Monash University Handbook 2010 Undergraduate - Course

Secondary school teachers are specialists in one or more areas within a school curriculum, allowing them to focus on subjects and issues of personal interest. The Monash double degree gives students the ability to deepen their understanding of the areas they intend to teach in schools by offering a choice of more than 50 subject areas within the Bachelor of Arts. This approach enables students to also pursue professional development opportunities in business, industry, government or the community as well as teaching. Students put their learning into action through practical experiences, completing a minimum of 80 days of professional placements in secondary schools and other settings, including opportunities for overseas or remote practical experiences.

This double degree requires the study equivalent of 4.25 years of full time study (204 credit points), however it has been structured to allow completion in just 4 years full-time or 8 years part-time. This is made possible by the incorporation of a 12 credit point study overload in the final year of the course.

Upon successful completion of this course it is expected that students will:

• have developed rich and integrated theoretical perspectives on teaching and learning as well as the culture and contexts of schooling
• have linked these theoretical perspectives to different educational contexts and be able to use these linkages to inform and develop their practice
• have developed a high level of competence as knowledgeable, reflective, research oriented and articulate practitioners
• be self-sufficient and independent as beginning teachers in a secondary context generally and in the specific areas of humanities education that they select for study in their Bachelor of Arts.

For objectives of the Arts component of this double degree go to http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/2010handbooks/courses/0002.html

The course includes a minimum of 80 days of placement, with some placement being undertaken in each year of the course. In first, second and third year, placements are tied to education units offered. In fourth year, the 50 days of placement are tied to the four professional experience units. These placements involve a program of field visits to different educational sites and include structured teaching experience.

Students must be available to undertake these on a full-time basis for several weeks at a time. For full-time students placement is typically conducted in two blocks of five weeks, one each semester. For part-time students it is typically conducted in four blocks of two to three weeks, one block in each of four semesters. These units are taken concurrently with enrolment in the core curriculum units and the curriculum specialism units. They provide supervised teaching practice in the teaching area of the student's curriculum units while on school placement.

Students who are employed in schools must complete at least 25 days of supervised school placement in a setting other than the school at which they are employed.

Graduates will be eligible for registration and employment as secondary school teachers in Victoria. For interstate and overseas positions, applicants are advised to check registration and employment requirements with local authorities.

To receive the awards of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education, a student must successfully complete units totalling 204 points, consisting of:

(a.) studies in arts (96 points) including:

• arts discipline major (48 points).
• arts discipline minor (24 points).
• an additional arts discipline first-year sequence (12 points).
• a further 12 points in arts units.

For full details on the majors and minors offered, refer to the 'Areas of study' at http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/aos/index-ug-byfaculty-arts.html.

(b.) studies in education (108 points) including a series of units relating to the theory and practice of education, teaching and curriculum, and professional placement units.

Students need to be aware that their major and minor studies in arts must satisfy the requirements for the study of two curriculum specialism units in their fourth year and the requirements for employment laid down by the Victorian Institute of Teaching. Students are advised to consult the VIT website at http://www.vit.vic.edu.au in consultation with their course advisor.

Generally, to qualify for secondary curriculum specialism units, a candidate will require a minimum of two years of full-time academic study in that discipline. There are additional requirements for some disciplines.

Progressively over the course, students will complete more of the education component, until the final year, which is composed entirely of education studies, including professional placements.

First year

• EDF1303 Learning and educational inquiry 1
• EDF1304 Learning and educational inquiry 2
• 36 points of arts studies

Second year

• EDF2004 Curriculum inquiry
• EDF2005 Professional responsibilities, practice and relationships
• 36 points of arts studies

Third year

• EDF3006 Adolescent development and learning
• EDF3007 Mediating the world of learning
• EDF3008 Researching educational practices
• EDF3009 Schooling: Local - global
• 24 points of arts studies

Fourth year

• EDF4004 Curriculum and assessment (core education unit)
• EDF4006 Professional engagement (core education unit)
• EDF41xx Core curriculum unit
• EDF41xx Core curriculum unit, or EDFxxxx Curriculum elective unit
• EDF44xx Curriculum specialism 1
• EDF44xx Curriculum specialism 2
• EDF4730 Professional experience 1A and EDF4731 Professional experience 1B
• EDF4733 Professional experience 2A and EDF4734 Professional experience 2B
• two general electives from the list at http://www.education.monash.edu.au/units/general-electives.html

Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Education