Monash University Handbook 2011 Postgraduate - Course

This program of studies is designed for graduates who wish to become secondary school teachers. The course combines academic studies of the foundations of education with curriculum teaching units appropriate to the student's first degree and their chosen areas of teaching specialisation. Students will engage in a range of teaching and learning approaches, in university and fieldwork settings.

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

• have consolidated their theoretical knowledge of teaching and learning and the culture and contexts of schooling
• 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
• have adopted a professional orientation to all aspects of their work in schools and classrooms.

Weekend school

Non-compulsory weekend schools may be offered in some units for off-campus students.

Professional placement units are normally 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.

The course includes up to a total of 50 days of school placements taken through these four units. 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. 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 are eligible for registration and employment as secondary school teachers in the government, Catholic and independent school systems in Victoria. For interstate and overseas positions, applicants are advised to check with local authorities.

The course comprises:

(a.) eight 6-credit-point units of study:

• four core education units
• two core curriculum units (or 1 core curriculum unit and 1 curriculum elective unit)
• two curriculum specialism units

(b.) four three-credit-point professional placement units.

Full-time course requirements

First semester

• EDF4004 Curriculum and assessment
• EDF4005 Productive classrooms
• EDF41xx Core curriculum unit 1
• EDF41xx Core curriculum unit 2 or EDF45xx curriculum elective unit
• EDF4730 Professional experience 1A and EDF4731 Professional experience 1B

Second semester

• EDF4006 Professional engagement
• EDF4007 Schooling and diversity
• EDF44xx Curriculum specialism unit 1
• EDF44xx Curriculum specialism unit 2
• EDF4733 Professional experience 2A and EDF4734 Professional experience 2B

Some students may be required to attend sessions at a residential camp before the first teaching round.

Part-time course requirements

Year 1

First semester

• EDF4005 Productive classrooms (core education unit)
• EDF41xx Core curriculum unit 1
• EDF4730 Professional experience 1A

Second semester

• EDF4007 Schooling and diversity (core education unit)
• EDF44xx Curriculum specialism unit 1
• EDF4733 Professional experience 2A

Year 2

First semester

• EDF4004 Curriculum and assessment (core education unit)
• EDF41xx Core curriculum unit 2 or EDF45xx Curriculum elective unit
• EDF4731 Professional experience 1B

Second semester

• EDF4006 Professional engagement (core education unit)
• EDF44xx Curriculum specialism unit 2
• EDF4734 Professional experience 2B

Units available

Core curriculum units

Students select two of the following core curriculum units, or one core curriculum unit and one elective curriculum unit from the following list. Students are advised to consult the list of curriculum specialist units and their prerequisites before choosing the core curriculum units:

• EDF4110 Arts education
• EDF4111 Business education
• EDF4112 English language and literacy education
• EDF4113 General science education
• EDF4114 Health, outdoor and physical education
• EDF4115 Information, communication technologies and new media
• EDF4116 Mathematics and numeracy education
• EDF4117 Second language pedagogy
• EDF4118 Social and environmental education
• EDF4119 The world of Jewish education

Elective curriculum units

• EDF4510 Connecting curriculum
• EDF4511 ESL in content areas
• EDF4512 Gifted education
• EDF4513 Indigenous and traditional education in a global world
• EDF4514 Vocational and workplace learning

Curriculum specialism units

Students select two of the following curriculum specialism units. Students are advised to check the prerequisites for their specialism units before selecting their core curriculum units:

• EDF4401 Accounting education
• EDF4402 Biology education
• EDF4403 Chemistry education
• EDF4404 Drama education
• EDF4405 Economics education
• EDF4406 English education
• EDF4407 Geography education
• EDF4408 History education
• EDF4409 Health education
• EDF4410 Information technology / Computing education
• EDF4411 Languages other than English (LOTE) education - 1
• EDF4412 Languages other than English (LOTE) education - 2
• EDF4413 Legal studies education
• EDF4415 Mathematics education
• EDF4416 Media education
• EDF4417 Music education - 1
• EDF4418 Music education - 2
• EDF4419 Physics education
• EDF4420 Science education
• EDF4421 Social education
• EDF4422 Outdoor education
• EDF4423 Physical education
• EDF4425 Visual art education - 1
• EDF4426 Visual art education - 2
• EDF4427 Business management education
• EDF4428 Jewish studies education
• EDF4429 English as a second language (ESL) education

Please note the following:

(i.) some curriculum specialism units may only be available in off-campus mode every second year

(ii.) the availability of any of the curriculum specialism units from year to year is dependent on the faculty's ability to provide appropriate tutorial assistance, supervision and teaching practice facilities.

Minimum grade for course completion

Candidates must satisfactorily complete all units and receive a satisfactory teaching assessment to be eligible for the award.

Graduate Diploma of Education (Secondary)