Program Overview

This exciting four-year degree allows you to gain a qualification as a primary school teacher with a specialisation in the innovative fields of science, mathematics and technologies. You’ll develop a comprehensive knowledge of the educational theories and teaching skills required in today’s primary school classrooms, as well as a solid understanding of the national primary school literacy and numeracy curriculum from Kindergarten to Year 6.

On top of becoming a confident teacher of English, humanities and social sciences, and health and physical education for children aged five to 12, you’ll develop a focused comprehension of the in-demand subjects of science, technologies and maths. From year two of your studies, you’ll take a range of Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) units which are taught on-site in primary schools, culminating in a specific Science Education Internship in your final year. On completion of the course, you’ll be ready to take your passion for STeM and use it to create an imaginative and creative classroom from your first year of teaching onwards.

Study a Bachelor of Primary Education (STeM) at UC and you will:

• Gain appropriate scientific, literacy and numeracy knowledge
• Learn the theories and principles that are the foundation for educational practice in primary 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 primary 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 primary school levels and settings, including STeM-specific positions, culminating in a 30-day Science Education Internship in your final year.

In addition to this, the course content is developed by primary 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 STeM sites such as Questacon, lectures hosted by guest speakers from a range of education and teaching backgrounds, and more.

Major: Science, Technology and Mathematics Education

This major addresses issues relevant to today's educational environment. Primary Schools across the country are desperately short of specialists who understand and are skilled in matters relating to Science, Technology and Mathematics.

It is critical that primary schools now are able to utilise the skills of teachers have a well-regarded set of skills in, and an understanding of, these essential Key Learning Areas.

Primary teachers also need to be well-equipped with a working knowledge and pedagogical skills for all the Key Learning areas so that the science, technology and mathematics areas can be successfully integrated across the various curricula.