| College of Education |  |
We provide courses which equip teachers and others to work effectively with children and adults with special needs. We also offer courses, consultancy and clinics to support people with special needs and those who work with people with special needs.
The DipTSD is designed to prepare people to work effectively with young children, children and adults in vocational, educational, residential, or recreational settings.
The qualification is open to behaviour support workers and early childhood support workers, teacher aides and support staff, community service workers, residential and day programme support staff, special education assistants, and parents who work directly with people who have special learning and behaviour support needs. A previous qualification at Level 6, preferably in special needs, and experience working with people with special needs are required for admission to this diploma.
The qualification is made up of four courses. There are two core courses:
Students choose two courses from the following list to complete the diploma:
Courses are available on campus full-time, on-campus part-time or by distance.
The GradDipSTN is a one-year full-time qualification for early childhood, primary and secondary teachers. The GradDipSTN is designed to prepare teachers to work effectively with children and young adults in inclusionary settings, school units, or as itinerant teachers. Each course includes a number of practical work requirements. Candidates must have a teaching diploma or degree or equivalent. Practical teaching experience is not necessary, but is preferable. Full-time and part-time options are available. Teachers can elect to do the course by attending lectures on-campus (after school hours) or by flexible delivery. Credit may be transferred to the MTchLn (subject to meeting admission criteria).
The qualification is made up of four courses. There are two core courses:
Students choose two courses from the following list to complete the diploma:
These papers provide teachers with the teaching strategies and curriculum content for students with mild, moderate and severe learning disabilities, and/or challenging behaviours. Four courses are necessary for a Graduate Diploma in the Education of Students with Special Needs, but teachers may choose to do only one or two of the papers for interest.
The CertLS covers supporting learning from early childhood through to secondary school education and is designed for parents who are assisting or seeking to assist teaching staff, people working or wanting to work as teacher-aides or community support workers, people seeking to apply for teaching in the future, ex-teachers wishing to return to teaching or parents wanting to support their children's learning. A one semester full-time qualification, the CertLS is offered on-campus and by distance, with part-time options also available. The CertLS can lead to teacher aide or parent helper positions in early childhood centres and primary, intermediate, area and secondary schools, and can be a step towards meeting the academic entry requirements for early childhood or primary teacher education for those who have been out of tertiary study for a long time. This is an open entry qualification.
As places in the BTchLn and GradDipTchLn programmes are limited we strongly recommend that you apply as early as possible. All applications received prior to the commencement of our academic year in early February are considered by our selection panel.
Graduates of the degree or diploma programmes (not including the CertLS) will be eligible for provisional registration as a teacher. Graduates have gained positions in primary, intermediate, middle and area schools in New Zealand and overseas. Some have also gained positions in secondary schools.
View the Professional Development Handbook (PDF, 314KB) for more information.
For more information email trish.mcmenamin@canterbury.ac.nz or phone 0800 VARSITY (827 748).