Professional Practice & Seminar Sec 2

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2015:

255 hours

Minimum 30 days of professional practice, 100% attendance is mandatory in all practicum subjects.

Please note that permission is required for enrolments in semesters other than semester two.

One Learning Area Semester 2 subject

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 Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

This subject focuses on the Teacher Candidates’ awareness of the characteristics of knowledge, practice and engagement for professional accountability in teaching. The school placement focuses on consolidating key learnings from within each of the CORE and Learning Area subjects with a focus on assessment for tracking student learning to inform teaching. Teacher Candidates take responsibility for independent teaching and demonstrate their capacity to implement sustained sequences of lessons and assessment with consideration for the learning needs of individual students.

Teaching Fellows at the school and Clinical Specialists from the University advise and monitor Teacher Candidates in collaboration with Mentor Teachers during the period of sustained and independent teaching. The Professional Practice Seminars focus on professional readiness, creating and maintaining safe and challenging learning environments, assessment and feedback.

The Professional Practice Seminars focus on National standards and provide Teacher Candidates with opportunities to examine theoretical frameworks and associated practical tasks that have been assigned during the placement. Seminars focus on one or more of the National standards and provide opportunities for self assessment, document and scenario analysis and in depth reflection of theory and practice concerning links between instructional processes and student centred learning.

100% attendance is mandatory in all practicum subjects.

On completion of this subject Teacher Candidates should be able to:

• Analyse and generate diverse sources of data to inform clinical judgments informing the implementation of teaching interventions;
• Demonstrate their capacity to use a range of strategies to establish a positive and inclusive learning environment;
• Establish a safe and productive learning environment with clear expectations for student behaviour;
• Use a range of strategies to assess and monitor student learning needs and use these to inform teaching, to report on student learning and provide feedback to students;
• Independently access and manage a range of learning and teaching resources including technologies to support their specialist area in teaching;
• Apply professional criteria to their own teaching and professional activity as outlined in the National Standards for Graduating Teachers;
• Plan and implement strategies to support their professional growth;

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

3.2 Plan, structure and sequence learning programs

3.3 Use teaching strategies

5.2 Provide feedback to students on their learning

5.3 Make consistent and comparable judgements

5.4 Interpret student data

6.2 Engage in professional learning and improve practice

6.3 Engage with colleagues and improve practice

7.1 Meet professional ethics and responsibilities

7.2 Comply with legislative, administrative and organisational requirements

There are two assessment tasks (Teacher Candidates must pass both components):

• Teaching Performance, due upon completion of placement, 60%
• Submission of the Professional Practice portfolio and associated reflective pieces including the Practicum Exhibition, due upon completion of placement, 40%

There are three hurdle requirements:

• Attendance on all days of placement
• Attendance and preparation for all Practicum Seminars throughout the placement
• Maintenance of Professional Practice Portfolio throughout placement

Collection of readings.

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 development in teaching
• Be flexible and able to adapt to change through knowing how to learn;
• Understand the significance of teaching as interventionist practice;
• Use evidence to make clinical judgements;
• 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.