Bachelor of Education (Primary)

2021 Deakin University Handbook

Note: You are seeing the 2021 view of this course information. These details may no longer be current. [Go to the current version]
Year

2021 course information

Award granted Bachelor of Education (Primary)
Campus

Burwood (Melbourne), Waurn Ponds (Geelong), Warrnambool

(For students who commenced prior to 2021 only)

Duration4 years full-time or part-time equivalent
CRICOS course code015204J
Deakin course codeE359
Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) recognition

The award conferred upon completion is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework at Level 7.

The final intake to this course was in Trimester 1 2020.

Students who commenced after 2021 should refer to the current version

Students should contact a student advisor for course and enrolment information.

Further course structure information can be found in the handbook archive

Course sub-headings

Course overview

Build a solid foundation in primary curriculum and discover what it takes to teach and lead young people. Deakin’s accredited Bachelor of Education (Primary) equips you with the essential knowledge and skills required to guide children through their primary learning years. From mathematics to science, visual arts to technology; you’ll learn how to teach across a wide range of subjects and specialisations. 

Through our Professional Experience Program you’ll not only gain key practical skills, but invaluable insight into the classroom environment. With the option to combine your personal interests with a range of curriculum areas, you’ll undertake placements that enrich and solidify your studies. As a result, you’ll graduate qualified to teach from prep to Year 6, with the confidence and ability to demonstrate classroom readiness and make a difference to students’ learning. 

Keen to inspire the next generation and make a real difference as a primary school educator? 

Deakin maintains close links with the education sector to ensure our courses are developed and reviewed with professional educators’ input. You’ll be taught by staff who have teaching experience and who are recognised as leaders and innovators in their fields. This means you can be confident that what you learn with us will be relevant to your future teaching career.

The Professional Experience Program is a key part of every Deakin teaching student’s course experience. Working with more than 1400 schools across Australia, we’ll arrange at least 80 days of placements for you in schools where you’ll learn from experienced teachers. Students also have access to specialised teaching spaces on campus to help you prepare for classroom teaching.

Choose a specialisation and develop advanced skills in a priority area of the primary curriculum, such as:

  • health and physical education
  • humanities
  • languages
  • language and literacy
  • mathematics and numeracy
  • science
  • special education needs
  • visual arts.

You can select the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IBPYP) option and complete some of your placements in IBPYP schools, differentiating yourself from other graduates. This Deakin course is the only undergraduate teacher education program in Victoria to be accredited with the International Baccalaureate Organisation and to offer a recognised pathway for teaching in the IB Primary Years Programme.

Give your studies a different perspective and take part in our Global Education Program. You’ll get to experience remote communities in Australia and abroad, while gaining credit towards your degree. Learn about Aboriginal culture while teaching in remote communities in the Northern Territory, or head to countries including Vietnam and Switzerland to learn about intercultural education.

Before beginning your studies, prospective teaching students need to successfully complete the Casper test – an online, video scenario-based test that lets you demonstrate your suitability for a teaching career.

Professional recognition

Deakin’s Bachelor of Education (Primary) is accredited with the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) as a nationally accredited course. Upon graduation, you’ll be prepared to register with VIT as a registered educator.

Career opportunities

Studying a Bachelor of Education (Primary) will equip you with the skills and knowledge for a successful career in education. Upon graduation you’ll be ready to teach in primary schools within the private, independent, IB schools or public education sectors.

Graduates may also find work in other fields including:

  • community services
  • government agencies
  • not-for-profit organisations
  • IB accredited primary schools.

For more information go to DeakinTALENT

Participation requirements

Placement can occur at any time, including during the standard holiday breaks listed here: https://www.deakin.edu.au/courses/key-dates.

Reasonable adjustments to participation and other course requirements will be made for students with a disability. Click here for more information.

Mandatory student checks

Professional Experience Placement

Students are required to apply for a Working with Children Check. Apply online as a volunteer.

For further information contact the School of Education, Professional Experience office.

Course duration - additional information

Course duration may be affected by delays in completing course requirements, such as accessing or completing work placements.


Contact Hours

For each unit of study, you are expected to participate in at least three hours of formal contact each week of trimester. A minimum of 6-hours of study time in addition to the formal contact is also expected for each unit each week.

You will complete a minimum of 80-days supervised school experience over the duration of the course, providing hands-on experience in a primary school setting.

Course Learning Outcomes

Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes

Course Learning Outcomes

Discipline specific knowledge and capabilities

Acquire broad and coherent theoretical knowledge and understanding of education and the application of this knowledge and skills in teaching and learning, particularly for primary school contexts 

Communication

Engage in appropriately diverse effective interpersonal, oral, written, digital and non-verbal communication with students, their parents or caregivers, colleagues and other stakeholders to demonstrate empathy, develop rapport and build professional teacher/ student/ parent/ caregiver relationships with trust for quality learning and teaching. 

Digital literacy

Select, collect, use and create a range of digital teaching and learning resources and technologies to support student engagement and learning. 

Critical thinking

Critically evaluate and synthesise contemporary research and theoretical perspectives relating to teaching, student learning, and using diverse assessment data to make judgments about the use of appropriate teaching, learning and assessment strategies. 

Problem solving

Critically reflect on professional practice to generate creative, innovative and authentic solutions to a range of real-world problems encountered in the learning and teaching contexts and professional learning communities. 

Self-management

Actively work and learn independently with responsibility taken for professional actions and judgements 

Teamwork

Work and learn collaboratively with colleagues, other professionals, families and members of the wider community who share responsibility for student learning and their wellbeing. 

Global citizenship

Engage in professional, intercultural and ethical approaches that addresses social justice, equity, diversity, and sustainability issues.

Approved by Faculty Board

 

Course rules

To qualify for the award of Bachelor of Education (Primary), students must complete 32 credit points of study as follows:

  • 26 core units;
  • 4 credit points of primary subject specialisation
  • 2 credit points of electives
  • AAI018 Academic Integrity (0-credit-point compulsory unit)
  • No more than 10 credit points of units at level 1

This course includes 80 days of supervised professional experience, and students must successfully complete the Deakin Teaching Performance Assessment (DTPA)*.

Students are also required to complete two zero (0) credit point units ELN010 and ELN011 as part of the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education (LANTITE) in order to graduate from their course.

Contact Student Services for further unit enrolment advice.

* Students who do not pass the DTPA must seek advice from the course director.

Electives

In your course you have two electives. These can be made up by completing the IB PYP option OR a combination of two units from the recommended electives listed below.

You will be able to deepen your studies in your chosen specialisation or develop breadth through pursuing studies in other area(s) of interest. However you are not limited to this list for your electives.

IB PYP Teaching and Learning Certificate

If you would like to be eligible to apply for the IB PYP Teaching and Learning Certificate from the IBO, in addition to your core coursework you will need to successfully complete

  • two elective units:

EEG402Teaching in a Global World

ECL307Introduction to the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IBPYP)

  • your two x Yr 3 Professional Experience placements in IB PYP schools.

Recommended Electives

These recommended electives have been clustered in discipline areas but you may select from two different disciplines. 

Health and Physical Education

EEH301Nutrition, Growth and Development for Health Educators

EEH315Teaching Sexuality and Relationship Education

Humanities

EEG302Place, Culture and Teaching in a Global Context

EEG402Teaching in a Global World

ASP216Ethics in Global Society

Languages

Concurrent enrolment in a Diploma of Languages with up to two credit points given for two electives on evidence of completion.

Language and Literacy

ECL350Teaching EAL/D Students

ALC104Media Genres: Negotiating Textual Forms and Pleasures

ALL154Power Politics and Texts for Young People

Mathematics and Numeracy

SIT190Introduction to Functions, Relations and Graphs

SIT191Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis

SIT192Discrete Mathematics

SIT194Introduction to Mathematical Modelling

Science

EES301Digital Technologies: Programming and Robotics

Special Educational Needs

EDU201Educational Psychology

EEI302Introduction to Creative Arts Therapy Approaches and Practices

Music and Visual Arts

EEI302Introduction to Creative Arts Therapy Approaches and Practices

ECA210 Music Studies: Earth, Wind and Fire (No longer available for enrolment)

EEA211 Navigating The Visual World (No longer available for enrolment)

Specialisations

Primary Specialisation

Specialisation Unit 1

Specialisation Unit 2

Specialisation Unit 3

Specialisation Unit 4

(commencing 2020)

Health and Physical Education

SP-E359007

(quotas apply)

EEH203Sport and Exercise Practice

HBS110Health Behaviour

EEH302Health and Physical Education in the Curriculum

ECP400Building Leadership Capacity in the School and Wider Community

Humanities

SP-E359004

AIG103People, Place and Environment: Introduction to Human Geography

OR

AIH267Conflict and Its Legacies in Modern Asia

OR

AIH238Australia and the Two World Wars

AIH288Colonial Encounters: From Invasion to Federation

 

 

EEO301Sustainability, Inquiry and Action - a Humanities Perspective

OR

EEG402Teaching in a Global World

OR

SLE121Environmental Sustainability

OR

HSH202Creating Sustainable Futures

OR

ASC233International Migration and Multicultural Societies

 

ECP400Building Leadership Capacity in the School and Wider Community

Languages

SP-E359008

Diploma of Languages units^

 

Diploma of Languages units^

 

ECL306Teaching and Learning Languages in Primary Contexts

 

ECP400Building Leadership Capacity in the School and Wider Community

Language and Literacy

SP-E359002

ALM101Making Social Media

 

ALL230Re-Imagining Literature for Young People

 

ECL351Diversity, Language and Literacy

 

ECP400Building Leadership Capacity in the School and Wider Community

Mathematics and Numeracy

SP-E359001

SIT176Mathematical Reasoning and Investigation

ESM215Problem Solving, Modelling and Mathematical Applications

ESM303Primary Mathematics Lesson Study

 

ECP400Building Leadership Capacity in the School and Wider Community

 

Science

SP-E359003

SLE111Cells and Genes

OR

SLE133Chemistry in Our World

SLE123Physics for the Life Sciences

 

EES300Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education

ECP400Building Leadership Capacity in the School and Wider Community

Special Educational Needs

SP-E359006

(quotas apply)

EEI202Communication and Diverse Learners

HDS106Diversity, Disability and Social Inclusion

 

EEI301 Personalising Learning: A Transdisciplinary Approach (no longer available for enrolment)

OR

EEI302Introduction to Creative Arts Therapy Approaches and Practices

ECP400Building Leadership Capacity in the School and Wider Community

Visual Arts

SP-E359005

ACV115Drawing and the Body in Visual Arts

 

ACV101Painting in the Visual Arts

 

EEI302Introduction to Creative Arts Therapy Approaches and Practices *

 

ECP400Building Leadership Capacity in the School and Wider Community

^ Deakin has four options for languages study: Arabic, Chinese, Indonesian, Spanish:
Concurrent enrolments in A221 Diploma of Arabic or A222 Diploma of Chinese, or A223 Diploma of Indonesian, or A224 Diploma of Spanish or equivalent with up to 4 credit points of RPL are given upon the completion. Completion of 3 units from any of A221 or A222 or A223 or A224 and enrolment in one further unit of A221, A222, A223 or A224 or equivalent are pre-requisite for ECL306. The Diploma can be undertaken concurrently with another course and is of 3 years part time duration with eight credit points. There are two options for each Diploma: i) for students with no background in the language; or ii) an advanced study for those with Year 12 level (or equivalent) in the language.

* EEI302 replaces ECA304 Arts Education Specialisation Study from 2021

Core Units

Year 1

ELN010Australian Literacy Test (zero (0) credit points)

ELN011Australian Numeracy Test (zero (0) credit points)

AIA105 Visions of Australia: Time and Space from 1700 to 2010 (no longer available for enrolment)

ECL101Understanding Early Reading Development (Replaces ALL153 Literature for Children and Young Adults from T2 2021)

ETP101Perspectives On Learning and Teachers' Work

ETP102Social Contexts of Education

EES102Foundations of Science Knowledge and Practice (Replaces SLE103 Ecology and the Environment from T2 2021)

SIT106Fundamental Concepts of Mathematics

ECA100Engaging and Exploring Arts Education

EEH116Primary Physical Education

Year 2

ECL210Multiliterate Learners in Early Years Environments

EEH217Student Health and Wellbeing

ESM211Children and Mathematics: Developing Mathematical Concepts

ETP200Classroom Relationships

EEO211Contextualising Primary Humanities Education

EES245Primary Science Education 1

2 credit points of specialisation units from the table below;

Year 3

ESM310Teachers and Mathematics: Creating An Effective Classroom

ETP300Educating Students with Additional Needs

ETP303Curriculum and Pedagogy

ECL310Multiliterate Learners in Middle Years Environments

EEA311Primary Arts Education: Focussed Study

2 x 1 credit point elective units (IB PYP pathway students take specific elective units)

1 credit point specialisation unit from the table below;

Year 4

EEO410Learners Inquiring in and About Their World: Human Disciplines

ECL410Literacy Teacher - Researchers in New Times

EES440Primary Science Education 2

ESM410Professional Practice and Mathematics: Designing An Inclusive Program

EST400Primary Technology Education: Creativity and Design

ETP400Assessment: Ways of Knowing Learners

ETP403University-To-Work Transition

1 credit point specialisation unit:

ECP400Building Leadership Capacity in the School and Wider Community


Professional Experience Placement

Students are required to apply for a Working with Children Check. Apply online as a volunteer at https://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/.

For further information contact the School of Education, Professional Experience office.

Course duration - additional information

Course duration may be affected by delays in completing course requirements, such as accessing or completing work placements.

Other learning experiences

Pre-service teachers from the Bachelor of Education (Primary) have opportunities to complete their third year placement or a component in the elective unit EEG302 – Place, Culture and Teaching in a Global Context. Eligibility for a GEP is restricted to students who have successfully completed a local practicum and are in at least the third year of their four year degree.