Professional Practice & Seminar Sec 1a

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2015:

85 hours total time commitment.

100% attendance is mandatory in all practicum subjects.

A current Working With Children Check (WWCC).

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

The Professional Practice and Seminar Program provides an integrated focus for all subjects taught in the semester and addresses Teacher Candidates’ developing understandings of professional knowledge, professional practice and professional engagement. The school placement focuses on developing an understanding of school organisation, management of classrooms, principles of learning and teaching and their application to content areas for teaching. Teacher Candidates analyse their teaching to identify characteristics of lessons that make productive classrooms and are mentored by experienced teachers in collaboration with Clinical Specialists who are engaged in the on-campus teaching program and Teaching Fellows based in schools. The Professional Practice Seminars provide Teacher Candidates with opportunities to examine theoretical frameworks concerning instructional processes, student centred learning and associated practical tasks that have been assigned during the placement.

Note: Students whose first language is not English and/or who may not be familiar with Australian schooling will be advised to undertake a program of workshops (12-18 hours in total) on Teaching in Australian Classrooms. These workshops will cover such topics as: Introduction to the Victorian school curriculum; understanding the structure of a 'typical' day in Australian schools; the Australian classroom environment; teacher-student interactions; developing a classroom presence and an appropriate teacher voice; interacting with supervisors. Teacher candidates undertaking this workshop program will be expected to attend their placement schools on all prescribed days and attend all professional practice seminars, but they will prepare and teach fewer classes during the period the workshop program is running.

100% attendance is mandatory in all practicum subjects.

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

• Apply professional criteria to their own teaching and professional activity;
• Demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics of learners;
• Understand how principles of learning and teaching are able to be adapted to meet the needs of individual students;
• Synthesise their theoretical and practical understandings of teaching in secondary classrooms;
• Use constructive criticism and discussion to evaluate and reflect on values and practices in relation to professional practice;
• Communicate effectively with other professionals, and provide feedback to students to assist their learning.

There are 2 assessment tasks (Teacher Candidates must pass both components):

• Teaching Performance (60%) due upon completion of placement
• Professional Practice portfolio and associated reflective pieces (40%) due throughout placement

There are 3 hurdle requirements:

• Attendance on all days of placement, 100% attendance is mandatory in all practicum subjects.
• 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 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.