More than 60 teachers from Catholic schools in the Diocese of Sale are among the first-ever graduates of a trail-blazing Masters degree at the University of Melbourne.
The Master of Clinical Teaching is designed for high-achieving teachers dedicated to advancing their education practice.
The program is the only one of its kind in Australia and draws on cutting-edge research to help educators tailor their approach and achieve the best possible learning outcomes for each student.
The teachers who recently graduated from the innovative course come from Catholic schools right across the Diocese of Sale, from Narre Warren, Berwick and Cranbourne all the way to Orbost.
Dr Jeana Kriewaldt, course coordinator for the Master of Clinical Teaching at the University of Melbourne, said the degree uses the latest knowledge to help teachers improve their classroom practices.
“The University of Melbourne is proud to partner with the Catholic Education Office in Sale, as the partnership has enabled system growth,” Kriewaldt said.
“With several teachers in the same school studying together or in subsequent cohorts, they support each other and are able to innovate in school practices. This has multiplier effects, with schools across the system sharing new ideas too.”
The graduates reported that the learning enhanced their capacity to think more deeply about how language underpins literacy, to identify their strengths and how to enhance their literacy practices.
“This in turn enabled them to improve learning in their school,” Kriewaldt said.
Director of Catholic Education for the Diocese of Sale, Maria Kirkwood, congratulated the graduates and said that their expertise will have a positive impact on local schools.
“Initiatives such as our partnership with the University of Melbourne to deliver the Masters of Clinical Teaching are integral to our commitment to strengthen the teaching capability in every Catholic school in our Diocese,” Kirkwood sad.
“Our role is to support schools and teachers to adopt expert teaching practices, to enable every student to achieve their full potential.”
Kirkwood said the outcomes we’re seeing from the Masters program are “very encouraging”.
“I am pleased that another large cohort of teachers from schools in the Catholic Diocese of Sale are currently progressing through the course.”