Being the adult you needed as a kid: why the AITSL standards are not the best fit for drama teachers. Issue 5 (19th October 2020) - Gray, Christina
ABSTRACT: The Australian Professional Standards for teachers attempts to regulate the profession and improve teacher quality. Yet the standardisation of teachers' work has attracted criticism from researchers who assert that a "one size fits all" model for judging teacher quality fails to recognise the affective, enactive and relational aspects of teaching. Given the interactive and interpersonal nature of teaching drama, this concern has salience. Our research into the experiences of early-career drama teachers reveals the positive influence these teachers have on their students and in their schools. Of particular note, are the strong role models they have become through the development of authentic, professional relationships where students feel supported and empowered to explore their feelings, achieve academically and flourish as human beings. These relationships are co-constructed during extra-curricular activities, namely in production rehearsals, where together they work towards common goals. Our findings suggest a case can be made for re-evaluating the process of judging teachers against a standardised set of criteria that neglects to capture the nuances of drama education and the passion, commitment and relationality of early-career drama teachers.