EDUC4743 Extended Rural Professional Experience

The Extended Rural Professional Experience occurs in the fourth year of the undergraduate degree program or the second year of the Master of Teaching program. It is undertaken con-currently with Professional Experience: Final Assessment for Registration. This combined and Extended Rural Professional Experience begins with the teacher preparation days for Term 1 and working in the school with their mentor teacher for a period of 10-12 days before returning to university for further academic studies. An extended teaching block of 10 weeks begins from Week 1 of Term 2. The pre-service teacher is expected to participate in the life of the rural community and to demonstrate the ability to combine working professionally with engaging personally in a rural community. Together with the required 40 days of teaching practice for the topic Professional Experience: Final Assessment for Registration, this combined professional experience constitutes an expected total of a minimum of 80 days.

This topic aims for pre-service teachers to demonstrate their ability to:

• Form effective relationships with both the school community and the local community of a regional, rural or remote area
• Plan appropriate curriculum and teaching materials and adapt their plans for the particular needs of students in a regional, rural or remote area
• Successfully integrate into the local community in which they are working as a professional
• Act in ways that show a clear understanding of the professional and ethical requirements of a teacher when they are living and working so closely within a small community

1. Develop effective working relationships with all members of your school community
2. Establish relationships or friendships within the local regional, rural or remote community
3. Show your ability to adapt curriculum and teaching plans to the needs of the students of a school in a regional, rural or remote area
4. Describe living and working in a regional, rural or remote area for an extended period of time
5. Demonstrate through behaviours a clear understanding of the professional and ethical requirements of a teacher when living and working so closely within a small community