Deakin's Bachelor of Education (Primary) is a highly regarded, undergraduate degree that will fully prepare you for a career as a primary school teacher. Graduates meet entry requirements of the teaching profession in Australia and qualify to gain employment as primary education teachers in all states and territories of Australia. You will complete a minimum of 80 days supervised school experience over the duration of the course, providing hands-on experience in a classroom setting.
Professional recognition
Approved by Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) as a preservice teaching qualification.
Middle Years (7-10) Discipline choice
Students have the option to undertake a sequence of units which will prepare them for teaching in a discipline area in the Middle Years (7-10). Students are to use the 6 unit elective sequence to build content knowledge to a sub-major level (4 units), a Year 7-10 secondary methodology unit, and a 20 day secondary school placement. Some discipline require a major study or combination of sub majors to a total of 6 credit points, plus 1 methodology unit - this will require students to complete an additional unit over and above the 32 credit points for the course.
Discipline studies areas vary according to campus and may include: Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Humanities, Societies and Environments (HSE), Maths, Performing Arts, and Visual Arts.
Contact Hours
For each unit of study, you are expected to participate in at least three hours of formal contact each week of trimester. A minimum of six hours of study time in addition to the formal contact is also expected for each unit each week.
Course rules
The Bachelor of Education (Primary) course has a 32 credit point structure which consists of 26 core units, 6 elective units as well as 7 professional experience rounds. The first year focuses on discipline studies and consists of • 6 core discipline units - 2 units in basic science, 2 units in basic mathematics, 1 unit in English and 1 unit in Humanities and • 2 first-year elective discipline units, chosen from outside the School of Education and related to primary education learning areas The remaining three years of the course consist of • 6 core education studies units • 14 core primary curriculum units - 3 mathematics education units, 3 English education units, 2 social education units, 2 arts education units, 2 science education units, 1 physical education unit, and 1 unit in either technology or foreign language teaching • 4 elective unitschosen from anywhere in the University, at least 2 of them must be at level 2 or higher. These units may be used to complete a specialised teaching sequence, for example in Visual Arts or Health and Physical Education. EEH316 Student Health and Wellbeing will normally be one of the 4 electives unless you have chosen to complete a specialised sequence
• Specialised sequences - the two first year elective discipline units and the four elective units at level 2 or above can be used to complete a major sequence in any discipline of interest to you.
If you are studying languages other than English (LOTE) you will be required to complete ESJ457 Studies in Curriculum 1 in trimester 1 in place of ECL410 in trimester 2 year 4.
Course structure
Level 1 - for Burwood (Melbourne) and Waurn Ponds (Geelong) only
Note: Students enrolled prior to 2007 should contact their enrolment officer for course advice. Trimester 1
Elective Unit 1, one credit point. Refer 4 elective units list below. You are strongly encouraged to enrol in electives within the School of Education (elective units are also available from other Faculties).
Elective Unit 2, one credit point. Refer 4 elective units list below. You are strongly encouraged to enrol in electives within the School of Education (elective units are also available from other Faculties).
Elective Unit 3, one credit point from any Faculty. Refer 4 elective units list below. You should complete elective unit 3 instead of EEH316 if you wish to complete a 6-unit specialist sequence, for example in the Arts or in a LOTE (see below).
Elective Unit 4, one credit point from any Faculty. Refer 4 elective units list below. You should complete elective unit 4 instead of EEH316 if you wish to complete a 6-unit specialist sequence, for example in the Arts or in a LOTE (see below).
Notes: (i) All units are of 1 credit point value except EEO210, EES240, EEE307, EEE308, EEA410, EEE401, and EEE402 which are 0.75 credit point units and EEP201, EEP202, EEP301, EEP302, EEP401, EEP402 and EEP403 which are 0.25 credit point units. (ii) ESM410 is a wholly Cloud (online) unit. (iii) Electives may be selected from units offered anywhere in the University at level 2 or higher. The electives offered by the School of Education are listed in this course entry.
(iv) # All students except those completing a 6 unit specialist sequence must complete EEH316 in Trimester 1 or Trimester 2.
(v) *EEP402 is offered in Waurn Ponds (Geelong) and Warrnambool in Trimester 1 only, and offered in Burwood (Melbourne) in Trimester 2 only.
(vi) Students must pass at least 5 units at first year before progressing to second year level. (vii) EEH416 also offered Trimester 3
Course structure
LOTE requirements
Students wishing to specialise in teaching Languages Other Than English (LOTE) within the Bachelor of Education (Primary) are advised to undertake a six credit point LOTE major sequence offered by the Faculty of Arts, and are also required to undertake the unit of study: ESJ457 Studies in Curriculum 1 (LOTE option) in trimester 1 level 4. Specialist area Guidelines for LOTE teachers can be found on the website of the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT)
Course structure
Detailed course rules
The Bachelor of Education (Primary) may be awarded at pass level. To be awarded the Bachelor of Education (Primary) pass degree a person shall: 1. be accepted for enrolment in a course of study leading to the award of a Bachelor of Education (Primary) pass degree and continue to be accepted for enrolment until completion of that course of study; 2. complete a course of study amounting to 32* credit points provided that the course of study: 2.1 shall include units amounting to 26# credit points from those units specified by Faculty Board from time to time as course-grouped units leading to the award of the degree of Bachelor of Education (Primary) 2.2 shall include units amounting to not less than 22 credit points at level 2 or higher, at least 6 credit points of which shall be taken at level 4 or higher 2.3 shall include 6 credit points of course-grouped units in discipline studies as agreed with the Schools of Arts and the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment 2.4 shall include at least 2 credit points selected from identified discipline subject areas. 3. the course of study shall be completed within a period of not less than four years and except with the permission of the Faculty Board not more than 10 consecutive years from the date the person first enrolled in the course. 4. the course of study shall include satisfactory completion of at least 80 days of supervised school experience. Students should note that four years of tertiary study inclusive of teacher education is required for employment as a teacher in Victoria. Notes: (i) *Students undertaking languages other than English (LOTE) will be required to complete ESJ457 Studies in Curriculum 1 in trimester 1 in place of ECL410 in trimester 2 level 4. (ii) # Students completing a 6 unit major discipline study are exempt from completing EEH316 which otherwise is a core unit.
Course structure
4 elective units
The electives component of this course provides a great opportunity for you to develop breadth or depth in your studies. Choice of electives should be based on personal interest, existing expertise, getting a broader tertiary education, or developing a subject sequence relevant to primary teaching (see Health and Physical Education and Visual Arts examples below) or a sub-major in one discipline area and the associated junior secondary curriculum studies unit to enable you to teach that subject up to level 10. Use the elective sequence as an opportunity to make yourself more employable. You may choose units from most of those offered from across the University. School of Education electives relate to teaching while electives from other Faculties relate to a specific discipline. School of Education electives will not clash with professional experience rounds in schools. You should choose units from other Faculties if these units enable you to achieve a goal such as teaching LOTE. Note that EEH316 Student Health and Wellbeing is compulsory for all students except those completing a 6-unit specialised sequence.
Health and Physical Education Unit Sequence for Primary Levels (P-6): Students wishing to develop particular expertise in the Health and Physical Education area of the primary curriculum should enrol in the following mix of discipline studies and elective units:
Note: Students must enrol in one of HBS107 and HBS109 and in one of HSE102 and HBS110.
Visual Art Unit Sequence for Primary Levels (P-6)
Students wishing to develop particular expertise in the Visual Arts area of the primary curriculum should enrol in the following mix of discipline studies and elective units:
(i) ECP303 recommended as a 3rd level elective as prerequisite knowledge of schools and professional issues is required.
(ii) ESP401 subject to enrolment quota.
Elective units available 2015
Notes:
(i) Offering is subject to availability of staff and sufficient student enrolled to meet University requirements.
(ii) An updated list will be provided prior to your re-enrolment in 2014 for 2015.
Course structure
2 first-level discipline units
Discipline units are to be taken from faculties other than Education in the Foundation (first) level of the course. A list of possible units is shown below, however students may select from a range of units from across the university. Units may not be offered every level at regional campuses. Students also have the option to build expertise to meet the requirements for teaching in a specialist discipline area in Primary Levels (P-6) or the Middle Levels (7-10).
* SLE133, SLE155 - First year Chemistry units have changed from 2013. Students to please contact Student Services for unit advice.
Working With Children Check
The Working with Children Act 2005 (Vic.) requires a person who engages in child-related work, as defined in the Act, to obtain an assessment notice under the Act, known as a Working with Children Check (WWCC). The Act is administered by the Department of Justice: justice.vic.gov.au School experience placements in schools in the course of a university degree are “child-related work”. Under the Working with Children Act 2005 (Vic.), administered by the Department of Justice, a student teacher must obtain a Working with Children Check (WWCC) before commencing school experience placements in a school. The WWCC must remain current throughout the course. It is an offence under the Act to engage in school experience without holding a WWCC.
You will not be allowed to commence school experience in any school in Victoria until a Working with Children Check is obtained. The Department of Education has requested that on the application form a student nominates the University as the (or one of the) employers. The University will then be sent a copy of the assessment notice. Because the University needs to assure a school that a student placed at the school has a current Working with Children Check, each student must give their authority to provide the assurance - you will be required to sign an authority for the University to inform a school that a WWCC has or has not been obtained.
While the University will hold on file documentation relating to the WWCCs obtained by students engaged in school experience, it is your responsibility to ensure that you can produce the WWCC card to the school upon request and to keep the WWCC current under the Act.
You are required to apply for a WWCC through a participating Australia Post outlet (which can be found on the Australia Post website or the Department of Justice website) and provide proof to the faculty that the WWCC has been undertaken.
Should you fail to obtain a WWCC, practical training in a school will not be provided, and as practical training is a requirement for completion of a teaching degree, the student may be unable to complete the degree. Should this situation arise, the University will provide advice on options for tertiary study.
It is the responsibility of students undertaking placements outside Victoria to enquire about and, where necessary, to meet any similar legislative or other requirements concerning working with children.
Professional Experience requirements You are required for registration purposes (and for the award of the degree) to have completed successfully over the duration of your course a minimum of 80 days of supervised experience in schools. You should ensure you are conversant with the Standards for Graduating Students as required by the Victorian Institute of Teaching. The school experience is organised by the Professional Experience Office and you should not make contact with schools regarding placements under any circumstances. You are required to comply with the on-line instructions regarding enrolment/re-enrolment in school experience. School experience must be undertaken in conjunction with your curriculum studies and Education Major studies and during the time tabled dates unless, in exceptional circumstances, alternative arrangements are negotiated and agreed to in writing with the Professional Experience Office. You should note that normally any paid or unpaid work undertaken in a school as an unqualified teacher/teacher’s aide will not be recognised for credit as recognised prior learning in supervised school experience for this course. You may be required to complete the school experience component of the course outside the academic year. A satisfactory level of teaching competence during supervised school experience is required for award of the degree. An “unsatisfactory” result on any school experience placement will be referred to the Faculty Academic Progress and Discipline Committee.
Graduates of an accredited teaching course should note that teacher registration is required in Victoria and is administered by the Victorian Institute of Teaching under the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic.). Prospective students should acquaint themselves with the requirements for registration in Victoria or in any other relevant location. These requirements include the ability to satisfy the Standards for Graduating Students (available at: vit.vic.edu.au)
Professional Experience enrolment You must carefully follow the instructions when enrolling or re-enrolling online in school experience units. Failure to enrol or re-enrol correctly jeopardises your school experience placement and this could lead to a delay in the award of the degree. You must follow Faculty rules in relation to the number of days of school experience to be completed for each placement as per the Professional Experience Handbook (available from the campus of enrolment), which includes the published school experience timetable. A ‘day’ constitutes a whole school day (not part thereof).
You should obtain a copy of the Professional Experience Handbook each year from the Professional Experience Office (also available at deakin.edu.au/arts-ed/education/schoolexp). Information contained in the Handbook is updated annually and is a summary of Faculty rules in relation to school experience.
Schedule of School Experience units
EEP201 Primary School Experience 1 10 days
EEP202 Primary School Experience 2 10 days
EEP301 Primary School Experience 3 10 days
EEP302 Primary School Experience 4 10 days
EEP401 Primary School Experience 5 15 days
EEP402 Primary School Experience 6* 10 days
EEP403 Primary School Experience 7 15 days
Note:
(i) All School Experience units are 0.25 credit point units.
(ii) * EEP402 offered at Waurn Ponds (Geelong) and Warrnambool in Trimester 1 only, and offered at Burwood (Melbourne) in Trimester 2 only.