Professional Experience

This subject affords the Teacher Education Student a wide range of opportunities to practice their developing skills and techniques in controlled real-life settings under the support of full-time school mentors. The students develop their planning, relational and evaluation skills within the setting of professional teams of communities of practice. Above all, they learn effective behaviour management techniques while observing the performance of professional teachers in their own contexts and they experience how their personal worldview impacts every aspect of their life and work in education.

It is a requirement that all initial Teacher Education Students sit and pass the National Literacy and Numeracy Test (LANTITE) before their final placement. In the final placement TES conduct and submit their Teacher Performance Assessment (TPA).

Awards offering Professional Experience

This unit is offered as a part of the following awards:

• Master of Teaching (Primary)
• Master of Teaching (Secondary)

Unit Content

Outcomes

1. Critically analyse the key elements that promote positive teacher-student relationships
2. Critically appraise, according to a Christian or alternate worldview, a range of behaviour management techniques for the classroom
3. Support teams work within the school communities of practice
4. Discriminate by observation and critical reflection the practices of Christian educators
5. Plan, program, implement and evaluate authentic learning experiences for student learning needs in a diverse range of teaching and learning contexts
6. Evaluate a variety of assessment and record-keeping procedures

Subject Content

1. Becoming a reflective practitioner: apply the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers to identify any professional earning needs; critically analysing core beliefs, assumptions and expectations; reflective tools; participation in communities of practice and preparation for the Observation Journal.
2. Classroom and Behaviour Management: comparison of a variety of theories with biblical approaches; teacher-student relationships; verbal and non-verbal communication strategies; anger management, anti-bullying strategies, child protection training (Association of Independent Schools, NSW) and knowledge of current legislation, peer mediation; classroom organisation, desk layout and physical environment.
3. Administration: The Teacher Education Student (TES) learns the use of curriculum, assessment and reporting knowledge to design learning sequences and lessons plans; planning, programming, documentation, templates and record keeping, school policies and procedures; getting organised; extra curricula involvement; excursions and incursions.

This course may be offered in the following formats

This subject can only be offered as an extensive (20, 20 and 20 days for EDU591 A, B and EDU599C respectively) with online components. It is a requirement that all Teacher Education Students sit and pass the National Literacy and Numeracy Test (LANTITE) before their final placement.

Please consult your course prospectus or enquire about how and when this course will be offered next at Alphacrucis University College.

Assessment Methods

Part C: Performance Evaluation (70%). Due date:  Conclusion of Placement – EDU599

Students are reviewed by their mentor and tertiary supervisor against the Australian Professional Standards Graduate Teacher – Graduate – final evidence level. (Graduate Stage: 1.3.1, 2.2.1, 2.3.1, 3.2.1, 3.3.1, 3.5.1, 4.2.1, 4.4.1, 5.2.1, 5.3.1, 5.5.1, 6.1.1, 6.2.1, 7.1.1, 7.3.1).

Teaching Performance Assessment (TPA) (30%) - (required and assessed as a Passing grade)

The TPA is conducted within the final professional experience (EDU599). The TPA reflects the elements of planning, teaching, assessing and reflecting. Each section is equally weighted (25%) and is deemed to be reflective of the TES’s classroom teaching practice. It assesses 33* of the Australian Professional Standards at GTSD level (*depending on context) which have been mapped across the four elements of the TPA.

Each element of the TPA must be passed in order for the ITE to meet the criteria for a Passing grade for the TPA. The TPA will be graded as either Pass or Fail. Within each of the four elements, a pass grade is at least:

• 75% of the criteria are judged as being Just Met or Clearly Met
• a maximum of 25% of the criteria are judged as being Nearly Met
• none of the criteria judged at Not Met.

NOTE: EDU591A, EDU591B, and EDU599 are usually taken over two or three semesters in order to complete the designated teaching experience days and achieve a ‘Satisfactory’ competence. It is possible to complete this subject and not gain a ‘Satisfactory’ grading. This would negate a graduate’s opportunity for employment as a teacher however other school positions may be available.

Prescribed Text

• References will include the most current curriculum requirements for schools.

Check with the instructor each semester before purchasing any prescribed texts or representative references