Graduate Diploma of Education (Secondary)

• General information
• Admission requirements
• Applications
• Applicants with overseas qualifications
• Special requirements
• English requirement
  • University Test of English as a Second Language.
• Course outline - full-time (Clayton campus)
  • First semester
  • Second semester
• Course outline - part-time (Clayton and Gippsland campuses)
  • First year
  • Second year
  • Note - practicum placements
  • Methods and practice of teaching units
• Length of course/workload required
• Further information

General information

Course code: 1737 + Full-time/part-time + Clayton (on-campus/multi- mode) - contact: course coordinator Ms Jenny Brown (telephone (03) 9905 2819) + Gippsland (off-campus) - contact: Dr Mr Jeff Richardson (telephone (03) 5122 6375 or (03) 9902 6375 for initial inquiries)

The faculty offers a one-year full-time or two years part-time course leading to the award of the Graduate Diploma of Education (Secondary) for graduates wishing to become secondary school teachers. The course combines academic studies of the foundations of education with methods and practice of teaching in units appropriate to the student's first degree. The program is offered on-campus at Clayton and off-campus from the Gippsland campus. However, students may elect to enrol as multi-mode students taking some units as on-campus units from Clayton and some as off-campus units.

Admission requirements

The minimum entry requirement is completion of an approved degree. The units studied in that degree must include a minimum two-year sequence in relevant tertiary units for the method units to be studied in the course (for example English, economics, mathematics). A major sequence in one of these disciplines is desirable (some methods do require major sequences).

Advice on the suitability of undergraduate sequences or other information about the Graduate Diploma of Education (Secondary) may be obtained from the course coordinator.
Criteria for selection include the following:

• academic merit
• the availability of supervision and teaching practice facilities in the various teaching method units
• proof of English proficiency (see `Special requirements' below).

Applications

Applications are made through the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC), telephone 1300 364 133 (except for on-campus international students who apply through Monash International and off-campus international students who apply directly to Gippsland campus). Application forms are available in the VTAC guide, which can be obtained from Victorian newsagents from August, or via the VTAC website at http://www.vtac.edu.au. They must be submitted to VTAC by the end of September (late applications will be accepted on payment of a late fee).

Applicants with overseas qualifications

Applicants with overseas qualifications are advised to submit their results to The Employment Assessment Centre, Victorian Department of Education and Training, GPO Box 4367, Melbourne, Victoria 3001. Telephone (03) 9637 2000 or (03)9616 9089 (international + 61 3 9637 2000 or + 61 3 9616 0989) to obtain an assessment. Any inquiry should be made well in advance, as there is no guarantee assessments will be completed in time for applicants to be considered for a round one offer. Any documentation received from the Department should be forwarded to VTAC before 12 noon on 6 December 2002.

Special requirements

It is desirable for students undertaking the course in off-campus or multi- mode to have access to a personal computer (Windows or Macintosh). Non-compulsory weekend schools may be offered in some units for off- campus students.

English Requirement for Applicants through VTAC

University Test of English as a Second Language

In order to manage your teacher training course, and particularly to teach classes effectively on your ten weeks of teaching practice, you will need to have excellent communication skills in English. You need to provide evidence of this. If you do not have a satisfactory result in English at Year 12 in Australia (including applicants with overseas qualifications), or if you have not received an official exemption from having to sit for the University Test of English as a Second Language (UTESL), you must enroll for this written test of reading, writing and listening skills. If you have no exemption and fail to sit the test, you will not be considered for selection.

Applications for exemption should be addressed in writing to English Exemptions, Faculty of Education, Monash University, P.O. Box 6, Victoria 3800, and should include evidence of your English proficiency. Completion of all secondary and tertiary studies in full English medium in a country where English is an official language will generally be accepted as grounds for exemption. Attendance at English courses may not be regarded as adequate evidence. However, results on nationally or internationally recognized tests such as the IELTS-academic (a 7 is required for most subjects) and the TOEFL (only if accompanied by the essay test result or the TWE, with a minimum score of 600 and 4.5 TWE or 250 on the CBT) or the ASLPRs (a 4 is required) can be presented.

Further enquiries regarding English requirements and exemptions may be directed to the email address: english.exemptions@education.monash.edu.au . Please note that enquiries and applications for exemption should be submitted by the 1st of October for timely applicants and the 1st of November for late applicants. The requests will receive responses one week from each of these dates.

The Language Testing Research Centre conducts the test (UTESL) at the University of Melbourne. Testing will take place on a Saturday in late October and late November. For information about the test, and for a registration form, please contact the Language Testing Research Centre on 8344 4389 (tel), 8344 5163 (fax), or by email at the following address: ltrc-info@unimelb.edu.au

If you perform well on the UTESL, or have received partial exemption, you will be asked to attend an interview at the Faculty of Education, Clayton. Interviews are normally held in late November and in December. You will be invited to attend in writing or by email, and an explanation of the interview will be provided. This interview tests your oral communication skills in English.

You do NOT need to submit a letter of exemption with your VTAC application. The institution of your first preference, of which you request an exemption, will inform VTAC and all other institutions of your exemption and oral interview results (where applicable). This will occur in December in time for the selection in January.

Course outline - full-time (Clayton campus)

The course comprises 48 credit points of study. Students are required to complete eight units comprising four foundation units and two methods and practice of teaching (MPT) unit sets (an A and B sequence = one method set). The four foundation units cover the following areas:

• Education as a profession
• The relationship between teaching and learning
• Psychology of students, particularly adolescents
• Social context of education
• Implementation of learning strategies, including learning technologies
• Communication skills, including literacy skills
• Research and evaluation in curriculum and teaching

The supervised teaching practice component of the methods and practice- of-teaching units is conducted in blocks. The full-time course consists of the following units:

First semester

• EDF5421 Professional issues 1: a focus on the classroom
• EDF5422 Communication, learning and assessment
• EDF54xx First teaching methods, part 1A
• EDF54xx Second teaching methods, part 2A

Second semester

• EDF5423 Educational contexts
• EDF5424 Professional issues 2: a focus on the profession
• EDF54xx First teaching methods, part 1B
• EDF54xx Second teaching methods, part 2B

In addition, service units may be undertaken in some areas. Some full-time on-campus students may be required to attend sessions at a residential camp before the first teaching round.

From 2002, the full-time course will only be available from the Clayton campus.

Course outline - part-time (Clayton and Gippsland campuses)

First year

• EDF5421 Professional issues 1: a focus on the classroom
• EDF5423 Educational contexts
• EDF54xx Methods and practice of teaching 1A
• EDF54xx Methods and practice of teaching 1B

Second year

• EDF5422 Communication, earning and assessment
• EDF5424 Professional issues 2: a focus on the profession
• EDF54xx Methods and practice of teaching 2A
• EDF54xx Methods and practice of teaching 2B

This is a conceptual outline only. It gives a general indication of how the course will progress and is subject to change without notice. Students should consult their course coordinator to assist in planning their program. Please check the timetable for 2003 for unit availability via our website address at http://www.education.monash.edu.au/students/timetables/ after 30 September.

Note - practicum placements

Methods and practice of teaching units include school placements. A total of 10 weeks of school placements. Students must be available to undertake their school placements on a full-time basis. Students who are employed in schools are required to do 50 days practicum. They must complete at least 25 days of supervised practicum in a setting other than the school at which they are employed.

Methods and practice of teaching units

Each student must choose two methods and practice of teaching (MPT) unit sets (an A and B sequence = one method set). Students are advised to consult the following list of MPT units together with the outlines for each unit and their prerequisites. This information should then be used to choose two sets of MPT units.

The prerequisites for entry to these units are determined by the faculty and do not necessarily meet the requirements of particular employers in specific unit fields. Students in doubt about the suitability of their qualifications for employment with the Victorian Department of Education and Training, GPO Box 4367, Melbourne, Victoria 3001. Telephone (03) 9637 2000 (international + 61 3 9637 2000) to check with the department's recruitment unit.
With permission from the course coordinators, students may undertake study in multi-mode (ie on-campus and off-campus).

* All Clayton methods units are offered by on-campus mode unless marked with an asterisk (*) which are offered only by off-campus mode.
** All Gippsland methods units are offered by off-campus mode.
The availability of any of the methods and practice of teaching units from year to year is dependent on the faculty's ability to provide appropriate tutorial assistance, supervision and teaching practice facilities.

Length of course/workload required

This course consists of one year of full-time study or two years of part-time study taken in on-campus or off-campus mode. The expected number of hours per week is 48 for a full-time student and 24 for a part-time student, except during teaching practica. The course will normally commence in mid-February. Candidates must satisfactorily complete all units and receive a satisfactory teaching assessment to be eligible for the award.

Further information

Further information regarding this course may be obtained from the Faculty of Education, Clayton campus (telephone (03) 9905 2881), or Gippsland campus (telephone (03) 9902 6969 or (03) 5122 6969), or visit our website at http://www.education.monash.edu.au.

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