Education courses
Why study teaching?
Education changes lives and enables people to contribute to and change their world for the better. Teaching shapes and flourishes the next generation. Through the education they provide, great teachers play a vital role in forming the hearts and minds of young people so that they can become intelligent, creative and ethically responsible members of society.
Teaching is a career choice with challenges and opportunities like no other.
What makes a good teacher?
A good person makes a good teacher!
Tabor focuses mainly on developing the person who will be the teacher, as well as teaching the knowledge and skills required for teaching. Parker Palmer (2010, p.2) in The Courage to Teach says that ‘We teach who we are’, and recognises, as Tabor does, that authentic people who have ethical integrity hold great capacity to be the best teachers.
A good teacher also loves people, values ideas and learning, and understands that making mistakes and not knowing things are not a negative, they’re just a reason to learn new things and engage with new opportunities to grow.
A good teacher helps students to find meaningfulness in life and encourages their passion and intelligence. Many people can recall a favourite teacher who valued them, and opened up new insights.
A good teacher challenges themselves and others to grow and change and instils the courage to do so.
What qualifications do you need to become a teacher?
The qualification you need is a Bachelor of education (4 year degree) and will include subject knowledge. All teachers undertake specialist training in education theory, the practice of teaching (pedagogy), and in curriculum subject content.
Bachelor of Education Degree
The minimum level of qualification is a 4-year undergraduate bachelor’s degree in education and you can focus either on Primary teaching or Secondary teaching.
The Bachelor of Education Primary degree at Tabor qualifies you to teach all the subject areas from Reception to Year 6 level.
The Bachelor of Education Secondary degree at Tabor qualifies you to teach in two subject areas. This is usually a Minor subject area which qualifies you to teach Year 7-10, and a Major subject area which qualifies you to teach Year 7-12, but you can also study two Major areas.
Master of Teaching
Students who have already completed a bachelor’s degree in another area (e.g. Humanities, Science, Arts), and who have a GPA of 5 can undertake graduate study in order to become a qualified teacher.
The Master of Teaching Primary at Tabor qualifies you to teach all the subject areas from Reception to Year 6 level.
The Bachelor of Education Secondary degree at Tabor qualifies you to teach the specialised Major and Minor subject knowledge gained through your previous undergraduate study.
Entry to the Master of Teaching Primary course requires successful completion at degree level of a minimum of 8 subjects relevant to the Australian Curriculum Primary learning areas.
Entry to the Master of Teaching Secondary course requires successful completion at degree level of at least one Major in a subject area of the Australian Curriculum Secondary.
How do I choose between Primary and Secondary teaching?
A huge range of learning needs and abilities is found between Reception and Year 12. And although great teachers should be able to teach any level, teachers generally find themselves drawn to teach younger or older students. Consider your answers to the following three questions – they’re not foolproof in showing the level you are best suited to, but they may help you to decide:
- What are the reasons I want to teach?
As a Primary school teacher, you will help to form the ideas and thinking skills, the ethics and relational skills of young children, and prepare them to succeed academically in their Secondary schooling. You’ll work closely with families and broader areas of the community to support the student s in your care. During these formative years you’ll be making a lasting difference to the lives of your students, in and out of school.Secondary teachers are also responsible for the personal formation of students, but with a much greater emphasis on helping adolescents to become good people and successful young adults. You will enable them to become independent learners, equipped with the kinds of knowledge and skills needed for the world of further study, work, civic responsibility and life-long learning. - What subjects areas most interest me?
Do you have a range of areas that you spend time thinking about or are active in or are there one or two things you are most passionate about?Primary teachers might have favourite subjects but they happily involve themselves in learning about and teaching all or most of the Primary Learning Area subjects. At Tabor Primary teachers also prepare for a speciality in either literacy or numeracy. You might choose literacy if you’re motivated by reading, writing and the power of words. If you’re more comfortable with numbers, patterns, logistics and calculations, then Numeracy might be your choice.Secondary teachers tend to specialise in one or two main subject areas. Which subjects most interested you at school? English, History, Maths, Science, Home Ec, PE? These are subjects you might like to continue learning about and to teach. - Who will I be when I’m ready to teach?
It’s important to consider what age you will be, what you will know and be able to do by the time you have completed your course and are ready to teach, because this will influence your choice of Primary or Secondary. For example, you might want to specialise in a couple of subjects but not feel old enough or ready to teach Secondary students – but by the time you are ready for full responsibility of your own class, you will be two or four years older than you are now, knowledgeable in your subject areas, and highly skilled in teaching through lots of practicum time in schools.Alternatively, you may be clear about wanting to teach younger students but feel that you have limited knowledge across the range of subjects needed – but by the time you are ready for full responsibility of your own class, you will have had two or four years learning in all those subject areas, and be highly skilled in teaching through lots of practicum time in schools.To find out more, talk to us about your Primary or Secondary options, and the various combinations for Major/Minor specialisations to suit you.
Will I find a job once I’ve graduated with an education degree?
Teachers will always be needed!
Education is the basis of our democratic and civilised society; every other occupation exists because teachers taught the knowledge and skills needed to do them. As Australia’s population continues to grow and as society becomes more complex, the need for qualified and committed teachers is set to increase. The range of jobs within schools also continues to expand, from classroom support through to curriculum specialists and leadership roles, special education and language teachers. With private and government schools located across Australia and overseas, in metropolitan and rural areas, opportunities for employment as a teacher are considerable.
Tabor graduates get jobs
Our graduate teachers are highly regarded because our teaching courses are taught in a way that teaches you the theory while modelling the theory. This is called Praxis and, combined with the greatest number of in-school practical experience days (compared to all other SA teaching course providers), this means you can “hit the ground running” when you have graduated. Every Tabor teaching graduate who applied for work has been employed in some capacity in teaching within a semester of completing their course.
Tabor Education faculty hosts an Early Career Seminar which enables final year Education course students to meet school leaders and experience a ‘mock-interview’ for real life jobs.
Tabor’s teaching degrees are highly valued
Tabor has been recognised as number 1 in the nation, amongst all university-level providers of teaching degrees, for the last 9 years. For example, the QILT survey, based on student responses, places us in the high 90 percentile for teaching quality and student support.
We are also recognised for our literacy and numeracy support program, and are the key provider of Jolley Phonics training for preservice teachers from all SA universities.
How much practical experience does a Tabor Education degree offer?
Considerably more than any other Initial Teacher Education provider in South Australia! And you will experience a placement in a variety of schools across the Independent and Public Education sectors.
As either a Bachelor of Education or a Master of Teaching student (or preservice teacher as we call you), you will spend approximately 4 weeks in a school, during the first year of your course. This helps you to get a feel for teaching and to decide whether it’s for you.
You will also experience in-school teaching placements as 3 or 4 week blocks, and in your final year you will experience an 8 week Internship in your choice of school sector.
Tabor also values your voluntary or other work in schools. You may already work as an ESO or in OHSC, or assist with reading or physical education in a classroom – some of this experience may also be counted towards your practical experience.
Education lectures at Tabor are in workshop style where students work together to apply theory to practical classroom situations while benefiting from shared ideas and experiences. You may find yourself participating in some micro-teaching and problem solving in the lecture room. Then, as you start to observe and teach in schools, you will understand how ‘best practice’ can be achieved.
Our workshop approach builds the skills, knowledge and understanding needed for every aspect of teaching – from planning, teaching methods, behaviour management, and student support.
By the end of your course you will be career ready and confident, able to enjoy teaching and make a positive difference in the lives of your own students. Tabor graduates tend to stay in teaching and are often recognised earlier for their leadership ability.
Why study Education at Tabor?
It’s little wonder that Tabor Education graduates are in such high demand!
At Tabor we refer to our Education students as ‘preservice teachers’ in recognition of the profession they’re preparing for. We treat you like a professional from day one and have high expectations because we believe in empowering you to be your best self.
Tabor staff are passionate about making a positive and meaningful difference in the lives of the next generation of teachers. If you want to be a great teacher who makes a positive and meaningful difference in the lives of the next generation of students then Tabor is the place for you.
You will not be just a number at Tabor. We are a smaller community in which relationship and values are nurtured. Our campus is a welcoming and nurturing environment; smaller class sizes allow for a more personalised and supportive approach to learning in which lecturers are able to connect with each student.
Our teaching staff model how to teach as they teach, and workshop style classes reinforce the connection between theory and practice, and between students and lecturers. Preparation for your teaching career includes many in-school and micro-teaching opportunities to build your practical skills, and experiences such as the Early Career Seminar and subject-based time in schools put you in touch with school leaders and teachers as mentors.
Teaching quality and student support are just two of our major strengths. Check out Tabor’s QILT results here.
Talk to us
We are always happy to chat with you about teaching as a career or to get you started on your own journey to being a great teacher!