Develop an advanced understanding of secondary Education with extensive placement experience and specialist teaching knowledge. You will gain the expertise to create supportive learning environments for students in secondary school. Learn real-world classroom skills that will prepare you to teach in state, Catholic and independent schools.
Looking for a career change into education? Gain the qualifications and knowledge necessary to enter the teaching profession. Become prepared to respond to the diverse learning needs of secondary school students in both urban and rural communities with the Master of Teaching and Learning (Secondary) at JCU.
The Master of Teaching and Learning (Secondary) is designed to equip you with the capacity to design, implement and critically reflect on teaching, to enhance learning outcomes for all students. This education degree has a strong focus on pedagogy appropriate to a diverse range of students and settings. You will be particularly equipped to work in tropical, rural, remote and Indigenous contexts by developing a strong knowledge of learning styles and pedagogical frameworks relevant to each setting.
Throughout this Education degree, you will have opportunities to maximise your professional experience through prescribed placements in secondary schools. You will undertake a placement in each of the first three phases of your degree, alongside your coursework. You will complete a total of 60 days of placement and 20 days of integrated coursework days in school settings. In the fourth and final phase of your degree, you will undertake a 20-day capstone experience in a school or a community-based service-learning experience. Your placements will give you firsthand experience of leading learning in school settings, particularly in the context of regional, rural and remote communities in Northern Queensland.
Tailor your degree to equip you to teach in two learning areas of the Australian Curriculum, from Years 7-12. Upon completion of this Master of Teaching and Learning (Secondary), you will be prepared to be a teacher with increased capacity to direct curriculum, assessment and differentiated learning opportunities, with a view to enhanced learning outcomes for all students, including those from diverse cultural, linguistic and socio-economic backgrounds and with specific learning needs.
As a graduate of the Master of Teaching and Learning, you will be eligible for registration with the Queensland College of Teachers.
Consult the handbook for entry and additional requirements and further information.
Additional information
Master of Teaching and Learning (Secondary)
With this postgraduate degree, you can expect to learn a flexible, adaptable approach to pedagogy that you can apply regardless of your next destination. Graduates of this degree can pursue a range of opportunities in very different social and geographical settings. In other words, you will understand how to teach your students effectively regardless of their backgrounds. In fact, you will learn how to employ your cultural understanding to improve your teaching. Students are often motivated by different things depending on their cultural background, region, areas of interest, and perceived prospects, and your coursework will help you understand that and use it to their benefit.
What Your Coursework Will Look Like
This is a secondary school teaching masterâs degree that does not lose itself in theory. Have you heard the saying, âthe best way to learn something is to teach it to someone else?â This course will be a slight variation on that. You will be learning the pedagogical strategies by using them in various school settings, including in rural, tropical, and Indigenous settings. The two-year degree includes 80 days of placement spread evenly throughout.
You will not be learning massive amounts of theory for a year straight and expected to use all of it at once in just a week. You will also not be taught dense and convoluted concepts which prove impractical in the real world. Instead, you will have four phases that will cover different aspects of secondary education. Each of these phases will contain 20 days of placement in secondary schools, where you can apply everything you are being taught and develop and refine your distinct teaching style early on. The last phase of your degree will contain a 20-day capstone placement in a school or community learning setting.
What Your Master of Teaching (Secondary) Will Do for You
This course, simply put, will help you truly understand the incredibly diverse industry you are entering and the sort of figure you will be in it. You will be reliably equipped to seek opportunities in religious, independent, and state schools alike. Some degrees offer little to no practical work at all, and their graduates have a hard time finding their feet. They step into a classroom for the first time with only theory as an indication of what to expect, and anyone who has met children knows that they defy all logic sometimes.
You will know where you want to teach based on practical experience in each environment. What is it like to teach students in remote and rural areas? How might your students view their courses differently in rural or Indigenous settings? How will different students remain motivated, and how can you help those who do not?
Lastly, you will learn what sort of educator you are. Every teacher leans towards a different pedagogical approach, and developing your style during your degree means you will be much more practised and refined by the time you graduate.
You can apply for the Master of Teaching (Secondary) in Queensland through the JCU Online Application Portal below.
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Inherent requirements
Inherent requirements are the identified abilities, attributes, skills, and behaviours that must be demonstrated, during the learning experience, to successfully complete a course. These abilities, attributes, skills, and behaviours preserve the academic integrity of the Universityâs learning, assessment, and accreditation processes, and where applicable, meet the standards of a profession. For more information please review the inherent requirements for the Master of Teaching and Learning (Secondary).