Specialist Certificate in Chinese Language Teaching

The aim of the course is to provide the fundamentals of specifically Chinese language teacher education. It targets meeting the specific learning challenges that Chinese presents to English speaking secondary and late primary school learners, taking into account the needs of both native speaker and non-native speaker teachers.

On completion of this course graduates will have the theoretical and professional knowledge, skills and understanding to enable them to:

• demonstrate a deep understanding of Chinese language and culture in its spoken and written form;
• demonstrate a deep understanding of the learning demands placed on students when being taught Chinese language and culture;
• plan for sound, rich student learning in Chinese language and culture, spoken and written, using a range of innovative, evidence-based practices;
• develop creative, methodical paths of learning for all their students;
• make use of a wide range of literary and social resources in a full range of media in their teaching;
• engage in vigorous discussion with colleagues and become accustomed to giving and receiving professional critique and support.

This course is comprised of three core subjects and one elective subject.

Core Subjects

Elective subjects

Students may choose one of the following electives:

An applicant may be eligible for entry into this course if they have either

• an undergraduate degree and a fourth-year level education qualification with a specialisation in teaching Chinese at either primary or secondary level, or equivalent; or
• a four-year education degree with a specialisation in teaching Chinese at either primary or secondary level, or equivalent.

This is specialist teacher education course, intended for those who have mastered the basics of teaching languages in theory and practice. It develops on this by providing the fundamentals of specifically Chinese language teacher education.

The Melbourne Graduate School of Education welcomes applications from students with disabilities. It is University and Graduate School policy to take reasonable steps to enable the participation of students with disabilities, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student’s participation in the Graduate School’s programs.
The core participation requirements for study in the Melbourne Graduate School of Education are:

In all courses

1. The ability to comprehend complex information related to education and the disciplines in which the student is teaching.
2. The ability to communicate clearly and independently in assessment tasks a knowledge of the content, principles and practices relating to education and other relevant disciplines.
3. Behavioural and social attributes that enable a student to participate in a complex learning environment. Students are required to take responsibility for their own participation and learning. They also contribute to the learning of other students in collaborative learning environments, demonstrating interpersonal skills and an understanding of the needs of other students. Assessment may include the outcomes of tasks completed in collaboration with other students.
   
   In courses requiring students to undertake practicum placements
   
4. The ability to undertake professional practice placements independently, including:
   a. the ability based on personal maturity to establish a professional relationship with students and interact with them appropriately;
   b. the ability to communicate to students the subject matter being taught with clarity and in a way that is age-sensitive;
   c. the ability to model literacy and numeracy skills independently for students and in all their interactions meet community expectations of the literacy and numeracy skills teachers should have;
   d. the ability to demonstrate skilfully and safely activities required in particular discipline areas being taught (e.g. physical education activities, science laboratory techniques);
   e. the ability to create, monitor and maintain a safe physical environment, a stable and supportive psychological environment, and a productive learning environment in their classroom;
   f. the ability to establish effective relationships with all members of the school community, including colleagues, students, and caregivers;
   g. the ability based on mental and physical health to exercise sound judgment and respond promptly to the demands of classroom situations, and the personal resilience to cope and maintain their wellbeing under stress.

Students who feel a disability will prevent them from meeting the above academic requirements are encouraged to contact the Disability Liaison Unit.

The course enables students to achieve the University’s Graduate Attributes at a high level.

Academic excellence is assured by the strong intellectual base and the constant and explicit link made between cutting edge theories of language learning and analysis of Chinese language, and actual work with students. The course is intended for solo on-line learners, but by making use of sophisticated technology in presentation of the content and in linking participating students, it enables these learners to contribute and be the beneficiaries of the thinking of their virtual classmates.

The subjects comprise sound evidence-based knowledge and scaffolded sets of exercises, activities and tasks which develop meta-cognitive abilities and flexibility in perspective.Because of the uniqueness of the course, graduates of this award will be leaders in their field not only in Australia, but also in the rest of the English speaking world, which is only just beginning to grapple with the enormity of developing a solid pool of China-literate citizens for the future.

The course has been set up in response to the Australian government’s plea for more linguistically and culturally knowledgeable, and interculturally competent, citizens in working with China at all levels of work and living.

The University’s general graduate attributes are located on the Office of the Provost’s website: http://www.unimelb.edu.au/about/attributes.html