Course coordinator
Ms Anna Sibthorpe
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2025 (24/02/2025 - 21/06/2025)
- Study level
- Postgraduate Coursework
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Education School
Through a professional experience block placement this course provides a further introduction to the practice of teaching and demonstrates the ongoing importance of creativity, initiative and personal autonomy in teaching. The professional experience provides opportunities for purposeful and insightful supervised experiences to develop preservice teachers' understandings of themselves as teachers, the students they will teach, the contexts in which they will teach and the teaching/learning process. Observation of practice will continue to provide preservice teachers with opportunities to critically reflect on and improve their own practice. Another feature of the course will be the ongoing practice in the design and implementation of units/lessons and assessment. This course is developmental and builds on EDUC7605, providing a basis for the subsequent course EDUC7625. The course will also incorporate and implement knowledge and skills developed across the Master of Teaching (Secondary) program so far.
- As this course contains a professional experience component in a school, students are required to have a valid Blue Card for the duration of the placement.
- 30 days (6 week block) professional experience (except Turn to Teaching Internship Program students, who will complete 20 days (4 week block) professional experience).
For Semester 1, 2025, the mid-semester break for this course will be relocated to university week 8.
NOTE (for Sem 2 offering ONLY): This course runs to the standard Semester 2 calendar for coursework, with the 20 day block professional experience commencing in revision week and concluding one week after Semester 2 central examinations.
Course requirements
Prerequisites
You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:
EDUC7605 and successful completion or concurrent enrolment in all Curriculum Studies courses, plus a current Blue Card and LANTITE attempt.
Incompatible
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
EDUC4710; EDUC6610
Restrictions
Restricted to Master of Teaching (Secondary) program students.
Semester 2 only: Restricted to students in the Turn to Teaching Internship Program.
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Ms Anna Sibthorpe
Tutor
Ms Anna Sibthorpe
Miss Kirsten Fairbairn
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Additional timetable information
There are 8 x 1 hour lectures and 8 x 2 hour workshops.
If you are unable to attend a lecture, it is expected that you will watch the recording.
Workshops are compulsory. A minimum of 80% participation in and attendance at workshops is required.
Professional experience block placement - 30 days (six weeks).
Aims and outcomes
- Provides opportunities for purposeful and insightful supervised experiences to develop preservice teachers’ understandings of themselves as teachers, the students they will teach, the contexts in which they will teach and the teaching/learning process.ﾠ
- Observation of practice will continue to provide preservice teachers with opportunities to critically reflect on and improve their own practice.
- Ongoing practice in the design and implementation of units/lessons and assessment.ﾠ
- To develop, together with EDUC7625,ﾠthe professional knowledge andﾠ skills of pre-service teachers to the standards required for registration by the Queensland College of Teachers.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Demonstrate an understanding of schools as workplaces and be familiar with the statutory, ethical and other requirements that govern the work of teachers in schools. (APST: 7.1, 7.2)
LO2.
Demonstrate the application of professional and disciplinary knowledge to engage with curriculum, pedagogy, assessment and reporting of student outcomes, and use this knowledge to design lesson plans and learning experiences. (APST: 2.1, 2.2, 2.3)
LO3.
Create inclusive, supportive and intellectually challenging educational environments, and use a range of resources including ICT, and a range of teaching strategies that engage all learners, and set appropriate learning goals for students of all abilities and from broad range of
backgrounds. (APST: 1.3, 3.1, 3.3, 3.4, 4.1)
LO4.
Demonstrate a range of verbal and nonverbal communication strategies to support student engagement. (APST: 3.5)
LO5.
Demonstrate skills of critical reflection to evaluate student learning and assessment data and make informed decisions regarding student learning and required modifications to teaching practices. (APST: 5.4)
LO6.
Demonstrate skills of and purpose for critical reflection and engagement with APSTs, colleagues and mentors to identify professional learning needs and develop achievable plans for personal professional growth and effectively engage with constructive feedback through the stages of
preservice teaching and beginning teaching. (APST: 6.1, 6.3)
LO7.
Demonstrate clear, fluent, and coherent communication skills consistent with personal, professional and academic conventions.
LO8.
Demonstrate all teaching and professional requirements of the professional experience placement. (APST: 1.1, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.5,
2.6, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 5.1 5.2, 5.4, 6.3, 7.1, 7.2)
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Participation/ Student contribution |
Policies & Procedures for Professional Experience
|
Pass/Fail |
7/03/2025 2:00 pm |
| Placement |
Professional Experience
|
Pass/Fail |
22/04/2025 - 30/05/2025
Evaluation Report to be uploaded to Blackboard by 9 June |
| Essay/ Critique, Notebook/ Logbook |
Professional practice log and Reflective essay
|
Pass/Fail |
6/06/2025 2:00 pm |
| Reflection |
Personal Development Plan and reflective essay
|
Pass/Fail |
13/06/2025 2:00 pm |
A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.
Assessment details
Policies & Procedures for Professional Experience
- Hurdle
- Mode
- Activity/ Performance
- Category
- Participation/ Student contribution
- Weight
- Pass/Fail
- Due date
7/03/2025 2:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01
Task description
Students must read the Policies and Procedures for Professional Experience Placements document and respond to the statement declaration on Blackboard by the due date. Failure to do so will result in a withdrawal of the placement and the awarding of a grade of Fail for the course.
APST: 7.1, 7.2
Statement:
I have read, understood and will abide by, the Policies and Procedures for Professional Experience Placements.
Hurdle requirements
Students must read the Policies and Procedures for Professional Experience Placements document and respond to the statement declaration on Blackboard by the due date.Submission guidelines
Completion of declaration statement on Blackboard to acknowledge that the student has read, understood and will abide by the policies and procedures.
Deferral or extension
You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.
Professional Experience
- Hurdle
- Mode
- Activity/ Performance, Written
- Category
- Placement
- Weight
- Pass/Fail
- Due date
22/04/2025 - 30/05/2025
Evaluation Report to be uploaded to Blackboard by 9 June
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07, L08
Task description
Students are required to successfully complete 30 days of a supervised and assessed professional experience block placement in an approved school setting. The placement will be arranged only by the School of Education.
The 30 day block will comprise of observations, hand-on classroom assistance, planning and teaching segments of lessons, full lessons and moving to sequences of lessons.
During the practicum, students are expected to demonstrate competence across the APSTs. To do this, students will demonstrate that they have undertaken the inherent requirements of the role of a teacher. This means that students at the very least, will be expected to:
- attend the school at least half an hour before and after school start and finish times to discuss that day's and subsequent days' expectations
- attend any meetings held during the time of the professional experience, e.g. departmental or whole of staff meetings or any professional development meetings where attendance is approved by the school,
- participate in extracurricular activities etc available during the block.
Students are expected to have read, and abide by the School of Education Policies & Procedures document for Professional Experience Placements.
NOTE: all students are responsible for the collection of original evaluation forms. These are to be uploaded to Blackboard on completion of the practicum. The evaluation form is to be uploaded no later than 9 June, 2pm. Failure to upload the professional experience evaluation forms to the link on the Blackboard site may result in a failing grade being awarded for the course. Please do NOT assume that your teacher will forward the form to the university or that the teacher will upload the form to Blackboard.
Hurdle requirements
Complete the six week placement and upload the evaluation form to Blackboard by 9 June.Submission guidelines
Upload evaluation report via the Blackboard link in the Assessment folder
Deferral or extension
You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.
You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment. If there are makeup days to complete due to absence during the professional experience, please negotiate with your course coordinator to submit the report once these days have been completed.
Professional practice log and Reflective essay
- Hurdle
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Essay/ Critique, Notebook/ Logbook
- Weight
- Pass/Fail
- Due date
6/06/2025 2:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07
Task description
Part A – Professional practice log
During your six-week professional experience placement you are to keep a log of items collected, created, presented, modified/adapted that could be used as evidence to demonstrate your fulfilment of Standards Three, Four and Five of Domain Two - Professional Practice. You are to use the attached professional practice log to record, annotate and map your chosen items against the standards and the specific focus areas. You are required to record 5 items- ideally you should aim to include items that address multiple focus areas and standards. Your annotation for each item should be approximately 150-200 words and should explain how the item demonstrates the identified focus areas (refer to the Graduate level descriptors to guide your annotations).
The chosen items must be attached as appendices to your professional practice log.
Part B – Critical reflection: Positive impact on student learning
You are to critically reflect on how you were able to demonstrate a positive impact of your teaching on student learning during your six-week block. The focus on impact does not imply that you must show evidence of student growth on national or jurisdictional standardised tests. Rather, the focus is on demonstrating the impact that you as a preservice teacher have had on student learning.
You are to prepare a 1000-word essay that critically reflects on the positive impact of your teaching on student learning. Evidence of the impact on student learning could take the form of a case study. You may choose to collect, interpret and use data sources/evidence to inform and then adjust your teaching to impact on student learning. This data may be from student, classroom, school and/or systemic levels. For example, you could analyse selected work samples from one student early and later in your professional experience block, or you could consult with one student of interest to inform your identification of learning needs and then again at the end of the placement to identify where learning or development has occurred.
It is recommended that some of the items collected in Part A should be linked to this task and should be the evidence you use to inform and prepare your critical reflection.
Academic literature is to be used throughout your response to support your writing. 6-8 references is recommended, using APA 7th edition.
APST: 3.1-3.5, 4.1-4.5, 5.1-5.4
Hurdle requirements
Submission of Parts A and B to a passing standard by the due dateSubmission guidelines
Upload via link on Blackboard
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
A penalty of 1 grade for each 24 hour period from time submission is due will apply for up to 7 days. After 7 days you will receive a mark of 0.
Personal Development Plan and reflective essay
- Hurdle
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Reflection
- Weight
- Pass/Fail
- Due date
13/06/2025 2:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L06, L07
Task description
You are required to complete a personal development plan (PDP) to identify your professional learning needs so far in your teacher preparation program. Using the PDP template on the course Blackboard site you are to evaluate your performance and knowledge against the Australian Professional Standards for Graduate Teachers. You should also refer to feedback provided by your supervising teacher(s) during your placement to assist your evaluation (e.g. lesson feedback, final evaluation).
Using your personal development plan you are required to write a 1500 word critically reflective narrative where you reflect on your performance during the six-week professional experience block and your courses covered in this program and identify where you need to improve your practice to better meet the learning needs of both you and your students. You should revisit the three professional learning goals that you identified in EDUC3065.
You will also need to reference relevant literature that supports your analysis of your development and the ways in which you are seeking personal growth (e.g. consider theories on reflective practice, pedagogy, learning etc.) 8-10 academic references using APA 7th edition is recommended.
You should identify the ways in which your philosophy of teaching has evolved and changed since your first professional experience placement. You will also identify and explain the strategies that you will put into place before and during your final professional experience and how these strategies will enhance your practice.
APST: 6.1, 6.3, 6.4
Hurdle requirements
Submit the 1500 word critically reflective narrative to a passing standard by the due dateSubmission guidelines
Upload via link on Blackboard.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
A penalty of 1 grade for each 24 hour period from time submission is due will apply for up to 7 days. After 7 days you will receive a mark of 0.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Pass/Fails | Description |
|---|---|
| P |
Course grade description: In order to pass EDUC4615, students must pass each assessment task. AND ﾠ Meet the requirements of participation in and 80% attendance at workshops. Participation refers to your engagement in tutorials in ways that reflect the development of elements of appropriate values and dispositions for teaching as described in the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. Attendance at Professional Year Orientation Program is required. |
| F |
Course grade description: One or more criteria failed in an assessment task and/or did not meet the participation and attendance requirements. ﾠ Students who do not successfully complete all tasksﾠidentified for this course will be assigned a failing grade. ﾠ Please note: - Students who fail to meet attendance requirements at workshops will not beﾠassigned a professional experience placement and therefore will receive a failing grade for the course. - Students who do commence but do not complete the professional experience practical component will be assigned a failing grade, unless the student has officially withdrawn from the course. |
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is not available for some items in this course.
Additional assessment information
The following applies to all assessments in this course:
Marking criteria and/or marking rubrics are available in the 'Assessment' folder in Blackboard for this course.
Release of assessment item marks and feedback
In addition to the grade awarded, feedback will be provided in a timely manner to enable students to apply the feedback to further tasks within the course or program and/or plan for supplementary assessment, requests for re-mark, or re-enrolment. However, as per UQ Policy and Procedures Library under the Assessment Policy, results for the final assessment item are to be released only after the final grade for the course has been released. Time frames for applications for assessment re-mark are indicated under the Assessment Procedure.
Re-mark policy
After each assessable item, students will be given the opportunity to view their assessment and so satisfy themselves that a marking or administrative error has not occurred. The formal process of querying a course result (requesting a remark on academic grounds) is set out in the UQ Policy and Procedures Library under the Assessment Procedure.
Use of AI/MT to support or inform assessment
This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance.
A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Week 1 (24 Feb - 02 Mar) |
Lecture |
Lecture One Intro to the course and the placement. Ethics, Safety, Confidentiality, Statutory obligations. Assessment requirements for the course. Briefing for supervised teaching block professional experience. APST: 6.1, 6.3, 6.4, 7.1, 7.2 Learning outcomes: L01 |
Workshop |
Workshop One Continue to understand the legislative, school and employing authority requirements, and ethical principles and practices in the teaching and learning process. Learning outcomes: L01, L03, L06, L07 |
|
Week 2 (03 Mar - 09 Mar) |
Lecture |
Lecture Two The Queensland approach to senior syllabus curriculum, assessment and reporting - an overview Learning outcomes: L02, L05 |
Workshop |
Workshop Two The Queensland approach to senior syllabus curriculum, assessment and reporting. Using curriculum, assessment and reporting knowledge to design learning sequences and lesson plans. APST: 2.1, 2.3, 2.5, 3.1, 3.2 Learning outcomes: L02, L05, L07 |
|
Week 3 (10 Mar - 16 Mar) |
Lecture |
Lecture Three Using ICT to expand curriculum learning opportunities for students in ways that acknowledge and respond to issues of cyber safety, and ethical and responsible use. Learning outcomes: L02, L03, L05 |
Workshop |
Workshop Three Using ICT to expand curriculum learning opportunities for students in ways that acknowledge and respond to issues of cyber safety, and ethical and responsible use. Selecting and using resources. APST: 2.2, 2.6, 3.3, 3.4 Learning outcomes: L02, L03, L05, L07 |
|
Week 4 (17 Mar - 23 Mar) |
Lecture |
Lecture Four Classroom management and managing behaviour Learning outcomes: L01, L03, L04 |
Workshop |
Workshop Four Classroom management and managing behaviour. Strategies to create and maintain safe and supportive learning environments. Verbal and non-verbal communication strategies to support engagement in the classroom. APST: 3.5, 4.1 Learning outcomes: L01, L03, L04, L07 |
|
Week 5 (24 Mar - 30 Mar) |
Lecture |
Lecture Five Classroom management and managing behaviour Learning outcomes: L01, L03, L04 |
Workshop |
Workshop Five Classroom management and managing behaviour. Strategies to create and maintain safe and supportive learning environments. Verbal and non-verbal communication strategies to support engagement in the classroom. APST: 3.5, 4.1 Learning outcomes: L01, L03, L04, L07 |
|
Week 6 (31 Mar - 06 Apr) |
Lecture |
Lecture Six Preparing for the Professional Experience Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07, L08 |
Workshop |
Workshop Six Preparation for the placement Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07, L08 |
|
Week 7 (07 Apr - 13 Apr) |
Lecture |
Lecture Seven Understanding how assessment data is used within a secondary context. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06 |
Workshop |
Workshop Seven Understanding how assessment data is used within a secondary context is used to evaluate student learning and modify teaching practice. APST: 5.1, 5.2, 5.4 Learning outcomes: L02, L05, L07 |
|
Week 8 (14 Apr - 20 Apr) |
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
Mid-semester Break |
Multiple weeks From Mid-sem break To Week 13 |
Practical |
Professional Experience Six weeks of full time supervised practicum in a school setting. APST: 1.1, 1.3, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.5, 2.6, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 5.1, 5.2, 5.4, 6.3, 7.1, 7.2 Learning outcomes: L08 |
Revision week (02 Jun - 08 Jun) |
Lecture |
Lecture Eight Identify areas for professional learning and growth and development. Learning outcomes: L08 |
Workshop |
Workshop Eight Professional Experience reflection. Learning outcomes: L06, L07 |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.
You'll also need to be aware of the following policies and procedures while completing this course: