Bachelor of Education (Primary Education) - Course Structure

The links below will take you to unit of study information arranged by year, including links to printable unit of study outlines.

• First Year Units of Study
• Second Year Units of Study
• Third Year Units of Study
• Fourth Year Units of Study

About this year ...

First year coordinator Vilma Fyfe

The first year of the primary programme is a foundational one in which students encounter general concepts relating to education and teaching in contemporary society in the core education unit of study. Students consider such contested concepts as the nature of the curriculum, curriculum construction, teachers' knowledge, the teacher as a professional and child protection. The relevance of these concepts to classroom practice are also explored in lectures and seminars. Similarly the science units of study cover important foundational work in the content of science itself, rather than how to teach science. Here you will learn how children and adults understand or be confused about scientific concepts. The creative arts unit allows you the opportunity to start to explore an arts enriched approach to teaching in four elements of dance, drama, music and art.

Teaching and Learning - Literacy begins your exploration of children's language learning. The unit provides an introduction to professional experience in the primary classroom through exploring K-3 literacy development and teaching practice. Students become familiar with the fundamental components of literacy, supported through observation of teachers and children in classrooms, and interaction with small groups of children emerging in literacy.

Units of Study

• EDUP1001 Creative Arts 1
• EDUP1002 Language, the Learner and the School
• EDUF1018 Education, Teachers and Teaching
• EDUF1016 Science Foundations 1
• EDUF1019 Human Development and Education
• EDUF1017 Science Foundations 2
• One Junior Semester 1 unit of study from another faculty* (6 credit points)
• One Junior Semester 2 unit of study from another faculty* (6 credit points)

* Junior/First Year (100 level) unit of study chosen from the Faculty of Arts, (eg History, English, Anthropology, Religious Studies, French, Arabic, Japanese, Philosophy), Faculty of Economics and Business, and Faculty of Science.

About this year...

Second year coordinator Christine Preston

During this year, you will engage in your first sustained experience of teaching a class in ED. This experience will induct you into the practice of the teaching/learning cycle of assessment, planning and teaching.

In preparation for this professional experience, you will begin to investigate teaching from the perspective of the learner in your second year units of study. This perspective will be informed by both sociological and psychological theory and include a unit of study focusing on the learning needs of indigenous students. As well, you will continue your curriculum study in English and begin to explore the pedagogy of both Mathematics and PDHPE for the primary school.

Units of study

• EDUF2006 Educational Psychology
• EDUP2002 English: Learning to be Literate
• EDUP2004 PDHPE 1: Physical Activity
• EDUP2006 Indigenous Australian Education
• EDUF2007 Social Perspectives on Education
• EDUP2005 Maths 1: Exploring Early Numbers
• EDUP2027 Beginning Professional Experiences
• One Senior Semester 1 unit of study from another faculty* (6 credit points)
• One Senior Semester 2 unit of study from another faculty* (6 credit points)

* Senior (200 level) unit of study offered by the Faculties of Arts, Economics and Business or Science. This would be the second year continuing one of the junior units of study completed in your first year.

About this year...

Third year coordinator Louise Sutherland

The focus of the third year of the BEd program is to assist you to translate theory-based knowledge into your teaching practice. In the Units of study this year you will have multiple opportunities to analyse and reflect on your teaching experiences in different contexts.

Your knowledge and understanding of teaching the key learning areas will be enhanced. You will opportunities to continue the development of your expertise in teaching Mathematics, English, PDHPE and Creative Arts. You will begin your studies of how to teach two other key learning areas, Human Society and its Environments and Science and Technology. There are two units, Teaching in Multilingual Classrooms and Positive Approaches to Special Education focused on catering for the diversity found in Australian classrooms. In these units you will gain a greater understanding of how to cater for students from diverse socio-cultural and language backgrounds, and varying abilities including students with disabilities and special educational needs.

Units of study

• EDUP3001 PDHPE 2: Active Healthy Primary Schools
• EDUP3002 Human Society and its Environment 1
• EDUP3003 Teaching in Multilingual Classrooms
• EDUP3008 Creative Arts 2
• EDUF3031 Positive Approaches to Special Education
• EDUP3004 Mathematics 2: Space and Measurement
• EDUP3005 Investigating in Science and Technology
• EDUP3006 English 3: Becoming Literate
• EDUP3007 Professional Experiences 2 (Primary)
• EDUP3034 PDHPE 3: The Health Promoting School
• One Education III unit of study (6 credit points)

About this year...

Fourth year coordinator Tony Loughland

The fourth year of your Bachelor of Education program is the graduate stage of your learning continuum as a teacher. In this year you will synthesise what you know and apply this knowledge to new contexts. You will be able to critically reflect on your current level of attainment towards the graduate teacher standards and understand professional learning strategies that will enable you to generate new knowledges in a collaborative fashion.

During the year you will deepen your knowledge of the key learning areas of Maths, Science and Technology, English, Human Society and Its Environment where there will be an added focus on how to integrate these key-learning areas while maintaining their integrity. A second unit of study in Special Needs will strengthen your capacity to deal with diversity. A unit of study called Reading and Designing Research will allow you to expand your knowledge of how to conduct action research in classrooms. This unit has the potential to allow you to enrol in honours. You also have the opportunity to specialise in an area that consists of two semester length units of study.

Professional Experiences in year four will enable you to implement strategies you have learnt to plan KLA integration, gather evidence to prove that you have met the Graduate level of the NSW Teaching Standards and critically reflect on your strengths and areas for further professional development. In this way your fourth year gives you the opportunity to consolidate your knowledge about your profession as a teacher.

Units of study

• EDUP4074 Mathematics Education 3
• EDUP4075 Science and Technology (Designing and Making)
• EDUP4076 Multiliteracies
• EDUP4079 Professional Experience 3 (Primary)
• EDUF4044 Reading and Designing Research
• EDUP4077 Teaching Children with Special Needs
• EDUP4017 Professional Experiences 4 (Primary)
• EDUP4080 Human Society and its Environment 2
• One Education III unit of study (6 credit points)
• One optional unit of study* (6 credit points)

*A unit of study of your choice from a select list of options (To be selected at time of pre-enrolment into 4th year).