EDUC 4219 - Professional Experience 5 day

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2024

Professional Experience is central to the Initial Teacher Education program. This 5-day Professional Experience course prepares final year Pre-service teachers for their secondary school placement in a Department for Education, Independent, Lutheran or Catholic school.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code EDUC 4219
    Course Professional Experience 5 day
    Coordinating Unit School of Education
    Term Semester 1
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact 4 hour seminar in Week 1, 7 hours per day whilst on placement
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange N
    Prerequisites Successful completion Curriculum and Pedagogy courses in 2 subject specialisations, 45 day placement
    Corequisites EDUC 4220
    Restrictions Available to students in B.Teach double degree programs only
    Assessment Placement 100%,
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Dr Walter Barbieri

    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

    This course is taken in conjunction with EDUC 4211, 4215. 

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    By the end of this course the students will be able to:

    1. Understand, and account for in planning, the diversity for student cohorts and how they learn.
    2. Understand and apply the teaching methodologies of their curriculum area(s).
    3. Plan for and implement effective and appropriate learning activities.
    4.Create supportive and safe learning environments, including the initial development of a repertoire of effective and ethical behaviour management strategies.
    5. Understand assessment and reporting processes, including the provision of feedback to students and other stakeholders
    about their learning.
    6. Engage with other professional educators such as Curriculum area associations.
    7. Create and maintain professional relationships with teacher-colleagues and school leaders as well as the wider school community.
    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)

    Attribute 1: Deep discipline knowledge and intellectual breadth

    Graduates have comprehensive knowledge and understanding of their subject area, the ability to engage with different traditions of thought, and the ability to apply their knowledge in practice including in multi-disciplinary or multi-professional contexts.

    1

    Attribute 2: Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving

    Graduates are effective problems-solvers, able to apply critical, creative and evidence-based thinking to conceive innovative responses to future challenges.

    2,3,5

    Attribute 3: Teamwork and communication skills

    Graduates convey ideas and information effectively to a range of audiences for a variety of purposes and contribute in a positive and collaborative manner to achieving common goals.

    2,3,5

    Attribute 4: Professionalism and leadership readiness

    Graduates engage in professional behaviour and have the potential to be entrepreneurial and take leadership roles in their chosen occupations or careers and communities.

    6

    Attribute 5: Intercultural and ethical competency

    Graduates are responsible and effective global citizens whose personal values and practices are consistent with their roles as responsible members of society.

    2,3

    Attribute 6: Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural competency

    Graduates have an understanding of, and respect for, Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander values, culture and knowledge.

    2,3

    Attribute 7: Digital capabilities

    Graduates are well prepared for living, learning and working in a digital society.

    2,3

    Attribute 8: Self-awareness and emotional intelligence

    Graduates are self-aware and reflective; they are flexible and resilient and have the capacity to accept and give constructive feedback; they act with integrity and take responsibility for their actions.

    4,7
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    This course is conducted face to face in a lecture/seminar format requiring engagement at each session.
    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    6 x 3 hour lecture/seminar and a 25 day Professional Experience placement.
    Learning Activities Summary

    Below is the structure of training provided in the first professional experience course in this placement sequence. The content is directly reflective of the requirements for success in this capstone final placement and subsequent assessments.
    Please note there are no scheduled classes for this course and below is indicative of previous learning.

    Week Topic Taught Practiced (APST) Assessed Learning Outcomes
    1 Welcome, Placement Overview; AfGT Overview; and Wellbeing Overviews of the course, placement, and TPA; Introduction to AITSL's APSTs.
    Individual assessed components of the AfGT; Wellbeing Framework and requirement for placement.

    Overviews of the course, placement, and TPA; Introduction to AITSL's APSTs.


    Individual assessed components of the AfGT; Wellbeing Framework and requirement for placement. During placement PSTs practice the and AITSL Standards that are explicitly assessed in all AfGT assignments.


    APST 6.1 Engagement with their AfGT assignments during placement requires PSTs to have a working knowledge of the APSTs.


    APST 4.4 Welling strategies: Students apply the taught strategies to support student wellbeing in their placement classes.

    The Placement Report and the AfGT assignments assess the APSTs explicitly.
    Wellbeing and safety is assessed in Element 2 of the AfGT.
    1,2,3
    2 Belief Statements, Department for Education,
    Graduate Teacher Testimonial
    PSTs engage in developing key values and principles associated with codes of ethical conduct to create a belief statement for future employment. APST 7.1: PSTs are required to a construct belief statement that aligns with authentic beliefs developed from placement ready for employment purposes. PSTs use their beliefs to engage with respond to Element 2 and Element 4. 2,3,7
    3 Independent Education Union,
    Catholic Education South Australia,
    Educators SA
    PSTs engage in understanding the roles of external professional and community organisations including content related to organisational and sector policies. Content regarding PST engagement in the wider school community and stakeholder, including parents and carers and issues of sensitivity and confidentiality are taught. APST 7.2, 7.3, 7.4: During the placement experience, PSTs engage with an array of administrative and organisational requirements that enables then to support parents and cares as well as external professional communities. This is achieved through understanding the role of various school-based activities as well as engagement with external professional bodies or key stakeholders. Placement Report 6,7
    4 AfGT Elements 1 and 4 Element 1: Unit Plan. This is taught in the Curriculum & Pedagogy (C&P) courses that are aligned with this course. Both courses examine the role of the APSTs in lesson and curriculum planning.
    Element 4: Situational Judgement reflective task for complex classroom situations. This is taught in this course where PSTs engage in content related to critical reflection and adaptive classroom practices.

    APST 4.2: The completion of Element 1 on placement requires PSTs to demonstrate commensurate organisation of classroom activities and resources.


    APST 4.3: Completing Element 4 of the AfGT requires PSTs to engage with hypothetical situations of challenging behaviour in the classroom.

    APST 6.1 & 6.3: Engagement with their AfGT assignments during placement. PSTs are required to analyse areas of professional learning needs. These needs are addressed by PSTs nominating APSTs during lesson observations that are recorded by mentors, and university liaisons providing feedback for the PST.

    Placement Report. 


    Element 1 and Element 4.

    1,2,3,4,5
    5 AfGT Elements 2 and 3 Element 2: Analysing Teaching Practice. PSTs are required to film themselves while on placement as a tool for reflection about the development of their teaching practice.

    Element 3: Assessing for impact on student learning using assessment data.
    This task requires PSTs to rigorously interpret and analyse summative assessment results from a class taught on placement.
    APST 6.1: The teaching duties during the professional experience placement require PSTs to explicitly understand and practice the Graduate level APSTs in their classrooms and the wider school community. Placement Report.

    Element 2 and Element 3.
    1,2,3,4,5
    6 Teachers' Registration Board of South Australia;
    University Liaisons; Final Placement information.
    PSTs engage in content related to legislative, administrative, and organisational policies requiring ethical conduct and professional responsibilities for the teaching profession and registration. Emphasis on professional learning and development outlining the requirement for graduate teachers to move from Graduate to Proficiency. PSTs are provided with an array of strategies to ensure the inclusion of all stakeholders ie. parents/carers, community members in the educative process related directly to placement. APST 3.7: PSTs are provided with communication guidelines that encourages inclusive dialogue with all parents and carers. Examples of this are including parents/carers in lesson design, content, and general communication.

    APST 6.2: During placement, PSTs are encouraged to collect evidence and artefacts against the 37 APST focus areas to demonstrate progression of practice and sources of professional learning.

    APST 7.2 PSTs are required to meet all legislative and organisational requires prior to placement and ensure these are met during the registration process.

    APST 7.4: PSTs are encouraged to become members of professional teacher associations and become active members within these communities of practice.
    Permission to proceed to placement.

    Placement Report.

    Degree completion.
    1,2,3,4,7

  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    The successful completion of this Professional Experience course includes completing the Professional Experience placement successfully and completing Elements 1 and 4 of the Assessment for Graduate Teaching (AfGT) which in part constitutes, the necessary capstone requirements for your teaching degree and is considered a hurdle requirement.
    Assessment Detail
    Element 1

    Word Count: Approx. 750 words.
    Procedural Steps
    1. Plan a sequence of lessons (unit of work) to be taught on your final placement
    2. Complete AfGT Table 1
    3. Submit Table 1 and any supplementary or accompanying learning and assessment materials for your sequence of lessons/unit of work.
    Detailed Steps: Following the steps below (a – f), outline a sequence of no fewer than 5 and no more than 8 lessons that will be taught during your final placement:a) Identify the overarching goal for the sequence of lessons;b) Design a cumulative sequence of lesson goals that aligns with the overarching goal;c) Design sequenced lesson content (including curriculum links). The links to the curriculum documents should enable a reader to locate the same document to which you are referring;d) Justify the teaching strategies selected to challenge diverse learners to achieve the lesson goals; e) Justify complementary resources, including Information and Communications Technology (ICT), to engage all students in their learning; and, f) Explain strategies to support the safe, responsible and ethical use of resources (including ICTs).
    To support the latter half of this assignment, also consider the following: Synthesise mentor feedback to support the planned learning sequence.Explain your assessment plan (6a – 6c), which includes formative, diagnostic and summative assessment, opportunities for timely feedback, and assessment moderation: a) Explain a comprehensive assessment plan to monitor student achievement;b) Explain how you will make opportunities for purposeful and timely feedback; c) Explain how you will incorporate assessment moderation processes.

    Context:
    This assignment will demonstrate the Pre-Service Teacher’s ability to draw on their professional knowledge and skills, as well as their
    understanding of the context, to plan a learning sequence and associated assessment tasks, address outcomes and students’ needs and abilities. In this Element, the focus is on the pre-service teacher’s capacity to understand the context of their placement and their planning for student learning in relation to the specific goal/s of the sequence of lessons, and the ways in which they will judge their impact on student learning. PSTs must pass Element 1 to demonstrate that the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (AITSL, 2018) are met at Graduate level. Assessed APSTs1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.5, 2.6, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 4.1, 4.4, 4.5, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4 and 6.3.


    Element 4

    Word Count: Approx. 600 words.
    Procedural Steps: 1. Receive link from AfGT. Follow the prompts to commence the activity. 3. Respond to each scenario by selecting your answer and submitting a written response. 4. Save and submit your work.

    Detailed Steps: 1. You will work through four different scenarios provided via a link to an online survey that will be sent to you; 2. Please only click the link when you are ready to begin (after you first click the link, it will automatically submit after 24 hours);3. Select your institution and insert your student number as prompted;4. Read the scenario carefully;5. Choose one of the options, A to D, for each scenario and then justify your decision. (Your responses can be in either bullet points or prose. The indicative word count for each justification is between 100 and 150 words);6. Save your work by clicking the ‘Next’ button and follow the prompts to submit your responses; 7. Once all four questions are completed, a confirmation email message will be sent to your student email address.

    Context: Links to a URL will be provided to the Pre-Service Teacher, who will respond to the questions that follow the online scenarios of teaching and learning.In Element 4 of the AfGT, which is the AfGT component that will be completed online, you will be provided with a link to an online survey tool known as Qualtrics. When you open it, you will see that you have four scenarios (or situations) that educators may face during their teaching career. Each will be accompanied by a list of four options (A to D) and a prompt that requires you to make a judgement about the scenario or situation. The wording of the prompt is: “Which option would you choose? Justify your decision. (100 to 150 words)”. An assessment rubric will accompany each scenario.

    APSTs Assessed: 1.4, 1.6, 2.4 and 4.3.

    Placement Report
    The placement report is completed at the completion of the Professional Experience placement. It is completed by Mentor Teachers in conjunction with University Liaisons and the Pre-service teacher.
    Submission
    Assessments will be submitted via MyUni as file uploads.

    AfGT elements and placement report due after placement.

    Pre-service teachers will need to complete a comment in their final report.
    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    GS8 (Coursework Grade Scheme)
    Grade Description
    CN Continuing
    FNS Fail No Submission
    NFE No Formal Examination
    F Fail
    NGP Non Graded Pass
    P Pass
    C Credit
    D Distinction
    HD High Distinction
    RP Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.