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Beginning teachers report that there are significant differences between their experiences as preservice teachers and those they encounter in their first year of teaching. Throughout their program, professional experience provides the preservice teacher with, authentic opportunities to demonstrate the responsibilities, skills, attitudes and knowledge required of an emerging professional educator. These opportunities will be reflected up and plans for future learning developed through the development of a professional teaching portfolio. Some of these learning opportunities will be available to the preservice teachers by way of industry presentations throughout the semester. Preservice teachers are required to show professional judgment and adaptability in meeting the diverse needs of learners. The preservice teacher must therefore be able to reflect on and critically analyse their learning and professional practice through action research, in relation to their identity as contemporary educators.

This course expects preservice teachers to reflect on their prior learning and professional experiences and critically analyse how these inform their personalised frameworks of professional practice. This analysis will lead to the identification and justification of examples of professional practice that demonstrate their capacity as beginning educators. They will also identify and plan for future learning needs. This justification will be framed against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Graduate Career Stage) supported by relevant literature demonstrating an advanced and integrated understanding of the complexities of education, and articulated through the development of a professional e-portfolio.

Teachers are required to understand and apply key principles of codes of ethics and conduct as well as to understand relevant legislative, administrative and organisational policies and processes. During this course, preservice teachers will be given access to a range of professional learning opportunities from industry partners. They will reflect upon these opportunities and their key message and examine the implications each has on their development as beginning teachers.

On successful completion of this course preservice teachers should be able to:

1. critically reflect and analyse skills, knowledge and professional practices, illustrating competence across the domains of Professional Knowledge, Professional Practice and Professional Engagement outlining the relevant and appropriate sources of professional learning for teachers addressing future professional learning needs (APST 6.1, 6.2);
2. conduct ethical, effective and scholarly research into issues of significance in teaching and learning for teachers, identify through this process effective sources of professional learning for teachers, present a clear rationale for the importance of continued professional learning and its impact on student learning, and communicate the results and implications to specialist and non-specialist audiences (APST 6.2, 6.4);
3. demonstrate professional understanding of and apply codes of ethics and conduct, as well as legislative, administrative and organisational policies and requirements for teachers (APST 7.1, 7.2);
4. demonstrate a reflective understanding of the role of a range of professional organisations and community representatives in contributing to their professional learning and enhancing their practice as teachers (APST 7.4);
5. use a range of verbal and non-verbal communication strategies;
6. apply expert cognitive, literacy and communication skills, including spelling, grammar, punctuation and bibliographic referencing.