The Master of Teaching at the University of Melbourne: a clinical model for pre-service teacher preparation Melody Anderson and Rannah Scamporlino ‘In the future, we see all teachers being Masters of the classroom’ (Melbourne Graduate School of Education, 2007) Ensuring a quality teacher in every classroom is crucial if our schooling is to promote equity and excellence and to create intelligent and informed citizens, consistent with the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians, (MYCEETA, 2008). It is broadly acknowledged that the quality of the teacher is the most significant factor in influencing student achievement (Richardson & Watt 2006; Barber and Mourshed 2007; Hattie 2009). The challenge is provision of high quality teachers (Darling-Hammond and Baratz-Snowen 2005; Dinham 2008) and thus the nature and effectiveness of pre-service teacher education becomes an important focus. This paper outlines the Master of Teaching program, introduced in 2008 at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education at the University of Melbourne. The masters-level academic course builds upon the (inter) disciplinary knowledge and critical analytical skills of graduate-entry teacher candidates. The program is built on the premise that graduates entering will have a firm foundation of disciplinary knowledge and analytical skills, bringing also diverse educational and life experiences. Within an inclusive culture of research-based academic rigor and respect for evidence, teacher candidates are prepared for the complexities of the 21st century classroom. The program aims to produce interventionist classroom practitioners, capable of using data or evidence to determine the diverse learning needs of individual students. The program is a fundamental change to the way we have prepared teachers in the past, building a strong link between theory and practice within a new partnership model with selected schools. Opportunities for teacher candidates to undertake teaching practice in international settings to enhance their cultural awareness and expand their understanding of global education are an additional feature of the program. Introduction and background In 2008 the University of Melbourne implemented its strategic plan ‘Growing Esteem’, introducing landmark educational reforms collectively known as the International Schools Journal Vol XXXII No.2 April 2013
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