The University of Canberra’s (UC) teacher training program has expanded to include five more Canberra schools for 2020.
The ACT Education Directorate said the schools joining the program would have access to UC-facilitated professional learning for teachers and school-based clinics, with 26 schools now signed up to the program.
Director of the UC Affiliated Schools Program, Clinical Associate Professor Kerrie Heath, says that this program has been made possible thanks to a mutual and trustful relationship between the University and the ACT Education Directorate.
“This is about a shared moral commitment to the children of the ACT region,” Professor Heath said.
“Therefore, the decisions that we make are collective decisions, which makes this program stand apart.”
“Over the last 18 months, the University and the ACT Education Directorate have worked together to evolve this program into something that is dynamic. Rather than ending with a particular project, it will continue to grow,” Professor Heath said.
ACT Minister for Education Yvette Berry said the program is about embedding and sharing the most innovative practices for education across local schools.
“The program allows opportunities for teachers and pre-service teachers to do research projects in the classroom, where they can test and trial teaching methods that are innovative,” Ms Berry said.
“They have experience of teachers mentoring them and providing feedback about how that’s working, then going back to the University of Canberra to provide feedback about how those teaching methods are being applied in real life.”
The five schools joining the program are: Margaret Hendry School, Arawang Primary School, Bonython Primary School, Mount Stromlo High School and Southern Cross Early Childhood School.
Ms Berry said that the participant schools would receive additional funding to appoint program coordinators to help undertake school-based research projects.
