Master of Education (Special Education) (MEd(SpEd))
Course code: 2040
Contact: Dr Lawrence Bartak or Dr Joanne Deppeler
The special education pathway is designed to meet the requirements of
teachers, other professionals and administrators who wish to gain higher
qualifications and expertise in the area of supporting individuals with special
needs.
The objectives of the special education pathway are to provide students
with knowledge and understanding of:
- the practices and issues relevant to the support of individuals with
special needs;
- assessment, diagnosis, program planning and implementation for students
with special needs;
- data collection, goal-setting, modifications of curriculum and services
for individuals with special needs;
- the collaborative decision-making processes and factors relevant to
effective roles as change-agents;
- regional, national and international human resources systems relevant to
support of individuals with special needs;
- the professional, ethical and research issues which are relevant to the
field.
The coursework subjects comprise three compulsory subjects - GED1811,
GED1812 and GED1816. Students who wish to teach in the special education area
in schools and meet the requirements set by the Standards Council must also
complete GED1818. This is an optional unit for other students who will
otherwise replace it with another approved subject. The remaining subjects must
be selected from an approved list of subjects (as specified below).
GED1811 and GED1812 are core subjects for this degree and should be completed
early in the program. The elective subjects must be selected from the
prescribed list of subjects. The third compulsory subject, GED1816, is usually
undertaken after the elective subjects have been completed. Research subjects
as listed in the Master of Education course information would also be
appropriate for this degree.
- GED1811 Studies in special education A
- GED1812 Studies in special education B
- GED1816 Special education practice 1
- GED1818 Special education practice 2 (not compulsory for non-teachers)
- GED1805 Cognitive psychology, learning and teaching
- GED1806 Communication disorders in children and adults
- GED1807 Anxiety disorders
- GED1808 Adolescent development and its educational implications
- GED1809 Studies in learning difficulties
- GED1813 Behavioural problems in children
- GED1814 The psychology of the gifted child
- GED1815 Intellectual disability
- GED1817 Counselling, guidance and pastoral care in schools
- GED1837 Psychological, physical and social components of health education
- GED2805 Gender and education
- GED2835 Aboriginality and education
- GED2847 Difference, equity and education: issues of gender, ethnicity and
class
- GED3801 Legal issues and the exceptional individual
- GED3803 Issues in health education
- GED3836 Writing practices in learning contexts
- GED3837 Literacy in adults contexts: policies, practices and theories
- GED3842 Reading: theory, research and practice
- GED4801 Teaching standards and teacher evaluation
- GED4810 Assessment of student learning
- GED4819 Catering for individual differences, assessment and learning in
mathematics education
- GED4830 Developing the reflective practitioner
- GED4831 Education and health promotion
- EDN8036 Issues in primary education
Any of the research subjects in
the Master of Education course information list may also be chosen.
The project, of approximately 20,000 words, must focus on a topic
relevant to individuals with special needs. Students intending to enrol in the
project must complete an appropriate research methodology subject.