Master of Learning Intervention

Current research on inclusive practices has identified a need for more classroom teachers to be trained in early intervention and working with students who have additional needs at pre- and post-service levels. The Master of Learning Intervention aims to do this by providing training to teachers, practitioners and early childhood educators in understanding the learning and programming needs of children and young people with disabilities, specific learning difficulties and hearing impairment enrolled in specialist schools, mainstream schools and early childhood settings. This course is also appropriate for allied health professionals engaged in working with this cohort of children and young people, their families and teachers.

Students enrolled in the Master of Learning Intervention can choose to specialise in one of the following: disability, specific learning difficulties or hearing impairment. In addition to the four core and two elective subjects that make up the specialty, students can choose to study Stream A or Stream B.

Students enrolled in the Learning Intervention Internship (Stream A) are required to design, implement and evaluate an educational intervention to support learners with disabilities, specific learning difficulties or hearing impairment in early intervention settings and/or specialist and/or regular schools. This stream involves 45 days of practical experiences, including 30 days of placement in approved early intervention and/or school settings and is suitable for teachers that already meet the Victorian Institute of Teaching qualification requirement but are seeking additional registration to work as a special educator. Graduates of this course who complete the Learning Intervention Internship (Stream A) will be qualified as a Special Education teacher.

The Learning Intervention Minor Projects (Stream B) is suitable for allied-health practitioners, early childhood teachers and international students who are not seeking VIT registration and in this stream two minor projects replace the practical experiences.

Please note that this course will not give you registration to teach in Australia.

The learning outcomes are for students to:

• Deepen their knowledge and extend their understanding in recent developments in educational thought, particularly as it applies to contemporary intervention practice for students with disabilities, learning difficulties, and hearing loss;
• Acquire a substantial understanding of relevant theory and practice in areas applicable to educational interventions and to the chosen specialisation;
• Display the ability to make carefully reasoned and appropriately documented decisions relevant to this domain, using appropriate research principles and methods;
• Demonstrate, during professional practice or scholarship, the skill repertoire necessary to implement effective intervention in the selected speciality; this includes diagnosis of learning profiles, the planning and implementation of empirically validated pedagogy and the provision of learning contexts that optimize inclusive educational opportunities;
• Display an understanding of contemporary research in the selected speciality areas and to develop from this an integrated understanding of intervention practice;
• Demonstrate communication and technical research skills to justify and interpret theoretical propositions, methodologies, conclusions and professional decisions to specialist and non-specialist audiences;
• Plan and execute a substantial research-based project, capstone experience and/or piece of scholarship; and
• Establish a sound basis for doctoral studies through the study of research principles and methods applicable to the field of educating students with a disability, learning difficulty, or hearing loss.

Specialisations: students will take all four subjects from one of the three specialisations

Electives: students will choose any two subjects from the elective list

Capstone: students will complete either Stream A or Stream B option

Disability specialisation

Specific Learning Difficulties (SLD) specialisation

Hearing Impairment (HI) specialisation

Elective subjects

Capstone: Stream A

Graduates of this course who complete the Learning Intervention Internship (Stream A) will be qualified as a Special Education teacher.

Capstone: Stream B

The Learning Intervention Minor Projects (Stream B) is suitable for allied-health practitioners, early childhood teachers and international students who are not seeking VIT recognition.

1. In order to be considered for entry, applicants must have completed:
either
• a four-year education degree, or equivalent; or
• an undergraduate degree and a fourth year level education qualification, or equivalent;
and
• a personal statement in a format specified by the Melbourne Graduate School of Education.
Meeting these requirements does not guarantee selection.
2. In ranking applications, the Selection Committee will consider:
• prior academic performance; and
• any documented relevant professional experience; and
• the applicant’s personal statement

3. The Selection Committee may seek further information to clarify any aspect of an application in accordance with the Academic Board rules on the use of selection instruments.

4. Applicants are required to satisfy the university’s English language requirements for postgraduate courses. For those applicants seeking to meet these requirements by one of the standard tests approved by the Academic Board, performance band 7 is required.

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 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 Disability Liaison.

Graduates from this program are eligible to apply for entry to the Doctor of Education program or a PhD after completion of a 50-point Graduate Certificate in Educational Research, provided they meet the entry requirements and subject to achievement of an H2A GPA. Please note also that graduates of an undergraduate Honours degree may already be eligible for doctoral studies, subject to the same entry and achievement requirements.

• Academically excellent: graduates will develop in-depth research and evidence-based knowledge of learning and teaching interventions in areas such as disability, specific learning difficulties or hearing impairment. They will demonstrate a high level of achievement in writing, generic research activities, problem-solving and communication. Graduates will be critical and creative thinkers, with an aptitude for continued self-directed learning and be adept at learning in a range of ways, including through information and communication technologies.
• Knowledgeable across disciplines: graduates will examine critically, synthesise and evaluate knowledge across a broad range of disciplines, particularly those with relevance to their education setting. They will expand their analytical and cognitive skills through learning experiences and have the capacity to participate fully in collaborative learning and to confront unfamiliar problems. As a result of completing the Master of Learning Intervention they will have a set of flexible and transferable skills for employment in a range of specialist and mainstream educational settings.
• Leaders in communities: Graduates of the Master of Learning Intervention will be prepared to undertake leadership in the provision of educational interventions for children and young people with disabilities, specific learning difficulties or hearing impairment. They will be able to initiate and implement constructive change in their communities and have excellent interpersonal and decision-making skills, including an awareness of personal strengths and limitations.
• Attuned to cultural diversity: Graduates of the Master of Learning Intervention will be working within organisations characterised by cultural and other forms of diversity. This is reflected in such overarching documents as the Australian Charter for the Teaching Profession, the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young People and, in particular, the Disability Standards for Education 2005 and the Disability Discrimination Act 1992. Graduates will value diversity and be well-informed citizens able to contribute to their communities wherever they choose to live and work. They will have an understanding of the social and cultural diversity in our community, including disability and a respect for indigenous knowledge, cultures and values.
• Active global citizens: As aspiring or practicing teachers of students with disabilities, specific learning difficulties or hearing impairment, graduates of the Master of Learning Intervention will accept social and civic responsibilities and attempt to inculcate these in those with which they work. They will have a broad global understanding, with a high regard for human rights, equity and ethics. They will recognise that education is the best means we have of opening the doors of opportunity for people and of ameliorating the effects of inequity and disadvantage.

The Master of Learning Intervention is accredited at the professional level by the Victorian Institute of Teaching. Only students completing Stream A are eligible to apply for accreditation.

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

• Be skilled communicators who can effectively articulate and justify their practices as knowledgeable agents of change;
• Be able to adapt to and lead change through knowing how to learn;
• Understand the significance of developing their practice on the basis of research evidence;
• Be independent of mind and self-regulating;
• Have a conscious personal and social values base.