Universities reform teaching degrees as deadline looms

Teacher Leah Myers went straight into the classroom as a fresh-faced graduate with a masters degree confident she understood how students learn. But after taking a job at a school that taught students using the science of learning, Myers realised her understanding had been “flipped on its head” and returned to university where she completed a second masters degree that focused on how students learn, with detailed and specific knowledge of how to teach reading and writing, writes Alex Crowe for The Age.

It has been almost two years since a sweeping review of teacher education recommended 14 reforms to radically reform training courses. Backed by the nation’s education ministers, 37 Australian universities have until the end of this year to modify some 280 courses to embed ‘core content’ in all teaching degrees.

Universities received AU$15,000 (US$9,600) grants to make the changes with core content focusing on how students’ brains learn and retain information, explicit phonics instruction, responding to students learning and feedback in real time and classroom management. A Quality Assurance Board will police universities to assess the quality of degrees and those that fail to make the changes can be stripped of accreditation.
Full report on The Age site