Productive partnerships

All educators know the value of quality classroom professional experience for preparing pre-service teachers prior to graduation. At USC, the Education Partnerships and Professional Learning (EPPL) team works with more than 350 partner schools to provide preservice teachers with valuable opportunities to translate and apply the skills and knowledge they have learnt at university to real classrooms. At USC, we understand the value of providing preservice teachers with quality classroom experiences before they embark on their careers as educators. We work closely with our partner schools to ensure preservice teachers gain professional experience as part of their initial teacher education program.

Supporting our partner schools

The EPPL office coordinates the placement of over 1600 preservice teachers into schools per year and ensures that communication channels between the preservice teachers, the schools and the University are open and responsive. Practicum Liaison Officers are allocated to schools to ensure immediate support for preservice teachers and school staff during all supervised professional experience.

Each year, USC’s Office of Education Partnerships and Professional Learning (EPPL) works with more than 350 partner schools to provide Supervised Professional Experience for our preservice teachers. Supervised Professional Experience gives preservice teachers opportunities to translate and apply the skills and knowledge they have learnt during their studies in real classroom settings. To maximise the experience for all, the EPPL office provides a seamless coordination of placements in schools and has liaison staff who are dedicated to visiting school sites during professional experience.

Learning Link e-newsletter

Stay informed with the Learning Link e-newsletter. Principals, school coordinators and supervising teachers at our partner sites receive updates on a wide range of education topics, professional articles, profiles and reports from USC’s School of Education.

To receive this quarterly e-newsletter, email edprofessionallearning@usc.edu.au.

Professional development: Twilight seminars

Advance your skills and knowledge as an educator. Teachers and staff from our partner schools are invited to attend our Twilight Seminars, a series of free professional development forums presented by top academics from USC’s School of Education.

All attendees receive a Certificate of Attendance, which can be used as credit for professional development for ongoing teacher registration.

To find out about upcoming Twilight Seminars, email edprofessionallearning@usc.edu.au.

Preparing our future teachers

At USC, we strive to give our preservice teachers a strong theoretical and practical foundation, preparing them for success in the classroom. To this end, we provide our preservice teachers with opportunities – beyond Supervised Professional Experience – that broaden their knowledge, skills and experiences.

Learning Lounges

Our preservice teachers can attend professional development seminars called Learning Lounges, which are delivered at a school by an outstanding educational practitioner.

These seminars enhance and build preservice teachers’ professional knowledge and engagement, and ensure they are well prepared to make a success of their Supervised Professional Experience.

If you’d like to share your expertise, please contact Education Professional Learning about contributing to the Learning Lounges. Seminars usually run for 1.5 hours and preservice teachers nominate to attend these seminars in their own time additional to their university studies.

Rural and remote experience

At USC, we recognise the demand for quality teachers in rural and remote schools and encourage our preservice teachers to consider employment in such settings.

Experiences in a rural and remote setting expose our preservice teachers to different school settings and a wide range of learners – experiences that they wouldn’t necessarily have in metropolitan or regional schools.

Our preservice teachers have the opportunity to experience rural and remote settings by undertaking a Supervised Professional Experience, or by participating in our six-day Coast to Country trip to schools in rural and remote communities.