Graduate Certificate in Education (Learning Difficulties) program

Narelle De Young pinched herself the day she learned about the Graduate Certificate of Education (GCE) program.   

A leading teacher at Greenvale Primary School in Melbourne's north-west, she had been devouring professional learning opportunities, especially those relating to learning difficulties.         

"I could already see in our classrooms how things like a phonics scope and sequence were transforming learning, especially for kids who were struggling.         

"But I could also see how some of the expertise and research that's out there has been slow to flow through to the classroom. I was looking at doing my Master's, but then I discovered that not only was the department running a scholarship program, there was a course – the Grad Cert – that ticked all the boxes for me."        

Narelle's application to Round 1 of the GCE program was successful, and in July 2022, she and 46 other program recipients started their two-year part-time course – with fees covered by the department.         

Narelle teaches Year 4 in a job-share, spending the rest of her time working with the school's professional learning communities (PLCs) and Strategic Action Teams (SATs). She allocated Sunday afternoons – "in the front room with a pot of tea" – for the bulk of her study, and looked forward to the collaboration and broad benefits that would flow from the course.        

"It's not as if you go to a lecture for two hours, and then go home," she explains. "The way the program works, you can actually go back in, re-visit the information, let it sit with you, then workshop it with fellow students and colleagues.        

"I don't have to leave school to go to school. I'll still be there in my leading teacher role, and through the PLCs or the SATs we can start investigating, fine-tuning or changing things as we gain more knowledge and understanding."            

Narelle is also on the committee for the Hume-Moreland English Network (NET) which presents professional learning to the region once a term, and is a facilitator for the department's Inclusive Classrooms  'Learning Difficulties including Dyslexia' professional learning module.        

"I think doing the course will make me a little bit more comfortable and confident in these roles," Narelle says.         

Of course, the ultimate beneficiaries remain the students.

"Anything that's going to support a student with learning difficulties or dyslexia is going to be worth it – and not only that, it's going to help every student in that grade," Narelle says. "It's not just like it's beneficial to one person – it's just really good, explicit teaching." 

"There is not one learning model that fits all students," says educational leader Maria Saric. "And what works one day with one student might not work the next. So I can't be static. I have to keep deepening, refining and adding to my knowledge – there's no end to learning."      

Maria is among the first intake of DET scholarship recipients who have just started the new Graduate Certificate in Education (Learning Difficulties) at the University of Melbourne.      

She has only just started a new job – as an Education Improvement Leader within the Department's Diverse Learners' Hub – but had no hesitation in returning to university at the same time.       

"I thrive on a challenge," she says, laughing. "That's probably what sparked my passion for inclusive education. At 18, I thought I wanted to be a kindergarten teacher … then while I was studying I got a job teaching swimming to adults with disabilities. I fell in love with the challenges – and the even greater rewards – that come with helping people of all abilities to realise their potential."      

Maria is confident the GCE and her new role will "complement each other perfectly". The Hub, as the name suggests, is at the core of the Victorian Government's landmark Disability Inclusion initiatives, supporting teachers, schools and leaders to meet the needs and aspirations of every student in the state.       

A former special school teacher, Maria has experience in working with diverse learners, especially those with autism.  Completing the course means she is linked to contemporary evidence-based practice for supporting students with learning difficulties that can be shared with the partner schools she works with in the region.      

"I know I've got a lot in my bank of resources already to take to schools, but I can't wait to add to that, so I'm as prepared as I can be to help – and to inspire," she says.      

"And it's not like the old days of teaching courses, where you took everything you heard in lectures at face value. I'm looking forward to the collaboration, the support, the questioning. Saying 'what would you do in this situation?' "       

Wendy Roberts, Maria's manager in the North Eastern Region, shares Maria's enthusiasm.       

"It's such an exciting time," says Dr Roberts. "The GCE has been co-designed by DET and the University of Melbourne – so it's perfectly tailored for the Victorian context, and for Victoria's inclusive ambitions. It's a ripple that will start a wave – of being open to change, and to really wanting to do better and support the change in how we support diverse learners."