The Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Teaching (Secondary) (BA/BTch (Sec)) course is designed to equip you with the necessary skills needed to teach in Christian, independent and state high school systems in both Australia and overseas. Many Avondale graduates are highly valued in the Australian education sector. It is Avondale's aim to graduate teachers who are reflective, creative and confident in the classroom.
Double majors are offered at Avondale, allowing you to choose two teaching subject areas. This course successfully prepares you to teach through innovative learning, hands on practical placements and an intentional focus on health and wellbeing.
At Avondale you are given the opportunity to complete one of your professional teaching experiences in a developing country. In the past this has taken teams of Avondale students to Cambodia, India, Nepal and The Kingdom of Tonga.
Secondary Fields:
GENERAL ADMISSION CRITERIA
To qualify for admission, you must meet one of the following criteria:
Applicants with higher education study
^You must pass at least two units/subjects. Show cause is required if you failed 50% or more overall.
Applicants with vocational education and training (VET) study
Applicants with work and life experience
Applicants with recent secondary education (within the past two years)
Applicants with overseas qualifications
SPECIFIC ADMISSION CRITERIA
You must complete and submit a Personal Statement for Initial Teaching Training for the course convenor to assess.
If you plan to study any of the following secondary teaching specialisations, you must meet the relevant criteria for admission:
Mathematics
Chemistry
Music
Admission to a music specialisation, music major or music minor through Avondale Conservatorium is by interview, audition and evaluation. Applicants must meet the following minimum standards and submit certified copies of certificates as follows:
Where an applicant does not meet the required minimum standard, admission is possible with other appropriate music experience upon approval from the Director of Music.
POST ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
The post-admission requirements for this degree are listed below. For more information, refer to the post admission requirements for Education.
ADVANCED STANDING
Applicants with an Australian Qualifications Framework AQF Level 5 qualification or higher in a cognate area may be eligible for advanced standing (credit recognition).
ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS
International applicants must demonstrate English language proficiency in one of the ways outlined in Appendix 2 of the Admission to Higher Education Undergraduate Courses Policy.
Course duration: Four years full-time (or part-time equivalent)
Study mode: On-campus with distance education available for some units
Maximum time to complete: 10 years
The BA/BTch (Sec) course is designed to successfully prepare secondary teachers. It consists of thirty-two 6 credit point units (192 credit points) studied over eight semesters full-time or the equivalent part-time. A full year of discipline units is completed prior to the first scheduled professional teaching experience to ensure teachers have adequate knowledge to successfully complete their first teaching experience. The course composition is set out below.
The course structure is based on eight semesters (each of 13 weeks in duration), with four units normally taught in each semester.
The course is comprised of:
Students within the BA/BTch (Sec) normally complete their discipline units in one of three ways:
6 x Units to make up a first major
6 x Units to make up a second major
2 x Elective Units
OR
8 x Units to make up a specialisation (in some content areas a specialisation is only 8 units)
4 x Units to make up a minor
2 x Elective Units
OR
10 x Units to make up a specialisation (in some content areas a specialisation is 10 units)
4 x Units to make up a minor
Unit Sequence
| Year | Semester | Suggested Units | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Discipline Unit | Discipline Unit | WHPE10101 Foundations of Wellbeing | EDUC13101 Developing Your Core Competencies |
| 2 | Discipline Unit | Discipline Unit | EDUC10102 Child Development & Learning | EDUC20100 Exploring a Christian Worldview | |
| 2 | 1 | Discipline Unit | Discipline Unit | EDUC23100 Introduction to Teaching | EDUC23102 Learning, Assessment & ICT in the Australian Curriculum |
| Professional Teaching Experience I (July - 15 days associated with EDUC23100) | |||||
| 2 | Discipline Unit | Discipline Unit | EDUC351xx Curriculum & Pedagogical Studies - ______________ (Stage 4/5 units offered every even year) | EDUC351xx Curriculum & Pedagogical Studies - ______________ (Stage 4/5 units offered every even year) | |
| 3 | Professional Teaching Experience II (February - 10 days associated with EDUC20104) | ||||
| 1 | Discipline Unit | Discipline Unit | EDUC20104 Indigenous Education | EDUC23101 Managing the Secondary Classroom | |
| Professional Teaching Experience III (July - 15 days associated with EDUC23101) | |||||
| 2 | Discipline Unit | Discipline Unit | EDUC351xx Curriculum & Pedagogical Studies - ______________ (Stage 6 units offered every odd year) |
EDUC351xx Curriculum & Pedagogical Studies - ______________ (Stage 6 units offered every odd year) | |
| 4 | |||||
| 1 | Discipline Unit | Discipline Unit | EDUC33101 Promoting Health & Wellbeing in Schools | EDUC30101 Professional Development: Preparation for the Workplace | |
| Professional Teaching Experience IV EDPX30001 (Mid Year - 40 Days associated with EDPX30001) | |||||
| 2 | EDUC30102 Students with Special Education Needs | EDUC30108 Educational Research & Diversity | EDUC30105 Exploring a Philosophy of Christian Education | EDPX30001 Professional Experience | |
Secondary Teaching areas of study include:
Other teaching areas may be able to be completed within an Avondale degree via cross institutional study after consultation with the course convenor. These additional Secondary teaching areas of study include but are not limited to:
Other additional areas of study at Avondale that may be able to be included as part of the BA/BTch (Sec) course after consultation with the Secondary Course Convenor include:
Components and Descriptions
Core Education Units
These units cover a range of current educational topics designed to prepare pre-service teachers to successfully teach young people. These units involve a variety of topics including: Classroom Management; Child Development and Learning; and Students with Special Education Needs.
Curriculum and Pedagogical Studies Units
These units provide pre-service teachers with the opportunity to apply quality-teaching principles to specific teaching areas. Literacy education, classroom safety, curriculum development, ICT and teaching strategies are each dealt with specifically for normally two chosen teaching areas.
Secondary Specialisation
Students who complete the required 8 or 10 units in the one discipline area complete a specialisation. The number of units required to complete a specialisation is dependent on the specific teaching area chosen.
Secondary Major
Students who complete the required 6 or 8 units in the one discipline area complete a major. Majors from other degrees may be available, subject to timetable constraints and with the approval of the Course Convenor of the BA/BTch (Sec) and the Course Convenor of the Bachelor of Arts.
Secondary Minor
Students who complete the required four units in the one discipline area complete a minor. Minors from other degrees may be available, subject to timetable constraints and with the approval of the Course Convenor of the BA/BTch (Sec) and the Course Convenor of the Bachelor of Arts.
Secondary Elective Units
While students are encouraged to use their elective spaces to strengthen their chosen teaching fields, electives can be chosen from any units offered.
Core Discipline Unit
All students complete Foundations of Wellbeing (WHPE10101).This unit is a core discipline unit for all Secondary students in a combined degree and provides students with a foundational understanding of holistic health.
Content of the Course of Study - All units are worth 6 Credit Points unless otherwise stated.
Core Education Units
Core Discipline Unit
Secondary Curriculum and Pedagogical Studies Units
Within this course, students normally complete two content specific curriculum and pedagogical studies units per teaching area. These units will be offered on a two year rotation. The underlined units shown below will be offered every even year (For example 2022 & 2024) and the non-underlined units will be offered every odd year (For example 2023 & 2025).
Unit Set Configurations
The following information outlines the specific units that make up the unit sets within this course. Please note that while these units sets are available for all students within this course that some students who commenced their study programs in 2020 or before are still able to complete the previously approved unit sets that they commenced their course with. These students should communicate with their relevant strand and course convenors when selecting their remaining content units.
Ancient History Minor
Students enrol in EDUC35122 and EDUC35103 in addition to these units:
and one of the following Modern History units
Biology Major
Students enrol in EDUC35121 and EDUC35104 in addition to these units:
Business Studies and Commerce Major
Students enrol in EDUC35123 and EDUC35124 in addition to these units:
Business Studies and Commerce Minor
Students enrol in EDUC35123 and EDUC35124 in addition to these units:
Chemistry Major
Students enrol in EDUC35121 and EDUC35105 in addition to these units:
English Specialisation
Students enrol in EDUC35126 and EDUC35127 in addition to these units:
(COMM11100 Writing for Media Contexts may be an alternative for ARTS11100 Interpreting & Producing Media Messages if approved by the English Strand Convenor)
English Major
Students enrol in EDUC35126 and EDUC35127 in addition to these units:
and one of the following units:
and one of the following units:
(COMM11100 Writing for Media Contexts may be an alternative for ARTS11100 Interpreting & Producing Media Messages if approved by the English Strand Convenor)
English Minor
Students enrol in EDUC35126 and EDUC35127 in addition to these units:
and one of the following units
(COMM11100 Writing for Media Contexts may be an alternative 100 level unit if approved by the English Strand Convenor)
Food Technology Major units
Students enrol in EDUC35142 and EDUC35143 in addition to these units:
and one of the following units
Food Technology Minor units
Students enrol in EDUC35142 and EDUC35143 in addition to these units:
Geography Minor
Students enrol in EDUC35128 and EDUC35129 in addition to these units:
Health and Physical Education Specialisation
Students enrol in EDUC35130 and EDUC35131 in addition to these units:
The following units are a requirement of the HPE specialisation but are already completed as part of the core education requirements:
Health and Physical Education Major
Students enrol in EDUC35130 and EDUC35131 in addition to these units:
The following units are a requirement of the HPE major but are already completed as part of the core education requirements:
Information Technology Minor Units
Students enrol in EDUC35140 and EDUC35141 in addition to these units:
Legal Studies Minor
Students enrol in EDUC35123 and EDUC35111 in addition to these units:
Mathematics Major
Students enrol in EDUC35132 and EDUC35133 in addition to these units:
Mathematics Minor
Students enrol in EDUC35132 and EDUC35133 in addition to these units:
Modern History Major
Students enrol in EDUC35122 and EDUC35113 in addition to these units:
Modern History Minor
Students enrol in EDUC35122 and EDUC35113 in addition to these units:
and one of the following units¿
Music Specialisation
Students enrol in EDUC35134 and EDUC35135 in addition to these units:
and one of the following
Music Major
Students enrol in EDUC35134 and EDUC35135 in addition to these units:
and two of the following
Outdoor Education Minor
As this is not a teaching area in NSW, students who complete this cluster of units do not complete any associated curriculum & pedagogical studies units. Elective units will replace these if needed to meet the required 192 credit points to graduate. The four units recommended in this area include:
Religious Studies Specialisation
Students enrol in EDUC35136 and EDUC35137 in addition to these units:
and three of the following units (with at least one at 300 level) from:
Religious Studies Major
Students enrol in EDUC35136 and EDUC35137 in addition to these units:
and one of the following units from
and one of the following units from:
Religious Studies Minor
Students enrol in EDUC35136 and EDUC35137 in addition to these units:
and one of the following units from
and one of the following units from
Science Major
Students enrol in EDUC35121 and either EDUC35104 OR EDUC35105 in addition to these units:
Visual Arts Major
Students enrol in EDUC35138 and EDUC35139 in addition to these units
and three of the following units from
and one of the following units from
TAS Pattern 1 Specialisation complete Design and Technology Core plus one Technology option (7 + 3 =10 units).
TAS Pattern 2 Extended Specialisation complete Design and Technology plus two Technology options (7 + 3 + 3 = 13 units) plus one elective.
Teaching fields include Design and Technology (including Technology Mandatory) and depending on technology options selected: Food Technology, Textiles and Design (including Textiles Technology), Industrial Technology, Industrial Technology Graphics and Multimedia (including Graphics Technology) or Information Processes and Technology.
Students enrol in EDUC35142 and EDUC35143 in addition to these units. If completing TAS Pattern 2 also enrol in EDUC35144. For Information Processes and Technology as an additional teaching area enrol in EDUC35140 and EDUC35141 and see course convenor.
Design and Technologies Core (7 units required)
and one of the following design project units
Industrial Technology Option (3 units)
Food Technology Option (3 units)
and one of the following units
Textiles Technology Option (3 units)
Information Technology Option (3 units)
For information pertaining to Information Processes and Technology as a first teaching field, see course advisor regarding additional cross-institutional units.
Graphics and Multimedia Option (3 units)
VET Technology Options (3 units or 4 units if include elective)
TAS Pattern 2 Elective
Teaching fields include Design and Technology (including Technology Mandatory), Food Technology, and Textiles and Design (including Textiles Technology) if required textiles units selected.
Students enrol in EDUC35142 and EDUC35143 and EDUC35144
Design and Technologies Core (7 units required)
and one of the following design project units
Food Technology (3 units required)
plus choose four of the following units:
If you want to add Textiles Technology as a teaching area see the TAS convenor before selecting from these units.
Industrial Technology Major
Students enrol in EDUC35142 and EDUC35143 in addition to these units
Textiles Technology Major
Students enrol in EDUC35142 and EDUC35143 in addition to these units
Textiles Technology Minor
Students enrol in EDUC35142 and EDUC35143 in addition to these units:
Students need to do 80 days of professional Experience in schools over four sessions.
Professional Experience is a critical component of initial teacher education and offers pre-service teachers enrolled in teaching degrees work-integrated learning opportunities as part of their professional development. Avondale's Professional Experience program is based on a framework of high-quality Professional Experience in Australian schools to provide high-quality experiences that will equip pre-service teachers to face the challenges and diversity of classrooms. All mentor teachers for domestic Professional Experience placements are registered teachers at the Proficient level or higher of the Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) standards.
Professional Experience placements occur regularly throughout all teaching degree programs at times listed in the course structure. It is the student's responsibility to be available at those times. Pre-service teachers may experience a range of school settings, including public and independent schools and one rural/regional school. Each school placement offers pre-service teachers the opportunity to apply their theoretical learning to real-life situations.
Transport to and from placement schools and accommodation and related costs are the student's responsibility.
In addition to the listed admission criteria, students will need the relevant Working With Children Check applicable to any Australian state where they choose to complete a placement. A supervised overseas placement may be allowable for one placement other than the final placement.
Students also need to be able to demonstrate their fitness for teaching. This means they can:
Students who cannot demonstrate their fitness for teaching will not be allowed to do school placements.
At the completion of the course students must be accredited with the state professional teaching body before practising in the classroom. In NSW it is New South Wales Education Standards Authority (NESA).
