Eight Graduate Attributes

‘The term "Graduate Attributes" refers to the set of qualities and skills that a university defines as core outcomes for their students’ (CQUniversity, 2012). As the world progresses, technology advances and governments change, so do discipline-specific skills, therefore ‘many areas have only a short life...and "higher level" graduate attributes are seen as critically important’ (CQUniversity, 2012). CQUniversity graduate attributes that our graduates should possess upon graduation are:  

• Communication
• Problem solving
• Critical thinking
• Information literacy  
• Team work
• Information technology competence
• Cross cultural competence
• Ethical practice

These attributes help gradates to be ‘flexible, aware, and ethical individuals who are well prepared for the global job market’ (CQUniversity, 2012). I feel that throughout the four years of my degree, I have competently developed each of the attributes through my university and practical experiences.

Communication is critical within the field of teaching and I feel that I can confidently communicate well with students, teachers and parents. Team work is an attribute that helped me profusely throughout my internship when it came to assessment and learning experiences. I was often required to think ethically within the classroom as well as the playground and at the same time was often needed to problem solve. At the end of each day, I critically reflected on everything that had occurred, thought about what worked well and what didn’t, as well as how I could make it better next time around. I was required to analyse and interpret information, especially during my internship and my competence with technology has helped me to create engaging and informative learning experiences throughout my four years of practicum. Finally, I have had students over the past four years that have grown up in diverse home environments, so I have tried to ensure that the classroom became their familiar routine and that the students within the class were socially acceptable of every person within the class.