So Mr… What did you do at school today? An examination of the lived experiences of male primary school teachers in rural and regional Victoria - Australia (original) (raw)
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Life as a beginning male teacher in Queensland: Who are they and what are they doing?
2006
During 2005 a mentor program was run as a pilot strategy to link male pre-service teachers with experienced male primary teachers in the Rockhampton and Mackay school districts. As part of the ongoing project investigating the usefulness of a male mentoring program, an online survey was sent out to beginning male teachers in Queensland. Findings indicated that many of the male teachers felt unprepared for the realities of the school workplace with the social and emotional aspects of teaching, issues of work intensification, paperwork and administration as areas of common concern. Three main areas that beginning male teachers would like to see covered more fully in pre-service training included more practicum exposure, more behaviour management skills and pedagogy. In this paper we report on the results in relation to what these teachers would like to see in pre-service training for male teachers and implication for programs such as ours. We conclude by suggesting that further research investigating the BLM internship would beneficial to assess the effectiveness of support for the beginning male teacher and retention of quality male teachers.
Let's hear it from the males: Issues facing male primary school teachers
Teaching and Teacher Education, 2005
As the number of male teachers in primary schools continues to decrease, the resultant gender imbalance has become the focus of increased discussion and debate. While the reasons for the decline in the number of males enrolling in teacher education are complex and multi-faceted, four factors which have been identified as contributing to the decline are experiences and attitudes related to status, salary, working in a predominantly female environment, and physical contact with children. In an attempt to explore the extent to which they were concerned and challenged by these factors, focus group interviews were conducted with practising male primary school teachers. The study confirms that each of the four issues has the potential to influence the decision to take up a career in teaching and to impact on job satisfaction and performance. r
3 Those Who Can’t, Teach: Representations and Challenges of Male Teachers
De Gruyter eBooks, 2020
Films and television have provided us with countless images of men who teach. However, research shows that this is at odds with their relative absence from schools and in 'real' classrooms. This chapter explores why these numerous positive media-representations do not necessarily change the perception that teaching is generally seen as a career unsuitable or undesirable for men. Shared ideas of the characteristics that make teaching fulfilling and honourable live side by side in our collective perceptions as a result of media images of inspirational saviours and bumbling educators. Although these positive teacher images may contribute to men's decisions to explore teaching as a career, many of them reconsider when harsh realities show the limits of these idealised portrayals. The strong connection between masculinity and the notion of the modern 'career' also has a role to play in men's absence from a profession that somehow fails to be represented as a 'real' career for men. The necessity and demands of teacher preparation along with greater accountability and less autonomy combine to discourage many of those who consider education from completing programs and entering the field. Teacher educators and others must acknowledge that unrealistic media representations and existing obstacles and challenges do not necessarily have to result in fewer male teachers. An open discussion about what it really means to be a male teacher, with support and rewards, can counter the doubts and help them understand that teaching is a career for competent, caring men.
Gendered Workplaces: Experiences of the Beginning Male Teacher
2006
The paper looks at gendered positionings of a small group of beginning male teachers currently working in schools in Queensland Australia. In recent years there has been much talk about the 'crisis' in masculinity, the declining numbers of male teachers and imminent retirement of experienced male teachers from Australian schools. Within this 'crisis' a range of discourses have emerged that position male teachers in diverse ways. This positioning not only constructed males in traditional images premised by such comments as 'real men' but also highlighted particular issues that impacted differently on male teachers to their female colleagues. It is argued in this paper that the gender construction of teaching bodies impact on the way in which both men and women practice teaching. While there is acknowledgement of negative stereotypes attached to the male body that does teaching, survey data illustrated that positive rewards, pleasures experienced and anticipated by male teachers motivated their desire to take up teaching as a profession. Discourses within the data construct the male teacher as a 21st century male Learning Manager who is as a second career male. He enjoys working with children, wants a family friendly job and wants to be recognised as someone who can nurture the educational journey of students in his care. Therefore in this paper I explore the contradictory and ambiguous discourses concerning male teachers and present the results of an online survey that looked at the contemporary context and experiences of a group of beginning male teachers in Queensland, Australia. These results are discussed in relation to expectations in the teaching workplace and implications for the retention of male teachers.
Education 3-13, 2018
Primary teaching ITT courses across the UK have been under pressure from central government, Ofsted and the media to recruit more male students to their courses with the aim of increasing the proportion of males in the primary teaching workforce. This is because increasing the number of male role models in primary schools has been mooted as the solution to boys' underachievement, especially in reading and writing. There is, however, little evidence showing any correlation between boys' educational outcomes and the number of male primary teachers in schools. The purpose of the project reported in this paper was to ascertain the beliefs of the future primary school workforce about this focus on the need for male role models in schools. A mixed methods approach was employed; 120 male and female primary trainees were surveyed and a further 48 took part in group interviews, all of whom were based in an Initial Teacher Training department in a university in North West England. Results indicated that although aspiring teachers felt that males and females could make equally good role models for children their personal value systems perpetuated the myth that boys need male role models to achieve better educational outcomes.
The Status of Male Teachers in Public Education Today
2008
Current statistics show that roughly onequarter of all classroom teachers are male and the proportion plummets to approximately ten percent in the elementary grades. A paucity of men in teaching is certainly not a new phenomenon and has remained relatively constant despite a century or more of various educational reforms. Before presenting current statistics on the lack of male teachers, this brief will establish the necessary historical context of the issue so that teaching’s dubious classification as “women’s work” is adequately understood. Many men cite several common reasons why they do not choose teaching as a career, and several empirical studies will be reviewed in this report outlining the unique experiences of male teachers.
Why men choose to become primary teachers
Australian Association For Research in Education, 2012
This paper presents a critical analysis of literature relating to why males choose to become primary school teachers. Discussion within the paper concentrates on identifying and exploring connections between what is currently known about being a male primary school teacher and what motivates these men as they both pursue and practice within the profession. This paper reflects the preliminary investigations of a broader doctoral project that will examine the recruitment and retention of male primary teachers within Tasmania. Countries such as Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom have experienced calls for increased male recruitment to and retention in the primary teaching profession. Current research into the male primary school teacher experience offers strong arguments for the need to recruit and retain more men into primary teaching as well as many attempting to explain the reasons for low numbers of male classroom primary teachers. Interestingly, studies investigating the motivations of those men who choose to teach young children are far less common. The critical review of relevant literature allows for deeper understanding of present perceptions of the male primary school teacher and teaching experience to be established. In doing so, the paper emphasises exploration of the motivations of men who choose to be male primary school teachers, and proposes that it is within the exploration of male's attitudes towards and motivations to being a male primary school teacher that will elicit rich insight into how strategies currently utilised for the recruitment and retention of male primary teachers can be improved.
Entrances and exits: changing perceptions of primary teaching as a career for men
Early Child Development and Care, 2008
ABSTRACT The number of men in teaching has always been small, particularly in early childhood, but those that do come into teaching usually do so for the same reasons as women, namely enjoyment of working with children, of wanting to teach and wanting to make a difference to children’s lives. However, in two separate studies, the authors have shown that on beginning teacher training in 1998, and at the point of leaving the profession in 2005, men and women tend to emphasise different concerns. This article will explore those differences and seek possible explanations for how men’s views of teaching might be changing over time.
Male Preservice Teachers and Discouragement from Teaching
The Journal of Men's Studies, 2011
Driven largely by concerns over boys' education, countries worldwide have seen crisis discourses over small numbers of male teachers, particularly those teaching young children. Despite public desires and policy movements to increase their numbers, important barriers and challenges remain for male teachers. Preservice teachers' experiences, especially, might illuminate challenges to the recruitment and retention of males. Using a (pro)feminist, social interactionist framework and qualitative discourse analysis methods, this study examines discouragements from peers, family, and teacher education as faced by three male student teachers. These included gendered teasing about the ease of and "cuteness" required in education coursework, gendered objections to "wasting" their ability, and gendered suspicions of sexual predation. The analysis focuses on strategic performances the men used to cope with discouragements and persist in teaching. I argue that foregrounding such performances can disrupt barriers for males and thus increase their numbers.