Journal of In-Service Education
ISSN: 1367-4587 (Print) 1747-5082 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rjie19
Enhancing Professional Practice: an innovative
professional development strategy to support
teachers in school-based mental health promotion
Elizabeth Freeman , Desma Strong , Helen Cahill , Johanna Wyn & Gary Shaw
To cite this article: Elizabeth Freeman , Desma Strong , Helen Cahill , Johanna Wyn & Gary
Shaw (2003) Enhancing Professional Practice: an innovative professional development strategy to
support teachers in school-based mental health promotion, Journal of In-Service Education, 29:2,
277-294, DOI: 10.1080/13674580300200216
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/13674580300200216
Published online: 20 Dec 2006.
Submit your article to this journal
Article views: 6222
View related articles
Citing articles: 1 View citing articles
Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at
https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=rjie20
Journal of In-Service Education, Volume 29, Number 2, 2003
Enhancing Professional Practice: an
innovative professional development
strategy to support teachers in schoolbased mental health promotion
ELIZABETH FREEMAN, DESMA STRONG,
HELEN CAHILL, JOHANNA WYN & GARY SHAW
University of Melbourne, Australia
ABSTRACT Increasingly schools are being challenged by research,
government and community demands to become key sites for mental health
promotion. Teachers play an important role in promoting the social and
emotional health of students. This article describes an innovative
professional development strategy in Victoria, Australia designed to
support teachers to work skilfully and confidently in the area of mental
health promotion. The Catholic Education Commission of Victoria (CECV),
in partnership with the University of Melbourne, has sponsored over 500
teachers to undertake 2 years of study, in the Postgraduate Diploma in
Educational Studies (Student Welfare), to resource them to take leading
roles in mental health promotion in their schools. The article presents the
preliminary results of a 3-year longitudinal study to gauge the impact of this
professional development strategy on participants and their schools.
Introduction
There has been increasing acknowledgment of the link between student
wellbeing and learning outcomes, and an acceptance of the central role
that schools have to play in promoting the social and emotional health of
all students (Noddings, 1992; Sergiovanni, 1994; World Health
Organisation, 1996; Hargreaves, 1997; Shann, 1999; Stoll, 1999). Research
on resiliency has identified the importance of a sense of belonging or
school connectedness as a significant factor protecting young people
from adversity and risk (Benard, 1993, 1997; Resnick, et al, 1997; Catalano,
277
Elizabeth Freeman et al
1998). Research on the middle years of schooling has also highlighted the
importance of attending to students’ intellectual needs, and social and
emotional needs simultaneously through curriculum (Cumming &
Cormack, 1996; Barratt, 1998).
The Australian Commonwealth Government’s ‘National Action Plan
For Promotion, Prevention And Early Intervention For Mental Health’
advocates strongly for the role of schools in the promotion of mental
health1. The report suggests that schools must ‘integrate mental health
issues into the policy and curriculum’ and ‘implement multi-component
primary school-based prevention programmes to promote self efficacy,
resilience and optimistic thinking and to reduce racism, sexism, bullying
as well as anxiety, depression, aggressive and antisocial behaviours and
eating disorders’ (Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care,
2000 pp. 29, 31).
The importance of schools being equipped to address the broader
emotional and social health of students has also been linked to concern
about the increasing incidence of youth suicide in the Western world. The
school has been designated as a key site for youth suicide prevention in
any comprehensive suicide prevention strategy (Victorian Suicide
Prevention Task Force, 1997). Schools are also being charged with the
responsibility for establishing comprehensive approaches to drug
education ‘to minimise the harm associated with drug use by young
people’ (Individual School Drug Education Strategy Guidelines,
Department of Education, Victoria, 1998, p. iv).
Recent literature on mental health promotion in the Australian
context refers to the need for ‘whole school approaches’ in which
strategies to promote student wellbeing are comprehensive, integrated
and coordinated (Department of Education, Victoria, 1998). This
represents a fundamental shift in thinking about the role of education in
the promotion of students’ health and wellbeing. This shift has occurred
at the same time that a wider reform agenda is being taken up in schools,
encompassing all areas of teachers’ work, from subject matter and
curriculum, to student assessment, school organisation and teacher
professionalisation (Little, 1993; Ingvarson, 2002). In the area of health
promotion, as in other areas of school change, a key element is seen to be
the role of the teacher (Stoll, 1999).
Teacher professional development is widely acknowledged within
the school change and school effectiveness literature (Hargreaves, 1998;
Stoll, 1999) as a fundamental element in creating school change. For this
reason, research is needed on the effectiveness of different models of
continuing teacher professional development. Many educators, like Stoll,
acknowledge that the goal of effective teacher professional development
is to harness ‘the power to engage in and sustain continuous learning of
teachers and the school itself for the purpose of enhancing student
learning’ (Stoll, 1999, p. 506). Yet, as Little (1993) has argued, there is
278
ENHANCING PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
little agreement about how this can be achieved. Too often, professional
development is based on the circular logic that ‘all teachers could
become effective if they would just do what teachers who were found to
be effective did’ (Kerchner et al., 1997, p. 51). Furthermore, many of the
models of continuing professional development have a poor ‘fit’ with the
ambitious reform and change agendas that are driving current
educational developments. Little argues that the ‘dominant training
model of teachers’ professional development’ is no longer adequate for
the task (1993, p. 129). The focus of the dominant paradigm on ‘expanding
individuals’ repertoires of ‘well-defined and skilful practice’ has
demonstrated limitations. This is because current reforms go well beyond
the transference of skills and practices (although they are important).
Teachers need to develop their capacities to ‘reinvent teaching and
schooling, and to do so even while in the midst of day-to-day work’
(Meier, 1992, quoted in Little, 1993, p. 133). This description has a close
fit with the current situation with school-based mental health promotion.
School-based interventions are aiming at a ‘reinvention’ of the role of
classroom teachers, framed by a whole-of-school approach to health and
wellbeing. This requires in-depth professional development, involving the
transmission of skills and knowledge, as well as the development of
learning communities. Yet, as Little comments, the role of professional
development in supporting this level of school change is relatively
uncharted: ‘we lack descriptions of restructuring initiatives that supply a
detailed portrait of the learning demands on teachers and the
corresponding professional development responses’ (1993, p. 132).
The following discussion of a large-scale professional development
strategy developed by the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria
(CECV) provides important detail about the kinds of learning demands
that are associated with mental health promotion in schools and
of the implementation of a comprehensive professional development
programme to meet these needs.
An Innovative Professional Development Strategy
Recognising the need to prepare teachers to meet the challenge of
sustaining a mental health promotion focus in student welfare the
Catholic Education Commission of Victoria (CECV) has adopted an
innovative professional development strategy. From 1999, as part of its
Youth Services Strategy focusing on mental health promotion and suicide
prevention, the CECV invested in strategic professional development in
student welfare. The CECV negotiated with the University of Melbourne
for a large cohort of experienced teachers to undertake 2 years of parttime study to complete the Postgraduate Diploma in Educational Studies
– Student Welfare (PGDES-SW) in the Faculty of Education. Funding for
this initiative was obtained from the State Government following
279
Elizabeth Freeman et al
recommendations of the Victorian Suicide Task Force. By December 2002,
over 500 teachers, predominantly in leadership positions, in Catholic
primary and secondary schools across Victoria will be enrolled in or have
successfully completed the course. With a further intake of 100 students
planned for 2003 the total number of participants represents
approximately 5% of all teachers in Catholic schools. Over 90% of
secondary schools, and between 50 and 60% of primary schools have had
at least one staff member on the course.
This strategic professional development initiative was seen to have
the potential to make a systemic impact on the way that schools build a
preventative and mental health promotion focus and manage student
welfare. The initiative supports the development of a critical mass of
teachers within Catholic schools who can share and act upon common
understandings about student welfare.2
Evaluation of the Professional Development Strategy
The CECV project represents a significant investment in the development
of its workforce in the student welfare field. A 3-year longitudinal
research study commenced in 1999 to investigate the impact of this
professional development strategy on course participants, and on whole
school change in the area of health promotion and suicide prevention.
The Youth Research Centre of the Faculty of Education and the Catholic
Education Office were awarded a research grant (Strategic Partnerships
with Industry Research and Training Grant – SPIRT) to conduct the
research in collaboration with the course providers. Before discussing
the preliminary results of this study the history, rationale, content and
processes of the programme are outlined.
A Tertiary Programme in Student Welfare
The PGDES(SW) is an accredited tertiary programme that had, for almost
two decades prior to commencement of the CECV Project, sought to
equip teachers to undertake the welfare aspects of their role and to act as
a resource within their schools. The course was designed to enable
‘teachers to more effectively facilitate the educational achievement and
development of social and life management skills of students’ (Council of
State College of Victoria, Hawthorn, 1980, p. 3). Evidence linking improved
interpersonal functioning of teachers with improved climate and
behaviour in the classroom, higher academic achievement of students
and improved organisational functioning provided a strong rationale for
course development. The programme was designed to complement
school initiatives to develop more flexible structures, a wider choice of
curriculum, improved student–teacher relationships and closer links with
the wider community. Graduates were expected to be able to collaborate
280
ENHANCING PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
effectively with and resource their colleagues in the development,
implementation and evaluation of student welfare policy, programmes
and strategies.
The course philosophy and content is consistent with current
developments in mental health promotion in schools. Through its
philosophy and structure, the course has sought to counter the
commonly held view that student welfare is primarily reactive and only
about helping suffering, disturbed or disruptive students. Its aim is to
promote a preventative, whole school approach to student welfare that
incorporates the wellbeing of all students.
Course participants are introduced to an approach that suggests
that student welfare will be reflected in the following dimensions of a
school:
• philosophically, in the stated aims and objectives of the school;
• structurally, in the organisation of the school;
• practically, in the curriculum, and its implementation and in the
provision of appropriate facilities and resources;
• in the relationships between staff and students, students and students,
staff and staff, and between the school and its community.
The intention of the course is to empower participants to act proactively
across each of the above domains in the interests of maximising
educational opportunities for all students. The course theme, ‘Translating
Caring into Action’, highlights the course’s dual focus on both person
change and system change. The programme seeks to develop
participants’ knowledge and skills, and clarification of values, in two
equally important and interrelated areas:
• a range of interpersonal, counselling and problem-solving skills
grounded in respect for the individual and designed to empower the
individual;
• a knowledge of the way in which school systems function, and a
related range of skills to facilitate change to enhance the wellbeing and
learning of students.
The course comprises seven 30-hour compulsory subjects that are
undertaken part-time over 2 years:
Counselling in Educational Contexts 1
Counselling in Educational Contexts 2
Interpersonal and Group Processes
The Socio-political Context of Student Welfare
School-Community Partnerships and Student Welfare
Organisational Change and Student Welfare
Research Project in Student Welfare
The course is underpinned by some key principles of adult learning. In
the conduct of the course these characteristics are reflected in both the
content and process of the course. The programme seeks to integrate
theory and practice, and provide participants with frameworks and the
skills of observation, reflection and critical analysis that will enable them
281
Elizabeth Freeman et al
to evaluate existing provisions for student welfare in schools. To achieve
these goals the course draws selectively on perspectives offered by
studies in sociology, psychology, and the applied disciplines of social
work and educational administration.
Participants are required to undertake a project that is appropriate
and practicable in their particular settings using collaborative action
research. The research project provides participants with the
opportunity to apply and consolidate the knowledge and skills developed
throughout the course. Projects may be focused within the classroom or
at a wider school level depending on the scope the participant has to
initiate change. Participants have developed a range of school policies
and programmes in areas, such as transition, alternative programmes, life
skills curriculum, anti-bullying and school-community links.
Course Processes
The teaching and learning processes in the course are designed to model
the processes and relationships that are central to the model of student
welfare being advocated in the course. This model of student welfare has
a basic human needs focus. There is a conscious effort on the part of
teaching staff to establish a safe and secure environment in which
participants can progressively engage, discuss their professional and
personal experiences, and take risks.
Participants are normally experienced teachers who, given their
voluntary choice to undertake the course, are highly motivated to learn
more about student welfare. Course learning processes have been
designed to build on a teacher’s initial motivation through a highly
interactive and participatory learning mode. Participants are recognised
as having considerable knowledge and experience, and are encouraged to
use the new frameworks introduced to reflect on their experience. The
course content is designed to have both personal and professional
application.
Group size is generally set at 25 participants and groups remain
intact for the 2 years of the course. The group, with its wealth of
experience, becomes an invaluable resource for participants, and
becomes a caring network that supports and extends each individual’s
learning.
Each unit of the course is designed to encourage participants to
engage in ‘reflective practice’, a key concept in professional education
(Schön, 1987; Gonczi & Hager, 1992; Fook, 1996; Loughran, 1996).
Reflective approaches improve the practice of teachers by aligning their
espoused theory (that which is consciously articulated), with ‘theory-inuse’ (that which is embedded in actual practice). Furthermore, implicit in
reflective approaches is the concept of creating and developing new
theory through the examination of practice, sometimes referred to as
282
ENHANCING PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
‘practice wisdom’ (Ife, 1997). The opportunity for reflection is furthered
through strategic assessment tasks. These tasks are designed to involve
participants in direct examination of themselves and their work context
in the light of this new knowledge, and to encourage synthesis and new
perspectives.
The development of peer support and consultancy is an important
aspect of course processes. In the first year of the course, participants
pair with the intent of providing mutual support during their progress
though the course. In these early stages, the peer support probably
focuses more on emotional and practical functions, though the nature of
the extent and type of support varies greatly. A more prescribed and
formal peer consultancy relationship is built into the final semester of the
course in which participants undertake their research project. Peer
consultants support each other with the planning, conduct and reporting
of their action research project. Spall (1998) discusses the benefits of
peer debriefing in the conduct of qualitative research by education
graduates, ‘This conversational place offers a rich resource for
collaborative learning about research and specific research questions’
(p. 9). Besides providing methodological support, an equally significant
aspect of the peer consultancy is that it ‘provide(s) personal support for
the lonely business of data gathering in the natural setting’ (p. 2).
The course processes described above are seen to be central in
empowering participants to build on their personal and professional
experience, and take the risks that returning to study and acting upon
their new knowledge and skills involves. There is an overt recognition of
the importance of the interplay between the personal and professional
development.
Evaluation Design
Although teacher professional development is seen as a fundamental
element in creating school change, the literature provides few examples
of effective, sustainable professional development in practice and even
less of the effectiveness of professional development. In response to this
gap in the evidence base on school change, all elements of this evaluation
have centred on generating data about the impact of the professional
development strategy on the course participants and the impact this has
had on their work in schools.
This evaluation aims to provide evidence of the effectiveness of
professional development for teachers as a strategy for suicide
prevention and mental health promotion. The Student Welfare
professional development strategy of the CECV represents a shift in
thinking about supporting change in schools, from an ‘intervention’
approach to a teacher-focussed, ‘rich’ professional development
approach, as described above.
283
Elizabeth Freeman et al
Participants’ own assessments of the value of the course are an
important element in the evaluation design. This ‘participant-centred’
approach to the evaluation mirrors the student-centred approach that
informs much of the course. It is based on the assumption that all
learners – students or teachers – will learn more effectively if the
processes and content of their courses are clearly of direct value to them.
Hence, the evaluation sought to document and measure participants’
subjective assessments of the impact of the course investigating both the
immediate effects, as well as the impact up to 18 months following course
completion.
Data Collection
Data collected to evaluate the participants’ experiences of the course
includes:
1. Course impact survey at course completion, examining knowledge and
skills gained in the course and experience measures (Cohort 1, n = 130;
Cohort 2, n = 100).
2. Course participant interviews conducted 6-9 months after course
completion (Cohort 1 n = 36; Cohort 2 n= 12). The Cohort 1 sample
included five Primary and 31 Secondary teachers drawn from a spread of
nine Primary, and 16 Secondary rural and metropolitan Catholic schools.
The Cohort 2 sample included eight Primary and four Secondary teachers
drawn from six Primary and three Secondary schools. Interviews
explored the value and impact of the course on current school roles, on
relationships with students, staff and parents, and on their teaching
practice. Interviews also explored factors impacting on the course
participants’ capacity to utilise and implement what they had learned.
3. Course participant follow-up interviews completed 12-18 months after
course completion (Cohort 1 n = 32) The sample included four primary
and 28 secondary teachers drawn from three Primary Schools and 11
Secondary. Follow-up interviews explored the lasting impact of the course
and the capacity of the participant to contribute to school change.
Data collected to evaluate the contribution of the course to the school
included interviews with principals (n = 20, including nine from Primary
and 11 from Secondary schools). In these interviews, principals were
asked to share their perceptions of the impact of the course on the
participants and on the school.
Results
Surveys and interviews indicate a high correlation between the aims of
the course and the experiences of the participants. Analysis of the course
284
ENHANCING PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
impact surveys reveals that 95% of participants rated their overall
satisfaction level with the course as high to very high. Interviews with the
graduate participants show that they continued to rate the course very
highly at 6-9 months and at 12-18 months after course completion.
Analysis of the data reveals a high degree of consistency in
participants’ assessments of the strengths of the course.
Challenge and Renewal
Participants found the return to study challenging, as well as rewarding,
requiring high levels of commitment across a sustained period of time.
The key challenges associated with completing the course were those
associated with juggling the competing demands of school and family life
with the requirements associated with attending classes and completing
written assignments. Ninety per cent of participants rated this challenge
as high to very high.
Despite the challenges, the participants valued the course as a
source of professional renewal and affirmation. Membership of an
ongoing learning community provided stimulus and support. Participants
valued the professional advice and exchange, sharing of resources and
ideas, and the availability of personal support and friendship. In
particular, they identified that ongoing membership of the same group
across 2 years, and the interactive and personal nature of learning
activities, contributed greatly to the development of this level of cohesion
and attachment to the group. Ninety-five per cent of participants reported
receiving high to very high support from their fellow course participants.
This compares with only 65% who rated the support provided by their
own colleagues in their school as high to very high.
In addition to the support offered by fellow students, participants
identified a high level of satisfaction with the subject design and the
quality of delivery by the teaching staff. The two Counselling Skills in
Educational Contexts units were the most highly valued component of the
course. These units recorded a 95% high to very high level of satisfaction.
Ninety per cent of participants identified the provision of funding, in
the form of University fees, as critical to their participation in the course.
Most were clear that they would not have taken the course without this
form of practical support.
Enhanced Relationships
Data from the course exit survey indicated that the most valued gains
from the course were those associated with improvement in listening and
problem-solving skills. Ninety-five per cent of course participants
believed that the course had enhanced their listening skills to a high to
very high level. Ninety per cent believed that the course had assisted
285
Elizabeth Freeman et al
them to understand themselves and to understand others better.
Improvement in communication and leadership skills was rated at 80%
high to very high and capacity to operate as a resource to the school or
to work towards a whole school approach was rated at 75% high to very
high:
My approach to teaching has changed after 20 years of practice.
I am more thoughtful and more open-minded. I am more often
involved in counselling style conversations with students.
(Secondary Teacher)
In interviews participants described an improvement in self-confidence
and assertion, which led to an increased capacity to initiate action with
colleagues or school leadership, follow-up concerns with individual
students, access services for students, to contribute on a school welfare
team and to deal more effectively with personal challenges in the
domestic sphere:
I have more confidence as a result of the course. The course adds
to you as a person – whether you are dealing with work
relationships or family or social relationships. (Secondary
Teacher)
Participants described more positive relationships, and an increased
capacity to deal effectively with conflict, when interacting with
colleagues, students, friends and family members:
The course has improved teacher student relationships and has
influenced the way I respond to incidents. I look more broadly at
issues, using humour more, getting at the whole story not just
punishing the behaviour – my detentions have dropped and it
seems to have allowed me more time. (Secondary Teacher)
A Mandate to Engage in School Change Projects
Involvement in a sponsored higher education course gave participants a
sense of ‘permission’ to take a range of initiatives in their schools. The
action research project was a highly rated component of the course
receiving a satisfaction rating of 85% high to very high. This component
of the course was valued for the mandate it gave for action and the
invitation to take a reflective perspective on school change. For most
participants interviewed it became a structured opportunity to apply the
skills and understandings enhanced in the course:
I developed a new social skills program. It is a set programme
now and I believe it has changed the culture of the school. Before
the programme we had a lot of problems, put downs, bullying, but
286
ENHANCING PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
over time, with a slow determination we have turned things
around. (Primary Teacher)
Challenges of Applying the Course in the School Setting
One of the major challenges of any model of professional development is
the application in the school setting. In the course impact survey 75% of
the participants anticipated that the major challenge they would
encounter in applying the course in their school would be the restrictions
of the timetable and their teaching loads. In follow-up interviews,
however, it was clear that participants had encountered the following
range of challenges each of which could significantly moderate their
capacity to impact on school-wide practice.
Time
As anticipated, many teachers reported a limited capacity to follow up
with individual students due to their heavy teaching loads. In addition,
having large classes or many different class groups made it difficult to
find the time to give each child attention and to get to know each child.
The demands of the core business of teaching left participants with a
restricted amount of time and personal energy to engage in extracurricula projects or planning activity at a whole school level. This
limited their capacity to drive or support school-wide change.
Role Definition
Many of those participants who were not in a student management or
leadership role perceived that they had a limited scope to make a
difference in their school despite the skills and capacity they had
developed in the course. These participants believed those in middle
management or leadership positions or who worked within defined roles,
supported by time allowances had a greater mandate for school wide
action. Some participants perceived that their schools lacked a strategy
to accommodate and utilise their enhanced skills, and expressed
frustration at this limitation. The following quote is illustrative:
My role hasn’t changed. This is disappointing. If you want to
make a difference you need to be a YLC ... I haven’t been able to
apply the course as practically as I would have liked. (Secondary
Teacher)
287
Elizabeth Freeman et al
Strategic Involvement or Support of Principal
Participants whose principal was involved at a strategic level in
identifying, supporting and utilising staff undertaking the course were
more likely to report that they would be effectively employed as a
resource to the school and that their action research projects would
make a lasting difference in the school.
Opportunity to Disseminate Course to Colleagues
Most participants reported that they were not given an opportunity to
more formally disseminate aspects of the course to fellow staff through
structured professional development activity at a faculty, year level or
school-wide level. Despite this, some participants believed that a degree
of transmission of knowledge and skills had occurred within their own
school as a result of their own modelling and advocacy.
School Culture
Some participants were working in schools that already had highly
evolved pastoral care practices and structures, having taken proactive
approaches over the years to enhance student wellbeing. In such schools
the participants were able to link in to ongoing school priorities and
teams. Other participants were faced with the challenge of beginning an
advocacy for a school-wide focus on student welfare. Some felt thwarted
by the range of different values and priorities prevalent amongst their
colleagues, others consciously employed the skill and understandings
developed in such units as ‘Organisational Change’ and ‘Interpersonal
and Group Processes’ to guide and inform their strategy of enlisting
support, and working towards change.
The value that participants placed on the course was confirmed in
interviews with their principals. Principals noted the enhanced
professional confidence, skill and leadership capacity of those staff who
had engaged in the course, and identified the value of the course in
equipping staff for leadership roles. In addition, principals reported
positive outcomes for the school as a result of the action research
projects led by their staff.
A New Model of Continuing Professional Development
The Catholic Education Commission of Victoria’s investment in the
Student Welfare programme constitutes a new model of continuing
professional development in Australia. The scale (system-wide), depth
(graduate diploma level) and width (whole-of-school change) of this
initiative mean that it has many of the characteristics of a
288
ENHANCING PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
‘transformative’ approach described by Little (1993). Like many
educationalists, she places teachers in the centre of her discussion of
professional development, and concentrates almost exclusively on them.
However, she expresses reservations about a position that places
teachers solely in the role of implementers of reform. She writes:
To be certain, reforms post certain technical demands – demands
on the knowledge, skill, judgement and imagination of
individuals. In that sense, the implementation problem at the
level of the classroom is real. But reforms also convey certain
values and worldviews. They communicate a vision of what it
means to learn, what it means to be educated; they communicate
a vision of schools and teaching, of students and teachers. They
are to greater or lesser degrees compatible with the
organizational structures and cultures in which persons work. In
these crucial ways, powerful reform ideas engage teachers in a
broader consideration of the educational enterprise both in and
beyond the classroom. (Little, 1993, pp. 193-130)
The continuing professional development model implemented by the
CECV explicitly involves a vision of an education system that makes
young people’s mental health and wellbeing the business of all teachers
and of the school’s community. The traditional ‘training’ model of
professional development was abandoned, in favour of a new model that
took seriously the educational literature on teacher and student learning
and the transformation of schooling. The programme positioned teachers
as learners, engaging them in what Little (1993) has described as ‘the
pursuit of genuine questions, problems and curiosities, over time, in ways
that leave a mark on perspectives, policy and practice’ (p. 133).
This approach stands in stark opposition to approaches that
advocate the standardization of teacher’s skills and knowledge through
performance management systems (Ingvarson, 2002). It draws on the
codification of ‘best practice’ and ‘perfect lessons’ (see, for example,
Stoll, 1999), to enable the construction of evaluation schemes for
teachers into official descriptions of ‘good teaching’. Ingvarson draws
attention to the achievements of the National Board for Professional
Teaching Standards (NBPTS) in the USA, as a model for teacher
professional development. This board has developed standards for 21
fields, a typical set of which would be 30-40 pages long for one field
(Ingvarson, 2002, p. 6). The effect of this approach is to encourage the
compartmentalization of teaching areas and to frame teachers’ pursuit of
learning within narrow, prescribed boundaries. As Ingvarson comments,
the establishment of teacher registration boards in order to manage
teacher performance is an accepted approach, in the United Kingdom and
in the USA. There have also been moves in Australia to set up
performance management boards, at state levels. It would be a backward
289
Elizabeth Freeman et al
step if these boards were to take the NBPTS as their model. Educational
reform involves rethinking the role of the classroom teacher in the
context of wider educational agendas that transcend narrow subject
areas. As schools respond to the transformation of learning
environments, the capacity of teachers to lead interdisciplinary and
whole-of-school approaches will be necessary. This is already
demonstrably evident in the area of student wellbeing, but also in other
areas, such as ‘education for sustainability’ (Shallcross & Robinson,
1999). Effective provision of student welfare and support entails systemic
changes, building capacity in schools and ‘looking at different ways of
doing the core business of education’ (Bond et al., 2001, p. 391). A key
element in meeting this challenge is the design and implementation of
new approaches to teacher professional development that acknowledge
the diverse skills and complex conceptual understanding needed by
teachers to effectively fulfil their expanded role in student wellbeing and
mental health promotion.
Participants in the Student Welfare professional development
programme have developed a broad understanding of student welfare as
encompassing all aspects of ‘those policies, strategies, and processes in
schools that relate to the mental, social, emotional and physical wellbeing
of both students and staff’ (Hawthorn Institute of Education, 1990). They
have developed an increased confidence and capacity to manage welfare
issues, and to engage in problem-solving conversations with students,
colleagues and parents and to lead or participate in policy review or
whole school change projects. Many new initiatives have been introduced
into the schools via the action research projects, some of which involve
changes to school policies or to pastoral care provision.
It is apparent that this particular professional development
programme has had a significant impact on the capacity of teachers to
take a more holistic approach to the promotion of their students’ mental
health. However, as this initiative has demonstrated, teacher continuing
professional development is only one element in a wider strategic
approach that involves ongoing school-level and system-level support for
implementing change. Challenges encountered in the school setting,
particularly those relating to workload, role definition, school culture and
the provision of leadership support, may also require a strategic focus at
a system-level.
Conclusion
The strategy undertaken by the CECV to promote mental health through
the investment in large-scale, intensive teacher development represents a
new model of continuing professional development. There are many
pressures on schools to transform teaching and learning in order to meet
new challenges. Increasingly, these challenges require a broad vision of
290
ENHANCING PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
the role of education in communities, and of the contribution of
knowledge and learning beyond the limits of discipline and subject
boundaries, and of traditional teacher roles. This discussion provides
details of an ambitious professional development strategy, which aims to
contribute positively to student wellbeing, to promote student (and staff)
mental health and prevent suicide. It documents a close fit between a
reform agenda and a vigorous in-depth and teacher-affirming continuing
professional development programme. It embodies principles that are
consonant with the complexity of the reform task and demonstrates the
role of educational systems, in partnership with teachers, in leading
educational change
Acknowledgements
An earlier version of this article was presented at the Challenging Futures
Conference: Changing Agendas in Teacher Education, 3-7 February, 2002,
at the University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia.
Correspondence
Elizabeth Freeman, Department of Learning and Educational
Development, Faculty of Education, University of Melbourne,
Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia (l.freeman@unimelb.edu.au).
Note
[1] ‘Mental Health Promotion’ is ‘any action taken to maximise mental health
and wellbeing amongst populations and individuals (Commonwealth
Department of Health and Aged Care, 2000). A Mental Health Promoting
School is a school ‘Where all members of a school community work
together to provide students with integrated and positive experiences and
structures which promote and protect their [mental] health’ (Youth
Research Centre and Centre for Social Health, 1996).
[2] ‘Student Welfare’ is ‘all the curricular and extra curricular activities that a
school undertakes in order to provide for the wellbeing of its students. It
is aimed at ensuring that each student can achieve the maximum benefit
from his or her school experience and originates from a concern for the
student as an individual and the total life of the student, not only while at
school, but also in the future’ (Ward, 1986).
References
Barratt, R. (1998) Shaping Middle Schooling in Australia: a report of the
National Middle Schooling Project. Canberra: ACSA.
291
Elizabeth Freeman et al
Benard, B. (1993) Fostering Resiliency in Kids, Educational Leadership, 51(3),
pp. 44-48.
Benard, B. (1997) Turning it Around for All Youth: from risk to resilience, ERIC
Digest No. 126. Clearinghouse on Urban Education.
Bond, L., Glover, S., Godfrey, C., Butler, H. & Patton, G. (2001) Building
Capacity for System-level Change in School: lessons from the Gatehouse
Project, Health Education and Behavior, 28, pp. 368-383.
Catalano, R. (1998) Young People Developing Potentia. Paper presented at
School of Social Work seminar, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne,
Australia, May 28, 1998.
Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care (2000) National Action
Plan for Promotion, Prevention and Early Intervention for Mental Health.
Canberra: Mental Health and Special Programmes Branch, Commonwealth
Department of Health and Aged Care.
Council of State College of Victoria, Hawthorn (1980) Submission for
Accreditation of a Graduate Diploma in Educational Studies in the Area of
Student Care, State College of Victoria, Hawthorn.
Cumming, J. & Cormack, P. (1996) From Alienation to Engagement:
opportunities for reform in the middle years of schooling, a three-volume
report of a national research project. Canberra: ACSA.
Department of Education, Victoria (1998) Framework for Student Support
Services in Victorian Government Schools. Melbourne: Community
Information Service, Department of Education.
Department of Education, Victoria (1998) Individual School Drug Education
Strategy Guidelines. Victoria: Department of Education.
Fook. J. (1996) The Reflective Researcher: social workers’ theories of practice
research. St Leonards: Allen and Unwin.
Gonczi, A. & Hager, P.(1992) Developing a Competent Workforce. Adelaide:
NCVER.
Hargreaves, A. (1997) Rethinking Educational Change with Heart and Mind,
1997 ASCD Yearbook. Alexandria Virginia: ASCD. p. 277.
Hargreaves, A. (1998) The Emotional Politics of Teaching and Teacher
Development: with implications for educational leadership, International
Journal of Leadership in Education, 1, pp. 315-336.
Hawthorn Institute of Education (1990) Submission for Re-Accreditation,
Graduate Diploma in Student Welfare.
Ife, J. (1997) Rethinking Social Work: towards critical practice. South
Melbourne: Longman.
Ingvarson, L. (2002). Strengthening the Profession? A comparison of recent
reforms in the United Kingdom and the USA, ACER Policy Briefs, 2, pp. 1-16.
Kerchner, C., Koppich, J. & Weeres, J. (1997) United Mind Workers: unions and
teaching in the knowledge society. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
292
ENHANCING PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
Little, J. (1993) Teacher’s Professional Development in a Climate of
Educational Reform, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 15,
pp. 129-151.
Loughran, J.(1996) Developing Reflective Practice. London: Falmer Press.
Noddings, N. (1992) The Challenge to Care in Schools: an alternative approach
to education. New York: Teachers College Press.
Resnick, M., Bearman, P.S., Blum, R.W., Bauman, K.E., Harris, K.M., Hones, J.,
Tabor, J., Beuhring, T., Sieving, R.E., Shew, M., Ireland, M., Beariner, L.H., &
Udry, J.R. (1997) Protecting Adolescents from Harm, Journal of the
American Medical Association, 278, pp. 823-832.
Sergiovanni, T.J. (1994) Building Community in Schools. San Francisco: JosseyBass.
Shallcross, T. & Robinson, J. (1999) A Model of Participation in Continuing
Professional Development and Evaluation through Action Research in
Educating for Sustainability, Journal of In-service Education, 25, pp. 403-422.
Shann, M. (1999) Academics and a Culture of Caring: the relationship between
school achievement and prosocial and antisocial behaviors in four urban
middle school, School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 10,
pp. 309-413.
Schön, D. (1987) Educating the Reflective Practitioner: towards a new design for
teaching and learning in the professions. California: Jossey-Bass.
Spall, S. (1998) Peer Debriefing in Qualitative Research: emerging operational
models, Qualitative Inquiry, 4, pp. 280-292.
Stoll, L. (1999) Realising Our Potential: understanding and developing
capacity for lasting improvement, School Effectiveness and School
Improvement, 10, pp. 503-532.
Victorian Suicide Prevention Task Force (1997) Suicide Prevention: Victorian
task force report. Melbourne: Victorian Suicide Prevention Task Force.
Ward, S. (1986) The Provision of Student Welfare in Victorian Government
Post-primary Schools, Unpublished MEd thesis, University of Melbourne.
World Health Organisation (1996) Promoting Health through Schools: the World
Health Organisation’s School Health Initiative. Geneva: World Health
Organisation.
Youth Research Centre and Centre for Social Health (1996) Mental Health
Education in Australian Secondary Schools: an audit prepared for the Mental
Health Branch, Department of Health and Community Services. Canberra:
Australian Government Publishing Service.
293
Elizabeth Freeman et al
294