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>> DR DAMIAN MAHER: Well the subject itself is. . . . basically it is an introduction
to the whole degree. It is being a professional experience program. What is involved is that
students go out into the schools. So it is their first practicum experience that they
have. What they do in that practicum experience is that they go out for one day each week.
It is basically observation for the first subject where they do a little bit of teaching
towards the end. What we try to do in that subject is to introduce students to resources
that are in the university for them as well and also resources that they will be using
as a teacher. You know things like curriculum documents, syllabus documents. We use what
is called UTSOnline for this subject. What it does it has all the documents we use, it
has all the communication. It has links to important subjects. So I think it is really
important for beginning students is that they are aware of the types of resources that they
need to be accessing. Each week we have a set of readings. What happens is that a particular
student will lead that group and what then the rest of the students need to do is to
read that particular reading so that they can contribute to the discussion that week.
So I think it is really important for students doing Professional Experience 1 that they
do the readings each week. Because basically what they are doing is supporting other students
and then they have to take on that particular activity themselves where they lead the group.
One of the big difficulties that I have found students have in their first year is . . . I
guess the written, the language component. Itís because what we do as primary school
teachers, what we train students to do is have a very high level of English. For some
students that can be a challenge. I think maths as well is a big challenge for students
because whilst the maths that we teach in the first year generally is primary school
maths the way that you approach it is very different to the way that they have approached
it throughout the secondary school. So re-orientating themselves to that level of maths is difficult
for students, I think. They find it very challenging. I think the best advice I would give to students
is to get to know the people who they are working with. By the people that they are
working with I would say are the students, the lecturers who they will be working with
and the support staff as well. Because we do have an academic liaison officer. We have
student services, student support - so there are a lot of people who are employed at the
university to support students. A lot of students seem to work part time and that can be a real
challenge I think for students is to make sure that they are doing everything that they
need to do whilst they have work life balance or study life balance.