Ashleigh is studying to become a teacher, by studying Deakin’s Bachelor of Arts / Master of Teaching (Secondary) course, with her major study areas being Literature and History. She has experience of studying both on campus and off campus, and she shares some of her experience below.
Why did you choose to study your course?
Ashleigh: I have worked as an integration aide since leaving high school and always thought I was capable of more. A friend had recently completed his Master of Teaching at Deakin and encouraged me to try!
If you study on campus, what do you enjoy most?
Ashleigh: I love the atmosphere on campus. Seeing the quality of the resources and learning spaces we have access to makes me feel like our needs as students are really being considered and incorporated into the way the university operates. I love sunny days sitting under the trees by Morgan’s Walk, drinking a coffee with my friends, and chatting about all the interesting concepts we have learned about.
If you study online, what do you enjoy most?
Ashleigh: Online study can be such a flexible and accommodating mode of study. In some ways it absolutely does take more discipline, but once you fall into a good rhythm it removes the barriers of travel, parking, and the need to schedule work around classes.
Tell us about your experience of teaching placement.
Ashleigh: Deakin offered me incredible support for my teaching placement, with frequent check-ins and by providing a tonne of resources, and I ended up having a great time on placement. I really felt my confidence grow throughout that first week, and by the second week I was leading small-group activities with ease. When I returned to uni, I felt like our learning had so much more relevance, because I could apply it to the experiences I had at my placement.
Ashleigh Cronin is studying the Bachelor of Arts/Master of Teaching (Secondary) course at Deakin University.
Deakin has made me the best possible version of myself. The opportunities it has offered me, the people I have met, the things I have learned, they have all made me grow beyond what I thought was possible.