Spark a lifelong love of learning: Primary teaching at Curtin University

When you study to become a qualified primary school teacher through Open Universities Australia (OUA) with Curtin University, you get access to expert, passionate teaching educators, who are committed to seeing you succeed at the highest level.

Through Curtin’s Bachelor of Education (Primary Education), you’ll learn essential teaching skills, which ensure that children get the quality education that they deserve.

What it takes to be a teacher

“A really great teacher is someone who can spark interest, enthusiasm and curiosity for learning,” says Dr Susan Blackley, Course Coordinator of Primary Education at Curtin University.

“Highly effective teachers are also well organised, good managers and good people persons. They can read a situation and adapt.”

A very important trait for teachers is empathy – giving them the ability to put themselves in the shoes of their students, and to understand that every child learns differently.

Resilience is another important trait, as teachers face daily challenges in, and outside of the classroom.

“You have a huge responsibility to the 30 young people in your class every day,” says Susan. “It’s important that you give it all you’ve got.”

How the Bachelor of Education (Primary Education) works

There are 3 components to this course, delivered by Curtin University through OUA:

Curriculum units
These focus on subject areas such as English, Science and Mathematics.
Pedagogy (educational psychology) units
In which you study the way people learn and develop.
Professional studies units
In which you combine theory with practice in the classroom.

Practicums are an especially rewarding feature. Students get to step inside a real classroom from the second year of the course, and go back multiple times for longer periods. By the end of the course, students are taking over classes as the teacher for a whole school term.

What it’s like to study teaching online

Curtin University has made sure there is help at every turn, so you never feel alone.

“We have great professional staff that support our students day-to-day, and in practicum placements” Susan assures.

“There is a 24 to 48 hour expectation for staff and tutors to contact our students to answer their questions.”

Consider yourself a people person? Love the challenge of helping children learn? You might just make a great primary school educator.

Through Open Universities Australia (OUA), you can explore, choose and enrol in a range of education courses with leading Australian universities. Better yet, you can complete your qualification online without sacrificing your existing work commitments or family life.

To learn more about how to study through OUA – fill out the form on this page, and a friendly student advisor will get in contact. You can also chat to them on OUA’s website Messenger service, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp or SMS. They’ll help you find the right course for your teaching career.