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PST and Post-graduate study

One incentive the Department now offers, for teachers and school leaders to undertake additional studies, is formal recognition towards a post-graduate qualification.

The Professional Standards for Teachers (PST) Course aims to explore the role of the Professional Standards for Teachers in creating a culture of professional identity and learning at both the individual and organizational level.

In order to gain tertiary credit, participants are required to:

PST workshop facilitated by Education Queensland (6 to 12 hours for participants, 3 days for PST Facilitators); and
an independently designed project (the assessment task).

The independently designed project (the assessment task) requires participants to:

engage with a selection of professional readings (Part 1: Platform Task);
use the Standards as a tool for personal reflection on learning from the course (Part 2: Professional Learning Profile);
use a minimum of three standards (the core standard and one each from the 'wheel' and the 'star') to design a Professional Learning Plan (Part 3) with actions that are both sustainable and systematic;
engage in a professional conversation with colleagues in which the learning plan will be collaboratively analysed and its effectiveness for self, others and the workplace identified (Part 3);
write a paper (Part 4) in which the individual's learning is described, reflected upon and critiqued in terms of the knowledge acquired, new capacities developed and future professional learning anticipated; and
share their learning from this task with their university assessor (Part 5) via a 30 minute interview (either face-to-face or via teleconference).

Testimonials from participants who have completed the PST Course

'As I reflected on my professional practice against the standards, I realised my perceived weaknesses were what others appreciated the most about me.'

(Craig Brims, PST Facilitator, Mareeba SS)

'The assessment task was valuable as I could make it relate directly to my daily work. Creating and implementing an action plan which was driven through reflection and goal setting reinforced for me the potential of professional standards for both individual and school change.'

(Emma Heffernan, Senior Project Officer, Smart Classrooms Professional Development Framework, ICT Learning Innovation Centre)

'The PST course has provided me with the opportunity to access quality professional learning that is recognised in postgraduate qualifications. It has allowed me to reflect on my strengths and weaknesses and further plan for my professional development. I recommend this course to anyone who is looking for a starting point towards their professional journey.'

(Naveen Lim, Senior Education Officer, Early Phase of Learning, Curriculum Strategy Branch)

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