Teaching (Primary)

Prepare yourself for a career in primary, composite, intermediate, and middle schools or kura, working with children from five to 13 years old.

With a primary teaching qualification from The University of Waikato you will gain a solid foundation in all aspects of the New Zealand curriculum. You'll also learn about professional and ethical practices, child development, issues that face teachers and learners with special needs, teaching children from diverse backgrounds, classroom management, environmental education for sustainability, and the wider contexts of school, community, and national systems.

On practicum, you'll take an active role in the classroom over several weeks in a school, under the guidance of an associate teacher. Your time in the classroom will increase over the course of your degree, as outlined below:

• Year 1: one day per week, one week in early June, plus four weeks at the end of the year
• Year 2: one day per week, one week in early June, plus five weeks at the end of the year
• Year 3: an eight-week block course in a school

During your degree you'll experience different types of schools and work with a range of age groups.