Bachelor of Education (Primary)

1. About Bachelor of Education (Primary)

The Bachelor of Education (Primary) is a four-year full-time course that prepares students as primary teachers. Graduates will be able to apply for registration as teachers in Australia and overseas. The course is fully recognised by the Victorian Institute of Teaching and government bodies. Graduates will be able to teach in Christian schools, government schools, Catholic schools and independent schools.

Eastern College Australia’s School of Education teaches from a Christian perspective. All units engage with Christian ideas, and there is a core of theological units to challenge, broaden and connect students’ faith with their educational vocation.

The course is designed for school leavers and mature students. Recognised Prior Learning (RPL) can be applied for in terms of previous tertiary studies.

The Bachelor of Education (Primary) is integrated with the Bachelor of Education (Secondary), and the Bachelor of Arts. Students can transfer easily from one course to the other in the first two years of study. This provides great flexibility as we recognise that students’ early goals can modify as their studies progress.

Classes are small and support from the experienced teaching staff is timely.

Description

The course has 32 units plus four school-based professional experiences.

All students undertake a compulsory minor (four units) in a theological core, plus compulsory majors (eight units) in Education (General) and Education (Primary). Students will also undertake studies in English and choose further studies in one of the following - Mathematics, History, or Visual Arts.

Professional Experiences include 10 days of observation in primary and secondary settings; two placements of 25 days each in primary schools and a final placement of 30 days in a primary school. The professional experiences integrate closely with the Education units to provide a holistic learning experience for the student in a supportive yet challenging Christian environment.

Course Outcomes

• Broad and coherent knowledge of children 0 - 12 years old and how they learn.
• Broad and coherent knowledge of primary school contexts; contemporary Australian curriculum requirements; and, effective pedagogies within Australian settings.
• The capacity to show initiative and judgement to plan for, and implement, effective teaching and learning in diverse contexts.
• The capacity to create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments.
• The capacity to assess, provide feedback and report on student learning using clear and coherent communication.
• Responsibility and accountability for their own learning to identify, engage in and apply professional learning, individually and in collaboration with others.
• The capacity to engage professionally with colleagues, families and children.
• Critical examination and application of the integration of Christian faith and spiritual development with broader and coherent knowledge and skills that prepare them for professional work, ministry and / or further learning.
• Cognitive skills to critically review, analyse, consolidate and synthesise knowledge underpinning education studies and at least two other areas of specialisation.
• Analytic and evaluative skills enabling problem-solving in complex and novel contexts.
• Exemplar interpersonal, written and digital communication skills that articulate multi-faceted issues coherently and clearly.
• Collaborative skills for working effectively in professional; and, learning and teaching teams.
• Exercise initiative and wise judgment to discern social need and injustice; and, action to resolve these decisively and compassionately.
• Apply planning, problem solving and decision making skills to areas of social justice and improvement.

Delivery locations

• Online (Partial)
• Wantirna (Full)

This course is only available to domestic students (those not requiring a student visa).

Course Structure

The Bachelor of Education (Primary) degree is composed of 36 subjects. There are 32 full subjects of 6 credit points and 4 full subjects of 0 credit points.

Students undertaking this degree are required to complete 192 credit points:

Core Subjects (72 credit points)

• Christian Foundations for Education (24 credit points)
• Education Studies (General) (48 credit points) major sequence of 8 subjects

Education Studies Primary Core (48 credit points)

• Education Studies (Primary) major sequence of 6 subjects (36 credit points);
• Primary Specialist - Mathematics (12 credit points) OR Primary Specialist - English (12 credit points)
• Education Studies (Professional Experience) minor sequence of 4 subjects (0 credit points)

Electives (72 credit points)

• One Elective major sequence of 8 subjects (48 credit points);
• One Elective minor sequence of 4 subjects (24 credit points)

Pathways

Depending on the units chosen and how far through the course they are a student may exit with a Diploma of Arts, Associate Degree in Arts or a Bachelor of Arts. Additional units may be required to meet the requirements of these courses.

Other Protocols

1. All students are required to complete 24 credit points in Christian Foundations for Education.

2. All students are required to complete 36 credit points in Education Studies (General).

3. All students are required to complete 12 credit points in either Primary Specialisation - English or Primary Specialisation - Mathematics.

4. All students are required to complete 48 credit points in Education Studies (Primary) major;

5. All students are required to complete the Education Studies (Professional Experience) minor sequence of 4 subjects (0 credit points). Satisfactory completion of the supervised teaching practice component of the program including the Teaching Performance Assessment is a condition of graduation. Students may repeat only one Professional Experience. If this is completed satisfactorily along with all other Professional Experiences, the condition of graduation is deemed to be satisfied.

6. Students must include Elective (English) as either a major sequence (48 credit points) or a minor sequence (24 credit points).

7. Students may not import more than 96 credit points from other institutions. When students apply to import units, they must ensure that their imported units together with remaining units delivered by Eastern College Australia will meet the following requirements:

   • If the student wishes to specialise in primary education, then:

     a) they must successfully complete professional studies in education, which incorporate the study of the discipline of each primary learning area and discipline-specific curriculum and pedagogical studies; and, comprise at least the equivalent of 16 subjects (96 credit points) PLUS 4 subjects of Professional Experience

     b) the professional studies in education (96 credit points) must include:

     two subjects of discipline-specific curriculum and pedagogical studies in English / Literacy (12 credit points); and,

     two subjects of discipline-specific curriculum and pedagogical studies in Mathematics / Numeracy (12 credit points); and,

     one subject of discipline-specific curriculum and pedagogical studies in Science (6 credit points)

     c) the remainder of the 16 units (96 credit points) include extension or specialist studies in priority areas or related curriculum areas

8. The Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education (LANTITE) is a test of numeracy and literacy to ensure high standards of personal proficiencies are demonstrated. Students commencing after January 1, 2017 will not be allowed to graduate without passing the test. This is recorded on student transcripts as units LNTEST and NNTEST for the literacy and numeracy components respectively.

9. PR636.300 Professional Practice: Teaching Primary is the only practicum unit that may be taken in a setting other than a recognised Australian school setting, such as an international school.

2. Essential requirements for admission

English Language Requirement

Victorian School Leaver

• VCE with English units 3 and 4 – a study score of at least 30 in English as a Second Language (ESL) or 25 in any other English other than ESL.

Non-Victorian student under 21 years of age

• Equivalent of VCE with English units 3 and 4 – a study score of at least 30 in English as a Second Language (ESL) or 25 in any other English other than ESL; OR

• IELTS Academic: Overall 7.5 with the following required in each of the skill areas: speaking 8.0, listening 8.0, reading 7.0 and writing 7.0; OR

• International Second Language Proficiency Rating (ISLPR): Level 4 required in each of the areas of speaking, listening, reading and writing; OR

• Professional English Assessment for Teachers (PEAT): Band A required in each of the areas of speaking, listening, reading and writing

Mature Age Entry Secondary Study completed in Australia

• To be admitted under this category an applicant must demonstrate an ability to read and write in English at a level necessary to satisfactorily study an undergraduate degree.

Mature Age Entry Secondary Study Completed outside of Australia

• IELTS Academic: Overall 7.5 with the following required in each of the skill areas: speaking 8.0, listening 8.0, reading 7.0 and writing 7.0; OR

• International Second Language Proficiency Rating (ISLPR): Level 4 required in each of the areas of speaking, listening, reading and writing; OR

• Professional English Assessment for Teachers (PEAT): Band A required in each of the areas of speaking, listening, reading and writing

Advanced Standing

• Successful partial completion of a course of study conducted in Australia, Canada, Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom or the USA; OR

• IELTS Academic: Overall 7.5 with the following required in each of the skill areas: speaking 8.0, listening 8.0, reading 7.0 and writing 7.0; OR

• International Second Language Proficiency Rating (ISLPR): Level 4 required in each of the areas of speaking, listening, reading and writing; OR

• Professional English Assessment for Teachers (PEAT): Band A required in each of the areas of speaking, listening, reading and writing.

Where a student applies for entry with advanced standing from a course of study undertaken in a country other than Australia, Canada, Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom or the USA they must successfully complete one of the following English proficiency tests at the specified level before being granted their award.

• International English Language Testing System (IELTS) – Academic: Overall 7.5 with the following required in each of the skill areas: speaking 8.0, listening 8.0, reading 7.0 and writing 7.0
• International Second Language Proficiency Rating (ISLPR): Level 4 required in each of the areas of speaking, listening, reading and writing
• Professional English Assessment for Teachers (PEAT): Band A required in each of the areas of speaking, listening, reading and writing.

The College will accept a certified copy of the test results. These results must be less than 24 months old at the date of application for graduation.

Where the student is transferring from an Eastern College Australia award which requires a lower level of English Language Proficiency, the student will not be admitted to the BEd(Primary) until they meet the English Language Proficiency requirements.

Other Requirements

Before undertaking any Professional Experience units students will be required to produce a Working With Children Check.

As required for teacher registration all students will need to successfully complete the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education Students (LANTITE) after attempting 48 or more credit points of study. This is usually at the end of their first year of study in the course.

3. Admission Criteria

The College is committed to ensuring that potentially high-quality employable graduates are admitted to the College in line with State and national expectations. These high standards and the successful completion of all the studies enable students to be able to be registered by the Victorian Institute of Teaching upon successful completion of the course.

All applicants will be required to meet the College Admission Criteria/General Entry Requirements for all Courses namely the interview and an endorsed character reference form.

Interview

All applicants will be interviewed as part of the application process. During the interview, applicants will be asked the following questions and assessed as to their suitability for entering the teaching profession.

• Motivation to Teach
  • What has led you to applying for this course?
• Strong Interpersonal /Communication skills
  • Tell me about events/organisations that you have been part of and the roles you played
• Willingness to Learn
  • Tell me about what you did when faced with a task you had to complete but lacked the skills or information
  • Tell me about something you have been really keen to learn and what you did about it
• Resilience
  • We all get knock backs, things not working out. Tell me about your experience of this and how you responded
• Self-efficacy
  • How do people become good teachers?
• Conscientiousness
  • Undertaking a tertiary study has high demands. Tell me about what you consider will be important?
  • Organisational and planning skills
  • In completing your previous study/work tell me how you went about planning and organising your work

Students will be marked against a rubric located here

A. Applicants with recent secondary education (within the past two years)

ATAR Based Admission

Minimum ATAR required for consideration to enter in next intake 70 or equivalent in the International Baccalaureate, VCAL or interstate and international studies

Other Admission Options

Students who had exceptional circumstances in the completion of their secondary studies may be admitted with evidence of difficulties from the secondary institution, medical practitioners and/or other professionals who can attest to the impact upon the prospective student’s ATAR

ATAR [and selection rank] profile for those offered places wholly or partly on the basis of ATAR in 2018 (Full year)

(ATAR-based offers only, across all offer rounds)	ATAR (Excluding adjustment factors)	Selection Rank (ATAR plus any adjustment factors)
Highest rank to receive an offer	< 5	< 5
Median rank to receive an offer	< 5	< 5
Lowest rank to receive an offer	< 5	< 5

Notes:

• “<5” – the number of students is less than 5.
• N/A – Students not accepted in this category
• N/P – Not published: the number is hidden to prevent calculation of numbers in cells with less than 5 students.

B. Applicants with vocational education and training (VET) study

Students must have successfully completed a Certificate IV or above

C. Applicants with higher education study

Students with previous higher education study, including successful completion of Eastern College Australia’s Diploma of Arts may be admitted to the course.

Advanced standing may be granted for a maximum of 96 credit points in recognition of studies completed at a University recognised under Section 4.4.2 and 4.3.33 of the Education and Training Reform Act 2006.

To be admitted under this category the applicant must provide evidence that the qualifications held are recent and relevant to the course for which application is being made and demonstrate an ability to read and write in English at a level necessary to satisfactorily study an undergraduate degree.

Where the student is transferring from an Eastern College Australia award which requires a lower level of English Proficiency, the student will not be admitted to the BEd(Primary) until they meet the English Proficiency requirements.

D. Applicants with work and life experience

Require secondary studies demonstrating an ATAR (or equivalent) of 70 or above or Recognition of Prior Learning at a level equivalent to Certificate IV or higher. Applicants may also choose to complete Eastern College Australia’s Diploma of Arts specialising in Education Studies which will give one year’s advanced standing into the Bachelor of Education.

4. How to Apply

You can apply directly to the College via our online application form available at https://apply.eastern.edu.au

5. Advanced standing/academic credit/recognition of prior learning (RPL)

You may be entitled to credit for prior learning, whether formal or informal. Formal learning can include previous study in higher education, vocational education, or adult and community education. Informal learning can include on the job learning or various kinds of work and life experience. Credit can reduce the amount of study needed to complete a degree.

For further information about credit and recognition of prior learning please see https://www.eastern.edu.au/admissions/information or call the College on 9790 9200 and speak to the Registrar

Specialisations

Primary Specialisation - English	Stream
Primary Specialisation - Mathematics	Stream
Education Studies	Major
English (Ed)	Major
History (Ed)	Major
Primary Education Studies	Major
Christian Foundations for Education	Minor
English	Minor
History (Ed)	Minor
Maths	Minor
Primary Education Studies (Professional Practice)	Minor

Units attached to this course

Unit Code	Unit Name
AR540.306	Arts and Creativity
AR546.306	Arts and Spirituality
AR641.306	Drawing 1
AR643.306	Painting 1
AR653.306	Dramatic Arts 1
AR655.306	Dramatic Arts and Communication 1
AR742.306	Drawing 2
AR745.306	Painting 2
AR746.306	Aesthetics and the Visual Arts
AR747.306	Visual Arts and Society
AR754.306	Dramatic Arts 2
AR756.306	Dramatic Arts and Communication 2
AR757.306	Dramatic Arts and Society
AR758.306	Aesthetics and the Dramatic Arts
BB524.306	Introduction to the Bible
CD622.306	Art and Community Development
ED520.306	Developmental Learning and Pedagogies
ED521.306	Twenty-first Century Learning and Teaching
ED621.306	Ecology and Management of Learning Environments
ED622.306	Students with Additional Needs
ED623.306	Information Communications Technology and Design
ED724.306	Learners, Educators and Social Contexts
ED731.306	Curriculum, Assessment, Evidence and Data
ED732.306	Professional Identity and Engagement: Ethics and the Law
ES510.306	Primary English
ES511.306	Primary Mathematics
ES612.306	Primary Health and Physical Education
ES613.306	Primary Arts
ES614.306	Primary Humanities
ES615.306	Primary Science
ES712.306	Primary Specialist: English
ES713.306	Primary Specialist: Mathematics
ES716.306	English Literacy and Numeracy in the Primary Setting 1
ES717.306	English Literacy and Numeracy in the Primary Setting 2
ES718.306	Primary Numeracy
ES719.306	Primary Literacy
HS501	Early Twentieth Century History: From Chronicling to Understanding
HS502.306	Introduction to Christian History
HS570.306	The World We Live In: World History Since 1945
HS631.306	Reformation Church History
HS632.306	History of the World Christian Movement
HS635.306	Empires and Globalisation
HS636.306	Contact, Conflict and Reconciliation
HS637.306	Radicals, Reformers and Revolutionaries
HS701	Silenced Voices Speaking
HS702	Writing History
HS705.306	Early Church History
HS750.306	Australian Church History
HS775.306	Wesley and the Methodists
HS792.306	Directed Study in History
LN504.306	Right Writing
LN533.306	Literature, Philosophy and Civilisation
LN632.306	English Literature Survey 1
LN661.306	Language and Community in Australia
LN662.306	Write Creatively
LN734.306	English Literature Survey 2
LN735.306	Reading Great Books
LN736.306	Modern Literature
MN756.306	Integration of Vocation and Faith
MT560.306	Basic Calculus
MT580.306	Statistics for Decision Making
MT610.306	Ordinary Differential Equations
MT640.306	Linear Algebra with Application
PR536.300	Professional Practice: Supported Teaching Primary (10 days)
PR634.300	Professional Practice: Supported Teaching Primary (25 days)
PR636.300	Professional Practice: Teaching Primary (25 days)
PR731.300	Professional Practice: Teaching Primary (30 days)
TH570.306	Living in Christ
TH604.306	Faith, Reason and Justice