First Year Units

 Before University

Throughout primary school and high school I was a dedicated high achiever. Between years two and twelve I received numerous awards for academic excellence on a consistent basis.

I was lucky enough to be part of a wonderful year group that was widely respected by teachers and other staff members. We were not your regular year 12's. Looking back now I realise that we were treated like university students, free to make our own decisions and learn independently. I feel privileged to have been part of such an amazing and dynamic class and I hope that I can produce students of the same calibre and capability as those in my year twelve group.

FDN113 - Wellbeing  

This foundation unit explores the many dimensions of wellbeing including:

• Mental
• Physical
• Spiritual
• Social

It does so by examining each of these dimensions in relation to the different stages of life.

As this is a foundation unit it also builds on valuable university skills such as essay writing, presenting speeches, numeracy interpretation and referencing.

 EDN111 - Language for Learning and Teaching

In this first semester unit prospective teachers develop a finer understanding of the English language. The focus is on learning about the features of written language in order to teach them in the future.

It mentions ways of incorporating effective learning methods (similar to the idea of authentic learning tasks) into the classroom.

 AIS180 - Introduction to Australian Indigenous Studies

In this unit we build on a scaffold of writing skills and learn about the issues surrounding and within Australian Indigenous Studies. Focusing on Martin Nakata's "Indigenous Australian Studies and Higher Education" speech written in 2004 we explored the content and context of Indigenous Studies within Australian universities and the implications the discipline has on the wider community.

We also discussed the importance of positioning yourself within both Western and Indigenous knowledge systems and the importance of becoming 'cultural competent'.

To find out more about the concept of becoming culturally competent within a teaching profession please read the essay below.