Master of Teaching (Primary)

The Master of Teaching (Primary) prepares graduates to teach across the primary years in all curriculum areas with additional specialist knowledge in literacy and numeracy education.

Teacher candidates complete 200 points of study over two years full time. The first three semesters focus on teaching across all curriculum areas and preparation for independent teaching. The final semester provides specialised study of literacy and numeracy teaching, focussed on meeting individual needs, with a strong emphasis on practical teaching. Teacher candidates can choose from a number of electives that are designed to provide them with options to expand their professional knowledge in areas that are significant to schools today.

The Academic Calendar dates for students commencing the Master of Teaching (Primary) in 2016 are:

• Semester 1, 29 February – 27 May (assessment period ends 25 June)
• Semester 2, 18 July – 21 October (assessment period ends 18 November)
  

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

• Use evidence to make sound clinical judgments about the nature and implementation of teaching interventions.
• Be highly-skilled teachers who demonstrate the professional capabilities to meet the individual needs of diverse learners using interventionist practices.
• Generate and analyse diverse sources of data that can effectively inform and assess student learning and development.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the ways in which theory and research informs practice.
• Plan and execute a substantial research-based project, capstone experience and/or piece of scholarship.
• Demonstrate strong subject and pedagogical content knowledge.
• Demonstrate the level of competency in literacy and numeracy expected of the teaching profession.
• Utilise diverse pedagogical strategies to provide rich and creative learning environments that empower learners.
• Utilise inclusive teaching practices that demonstrate an awareness of cultural diversity and its implications for society and education.
• Utilise digital technologies to expand learning opportunities for students.
• Develop in students the practices and attitudes required for critical thinking and the ability to work both independently and cooperatively.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the role of language as fundamental to education.
• Demonstrate the ability to maintain effective, ethical and respectful relationships with all involved in the learning community.
• Effectively engage students, parents, community members, and professional colleagues to support student learning and development.
• Understand the impact of legislation, policy and the global human rights principles on their roles and responsibilities as teachers.
• Demonstrate a capacity for leadership and advocacy in education.

In the first three semesters teacher candidates undertake 150 points of compulsory subjects.

The first three semesters in the Master of Teaching (Primary) are built on three strands:

• Professional Practice
• Theory and Practice of Education
• Learning Area Studies

In the final semester teacher candidates take 37.5 points of compulsory subjects and one 12.5 point elective subject.

First year subjects

Subjects undertaken in first semester of program

Subjects undertaken in second semester of program

Second year subjects

Subjects undertaken in third semester of program

Subjects undertaken in fourth semester of program

and one of the following elective subjects

1. In order to be considered for entry, applicants must have completed:
• an undergraduate degree in any discipline; and
• a selection test as determined by the Selection Committee.
Meeting these requirements does not guarantee selection.

2. In ranking applications, the Selection Committee will consider:
• prior academic performance; and
• the results of the selection test.

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.

Note.
(a) The Academic Board may prescribe minimum grade point averages for undergraduate studies that must be met by applicants eligible for Guaranteed Entry in a given year. Applicants not eligible for Guaranteed Entry will normally be required to have a grade point average for undergraduate studies at least as high as the prescribed minimum for Guaranteed Entry.
(b) All applicants must have a valid Working with Children Check prior to the commencement of the Practicum subjects, and for the duration of the program.
(c) Higher English standards than those normally required for admission to postgraduate study at the University of Melbourne may be needed for eligibility for Australian teacher registration on graduation. The Selection Committee may require applicants who have not recently completed a full undergraduate degree in Australia or New Zealand to demonstrate English language ability using one of the standard tests approved by the Academic Board at performance band 7+, even if their prior study of the English language, or their prior education and assessment in an English language university, would normally exempt them from standard testing.

* Details of the selection test are available on the Melbourne Graduate School of Education’s TeacherSelector website.

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.

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 Postgraduate 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.

Teacher candidates entering this program will have appropriate undergraduate knowledge and analytical skills, and bring with them a diversity of educational and life experiences. The program emphasises the importance of research evidence and theory as a foundation for clinical educational practice. It will build candidates’ skills in interventionist teaching practices aimed at supporting and extending individual student’s learning and development.

Underpinning the program is a strong partnership with early childhood settings and schools and with educational systems that will support the intellectual engagement in professional practice at an advanced level. Special emphasis will be placed on the candidates’ capacity to teach the diverse range of students, and to promote equity in education. The program focuses on developing candidates’ capacity for critical inquiry and professional reflection.

Candidates will have the opportunity to undertake teaching practice in a range of settings, which will enhance their cultural awareness and expand their understanding of global education. They will understand the policy landscape and the processes for making policy at school and system level, so that they can intervene and justify producing change.

The Master of Teaching (Primary) will provide graduates with provisional registration with the Victorian Institute of Teaching.

• Understand Primary education as part of a spectrum of learning and development, linked to early childhood and to secondary schooling.
• Develop in-depth knowledge of the complexity and diversity of primary students’ learning and development.
• Be knowledgeable and confident generalist teachers across the range of disciplines taught in primary classrooms.
• Be able to intelligently and creatively plan, implement and critique mandated curriculum.
• Be able to use data to identify and address the learning needs and capacities of individual students.
• Be able to intentionally draw on a range of teaching practices to extend individual student’s learning and development.
• Shape and deliver responsive and inclusive curricula.
• Be a self-reflective teacher who can work constructively and innovatively through relationships with parents, colleagues and the community across a range of contexts.