Professional Experience 1
Overview
This is the first of three professional experience units in secondary education. Pre-service teachers will undertake a 20-day professional experience in a secondary school under the supervision of approved mentors. Pre-service teachers will involve themselves in the life of the school and reflect on their practice and performance in discussion with their mentors and university academic staff. Pre-service teachers will begin to develop their understanding and competence against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) appropriate to this course stage. Pre-service teachers will be introduced to materials relating to pedagogy, curriculum, assessment and policies relevant to secondary school settings.
23-March-2025
07-September-2025
Learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
- Demonstrate professional and caring relationships with education professionals, students and families
- Contribute to the planning and implementation of learning experiences
- Discuss curriculum documents and resources in relation to effective teaching and learning
- Act in accordance with the standards, codes and policies relevant to the school setting
- Critically reflect upon teaching and learning experiences, including the role of the learning environment
Teaching methods
Hawthorn
| Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Face to Face Contact (Phasing out) Workshop | 3.00 | 8 weeks | 24 |
| Placement Placement | 37.50 | 4 weeks | 150 |
| Specified Learning Activities (Phasing out) Various | 6.00 | 8 weeks | 48 |
| Unspecified Learning Activities (Phasing out) Independent Learning | 6.50 | 12 weeks | 78 |
| TOTAL | 300 |
Swinburne Online
| Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Placement Placement | 37.50 | 4 weeks | 150 |
| Specified Learning Activities (Phasing out) Various | 6.00 | 12 weeks | 72 |
| Unspecified Learning Activities (Phasing out) Independent Learning | 6.50 | 12 weeks | 78 |
| TOTAL | 300 |
Assessment
| Type | Task | Weighting | ULO's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional Experience Portfolio | Individual | 0% | 1,2,3,4,5 |
| Professional Experience Report | Individual | 0% | 1,2,3,4,5 |
Hurdle
As the minimum requirements of assessment to pass a unit and meet all ULOs to a minimum standard, an undergraduate student must have achieved:
Content
- Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Graduate) focus areas 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.5, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 4.2, 4.4, 4.5, 5.1, 5.2, 5.4, 6.3, 7.1, 7.3 are explicitly taught, practiced and assessed in this unit
- Code of Conduct
- Code of Ethics
- Confidentiality
- Effective communication
- Planning documents
- Introduction to secondary school education in Australia
- The importance of knowing the setting and students you teach
- Curriculum documents relevant to secondary schools
- Engagement in a professional experience under the guidance of a professionally qualified mentor
- Establishing professional relationships
- Reflect on teaching performance
- Resources to support teaching and learning
- Learning environments
- Introduction to e-Portfolios
Study resources
Reading materials
A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.