Certificate in Teaching

Learn to teach better: groups or individuals, any age or context. Understand the psychology of teaching; explore the scope of teaching opportunities and find employment possibilities that suit you.

Course Code: VGN004
Fee Code: CT
Duration (approx) Duration (approx) 600 hours
Qualification Certificate
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Gain Insight and Understanding to Teach

  • Learn to teach people - in a school, as a teachers aid or instructor, as a private tutor, a coach, in a workplace, or anywhere!
  • Understand how people learn: discover the psychology of learning
  • Explore opportunities to put teaching skills into practice, for a sustained career in an industry that is rapidly changing.

"Lifelong Learning" is a key Catchphrase of Government and Industry Today.

Gone are the days of a single, life-long career path. Experts tell us we'll change careers repeated in our lifetime, and each time we'll need training and teachers to get there.

How can you take advantage of this trend? How can you turn your existing knowledge, skills and experience into a satisfying and rewarding career? A Teaching Certificate from ACS could be your first step...

This course is designed to fill a gap between an extensive education degree, and very short "train the trainer" type courses. It provide a foundation for teaching people of any age, giving you basic communication skills for delivering a learning experience, either in a classroom, or face to face, and more.
  • Enrol and commence studying any time
  • Work at your own pace and focus on things of greater interest to you.
  • Great tutors, highly qualified and with years of experience, stand ready to support you every step of the way

Modules

Core ModulesThese modules provide foundation knowledge for the Certificate in Teaching.
 Classroom Delivery Skills BGN106
 Delivering Distance Education BGN108
 Educational Psychology BPS105
 
Elective ModulesIn addition to the core modules, students study any 3 of the following 15 modules.
 Child Psychology BPS104
 Food Coaching VRE110
 Leadership BBS110
 Motivation VBS111
 Research Project I BGN102
 Workshop I BGN103
 Adolescent Psychology BPS211
 Creative Therapies BPS219
 Developmental Psychology BPS210
 Ecotherapy Practice BPS220
 Emotional Intelligence BPS223
 Public Speaking BWR206
 Business Coaching BBS304
 Ecotourism Tour Guide Course BTR301
 Life Coaching BPS305
 

Note that each module in the Certificate in Teaching is a short course in its own right, and may be studied separately.


 Teaching is Changing - What Teachers Need to Learn is Changing Too

Traditional, mainstream education involves putting a teacher in the front of a classroom, with at least 20, (sometimes many more) people listening to lectures and making notes.

As we have learnt more about "how people learn" and as the tools of teaching have become increasingly sophisticated (eg. electronic communications, internet, digital imaging), the better educators have begun to develop new, cutting edge approaches to education.

Many teaching courses are still producing graduates for the "old system" of teaching. On that count, this course is different. 

We believe that teachers who have a sustained career in education, need to learn to be more innovative and creative in their approach to teaching; and develop a capacity to stay up to date with and apply cutting edge techniques and technologies over the coming decades, as the face of teaching changes dramatically.

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Recommended Reading

Extract from the book:

EDUCATION

Don’t think that all you need to do is get a qualification to get a job. A qualification only gets noticed when you apply for a job. After that, it is what you know and how you perform at work that allows you to keep and advance in a job. Learning about an industry helps build awareness, knowledge, and skills that are valuable to an employer.

There are many options for people looking to accumulate new skills. Here we will look at different education options: 

  • Some courses will teach you something quickly, then test you soon after (before you forget), and declare you “qualified” These courses are “quick and nasty”. They can give you qualifications, but unless you get into a job soon after the training you may well have forgotten everything you were taught by the time you have to apply it in the workplace.

  • Other courses are slow, more thorough, but very specialised. These can make you into a real expert at something, and highly employable, as long as “experts” are needed in that thing. It can however make you appear “redundant” when the demand for that type of expert subsides.

  • Yet other courses prove a very broad based foundation in an industry or discipline; giving you a fundamental understanding of principles that underpin the whole industry. This type of course is broad based, and may not give you the skills that are immediately applicable in the workplace; but with a proper foundation, you are able to develop highly specific skills and knowledge faster. You will have a broader awareness of an industry and be far more adaptable throughout your career. When you study your field broader and deeper it takes longer, but you are going to be more attractive to enlightened employers, and will have a more sustainable career.

Different Schools for Different Purposes

Parents, employers and potential students (even adults) will often assume a school, college or university is going to do one thing for them while the institution itself is aiming to do something different.

Choose a learning style that suits
Everyone learns differently. Some people will learn better when information is presented visually, others orally, and others learn from doing things themselves (kinaesthetically).
All too often, people choose what and where to study based upon the “topic” they want to study, and the “visibility” of the course on offer. Most courses however are geared to deliver a learning experience in a style that better suits some class members than others.

Courses will use different methods of teaching, and some may suit you better than others. Teaching practice is generally defined into 5 main models. There are no definite boundaries between each of the models. No one model is regarded as superior to another.


Exposition Model
This approach is teacher-centred, whereby the teacher narrates and explains, and practice and revision is used to consolidate the learning. It is based on the traditional approach. It is not inflexible, but the narration, explanation, revision and practice are considered basic to effective teaching. Content focuses on traditional subjects, with a strong emphasis on the basic skills.
 

Behavioural Model
This model is based on well-structured steps of learning and the use of reinforcement.  This has been used in formal full-class teaching or face-to-face instruction. This approach is still teacher-directed. With modern technology and on line training techniques (like video conferencing), it is now possible to apply this model to distance education.
 

Cognitive Development Model
Here, the teacher creates a supportive atmosphere, selects tasks according to the student’s developmental level, and elicits the student's reasoning in relation to the tasks. This approach requires planning of steps, but emphasis is on student's reasoning. A number of cognitive approaches are examined within the context of this model. The pupil learns in a resource-rich situation by using reasoning to solve problems. Distance education allows each student to be treated as an individual, giving each student a selection of optional assignments from which to select, according to the level at which the student is capable.
 

Interaction Model
This model emphasises learning based on the student's interaction with other people and with society, i.e. personal interaction. This model works mostly in group situations. The focus is on social interaction. Content focuses on social-moral-cultural problems which produces self-aware people. There are many ways a student can interact with their teacher and other students, including in person, over the phone, by email, skype, and video conferencing.
 

Transaction Model
This is a pupil-centred model involving a range of teacher structuring with which the self-directed student interacts. It is assumed that change (learning) results from those interactions.  The teacher functions more as a guide. Focus is the action (transaction) of the learner. This model is derived from progressive education and open learning. Distance education can work extremely well for this system.

Different schools suit different people. Some people learn fast, and others slow. Some can read something and remember it, while others need repetition to remember. Some will not remember what they read, no matter how many times they read it; but if they apply that information in a real life situation, they may remember it for life. Everyone learns differently. This is a fact that is understood and appreciated by educational psychologists. 

If you want to learn it is important that the school and style of learning is matched to the student. A distance education course may suit one person best for learning about horticulture, another may be better attending lectures at a university, and another may learn more by working alongside a gardener as a ‘hands on’ apprentice.
Not all university, vocational, or distance learning courses are the same either.

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MEMORY TIPS  - hints for learning easier.

Memory tricks and tips can be very useful in helping us to remember.

  • Visualise to make remembering easier –If you can associate a thought with a visual image, the thought is always easier to remember.  E.g. If you are trying to remember how to propagate a plant from a cutting; try visualising what the cutting looks like. If you want to perform the perfect dive, visualise how you will hold your body, stand, and dive. Draw or find an illustration of the point then try to remember this picture as your summary.

  • Association makes remembering easier – Trying to associate something with something else can help our learning.  For example, if you are good at understanding engines, you may find it useful to try and understand the human body in terms of engines, such as the heart is an engine, the mouth and digestive system, the fuel system and so on. Also adding an acronym or story or something or someone from your life you can attach mentally to the idea or concept can work or picture the person that said it or where you were when you heard the facts. How were they acting How would you act… if you are a kinaesthetic learner?

Going over and over facts can be one method of learning. This is often the method that people use in exams. For example, if you were learning how to spell hard words in school for a spelling test, the best way is repetition. 

Learning to put our learning into new situations and contexts can ensure that our learning is improved.  For example, learning to use those words in different sentences and in different ways can improve our understanding of the word and actually improve our spelling of the word. That was a simple example, but if we learn something in one environment, we can also learn to use it in other situations. For example, if we learn how to embroider in school, we may find that eventually we learn how to use those sewing and embroidery skills in other areas, until eventually we can be a designer or tailor or dress maker and so on.

Essays and pieces of writing

• If you have essays to write here is a tip to structure them easily. Break it into five simple steps; make up your own rhyme if you like to remember these. Make sure you essay or piece of writing has an introduction—they why you are writing and what you are writing about, then three paragraphs that build on this with the facts or arguments (or as many paragraph ass it takes to reach the required number of words) then add the final paragraph, which should be a conclusion and almost brief summary of what the whole piece of writing has been about. Check the house style that is the format the essay must be in and also the style of referencing so that you have referred to all the references you have used, online and in texts, correctly. Your teacher can give you advice on this if it is not provided with your assignments and workbooks.

• For any notes, essays or terms check and recheck that you have the grammar and the spelling right, don’t just rely on a computer spell check.

Less is sometimes more
When you are given all the facts, there is nothing left to be filled in…. filling in the blanks stretches the brain; allows you to consider a greater range of options to fill the blanks.  So if you are told certain facts that give us the basis of information, then we can use experience, knowledge and research to find out more and enhance our learning.  Sometimes there is no one true answer, but rather several shades of grey. We mentioned the nature and nurture debate earlier. There is no right answer here.

 

Where Can This Course Take Me?

Just about any previous working experience can be turned into a rewarding career in Education.

Government agencies and private businesses of all sizes include education in their budgets; ongoing training and education is becoming a workplace right rather than a privilege. Opportunities abound - work from home, for a multinational or a local community group. The possibilities are endless. Now is the time to take action!

Career opportunities abound:

  • teach adults, adolescents or children

  • train and teach in your area of expertise, in the private or public sector

  • private tutoring roles, self-employed or in local small business

  • consultancy roles with large organisations and businesses

  • work for community groups or not-for-profit agencies

  • work in rehabilitation and support contexts

  • immigrant and refugee support

  • online training: develop your own training website

Since 1999 ACS has been a recognised member of IARC (International Approval and Registration Centre). A non-profit quality management organisation servicing education.
Since 1999 ACS has been a recognised member of IARC (International Approval and Registration Centre). A non-profit quality management organisation servicing education.
ACS is an Organisational Member of the Association for Coaching (UK).
ACS is an Organisational Member of the Association for Coaching (UK).
Member of Study Gold Coast Education Network.
Member of Study Gold Coast Education Network.
ACS Global Partner - Affiliated with colleges in seven countries around the world.
ACS Global Partner - Affiliated with colleges in seven countries around the world.
UK Register of Learning Providers, UK PRN10000112
UK Register of Learning Providers, UK PRN10000112

How can I start this course?

You can enrol at anytime and start the course when you are ready. Enrolments are accepted all year - students can commence study at any time. All study is self paced and ACS does not set assignment deadlines.

Please note that if a student is being assisted by someone else (e.g. an employer or government subsidy), the body offering the assistance may set deadlines. Students in such situations are advised to check with their sponsor prior to enrolling. The nominal duration of a course is approximately how long a course takes to complete. A course with a nominal duration of 100 hours is expected to take roughly 100 hours of study time to complete. However, this will vary from student to student. Short courses (eg. 100 hrs duration) should be completed within 12 months of enrolment. Certificates, Advanced Certificates and Awards (eg. over 500 hours duration) would normally be completed within 3 -5 years of enrolment. Additional fees may apply if a student requires an extended period to complete.
If a student cannot submit their assignments for 6 months to ACS, they should advise the school to avoid cancellation of their student
registration. Recommencement fees may apply.

Simply click on the ENROL OPTIONS button at the top of this screen and follow the prompts.

You can see the course price at the top of this page. Click 'enrolment options' to see any payment options available.

You can pay by Credit Card, PayPal, Afterpay or bank transfer.

Yes! We have payment plans for most courses. Click 'enrolment options' to see the available payment plans.
We also have Afterpay that will allow you to pay for your course or payment plans in four instalments (if you are in Australia).


What do I need to know before I enrol?

There are no entry requirements that you need to meet to enrol in our courses, our courses are for everyone.
If you are under 18, we need written permission from your parent/ guardian for your enrolment to continue, we can arrange that after you have enrolled.

You don’t need to purchase any additional resources to complete our courses.

We aim to teach you the essentials without you having to purchase any specific computer program.
We recommend that you have access to a word processing program, such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs, so that you can easily complete and submit your assignments.

You sure can. We are here to help you learn whatever your abilities.

Yes, if you are enrolling in a Certificate or Advanced Certificate, you might be eligible for credits if you have evidence of your previous studies or relevant experience. More information is here.

We recommend that you are able to browse websites, send emails and conduct online research. You will need to be able to type and submit your assignments.
If you have limited computer skills, we can make special arrangements for you.

This is possible, it depends on the institution. We recommend that if you would like to use our courses that you contact the institution first. Our Course Handbook is a good resource for this.

Our courses are written in English and we only have English speaking academic staff. If you can read and complete your assignments in English, our courses are ideal for you.

Our courses are designed to build knowledge, hands on skills and industry connections to help prepare you to work in the area, running your own business, professional development or as a base for further study.

This course is aimed at providing you with a solid understanding in your selected discipline. It has been designed to take 600 hours, which includes your course reading, assignment work, research, practical tasks, watching videos and more. When you complete the course, will have a good understanding of the area/ industry you want to work in.

It’s up to you. The study hours listed in the course are a rough guide, however if you were to study a short course (100 hours) at 10 hours per week, you could finish the course in 10 weeks (just an example). Our courses are self-paced, so you can work through the courses in your own time. We recommend that you wait for your tutor to mark and return your assignment before your start your next one, so you get the benefits of their feedback.

The course consists of course notes, videos, set tasks for your practical work, online quizzes, an assignment for each lesson (that you receive feedback from your tutor from) and ends in an exam (which is optional, if would like to receive the formal award at the end), using our custom built Learning Management System - Login.Training.

Our courses are designed for adults to gain professional development and skills to further their careers and start businesses.

Our custom online learning portal allows you to conduct your learning online. There may be practical tasks that you can do offline. You have the option of downloading your course notes or print them to read later.

There is also the option to pay an additional fee for printed course notes and or USB (availability limited to location and deliverability).

Yes, if you don’t have access to the internet, you can receive the course as paper notes or on a USB stick for an additional fee. We can also make alternative arrangements for you to send your assignments to us.

We offer printed notes for an additional fee. Also, you can request your course notes on a USB stick for an additional fee.

Yes, your tutor is here to help you. Simply post any questions you have in your login.training portal or contact the office and we can pass on a message to your tutor.

We are more learning focussed, rather than assessment focussed. You have online quizzes to test your learning, written assignments and can complete an exam at the end of the course (if you want to receive your certificate). You will not receive a pass/ fail on your course work. If you need to add more details on your assignment, we will ask you to resubmit and direct you where you need to focus. If you need help, you can ask your tutor for advice in the student room.

Each module (short course) is completed with one exam.

Exams are optional, however you must sit an exam if you would like to receive a formal award. You will need to find someone who can supervise that you are sitting the exams under exams conditions. There is an additional cost of $60 incl. GST for each exam.
More information is here

There are practical components built into the course that have been designed to be achieved by anyone, anywhere. If you are unable to complete a task for any reason, you can ask your tutor for an alternative.

When you complete the course work and the exams (6 exams) and you will be able receive your course certificate- a Certificate. Otherwise, you can receive a Letter of Completion.

You can bundle the short courses to create your own customised learning bundle, Certificates or Advanced Certificates. More information is on this page.

Yes, our courses are built to be applicable for people living anywhere in any situation. We provide the fundamentals, and each student can apply their own unique flair for their own interests, region and circumstances with the one-on-one guidance of a tutor. There is also a bit of student directed research involved.

Employers value candidates with industry skills, knowledge, practical skills and formal learning. Our courses arm you with all of these things to help prepare you for a job or start your own business. The longer you study the more you will learn.

ACS has an arrangement with OAMPS (formerly AMP) who can arrange Professional Indemnity from Australian and New Zealand graduates across all disciplines. Ph: 1800 222 012 or email acs@oamps.com.au.


Who are ACS Distance Education?

ACS Distance Education have been educating people for over 40 years.

We are established and safe- we have been in education for over 40 years.
We are focused on developing innovative courses that are relevant to you now and what you will need to know in the future.
We are focused on helping you learn and make the most of your experience.
You can enrol at any time, you can work on your course when it suits you and at your own pace.
We are connected to many industry bodies and our staff participate in continuous improvement and learning activities to ensure that we are ahead of what learning is needed for the future.

Our courses are not accredited by the Australian Government. However many of our courses are recognised and held in high regard by many industry bodies.

Our courses are written by our staff, who all have many years experience and have qualifications in their speciality area. We have lots of academic staff who write and update our courses regularly.


How do I enrol my staff/ sponsored students?

Yes, you can do a request for a bulk enrolment and request an invoice on our Invoice Request Form

We can prepare an invoice, quote or proforma invoice. Simply complete your details on our Invoice Request form

We can arrange bulk discounts for your course enrolment, please get in touch with us to discuss your needs.

Yes, we have many students who are in locked facilities, such as prisons or hospitals. We can cater by also offering paper notes at an additional cost.


What if I have any more questions or need more information?

We can assist you to find the right course for your needs. Get in touch with us via email (admin@acs.edu.au) call on +61 7 5562 1088 or complete our course advice form.


What if I change my mind?

Please get in touch with studentservices@acs.edu.au if you would like to be removed from our mail list.

If you would like ACS Distance Education to delete your information at any time (whether you are a customer or a prospective customer), please contact our privacy officer and we will process this ( admin@acs.edu.au ).

If students require a reproduction of their certificate, an electronic copy can be provided at a cost of AUD$35 incl GST. Printed copies are not available.




Course Contributors

The following academics were involved in the development and/or updating of this course.

Christine Todd

University lecturer, businesswoman, photographer, consultant and sustainability expert; with over 40 years industry experience
B.A., M.Plan.Prac., M.A.(Social).
An expert in planning, with years of practical experience in permaculture.

Jade Sciascia

Biologist, Business Coordinator, Government Environmental Dept, Secondary School teacher (Biology); Recruitment Consultant, Senior Supervisor in Youth Welfare, Horse Riding Instructor (part-completed) and Boarding Kennel Manager.
Jade has a B.Sc.Biol, Dip.Professional Education, Cert IV TESOL, Cert Food Hygiene.

Lyn Quirk

M.Prof.Ed.; Adv.Dip.Compl.Med (Naturopathy); Adv.Dip.Sports Therapy
Over 30 years as Health Club Manager, Fitness Professional, Teacher, Coach and Business manager in health, fitness and leisure industries. As business owner and former department head for TAFE, she brings a wealth of skills and experience to her role as a tutor for ACS.





Tutors

Meet some of the tutors that guide the students through this course.

Alexander O'Brien

Alex was born and raised in Cork, in the Republic of Ireland. Having been trained in Architecture, Permaculture, Mechanical Engineering, Ceramics, Furniture Design/Construction, Sustainable building and Art,Craft and Design, his knowledge base is broad. Much of his professional work has been designing and making nature inspired spaces, creative reuse of materials, permaculture and natural ecology regeneration.

That being said, in his own words, "....my real passion is teaching. I adore sharing my knowledge and experience. Seeing students progress, and learning, that is my soul food."'

Rosemary Davies

Originally from Melbourne, Rosemary trained in Horticultural Applied Science at Burnley, a campus of Melbourne University. Initially she worked with Agriculture Victoria as an extension officer, taught horticulture students, worked on radio with ABC radio (clocking up over 24 years as a presenter of garden talkback programs, initially the only woman presenter on gardening in Victoria) and she simultaneously developed a career as a writer.

She then studied Education and Training, teaching TAFE apprentices and developing curriculum for TAFE, before taking up an offer as a full time columnist with the Herald and Weekly Times and its magazine department after a number of years as columnist with the Age. She has worked for a number of companies in writing and publications, PR community education and management and has led several tours to Europe.

Melissa Leistra

Melissa has a Masters Degree in Human Nutrition from Deakin University and Bachelor's degree specialising in personal development, health and physical education. She has enjoyed teaching Hospitality in the areas of commercial cookery and food and beverage. Her experience includes 16 years teaching health and nutrition and working in the hospitality industry. Melissa enjoys living a self-sustainable lifestyle on a farm and raising all types of animals. She is an experienced vegetarian/vegan cook and loves to create wholesome food using her slow combustion wood stove.

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