FACULTY OF EDUCATION
DIRECTOR OF WOLLONGONG UNIVERSITY AT HUA MAK CAMPUS.

Mrs. Ann Baxter, Director of Education Wollongong University addressing teachers and students of the Faculty of Education at Hua Mak campus on October 28,2004.

The Faculty of Education was happy to welcome Mrs.Ann Baxter, Director of Graduate Diploma In Education program, University of Wollongong on October 28, 2004. Ann and her husband, Greg Baxter were on their way back after a three-week assignment in Canada.

Since Thailand is in the process of curriculum reform in teacher education, and the Faculty of Education itself is engaged in this revision, we grabbed this great opportunity and requested her to make a presentation about the program she chairs at University of Wollongong. The following is a brief outline of her talk.

The Graduate Diploma in Education is a one-year professional postgraduate teacher education program. It also serves as an introduction to the disciplines for those who may wish to pursue higher studies in the field. The program involves lectures, seminars, tutorials, individual assignments, group exercises, and supervised practice teaching in schools. The program is recognized by the NSW Department of Education and Training and, the Catholic Education Office, and it is accepted internationally.

Entry to the program is highly competitive. Currently she has over 300 applicants and only those who pass all the requirements will be accepted. One of the requirements for ESL students is IELTS score of 7 whereas other departments require only 6: "because they need to effectively communicate with students in classrooms."

The GDE, 54-credit Program comprises of a 5-P's model:

1. Person: Learner and Learning. This strand explores the nature of learner and the role of teacher, with a focus on psychology and pedagogy of learners with diverse needs, classroom menagement, personal development, child protection and welfare.
2. Professional Skills: Covers the skills required for teachers as professionals, with emphasis on language and literacy skills, encompassing communication, listening, interviewing, library researching, reporting and personal use of information and communication technology; awareness of school culture and culture of the wider
   community.
3. Place: Learning in context. This strand is a critical study of educational policies, historical and social/cultural contexts and philosophical underpinning of education applied to the experiences of learners in schools.
4. Pedagogy: Teaching methodology, examining practical aspect of planning and implementing relevant curricula in the classroom. Primary methodology subjects are taught by experieced teachers from schools in the region.
5. Practical Teaching: This is a compulsory component of the degree, focusing on field experience in schools and practice teaching in schools. Emphasis is on lesson planning, classroom management, and catering for a diversity of learners in the classroom. This strand involves a total of 55 days (of 30-teaching days of two days per week) in schools with teachers approved by NSW Department of School Education as supervisors and visits from university method staff.

It is interesting to learn that they have a three-week teaching practicum in China, Fiji, or Thailand as part of the program.

Mrs. Ann Baxter was a Math teacher for 26 years at an elementary school before she joined the NSW Catholic Education Office where she started working as a part time lecturer at the University of Wollongong. A few years later she was offered a full time position as Director at the university. Thanks to Ann Baxter for sharing valuable information with us and we hope to have her again as a guest lecturer in the near future.

Reported by
Dr. Absorn Meesing