Program Overview

If you have a passion for sports, and would love to inspire students in Years 7 to 12 to get active and healthy, then the four-year Bachelor of Secondary Education (Health and Physical Education) will arm you with the skills you need to be a qualified secondary teacher with a specialisation in PE and health. You’ll also study a second teaching discipline of your choice, such as English, mathematics, science, or a humanities or social science subject, to increase your versatility and employability.

This practical course will see you undertaking first-hand learning in the best way possible – by connecting with students in a classroom environment via a series of Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) units, and understanding the nuances of the education system thanks to ongoing direct experience with it. You’ll graduate with a thorough understanding of how young people aged 12 to 18 learn, and will be ready to improve the health and wellbeing of your students as a dedicated PE educator.

Study a Bachelor of Secondary Education (Health and Physical Education) at UC and you will:

• Gain appropriate scientific, literacy and numeracy knowledge
• Demonstrate specialised knowledge and skills in health and PE, and a second discipline area, across a range of classes and year groups within a secondary school environment
• Learn the theories and principles that are the foundation for educational practice in secondary settings
• Demonstrate an understanding of student needs and differences, and the relevance of these to learning in inclusive, indigenous, English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EALD) and mainstream settings
• Plan and develop appropriate teaching activities for students from a diverse range of backgrounds
• Develop and implement effective assessment strategies and carry out evaluation of teaching programs, resources and your own teaching
• Apply the required content knowledge for all secondary school curriculum areas to teaching, assessment and reporting methods, alternate/enhanced literacy and numeracy strategies, and the effective use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in teaching and learning
• Reflect on your practice and experiences, and engage in a process of continual improvement.

Work Integrated Learning

A teaching degree, by its very nature, is the embodiment of Work Integrated Learning (WIL), with its focus on compulsory professional teaching practice. During this course, you’ll undertake a minimum of 80 days of practical placement across a range of different secondary school levels and settings, including health and physical education-specific positions, culminating in a 30-day teaching placement in your final year.

In addition to this, the course content is developed by secondary education professionals, and kept relevant and up-to-date through consistent monitoring of, and engagement with, the industry. You’ll undertake authentic assessment tasks which are highly relevant to the day-to-day practice of teaching, and will take part in regular professional development activities, field trips to educational sites, lectures hosted by guest speakers from a range of education and teaching backgrounds, and more.

Major : Secondary Society and Culture Teaching

This unit set has been developed by the Program Director for Secondary Education (Dr Duncan Driver) in consultation with the Faculties of Arts and Design and Business, Government and Law. It aligns closely to the Subject Content Knowledge Requirements for the appropriate discipline identified by the New South Wales Education Standards Authority. It requires students to undertake 18 credit points of study over six 3 credit point units, with a maximum of 6 credit points (two units) at Level One. It has been carefully composed to ensure both depth and breadth of study in the discipline area for Secondary teaching purposes.