Secondary Education

Overview

Overview

This initial teacher education degree prepares you for a rewarding career in secondary school teaching and enables you to pursue specialist interests. You will develop the critical knowledge and skills of best practice in education to meet the needs of 21st-century learners.

You can specialise in one or two curriculum areas, gaining specialist discipline knowledge and units that develop your pedagogical knowledge.

You'll also study units that establish your understanding of teaching practice, such as educational psychology, Indigenous education and teaching students with diverse learning needs.

Teaching placements

As part of the course you will complete four professional placements in schools. Totally 720 hours of supervised teaching practice, these placements are undertaken in full-time blocks, regardless of your study mode. You may be able to undertake a rural, interstate or overseas placement.

Your supervised teaching practice will comprise:

• a two-week full-time block and three-week full-time block in the second year of your course
• a three-week full-time block in the third year of your course
• a block of one school term (typically 10 weeks) in the fourth year of your course.

Customise your Secondary Education degree

You can customise your degree by choosing the major you wish to specialise in, and then selecting from one of three options to complete your degree structure.

Your major prepares you with the content and pedagogical knowledge you need to teach across your chosen curriculum area from years 7 to 12, as well as in your specialist subject area in years 11 and 12.

You will choose your major at the time of enrolling (although you won't need to complete your degree structure until after you accept Curtin's course offer for your chosen major).

Note that your choice of second specialisation will depend on your Education major. 

STEP 1: Complete your major

Choose your major from:

• English
• HASS* (Geography)
• HASS* (History)
• HASS* (Economics)
• HASS* (Politics and Law)
• Health and Physical Education
• Mathematics
• Science (Biology)
• Science (Chemistry)
• Science (Human Biology)
• Science (Psychology)
• Science (Physics)
• The Arts (Drama)
• The Arts (Media Production and Analysis)
• The Arts (Visual Arts)

* Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS)

STEP 2: Complete your degree structure

Complement your major with one of the three options below. This step happens after you accept Curtin’s offer for your chosen major, however your choice of second specialisation is dependent upon the education major you select.

Refer to the specific majors for more information about available second specialisations.

Option 1: Choose a minor teaching area
Expand your scope as an educator by supplementing your major teaching area with a minor teaching specialisation from a different area of the school curriculum.

Option 2: Extend your major teaching area
Broaden your understanding of your specialist subject area by studying additional discipline-specific units. You will also extend your curriculum and pedagogical knowledge of your major.

Option 3: Choose an education specialty
Extend your curriculum and pedagogical knowledge of your chosen major, while furthering your studies by choosing from a selection of education units.

How this course will make you industry ready

• All units are mapped to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, ensuring you graduate with the relevant competencies required to teach successfully. 
• You will build a professional digital portfolio that showcases your teaching abilities to potential employers.
• You will complete 18 weeks of teaching practice over the course of your studies, including a 10-week internship where you will have responsibility for students’ learning, under the mentorship of a qualified teacher.
  
  

What you'll learn

• apply discipline knowledge, principles and concepts associated with effective teaching of secondary school students.
• critically evaluate and synthesise theory, research, and practice to apply knowledge of the needs of students from diverse backgrounds, including First Nations backgrounds, and across the full range of abilities to enhance learning.
• assess student learning and analyse diverse sources of data to support valid judgements of student learning.
• plan and deliver effective teaching and learning experiences with demonstrated impact.
• select, curate, use and create a range of digital resources and technologies to support learning and teaching.
• critically and constructively reflect upon professional practice in education by demonstrating responsibility and accountability that makes a positive contribution to a more socially just society.
• engage in a continual cycle of improvement through critical and reflective practices including those based on local, national and global research and evidence-based practices.
• create, lead and maintain positive learning environments for all students, including those from diverse cultural backgrounds.
• communicate professionally and engage collaboratively with colleagues, students, parent/carers, and the community.
• identify and engage in professional learning and demonstrate personal literacy and numeracy competencies to the required accreditation standard.