Graduate Certificate in Science Education (Years 7-10) (GC-SCIED10) // Attributes, outcomes and skills

Intended learning outcomes

Graduates of the Graduate Certificate in Science Education (Years 7-10) will:

• Develop an understanding of the content in the Years 7-10 Victorian Science Curriculum;
• Develop Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) for teaching Years 7-10 Science, including approaches for addressing the Science Inquiry Strand of the Victorian Curriculum;
• Critically evaluate and reflect on research related to students' learning and evidence-based approaches to address identified challenges, issues and opportunities in teaching Years 7-10 Science;
• Understand how students of the relevant year levels learn Science, and understand the ways to promote their learning;
• Develop knowledge of formative assessment in Science to diagnose students' understanding, identify misconceptions and plan for targeted teaching to cater for all students;
• Demonstrate a broad knowledge of the resources available for teaching Years 7-10 Science, including digital technology to deepen students' conceptual understanding;
• Develop effective teaching strategies, including investigation-based or inquiry-based approaches to support key aspects of the Science Inquiry Skills Strand and develop students' appreciation of the nature of science.

Generic skills

• Clinical reasoning and thinking
• Problem solving
• Evidence based decision making
• Creativity and innovation
• Teamwork and professional collaboration
• Learning to learn and metacognition
• Responsiveness to a changing knowledge base
• Reflection for continuous improvement
• Linking theory and practice
• Inquiry and research
• Active and participatory citizenship.

Graduate attributes

Graduates of the Graduate Diploma in Science Education (Years 7-10) will:

• Be culturally and socially aware (in particular, foregrounding Indigenous Worldviews and engaging with sustainability), and able to establish respectful and ethical relationships with students, staff, families, communities, and the broader school communities.
• Embody the standards of the teaching profession and support the development of teaching as a profession.
• Be practitioners of complex teaching, who teach for growth, wellbeing and citizenship for all students using an inclusive, approach that utilizes deep learning and teaching strategies built on the image of students as capable.
• Be creative, innovative, self-directed and life-long learners, able to link theory and practice and respond to a changing educational landscape.