James Cook University Course and Subject Handbook - 2007

BACHELOR OF EDUCATION

The Bachelor of Education course can be taken in any of twenty-three majors (see also Courses and Majors Bachelor of Education and Bachelor of Education with Honours on page 211) which prepare teachers for early childhood, primary and secondary levels. The course is designed as a qualification for teachers who are knowledgeable life-long learners, committed to all learners and their communities, competent in curriculum, pedagogy and assessment, and committed to professional and ethical responsibility and action. Particular attention is given to ensuring that graduates are well prepared to contribute to education in north Queensland, including a focus on the needs of Indigenous students and students in rural and isolated communities.

The course enhances the discipline knowledge base of teachers, integrates theory and practice, and promotes a reflective approach to teaching. There is significant collaboration between the University and schools in ensuring that both the on-campus and professional experience components of the course ensure a successful transition to the profession.

The first year is a year of orientation to teachers’ work and the development of professional understanding and competence. Students are introduced to the context of education and come to understand how people grow and develop in the socio-cultural practices of their world. They begin to consider how teaching and learning might respond and contribute to individual development and social change in a globalised society. Students focus on basic literacies in language, mathematics and technology, both as goals for education and as competencies for their own professional growth.

In second and third years, students focus more closely on teaching and learning in the context of student and school cultures. They study the process of teaching and learning in the various curriculum contexts, including critical inquiry into “commonsense” understandings of “best practice”. Students develop the following competencies in their curriculum areas:

• understanding contemporary issues in the field and their origins;

• knowledge of relevant theories informing practice within the area;

• skills of planning and implementing successful teaching practices;

• critical analysis and assessment of the uses of relevant technologies;

• development and evaluation of teaching programs and resources and appropriate assessment of learning outcomes.

A key focus of this part of the course is the process of critical investigation and reflective inquiry, both as goals of schooling, and also as the means for the development of professional expertise.

During the first three years, students complete the discipline requirements for their relevant major.

In the final year of the course students integrate intellectual and practical knowledges in ways that will prepare them to contribute to the development of a tolerant, vigorous and caring society for all their students. Studies in curriculum and beginning teaching join with extended teaching experience in schools to allow students to develop and communicate personal theories and philosophies of teaching and learning. Students become more independent in their development of the role of teacher/ researcher and prepare to contribute in authentic ways to their profession.