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About Professional Experience
Professional Experience (each separate placement is sometimes known as a practicum) is seen by the Faculty of the Professions as a pivotal aspect of all of its pre-service teacher education programs. Subjects undertaken within the University context provide students with knowledge and skills about teaching and learning. Within the school context of professional experience pre-service teachers begin to apply the theoretical concepts developed in these academic subjects to the practical realities of the classroom.
The sequencing of professional experience placements allows pre-service teachers to apply the theoretical concepts and pedagogical strategies developed at university to the practice of current educational facilities in a carefully structured manner, where there is both a gradual introduction to the diverse roles of teachers and an incremental development of the key skills necessary to be a professional educator.
The successful completion of all professional experience requirements is a mandatory part of all teacher education courses leading to accreditation for primary, secondary and early childhood teaching.