
Thank you for your commitment to, and participation in, our Professional Experience program. Our ongoing partnerships with key schools across NSW provide invaluable opportunities for our teacher education students to meet the Australian Professional Standard for Teachers at the Graduate level and are fundamental to the development of the next generation of Australian teachers.
We see Professional Experience as a critical vehicle for integrating theory and practice. What our teacher education students learn at university is realised through experience in schools and classrooms, and in turn, informs and anchors our programs. For this process to fulfil its potential, it is vital that we build shared understandings and expectations with all our partners in the professional growth of the next generation of teachers.
Please take the time to read the Overview of Professional Experience carefully. We hope the information provided is informative and clear, but please don’t hesitate to contact our Professional Experience Office if you need clarification. We are confident our teacher education students are committed to gaining the most from their time in schools and that, with your support, they will be ready for the challenges of professional teaching.
Professor Kim Beswick
Head of School
School of Education
UNSW Australia
The In School Teacher Education Program (INSTEP) is part of our postgraduate Professional Engagement program. It aims to give teachers an even deeper understanding of the NSW educational environment, allowing the opportunity to observe and interact with a diverse range of students with varying educational needs.
The In School Teacher Education Program (INSTEP) is part of our postgraduate Professional Engagement program. It aims to give teachers an even deeper understanding of the NSW educational environment, allowing the opportunity to observe and interact with a diverse range of students with varying educational needs.
This course gives teacher education students the opportunity to develop practical knowledge and skills regarding teaching and how a diverse range of students learn through structured observations and active participation as a teaching assistant in a school.
The course consists of a university-based orientation, an online forum and 15 days of structured fieldwork in a school. Teacher education students will be placed in a school for 15 days of fieldwork as a teaching assistant in a secondary school (which may include learning support / a gifted program).
In this course, teacher education students will develop a range of teaching skills and understandings essential to plan for and manage successful classrooms. Students complete a four-week (20 days) supervised professional experience placement in an NSW school. Through ongoing observation, supervised teaching and contribution to the wider school community, the course ensures that they work towards the achievement of the Australian professional standards for teachers at the graduate level.
In this course, teacher education students will complete their final nine-week (45 days) professional experience block in a NSW school in which they have not been involved with previously. During this final placement, they will be provided with increasing opportunities for autonomy, responsibility and accountability through a gradual shift from direct in-class supervision to program supervision by the supervising teacher(s) as they move into the internship phase after they are deemed satisfactory on the interim report during the UNSW liaison visit during week 5.
T: +61 (2) 9385 9388