fellow: NECSTEP)
rachel.perry@ac.edu.au

​NECSTEP research team
Dr. Rachel Perry (ACU),
Associate Professor David Hastie (AC),
Associate Professor Tony Loughland (UNSW),
Dr. Vanessa Miller (AC)
]]><![CDATA[2024 Think Tank - GROW]]>Tue, 19 Mar 2024 03:27:39 GMThttps://www.aats.org.au/news/2024-think-tank-grow
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Register by Monday 29 April 2024
]]><![CDATA[Shared Understanding in Teacher Education]]>Wed, 06 Mar 2024 03:37:31 GMThttps://www.aats.org.au/news/shared-understanding-in-teacher-educationTo Teach... To Learn... To Flummox...
Do we all agree on what it means to teach?
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A box is very useful - It can hold things – can provide protection – reveal surprises. Boxes are used to transport food. Children use them as cubby houses. They come in all sizes, shapes, colours, textures. Boxes have been the focus of stories – a particularly beautiful one by Stephen Michael King, The Man Who Loved Boxes, was a favourite with my children.  ​

No one would probably argue with any of this, plus add many more uses for a box. That is because we all have a firm shared understanding of what is possible with a box… or do we? 
Do we all agree on what it means to teach?
​We often assume that we have the same understanding on a well-known subject until we begin to discuss it. When the language stays the same but the meaning changes, we need to clarify our shared understanding. We need to challenge our assumptions. 
The importance of developing shared language and challenging assumptions is a key focus in the NECSTEP research. A lack of shared language inhibits broader understanding of school embedded models and is reflected across what is primarily small-scale research. We need to break through disconnected terminologies so we can elevate and apply research findings in different contexts with confidence.  ​

Sustained, school embedded models for initial teacher education are of vital importance to the future of teacher workforce supply. 

​Identifying the key active ingredients in school embedded models and framing them within a shared definition will lead to a greater cohesiveness of understanding across future research. In addition, it will help to provide a common foundation for partnerships in new and existing initiatives. This approach is important for enabling stronger advocacy and the long-term sustainability of school embedded models of initial teacher education.  
The NECSTEP research will explore the contribution of sustained, school embedded models on the readiness of initial teacher education students. It will use an exploratory sequential mixed methods design to gather participant perspectives, then develop, test, and pilot a School Embedded Initial Teacher Education Index. The purpose of the index will be to understand and track the growth of initial teacher education students in school embedded models. It will match this with guidance for school-university partnerships regarding the conditions that enhance readiness so supports can be tailored and responsive to context. 

For more information:

Contact Dr. Rachel Perry, (Research Director: NECSTEP) – rachel.perry@ac.edu.au

NECSTEP research team
Dr. Rachel Perry (Alphacrucis University College),
Associate Professor David Hastie (Alphacrucis University College),
Associate Professor Tony Loughland (UNSW) 
]]><![CDATA[New Research in Teaching School Hubs]]>Wed, 29 Nov 2023 07:37:41 GMThttps://www.aats.org.au/news/new-research-in-teaching-school-hubs
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Have you ever baked a cake? A strange question in regards to researching Teaching School Hubs - but is it?
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A cake requires five core active ingredients – butter, sugar, flour, milk and eggs. That’s it. It will be a plain one, but when mixed in correct proportions, through the right process, a cake is born. Once this basic recipe is mastered, personalisation of the cake can evolve with flavour and decoration. It depends on who you are baking for, of course.

So how does this relate to initial teacher education (ITE) pathways and the NECSTEP (National Embedded Cross Sector Teaching Education Program) research currently underway?
Developing teachers ready to enter the education profession is the fundamental goal of any ITE program. While there is nuanced complexity to readiness, the NECSTEP research team (AC and UNSW) are curious to find the core active ingredients, just like our basic cake.
To do so, the NECSTEP research has four key aims:
  1. Identify the core active ingredients unique to a school-embedded teacher education pathway (such as the Alphacrucis University College Teaching School Hubs program).
  2. Explore the influence of these unique active ingredients on the preparedness/school readiness of initial teacher education students.
  3. Understand who is best placed to support and guide initial teacher education students in relation to each of these active ingredients.
  4. Develop a framework to track and measure the development of initial teacher education students in relation to these active ingredients.
Data collection is scheduled to commence in 2024. We are excited to find out what implications this research can have on the recipe that is shaping the future of initial teacher education. Let the baking begin!

For more information:

Contact Dr. Rachel Perry, (Research Director: NECSTEP) – rachel.perry@ac.edu.au

NECSTEP research team
Dr. Rachel Perry (Alphacrucis University College),
Associate Professor David Hastie (Alphacrucis University College),
Associate Professor Tony Loughland (UNSW) 

]]><![CDATA[Reimagine: Our Inaugural National Teaching School Think Tank Conference]]>Tue, 16 May 2023 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.aats.org.au/news/reimagine-our-1st-inaugural-national-teaching-school-conference
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Inaugural Teaching School Think Tank at SPCC Cessnock campus
5th of May 2023 saw the inaugural gathering of the many already invested in the teaching school hub model. AC, TSAS and SPTS partnered together to host this gathering at the St Philips Christian College, Cessnock campus.
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Rob Loe set the tone for the conference by speaking on The Power of Partnership. The task was then given to all present to creatively reimagine the potential of co-design within a supportive and refining partnership of school, teaching school and tertiary space.

The conference included a wide variety of voices including students still in ITE training, well-seasoned educators, tertiary professors as well as teacher mentors from both the private and public sectors.
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The majority of the conference was spent collaborating on co-design of the teaching hub model and innovations in partnership. Our founders and co-hosts, AC, TSAS and SPTS, have already begun discussions for upcoming Teaching School Think Tank opportunities and how to put these ideas into practice.

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive regular updates about our progress in this space or become a member to add your voice.
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