Paying attention to ‘respect’ is central to addressing many of the issues facing teachers, including their retention in the education system.
That is the view of Professor Martin Mills, Research Professor in the School of Teacher Education and Leadership at Queensland University of Technology, who will give the Richard Selby Smith Oration at the University of Tasmania on August 11.
Professor Mills said the issue of respect was central to developing best practice for schools and systems to retain top teaching talent across the country.
“In interviews with teachers and students over many years, on many different topics, and in many separate locations, the word ‘respect’ comes up regularly,” he said.
“I want to explore the meaning of respect in the context of contemporary constructs of the ‘ideal teacher’."
Professor Mills said during the Richard Selby Smith Oration he would argue that paying attention to respect was critical in addressing the issues that are not only facing teachers, but also education in Australia and in particular their retention within the education system.
“The notion of respect is tied closely to matters of inequality, thus underpinning this talk will be a strong commitment to social justice and to enhancing the respect in schools – both as workplaces and as sites of learning,” he said.
The oration will draw on research conducted in the UK and Professor Mills’ observations about the Australian context.
The Richard Selby Smith Oration is an annual event to celebrate the life and work in education of Emeritus Professor Richard Selby Smith who participated in the Founders’ Convention which led to the establishment of the Australian College of Educators.
The Oration is a high-profile public lecture, organised by the Tasmanian Branch of the Australian College of Educators and supported by the Selby Smith family and the University of Tasmania.
Professor Martin Mills’ speech – Teachers and teaching: The politics of respect – will be given at the Salon Hedberg, at the University of Tasmania in Hobart, at 6pm on Thursday, August 11, 2022.
Tickets are available from Eventbrite and registrations to attend the Zoom webinar of the oration are also available.