Education, Practice and Place

This subject is not offered in 2013.

125 hours total commitment

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Objectives, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and the Disability Liaison Unit: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This elective is for teacher candidates interested in teaching in either a regional or remote area of Australia or overseas. The elective includes a professional practice component and an on-campus teaching component. The professional practice component takes in two weeks of teaching at a small number of specified sites in Australia or overseas. Sites will vary from year-to-year. Teacher Candidates will be provided with details of which sites are available during orientation week each year. Professional Practice will occur outside semester time between mid June and mid July. Precise timing is related to term times in each place and these may change slightly from year to year. The on-campus teaching component includes a two-day orientation session prior to teaching which includes a history of education of the region, an introduction to the socio-political context, an orientation to culture and language when this is applicable and an examination of academic literature that discusses a range of issues related to education in each place. For example, issues may include the relationships among education and factors such as identity, rurality, remoteness, post/colonialism, transnationalism, globalisation, place-based learning, the hegemony of English language. A full day reflection and debriefing session will be held in Melbourne on return. This elective is open to a limited number of teacher candidates. Participation is through a competitive selection process that includes a written application and an interview. Participating teacher candidates may be required to fund a portion of the cost of travel and/or accommodation necessary to complete the requirements of the subject. Further information is available from the subject coordinator.

On completion of the subject students will be able to:

• Demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics of learners;
• Provide feedback to students to assist their learning.
• Understand how principles of learning and teaching are able to be adapted to meet the needs of individual students;
• Use constructive criticism and discussion to evaluate and reflect on values and practices in relation to professional practice;
• Communicate effectively with other professionals;
• Examine a range of issues related to learning and teaching in the context in which the teaching occurred;
• Demonstrate the knowledge, skills and dispositions required to commence teaching effectively.

The subject covers a range of the AITSL National Professional Standards for Teachers (for Graduate Teachers) except 3.7 and 5.5. In particular, the subject will contribute to students attaining the following standards:

1.4 Strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students

1.5 Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities

2.4 Understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians

4.1 Support student participation

4.4 Maintain student safety

6.3 Engage with colleagues and improve practice

7.1 Meet professional ethics and responsibilities

There are two assessment tasks:

• Teaching performance, during the professional practice component on location at the specified site (50 %)
• Report – 2000 words, Due after the professional practice component and on-campus teaching component on return to Melbourne (50 %)

Teacher Candidates must pass both components.

There are two hurdle requirements:

• Attendance at a two-day orientation session in Melbourne prior to teaching.
• Attendance at a one-day reflection and debriefing session in Melbourne on return.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

On completion of this subject, Teacher Candidates will have the knowledge, skills and understanding to enable them to:

• Be skilled communicators who can effectively articulate and justify their professional practice in teaching;
• Be flexible and able to adapt to change through knowing how to learn;
• Understand the significance of developing their practice on the basis of research evidence;
• Work in teams with skills in cooperation, communication and negotiation;
• Be independent of mind, responsible, resilient, self-regulating;
• Have a conscious personal and social values base that is evident in their teaching.