All documentation is emailed to schools directly. If you require specific documentation or if you have any questions regarding Professional Experience please do not hesitate to contact us.
In recent years, our Professional Experience Office arranges over 1,500 placements, annually, for students in our courses. This is made possible by the 400+ schools and centres who share in a commitment to the teaching profession by hosting placements. In recent years, about 40% of our placements have been hosted by schools and centres in the south of Tasmania, 25% in the north, 18% in the north-west, 2% across the west coast, midlands and east coast of Tasmania collectively, and 15% in other Australian states. We also support placements international for a handful of interested students. Professional Experience components of each program have a minimum number of days which must be completed. In line with national initial teacher education program accreditation standards, our Bachelor of Education specialisations involve at least 80 days on supervised placements and our Master of Teaching specialisations involve 60 days on supervised placements.
We hope that the main benefit for schools and centres in hosting a placement is knowing that they have contributed to the future quality of the teaching profession. Our students regularly report that the highlights of their course relate to their experiences on placement. Here are some statements from those who have hosted placements with us:
“We really enjoy having new, newer, sometimes younger students in our school - they revitalise us. They make us reflect on our practice and help us consolidate our beliefs they also assist us with having extra people taking on roles across the school we really find our student teachers add to the dynamic of the school.”
“Invaluable experience as 'new' teachers have the benefits of all the latest research. Plus, they will provide a pool for required new staff.”
“I believe it is our responsibility to ensure our graduates have a range of quality experiences to prepare them for teaching.”
“Competent pre-service teaches can provide the benefits of another adult in the classroom. Pre-service teachers can motivate and rejuvenate teachers with new ideas and make them think clearly about their practice.”
“Innovative ideas. Fresh 'eyes', patience and strategies for those challenging behaviours that are wearing their teachers thin. More participants for staff versus students’ sports matches. More 'willing' bodies to help with 'Dance Parties'. Endless really...”
“Our school believes it is our responsibility to prepare the educators of the future.”
Our formal agreements with the Department of Education, Catholic Education Office, Independent Schools, and Early Childhood Education and Care centres describe the general support that Tasmanian schools will offer the University of Tasmania in terms of hosting pre-service teachers on their Professional Experience placements. Please contact us at Professional.Experience@educ.utas.edu.au for a copy of the current agreement relevant to your site and sector.
We understand that each school and centre is unique in terms of its staff and student profile. With this in mind, we do not have a generic requirement for how many Faculty of Education students our partnering sites choose to host. As a guiding expectation, in each half-year period (University semesters) we encourage schools to host one pre-service teacher for every five classes of students, and one additional pre-service teacher at the school for good measure. This advice is calculated on our course enrolment data (summarised above in ‘Overview of placements’) and Department of Education (publicly available via https://www.decyp.tas.gov.au/about-us/data-and-statistics/). For example, a primary school with 250 students (about 10 classes of 25 students) might host three placements in the first half of the year (2 plus one for good measure) and three more placements in the second half of the year. This will help schools and sites across the education sector balance these responsibilities, ensure that we are able to arrange placements for all our students, and continue preparing the future teaching workforce. We are grateful to those partnering with us who are already exceeding this guiding expectation.
Pre-service teachers are expected to collect and interpret a range of data and evidence to inform their planning and teaching on professional experience placements. This will help them understand students’ learning needs and current levels of performance and inform strategies to achieved desired levels of performance.
According to the Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education, the term ‘data’ refers to external or standardised test information (e.g., PATM, PATR, NAPLAN, diagnostic test outcomes). The term ‘evidence’ is inclusive of, for example, (i) classroom teacher designed activities, (ii) classroom observations, (iii) student consultations, and (iv) work sample analysis with annotations. Data and evidence provide information about what learning is occurring and how well, providing opportunity to gauge learner progress.
Depending on the context, data and evidence might include:
- records and observations of classroom talk and patterns of interaction;
- records of main points learned, informed by consultations with individual students, teachers and/or paraprofessionals;
- their own detailed analysis of student work samples; or
- earlier teacher assessments, for both formative and summative purposes, and standardised test data.
When on placement, it is expected that pre-service teachers access this data in the same way as teachers and abide by the same policies and procedures of their host school setting in order to address the relevant Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.
In completing their coursework for the University of Tasmania, pre-service teachers draw on the data and evidence used during their placement. In the final Professional Experience Placement, this is done as part of an assignment called the ‘Graduate Teacher Performance Assessment’ (GTPA), which is benchmarked and moderated by an Australia-wide consortium of universities, led by the Australian Catholic University. The GTPA is an Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) approved instrument, in-line with our teacher education provider accreditation requirements.
Before submission of the GTPA and other assignments where school/data is used, pre-service teachers are required to de-identify all data and evidence so that no individual student or school could be identified from the submission. Only trained University of Tasmania staff have access to these submissions, via our password protected learning management system. When the University of Tasmania undertakes the mandated moderation processes with other teacher education providers, any of our pre-service teachers’ submissions used as samples are further de-identified by staff at the University of Tasmania following a strict protocol, so that no individual or even school can be identified.
Schools maintain the prerogative the manage access to and use of data in compliance with their own policies and procedures. We encourage schools to secure permission from parents/guardians to use student data in keeping with their own approach. We have also provided pre-service teachers with a standard, University of Tasmania letter and consent form for parents/guardians, as well as an assent form for students, that they can use to confirm permission to use data about students. Feel free to have pre-service teachers use your approach or our standardised letter and consent form (using the ‘opt-in’ or the ‘opt-out’ form) as you feel appropriate within your context.
As part of our commitment to equity of opportunity and quality of placement experience, any conflicts of interest need to be identified, disclosed, avoided where possible, and managed where necessary. For further information, please see the information under the Conflicts of Interest heading in the Professional Experience Guidelines and feel free to contact us for advice about any specific situations.
The Professional Experience process is a collaborative one, with many stakeholders involved in the process. All stakeholders need to work cooperatively to ensure each Professional Experience program reaches its goals. The roles and responsibilities of each are outlined below.
Academic Director, Professional Experience
The Academic Director of Professional Experience holds an academic position and is responsible for leading and coordinating the School of Education’s Professional Experience program across all courses.
Responsibilities
- Work with internal and external stakeholders in establishing a collaborative and coherent model for Professional Experience within all the School's courses.
- Develops effective working partnerships with educational communities to ensure that students receive quality placement experiences.
- Undertake the effective dissemination of policies and guidelines with attention being focussed on quality practices and outcomes in all aspects of Professional Experience.
- Provide advice to the Dean's Leadership Group to assist in the management process and structure for Professional Experience, School–wide.
- Provide liaison between, and amongst, School colleagues working in all areas of Professional Experience.
- Ensure the supervision of students in schools and other educational settings is undertaken effectively.
- Determine final decisions in matters related to Professional Experience.
Coordinator, Professional Experience
The Professional Experience Coordinator is responsible for overseeing placements for all students across all courses.
Responsibilities
- The Coordinator, Professional Experience provides administrative leadership within the School for the Professional Experience component of all Education courses, in collaboration with the Academic Director, Professional Experience.
- Coordinates the successful placement of students for the professional experience component of their courses as well as the development and implementation of the Professional Experience Guidelines.
- Provides the first point of contact regarding Professional Experience queries for students, School staff, both academic and administrative, and school personnel.
- Ensures the timely circulation of Professional Experience placement request information to students.
- Ensures the student has the necessary pre-requisites before placement is confirmed.
- Works collaboratively with the Professional Experience Office staff in fulfilling the administrative demands of Professional Experience.
- Maintain appropriate records (e.g. Health Assessments).
Professional Experience Officers
The Professional Experience Officers work closely with the Coordinator Professional Experience to ensure the efficient and effective implementation of the School of Education's Professional Experience program for students.
Responsibilities
- Initiate contact with schools and other educational sites regarding the placement of students.
- Match student requests for placements with availability of educational sites.
- Provide educational sites with the relevant information for that Professional Experience placement.
- Communicate effectively with all parties involved in the placement process, including School Coordinators, students and UTAS academic staff.
- Maintain professional experience files and records
- Process supervising teacher payments
- Provide administrative support to the Professional Experience Office.
Professional Experience Leaders
A member of the School of Education academic staff who provides support for preservice teachers as required. Three specific roles are conducted by Professional Experience Leaders.
General responsibilities
- Advise the Academic Director, Professional Experience in relation to course specific requirements.
- Engage with and contribute to the Professional Experience Committee (PEC) meetings and deliberations.
- Prepare Individual Preparation Plans (IPP) for students who have withdrawn from or failed a Professional Experience placement, monitor progress and recommend readiness to undertake Professional Experience to the Professional Experience Office.
Breakdown of the three specific roles conducted by Professional Experience Leaders
Responsibilities: Placement Support
- Monitor and Engage with the Professional Experience MyLO page.
- Advise the Academic Director of preservice teacher concerns, provide feedback regarding the unit content and student engagement.
Responsibilities: Preparation Advisor
- Develop and deliver Individual Preparation Plans (IPP) to nominated preservice teachers
- Prepare and submit all IPP related documentation to the Professional Experience Office and advise of IPP outcomes.
- Advise the Academic Director of preservice teacher concerns, provide feedback and recommendations regarding the IPP process and procedure.
Responsibilities: Reporting and Assessment
- Monitor and assess Professional Experience Reports.
- Communicate with preservice teachers in relation to completion and accuracy of reporting.
- Advise the Academic Director of preservice teacher concerns, provide feedback regarding the reporting and assessment process.
Professional Experience Mentor
The Professional Experience Mentor at UTAS is the representative liaising between the University, the Education Setting and student.
Responsibilities
- Establish and maintain contact (generally via email) with allocated students and Supervising Teachers during the placement period
- Complete site visits when required by circumstances or by students’ course requirements. See Mentor Visits (PDF 171.4 KB) for more information
- Seek the support of the relevant Professional Experience Leader/Academic Director, Professional Experience for advice, especially where the student is potentially at risk of failure.
- Work with student and relevant staff to complete the necessary documentation associated with progress of the placement, such as the Communication Form and if necessary, the Placement Support Request form.
Site Placement Coordinator
The responsibilities in Professional Experience are sometimes shared between one or more members of senior staff at the placement site, for example in a school setting it is usually the Principal, Assistant Principal or advanced Skills Teacher (AST).
Responsibilities
- Encourage teachers who display high level teaching abilities to undertake the supervision of students.
- Organise appropriate supervision for the student who has been accepted for teaching placement at the school or other educational setting.
- Undertake administrative responsibilities for the student whilst on the educational site.
- Ensure that for legal reasons the student is not left in sole charge of a class at any point in time during the Professional Experience placement, as legal responsibility for the class always remains with the Supervising Teacher.
- Liaise with the Professional Experience Office concerning any issues that may arise whilst students are on placement.
- Induct students with regard to school policies and procedures.
- Alert the Professional Experience Mentor regarding student absences or misconduct.
- Oversee the return of assessment reports and payment documentation to the Professional Experience Office at the completion of the placement.
Supervising Teacher
The Supervising Teacher is a qualified, registered teacher with a degree or equivalent in education. The supervising teacher is a critical member of the supervision team and thus the quality of the supervision and support provided is significant in the professional growth of the student.
Responsibilities
- Model best practice in planning, teaching and assessment.
- Act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights and privileges of the student with special reference to excellence in performance and freedom of expression.
- Maintain a professional learning relationship with students.
- Become familiar with the expectations for students on Professional Experience as set out in the relevant Professional Experience documents.
- Introduce the student to all teaching and support staff.
- Provide advice and leadership regarding school procedures and protocols (including areas such as dress protocols; behaviour support procedures; responsibilities related to the overall operation of the school).
- Supervise all of the student's lessons.
- Expect to see and review written lesson plans- prior to the delivery as negotiated with the student.
- Expect students to write and discuss constructive self-evaluations concerning their professional learning and development.
- Provide constructive oral and written feedback regularly to students on their teaching performance with specific guidelines for improvement.
- Provide constructive and collegial support to students.
- Retain legal responsibility for the class at all times when a student is in attendance.
- Consult with the student’s Professional Experience Mentor as required.
- Ensure the student completes the correct number of days for the placement.
- Respond promptly to emerging problems with a student's teaching performance.
- Be familiar with the Placement Support Request procedure. Document all performance concerns and raise with the Professional Experience Mentor immediately.
- Complete the interim and/or a final report for the student against the Professional Experience assessment criteria, as required by the applicable Professional Experience guidelines.
- In conjunction with the placement site coordinator (e.g. in a school setting, the principal), exercise the right to terminate a placement if it is judged to be damaging to the welfare of the children or young people enrolled at that site, the school or the health and safety of the student.
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This form is to be completed by the student if, during their Professional Experience a leave of absence is required. Note - all missed days must be made up, failure to do so may result in the student being unable to fulfil teacher registration requirements. |
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If there are concerns regarding a pre-service teacher's ability to complete the placement successfully, the school must complete a PSR and email it to the University mentor and Professional Experience Office as soon as possible during the placement. The pre service teacher must be given a copy of the form. A meeting will then be held between the student, the Professional Experience Mentor and the Supervising Teacher to create an Action Plan to support the student in the area/s in which they need to demonstrate improved performance. An Action plan will be completed and signed by all parties involved. |
If you have any queries regarding payment for professional experience please email the Professional Experience Office.
There are currently two options for payment:
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Payment direct to an individual – please complete the Claim for Payment
Claim for Payment (PDF 1.0 MB)
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Payment direct to a school or a child care centre – please complete the invoice details on the pro-forma below and submit on school/centre letterhead
Tax Invoice (DOCX 48.1 KB)
Please email completed forms to the Professional Experience Office on completion of the placement.
Placement Coordinator: $2.62 per day
Supervising Teacher: $42.33 per day
