Education at UNSW or MQ? (1 Viewer)

[meLoncoLLie]

If I were to study education/arts (majoring in Chinese) at an undergrad level, which would you recommend?

Also, I'd like to find out why Usyd has a longer BA/BEd degree than UNSW does. It seems like everyone thinks Usyd is the best place to go for teaching, but what makes it stand out?

Thanks in advance!

 

[phrred]

Not sure, USYD has a whole faculty dedicated to education whereas UNSW edu is just in the arts faculty.

For chinese, UNSW students learn simplified characters (used in China) but for USYD ive heard they learn traditional (Taiwan, parts of china)?

 

[PrincessSJ]

chants
New-kar-cell New-kar-cell New-kar-cell New-kar-cell New-kar-cell New-kar-cell New-kar-cell New-kar-cell New-kar-cell New-kar-cell New-kar-cell New-kar-cell New-kar-cell New-kar-cell New-kar-cell New-kar-cell New-kar-cell New-kar-cell

 

[AsyLum]

I'd go to Macquarie, our Asian Languages division is one of the best organised and quite good at what it does. You'd most likely be looking at doing the B Arts/Dip Ed (Maj Chinese).

http://www.asianlang.mq.edu.au/chinese/prog_BA.htm

Typical structure for the Chinese component

http://www.asianlang.mq.edu.au/chinese/units.htm

Chinese units.

http://www.aces.mq.edu.au/educ_st_ug.asp

For the teaching component.

 

[Nebuchanezzar]

Well, before I put UNSW on my preference list (below Sydney) I researched it a bit and it does indeed have a fantastic education school. Paul Chandler and John Sweller are renowned over the world for their work on cognitive load theory, amongst other things.

On the bad side, they don't do primary teaching, who cares.

I'll take the path of AsyLum and simply reccomend my uni. UNSW.

 

[kami]

Education studies are basically a load of crap where ever you do them. I recommend that you pick your uni on the basis of whoever offers the better Chinese course.

I'd think it would be an important issue as to how much teaching practical you do in your course, and how early you do it though. I can imagine it'd be a killer to be 3 or 4 years into your degree before you find out you actually don't like teaching a class of kids.

 

[meLoncoLLie]

Thanks for the advice guys. I was thinking, even though the BA/DipEd from MQ and the BA/BEd from UNSW both allow you to teach in secondary schools in NSW, if I look for teaching jobs overseas, would BA/BEd from UNSW sound better (because it's 2 bachelors degrees from a well known institution)?

I'm intrigued by the fact that the MQ cut off is higher...there must be something special about their school of education.

 

[Nebuchanezzar]

No, it's a much smaller university, and accepts a lot less students. The UNSW School of Education is surprisingly large, thus the cutoffs are a lot lower.

Neither would really look any different on that piece of paper at the end though, however with UNSW's more experienced academic staff, I would tend to think that they would be a better option if you were in it for those type of reasons. Macquarie uni is isolated, whereas UNSW is closer to the city, Randwick and a few other places. USyd is even closer to cool places, but involves a pain in the ass walk from Redfern.

 

[rific]

With teaching internationally, it doesn't really make a difference. International recruiters and the schools they work with usually only look to check you are qualified, they're not so worried about where you went.

 

[phrred]

With teaching internationally, it doesn't really make a difference. International recruiters and the schools they work with usually only look to check you are qualified, they're not so worried about where you went.

true that

 

[meLoncoLLie]

Thanks for everyone's help! I've decided on MQ (mainly because I can't be bothered changing unis -I'm already at MQ. Yes, yes, I know, crappy reason). MQ's Chinese units seem way too bludgy though, only 2 contact hours per week! Is this good or bad?!

 

[...]

Thanks for everyone's help! I've decided on MQ (mainly because I can't be bothered changing unis -I'm already at MQ. Yes, yes, I know, crappy reason). MQ's Chinese units seem way too bludgy though, only 2 contact hours per week! Is this good or bad?!

i did CHN123 last yr, that was 2contact hrs a wk..i don't find it that easy compare to some of my comp units that has around 5 contact hrs

 

[AsyLum]

No, it's a much smaller university, and accepts a lot less students. The UNSW School of Education is surprisingly large, thus the cutoffs are a lot lower.

Neither would really look any different on that piece of paper at the end though, however with UNSW's more experienced academic staff, I would tend to think that they would be a better option if you were in it for those type of reasons. Macquarie uni is isolated, whereas UNSW is closer to the city, Randwick and a few other places. USyd is even closer to cool places, but involves a pain in the ass walk from Redfern.

Wow, thats gotta the biggest load of bullshit I've ever heard, good try though...

"Experienced academic staff" and then MQ is isolated haha, wow, go go bias! I made my assumptions based on our Chinese program rather than the teaching, and the flexibility that offers at MQ.

Get your facts right fanboy.

 

[phrred]

Thanks for everyone's help! I've decided on MQ (mainly because I can't be bothered changing unis -I'm already at MQ. Yes, yes, I know, crappy reason). MQ's Chinese units seem way too bludgy though, only 2 contact hours per week! Is this good or bad?!

my chinese at unsw is about 5 hrs a week

 

[phrred]

Macquarie is definitely a better University for English/Education degrees. Our Arts department is in tatters.

how is it?
its just gone/going through major reform and ive found it very good for what ive done (chinese, politics, english). Our English school is one of the better ones in australia offering exchange to cambridge for shakespeare

 

[sikeveo]

Politik, how do you form these ilformed opinions?

 

[AsyLum]

It's not going to matter which uni you pick, or which degree you graduate in, in essence theres a shortage of teachers.

@ melon: don't assume that because you only have 2 contact hours, it'll be easy...the mq language courses are quite intensive

and if you're already at mq, you could have done chinese and education from the start of this year...?

 

[meLoncoLLie]

Oh I'm enrolled in Chiro this semester, but I absolutely loathe it...so I'm transferring to BA/DipEd

 

[AsyLum]

Ahh, ok, well have a look through the units, from memory, the first year Edu and CHN units don't have pre-reqs so you may be able to do one of them next semester?

 

[meLoncoLLie]

Yeah I'll most likely be doing EDUC105/106/261 and CHN251 (coz I did HSC Background Speakers)

I already have a major in mind (Chinese) and a minor (ESL). Need to pick a second minor - wondering if I should pick French or ICT. Hmmmm.