Albany student Mark Weldon shares his experiences of remote learning while studying the Master of Teaching.
The Master of Teaching (Secondary) structure and organisation is easy to navigate, accommodating for students studying externally and supportive in that your mentors and tutors make a special effort to include online cohorts in their planning, assessments and tutorials.
I receive a great deal of genuine support. The online lecturers are keen to help answer any questions. I’m also well connected with my peers through Facebook group chats and video calls etc.
The UWA Albany staff are fabulous. I get reimbursed for accommodation and travel if I need to go to Perth, they help organise my study load and make sure the Perth campus can accommodate me fairly and appropriately.
Some interesting things I’ve done or learnt in the MTeach (Secondary) include:
- how our implicit (and racial) biases affect our teaching style
- reflection on my school experiences and how to use my strengths in the classroom
- dispelling teaching myths
- developing and solidifying a teaching philosophy unique to me
- exploring the breadth and depth of my chosen subject areas and finding creative ways to teach concepts (e.g. using a tongue twister competition to introduce alliteration)
- discovering how schools operate and how diverse students are
- classroom management (e.g. I got to reflect on how I can design my classroom to make anxious students learn comfortably and effectively)
Learning online
Online learning is set up so everything is at your fingertips. All units have eBook access or online access for compulsory unit texts. Depending on the unit, online learning usually consists of a weekly workshop via Zoom (2 hours per unit), with lectures (1-2 hours per unit) and weekly readings (2-3 chapters a week).
HASS Curriculum I and II are exclusively online and Loretta (the unit co-ordinator) does a fabulous job of incorporating ICT, like mind-mapping and video-making software, to create unique and engaging learning opportunities in an online space. Overall, studying a Master of Teaching online is empowering.
Why study a Master of Teaching?
The content covered in the MTeach (Secondary) is vital to my practice and intrinsically motivates me because it’s engaging, interesting and delivered enthusiastically.
The MTeach (Secondary) rewards those who know a good deal about their subject areas as it focuses more on how to teach a wide range of student types. This includes units on how to effectively teach at-risk students, including ATSI (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander), EADL (English as an additional language or dialect) or students with disability.
You’ll get the most out of this course if you’re motivated and enthusiastic about teaching and want to connect with people who share your passion for teaching.
The conversations you have with your mentors and peers will only be rewarding if you’re in the right mindset. With this right mindset, online learning isn’t awkward, tiring or stressful as many students usually expect.
Your mentors and peers want to support you and want to help shape you into the best teacher you can be!
Interested in a flexible career in teaching? UWA's new Master of Teaching (F-12) is mostly online and will equip you with the skills and experience to teach Foundation (Pre-Primary to Year 12). Applications close Friday 21 January 2022.
