Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSecEd)

• General information
• Introduction to course
• Objectives
• Admission requirements
• Credit provision
• Course structure
  • General studies
  • Practicum
  • First year
  • Second year
  • Third year
  • Fourth Year
• Length course/workload required
• Further information

General information

Gippsland campus
Course code: 2543
Contact Gippsland campus: (please telephone 9902 6969 for initial inquiries)

Introduction to course

The Bachelor of Secondary Education provides initial preparation for secondary teachers. Graduates will be eligible for employment within state and independent schools and related teaching services.

Objectives

The major objectives of the Bachelor of Secondary course are to provide students with a program of studies and experiences which should enable them to:

• develop competence in general teaching skills and be able to relate these skills effectively to particular methods within the key curriculum learning areas of the secondary school;
• gain a knowledge of the theoretical foundations of education
• gain knowledge and to develop skills and attributes which will foster learning that contributes to continued personal and professional growth;
• develop effective interpersonal communication skills.

The overall aim of the course, therefore, is to produce a confident and competent teacher who is a well-educated person with a sound knowledge of the theoretical foundations of education and the necessary professional skills. Such a person should be at a level of competence at least equal to the best of their peers in Australia and overseas.

Admission requirements

Applicants must have satisfactorily completed the Victorian Certificate of Education or its equivalent. Within the Victorian Certificate of Education, students must have completed English units 3 and 4 with an average grade of C, and applicants must have satisfactorily passed two units of VCE mathematics or an equivalent.

Credit provision

Applicants contemplating admission to this course may seek formal credit or recognition of prior learning. Applicants should apply for credit prior to enrolment but currently enrolled students may also apply. The Faculty of Education considers each application on its merits within the context of the faculty guidelines on credit transfer which are contained in a booklet Learning from experience available from the Professional Development Institute, Faculty of Education, Monash University, Gippsland campus, Churchill 3842 ($7 postage and packing).

Course structure

The degree is offered over four successive years and is designed to be cumulative in content. The major education studies are in the fields of learning and teaching, the social context of education, disciplinary teaching methods/practice and curriculum studies, and practicum/fieldwork. The course is structured to provide the following areas of study:
Studies of Learning and Teaching
Students engage with and explore theories of learning and how these relate to teaching; particular emphasis is on effective learning and quality teaching and on practices and strategies that facilitate both. Psychological development, language and literacy, and general principles of assessment are also studied in their relationships with learning and teaching.

General studies

General studies electives allow students to enhance their personal development by pursuing a discipline area of study in the sciences, humanities or expressive arts.
The Social Context of Education
Key aspects of the sociological and historical contexts of education contribute to students' understanding of their future working environment, and can influence teaching practice and professional engagement with educational communities.
Curriculum Studies and Teaching Methods and Practice
Students participate in programs that develop pedagogical knowledge and competencies and content knowledge in the key learning areas that they will teach.

Practicum

This is a major component of the fourth year of the course, and students work for extended periods under supervision in educational environments. They have an opportunity to implement, reflect on and respond to skills and knowledge they have gained during the course, and to become directly involved in the professional life of an educational establishment.

First year

The first-year program consists of:

• EDF1301 Perspectives on learning
• EDF1302 Perspectives on teaching
• Students will undertake six first year subjects from other programs offered on the campus, to the value of 36 points

Second year

The second-year program consists of:

• EDF2001 Beyond the Classroom
• EDF2002 The Teacher's world
• Students will undertake six second level subjects from other programs offered on the campus to the value of 36 points.

Third year

• EDF3002 Adolesent Development
• EDF3005 Learning Technologies Across the Curriculum
• EDF3003 Curriculum and Pedagogy
• EDF3004 Language and Literacy
• Students will take two third level subjects from other programs offered on campus to the value of twelve points.

Fourth Year

• EDF3001 Assessment of learning
• Education Elective
• Education Elective
• Education Elective
• Methods 1A and 1B
• Methods 2A and 2B
• Students will take two upper level subjects from other programs offered on campus to the value of twelve points.

Length course/workload required

This course is a four-year concurrent course taken on-campus with a set of fieldwork experiences each year. The expected number of hours per week for a full-time student is forty-eight.

Further information

Students are referred to the subject descriptions, which include reading lists, following the course information in this handbook for details of the subjects offered in the Bachelor of Secondary Education degree.
Further information regarding this course may be obtained from the senior administrative officer, Gippsland campus (telephone 9902 6969) or visit our web site at http://www.education.monash.edu.au/

wwwdev@monash.edu.au Sat Jul 31 10:11:20 EST 1999
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