WHEN Sinead Conway decided to leave her career in IT project management to pursue a Master of Teaching at the University of Newcastle, she worked out she would be able to complete her four-week and eight-week placements plus graduate before her May 2021 wedding.
Then COVID-19 hit.
"For a long time it was touch and go whether we were going to get a placement," she said. "It was very stressful."
UON and Callaghan College partnered for the unique formed the Practicum Pilot Program to enable roughly 50 masters students to complete a new version of their four-week placement, while supporting the school's 275 year 12 students preparing for the Higher School Certificate.
A group of 19 joined the college's senior campus at Jesmond in the three weeks leading up to and the first week of the trial exams.
Deputy principal James Ostermann said masters students would normally get a picture of teaching by shadowing a teacher and would stay in their key learning area (KLA).
Instead, they got insight into the daily "teacher experience", completing 35 experiences across KLAs, including 56 hours helping students individually or in small groups in supervised free period study sessions.
They also participated in professional learning, special education, lesson observation, team teaching, micro lessons and helped students prepare for the minimum standard online tests.
Ms Conway said the experience was "character building".
"It has helped develop those soft personal and interpersonal skills that you don't necessarily have to develop until you're in that workplace."
She said students on placements don't usually work with year 12 and she had enjoyed "building rapport" with the cohort and helping to and helping to "ease the burden" of navigating COVID-19.
Year 12 students Remy Kozary and Anand Ben Romdhane valued the help of the masters students and their real-world experience.
Remy said one helped her finesse her Design and Technology major work portfolio, while Anand said another provided his chemistry class with extra guidance after school.
IN THE NEWS:
