Professional Practice and Seminar (EY)

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2015:

1 preparation day on campus;
35 days of professional practice in a primary school including 10 hours of seminar;

100% attendance is mandatory in all practicum subjects.

150 points of study in the Master of Teaching (Early Childhood)

A current Working With Children Check (WWCC).

You must take the following subjects in the same study period

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, Learning Outcomes 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 across the semester and addresses teacher candidates’ developing understandings of professional knowledge, professional practice and professional engagement in early years classrooms. The school placement focuses on teacher candidates’ demonstrated capacity to teach independently, addressing all curriculum domains and the learning needs of individual students. This subject uses theoretical driven and empirically informed tools (eg. CLASS, 3A) to build a range of effective teaching and learning strategies. Teacher candidates are mentored by experienced teachers in collaboration with Clinical Specialists who are engaged in the on-campus teaching program.

The professional practice seminars support teacher candidates’ ongoing learning about how theory informs practice. The seminars provide opportunities to examine theoretical frameworks and associated practical tasks assigned during the placement that assist candidates to identify and address the learning needs of students in early years classrooms. Seminars include class presentations, analysis of assessment tasks and in-depth reflection on theory and practice for teaching in the early years classroom. Teacher Candidates will provide evidence of their development as an interventionist classroom practitioner during the Clinical Praxis Examination.

On completion of this subject teacher candidates should be able to:

• Apply professional criteria to their own teaching and professional activity;
• Synthesise their theoretical and practical understandings of teaching in early years classrooms;
• Collect evidence of children’ s learning, and analyse to purposefully plan and implement specific programs for individual children;
• Develop skills and strategies to ensure the emotional, organisational and instructional support of individual children across a range of settings;
• Use constructive feedback and discussion to evaluate and reflect on values and practices in relation to professional practice;
• Communicate effectively with other professionals, parents and children;
• Promote the profession of teaching in the wider community.

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

• Professional Practice: Successful assessment of teaching performance against all domains and dimensions of the statutory standards during all days of practicum, 70%
• Clinical Praxis Exam, end of semester, 30%

There are 3 hurdle requirements:

• Attendance on all (35) days of practicum;
• Attendance at all (5) practicum seminars;
• Satisfactory completion of all (3) Professional Portfolio Artefacts (due throughout the semester).

Pianta, R. C., La Paro, K. M., & Hamre, B. K. (2011). K-3 CLASS Dimensions Guide. Teachstone: Charlottesville.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

On completion of this subject, students 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.