Charlotte Duke | Master of Teaching (Secondary) Internship

When Charlotte first began her career, she was interested in epidemiology and health promotion. She began working at a non-profit, where she developed and evaluated health education programs. It was a job that she found rewarding, but nevertheless lacking an essential element.

“I realised that I needed to work directly with communities to feel fulfilled,” she explained.

She wanted to share her enthusiasm for science with the next generation, as well as “equip students with skills and knowledge required for the world outside the classroom”.

“Growing up, I was afforded many opportunities to engage in and be inspired by science, and I wanted to give the same opportunities to young people.”

She chose to enrol in the Master of Teaching (Secondary) Internship at the University of Melbourne – often called the “MTSI” program for short – which would enable her to get in front of a classroom as a teaching intern after just a short period of intensive university classes.

“I chose the Internship model for several reasons. I couldn’t wait to become a teacher, so it was a way to fast-track my study. I could put into practice what I was learning at university and see the impacts straight away.”

She added, “Working four days a week and being paid to study on the fifth is another great benefit of the MTSI program. This means I have protected time to work on assignments and do academic readings, and can just focus on my students while I’m at work.”

Finally, “Doing the MTSI program means I’ve been integrated within the school community from day one, which has had many benefits,” she went on. It enabled her to learn from the experienced teachers around her and grow in her teaching practice.

“Having knowledgeable teachers around me every day to learn from has been invaluable for my professional development; I’ve observed lessons delivered by my colleagues and learned from their pedagogical strengths.”

In the first year of the program, Charlotte had a “fantastic experience” teaching year 12 biology, calling it “a challenge that offered great reward.”

“In the first few weeks of my teaching career, I was writing and marking important assessments, teaching science skills, encouraging higher-order thinking, delivering practical experiments, and discussing science careers with my students.”

Although she was undoubtedly given a lot of responsibility, Charlotte always felt supported.

“I’ve had access to ongoing professional development throughout the program. The professors and tutors from the University of Melbourne have been great role models. They are knowledgeable and have supported my growth as a teacher immensely. Having the Clinical Specialist and University Coordinators just an email away was a great comfort: I could reach out with questions at any time and receive timely support.”

Charlotte also had a positive experience with her cohort in the program, building peer relationships that she said included both “lifelong friendships and professional contacts”, as well as working collaboratively with other teachers “to produce learning activities and assessments that engage students.”

“Teaching is a collaborative job, and I enjoy working with colleagues to generate solutions to problems together.”

But most rewarding, she said, was “developing a rapport with my year 12 students,” as well as “creating a classroom environment that would support them through an arduous year of study”.

Providing a supportive learning environment is quintessential to good teaching practice, and it’s something Charlotte always strives for.

“I believe it is important to treat young people with unconditional positive regard. This means offering them empathy and respect, irrespective of circumstance. With this approach I’ve cultivated a classroom environment that offers students a safe and welcoming place to learn.”

Charlotte is also interested in ways to create “thinking classrooms”, “where curiosity, problem solving and logical reasoning are the focus of lessons.” In fact, she’s currently completing a capstone research project investigating this question.

She elaborated: “It is said that ‘memory is the residue of thought’, so if students don’t think deeply about a topic, they won’t remember it in the long term. I am trying to integrate deep thinking and learning strategies into my classes, so that students can relate lesson content to meaningful contexts in the world around them, and hopefully retain key science knowledge for decades to come.”

Through her own research as well as engaging with existing resources (such as the podcast ‘The Education Research Reading Room’ and the book Why Don’t Students Like School by Daniel Willingham), Charlotte is constantly thinking about pedagogy and preparing to be the best teacher she can be when she takes on her first full-time role.

“I am looking forward to developing my teaching practice as a classroom teacher over the next few years,” she said, adding, “It’s particularly important to me to work in a public school, because education is a human right and public schools are severely underfunded in Australia.”

“I then hope to step into a leadership role where I can contribute to school improvement on a larger scale.”

For those considering the Master of Teaching (Secondary) Internship, Charlotte had the following advice:

“If you know you want to be a teacher and are up for a challenge, definitely apply to study in the MTSI program! Sometimes it is hard to juggle assignment deadlines with teaching demands. However, with strong organisational skills and a good support network, it is possible.”

She concluded, “Applying for the MTSI program is one of the best decisions I’ve made. I am now in a rewarding career that I will remain in for the rest of my working life.”