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Master of Teaching (Primary)

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Why should I take this program?

The Master of Teaching (Primary) is a professional qualifying degree for a career that has immense responsibilities – teaching and promoting the development and learning of children in all key learning areas of the curriculum – as well as wonderful rewards. It prepares teachers who are confident in catering for the tremendous academic, social, cultural and linguistic diversity of children in western Sydney, and more broadly throughout NSW and Australia. Because of these qualities, graduates of the Master of Teaching (Primary) at UWS are held in high regard by employers, particularly school principals in Greater Western Sydney, and have high employment success.

The Master of Teaching (Primary) is designed to incorporate a variety of on-campus, field-based and online study experiences. Principles of authentic teaching and assessment for engaged learning, as well as a collegial mastery approach to learning, underpin the design and delivery of the course. Students are encouraged to work collaboratively and professionally, assisting each other in meeting the high level criteria and standards of the course and the teaching profession. Significant innovations around modularization of units of study, integration of assessment tasks, inclusion of information technologies and e-learning opportunities, and the centralization of professional experiences are features of the degree that together provide a course that closely matches the expectations of schools that want to make a difference for children, now and into the future. The Master of Teaching (Primary) at UWS is distinguished by its commitment to equity and social justice.

The Master of Teaching (Primary) has been accredited by the NSW Department of Education and Training (NSW DET) and the NSW Institute of Teachers. The degree is designed to enable you to meet the Professional Teaching Standards for a Graduate Teacher with the NSW Institute of Teachers.

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Why a Masters level degree?

The Master of Teaching (Primary) capitalises upon the in-depth subject content knowledge that you develop in your undergraduate degree and provides you with intensive experiences that focus solely on becoming a teacher. During the Master of Teaching (Primary) at UWS you have experiences that will prepare you to teach in all key learning areas of the curriculum as well as opportunities to participate in a variety of in-school experiences, including single days and sustained blocks, without being interrupted by other classes. Together, the two degrees prepare you as a professional primary teacher who has significant subject content knowledge as well as sound theoretical understanding of the dispositions and skills required in teaching. Graduates of the postgraduate Master of Teaching also have greater flexibility in their career pathways.

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What is the course timetable?

The Master of Teaching (Primary) involves a variety of on-campus, field based and online study experiences. It commences with a Compulsory Course Commencement week that introduces you to the course, provides you with your Child Protection certification and workshops that will prepare you for working with children from diverse backgrounds, as well as e-learning workshops in which you begin to develop your e-portfolio for your assessment.

Key dates in 2009 include:

1H SESSION
10-12 Feb	Compulsory Course Commencement for new students/Module 3 and 4 Conference for Continuing students
16 Feb	Semester 1 Classes Commence
9 Mar	First In-School visit day
23 Mar	5 Days - In-School week
20 Apr	One Week Intra-Session University Break
11-29 May	3 week block Professional Experience for PP1
11 May - 5 Jun	4 week block Professional Experience for PP2
8-12 Jun	'e-Pod' presentation and final assessment week for Modules 1 and 2
15-19 Jun	'e-Pod' presentation and final assessment week for Modules 3 and 4
29 Jun - 20 Jul	University break
2H SESSION
21-23 Jul	Compulsory Course Commencement for mid-year intake/Module 3 and 4 Conference for Continuing students
27 Jul	Semester 2 classess commence
17 Aug	First In-School visit day
31 Aug	5 Days - In-School week
21 Sept	One Week Intra-Session University Break
19 Oct - 6 Nov	3 week block Professional Experience for PP1
19 Oct-13 Nov	4 week block Professional Experience for PP2
16-20 Nov	'e-Pod' presentation and final assessment week for Modules 1 and 2
16-27 Nov	'e-Pod' presentation and final assessment week for Modules 3 and 4

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How is the professional experience organised?

There are two units that involve professional experience, 101289.1 Professional Practice 1 and 101288.1 Professional Practice 2. In these units you will complete a variety of single day, single week and block professional experiences. . There is a range of schools attached to these units. These schools are grouped into clusters. At Compulsory Course Commencement you will be asked to select a cluster of schools, and later will select one school in your cluster for your block Professional Practice 1. You will select a second school in the cluster for your second block Professional Practice 2. At UWS most of the professional experience schools are in the areas connected to us, i.e. in South Western and Western Sydney.

Key Professional Experience dates in 2009 are:

Professional Practice Semester 1, 1H 2009	Professional Practice Semester 2, 2H 2009

9 Mar	First in-school visit day	17 Aug	First in-school visit day
23 Mar	5 days in-school week	31 Aug	5 days in-school week
11-29 May	3-week block Professional Experience for PP1	19 Oct-6 Nov	3-week block Professional Experience for PP1
11 May-5 Jun	4-week block Professional Experience for PP2	19 Oct-13 Nov	4-week block Professional Experience for PP2

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How do I know if I meet the requirements for primary teaching?

The undergraduate subject content requirements for primary teaching are available on the NSW Institute of Teaching website. All students interested in primary teaching are advised to view these requirements and complete a self assessment form in order to gauge your suitability for employment and registration with the NSW Institute of Teachers. Any additional undergraduate study that may be required to meet the subject content requirements of the NSW Institute of Teachers can be completed as a non-award student before you commence the Master of Teaching (Primary), after you complete the Master of Teaching (Primary) or, concurrently with your Master of Teaching (Primary) provided you are studying in the 18 month or 2 year mode. Students will not be able to graduate from the Master of Teaching (Primary) until all subject content requirements have been met.

Some suggested units for additional study in English include: 101242.1 Children’s Literature, SS238A.1 Genres, 100893.1 The Novel, 100849.1 Australian Textual Studies.

Some suggested units for additional study in Mathematics include: 101414.1 Early Mathematical Thinking, 100633.1 Mathematical Patterns and Relationships

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What is the difference between 1608 Master of Teaching (Primary) and 1605 Master of Teaching (Primary-Advanced)?

1605 Master of Teaching (Primary – Advanced) comprises the common 120 credit points of units in the Master of Teaching (Primary) plus an additional 40 credit points of units, including 101031.1 Evidenced-Based Practice (20 credit points) and 101061.1 Professional Residency (20 credit points). These two units may be completed together in one semester of full-time study or separately over 2 semesters of part time study. During the Professional Residency you are in-schools for a minimum of 3 days per week for 10 weeks, researching and refining your teaching. Evidenced-Based Practice guides you in completion of an action research project about your teaching. If you have employment as a teacher, you may use this position for your Professional Residency. All classes are held after school hours.

Students in the Master of Teaching (Primary) may transfer into the Master of Teaching (Primary-Advanced) towards the completion of their final semester.

For further information on this course, please see the Handbook.