Teaching courses at uni

[TTanner01]

I'm studying at Monash right now and am thinking about possibly studying Masters of Teaching.

Look, I know I haven't actually studied it yet, but I'm not going to lie, Monash's teaching course is not looking good at all LOL. It's too nonsensical to be learning more theory rather than actually teaching. In terms of being career-ready and all that, Monash just doesn't cut it for me.

I'm fine with theory and all that, but to the point where practicums aren't emphasised makes me think whether people truly are equipped for the real life. So, with that being said, is there a difference between all universities in terms of teaching courses?

Cheers everyone

[Aaron]

Not really. I did Monash's MTeach and I didn't think it was great. Most of them are like that. From what I hear, Melb's the only one that does in depth practicums. More of a hurdle or stepping stone to get into what you want to do.

I am a firm believer in more practical / hands on experience in a 21st century classroom is absolutely crucial for success as a teacher. Theorists are good to help frame your understanding but nothing prepares you for what you will face in today's society more than getting down and dirty in a classroom. You can be the most academic person going around but the true test is as soon as you walk through a school gate - that'll tell you whether you're doing the right thing or not. Sadly practicums are a critical component lacking in MOST if not ALL uni teaching courses.

[TTanner01]

Not really. I did Monash's MTeach and I didn't think it was great. Most of them are like that. From what I hear, Melb's the only one that does in depth practicums. More of a hurdle or stepping stone to get into what you want to do.

I am a firm believer in more practical / hands on experience in a 21st century classroom is absolutely crucial for success as a teacher. Theorists are good to help frame your understanding but nothing prepares you for what you will face in today's society more than getting down and dirty in a classroom. Sadly a critical component lacking in MOST if not ALL uni teaching courses.

That's terrible. I'd love to study at Melb Uni but I definitely know it's extremely competitive (had a mate that had a pretty high WAM but still couldn't get in).
If I don't get into Melb, I was thinking of possibly doing the 1.5 year accelerated course just so I could get some experience under my belt and kinda escape the theory. Did you do this one or the 2 year one at Monash?

Cheers

[Aaron]

Did the accelerated one. Not much difference - just you do the last semester's coursework during the summer block instead of 2nd year sem 2. So instead of the 2 year course that goes: Year 1 Sem 1, Year 1 Sem 2, Year 2 Sem 1, Year 2 Sem 2... in accelerated you have Year 1 Sem 1, Year 1 Sem 2, Summer, Year 2 Sem 1.

Most teaching courses are similar. Teaching is vocational no matter how people spin it - standing infront of a class like a robot and delivering content is literally 20-25% of teaching maybe at most. You have to be a certain kind of person to do it well and not crumble... haha

[s110820]

Hi,

I was just wondering if anyone could break down the pros/cons of studying at Monash, University of Melbourne and Deakin (if possible) for the Bachelor/Masters degree of Education?

Thank you and kind regards,

Darcy Dillon.

[Aaron]

Hi,

I was just wondering if anyone could break down the pros/cons of studying at Monash, University of Melbourne and Deakin (if possible) for the Bachelor/Masters degree of Education?

Thank you and kind regards,

Darcy Dillon.

Look honestly most of these courses teach similar if not the same things. In a vocational (and yes, i'm repeating it) discipline such as teaching, placements/practicums are crucial (bold cannot emphasise enough how important it is). It's where you network, it's where you build those relationships when you go out in the real world (I say this because uni is often a distorted reality and doesn't often prepare you for the modern classroom). I would aim for a course that provides you with as much of this as possible in addition to theory. Not totally discounting it, I just think there's a time and place. I did my masters at monash and I have seriously questioned at the best of times what value I got out of it and what I use from the theoretical side of things.

I suppose as well in terms of what uni to pick - different unis have different school partnerships and can potentially offer you something others can't. I can't really comment on that too much since i'm not aware of all unis - but I am aware that some unis will hunt around and find you a placement and some will make you go and find one yourself.

My four placements at Monash were at two different schools on completely opposite sides of the socioeconomic scale. I reckon that helped me so much.

Honestly if anybody ends up doing a teaching degree, those placements are your golden ticket to employment at the end of all of this (provided you conduct yourself correctly). There's a right way and wrong way to go about placements and I think common sense could tell you what actions fall into what category.

I'd strongly advocate for a degree or course that allows significant in-school time - whether that be a program such as TFA or the MTeach Sec Internship @ Melb. After training multiple student teachers and being one myself, I guarantee you its those students combined w/ a passion and love for helping others who succeed.

Also.. be VERY careful about the titles of the masters. A Master of Education and Master of Teaching are two completely different things. The MEd is designed for specialisation in an area and actually doesn't give you the right to teach, whereas the MTeach does. Teachers often go and do the MEd after they have the MTeach to specialise in an area for leadership positions etc.