Year
2023Credit points
10Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.Prerequisites
EDEN501 English Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment 1
Incompatible
EDLA642 English and Literacy 2: Writing, Speaking and Creating (Birth - 12 Years) , EDLA689 Primary English Education 2
Unit rationale, description and aim
Primary teachers are required to support primary students in Years 3-6 classrooms to understand, use and produce an increasingly complex range of multimodal texts for a wider range of social purposes. In lessons, this involves scaffolding a diverse range of learners’ more sophisticated use of oral language, reading and writing skills necessary for developing as effective, analytical and critical communicators.
This unit develops pre-service teacher’s understandings of pedagogical approaches for teaching both receptive (listening, reading, viewing) and expressive/productive (speaking, writing, creating) modes of communication using increasingly more complex imaginative, informative and persuasive texts and a variety of media (e.g., written, oral, visual, digital and multimodal). Drawing on current international and national literacy research (particularly socio-cultural theories), knowledge of state and national English curricula, and research-informed approaches to pedagogy and assessment, the unit focuses on supporting pre-service teachers develop and apply knowledge of contemporary multimodal texts and the elements of design (semiotic systems - linguistic, visual, auditory, spatial and gestural elements) and their use in contemporary literacy teaching. The unit develops pre-service teacher’s understanding of knowledge of contemporary texts and literacy practices especially the use of ICTs, and their ability to use this knowledge in effectively teaching with flexibility and sensitivity to the rights and needs of diverse groups of learners (including First Nations, multilingual, students with additional learning needs and other learner diversities) in Years 3-6 primary classrooms.
A key aim of this unit is to consolidate and extend pre-service teacher knowledge and understandings of the Australian Curriculum: English and relevant state-based documents to scaffold language, literacy and literature teaching and assessment of a diversity of learners in Years 3-6 primary classrooms.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:
LO1 - Apply and integrate knowledge of state and national English curricula, current theory and pedagogical approaches for developing Years 3-6 primary students’ language and literacy skills (including spelling, comprehension, and the writing process) with particular emphasis on comprehending and composing oral, written and multimodal texts, including the integrated use of ICT (GA4, GA5, GA10; APST 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6; ACECQA A6, A7, B2, B4, B5, C4)
LO2 - Critique and produce texts presented in oral, written, visual, and digital modes which demonstrate knowledge of multimodality and the elements of design (the semiotic systems of meaning-making) for an increasingly complex range of imaginative, informative and persuasive texts (and their relevant structural and language features) (GA4, GA5, GA10; APST 2.1, 2.6, 3.4; ACECQA B2, B4, C4)
LO3 - Analyse, integrate and apply research-informed knowledge from local and international sources of appropriate pedagogical approaches for designing effective and coherent sequences of literacy instruction for teaching primary English and literacy (reading, viewing, listening, speaking, writing and creating) and its connection to other curriculum areas (GA5, GA6, GA8; APST 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2, 2.5, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.6, 3.7, 4.1; ACECQA A6, A7, C1, C4, C5, C6, D5)
LO4 - Interpret, analyse and demonstrate knowledge about specific strategies and approaches for scaffolding diverse learners in the teaching and assessment of English, including catering for students of diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, especially English as an additional language/dialect (EAL/D), Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learners, and learners with specific learning needs (GA6, GA10; APST 1.3, 2.2, 2.3, 2.6, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4; ACECQA B4, B5, B9, C4, C5, D3)
LO5 - Analyse and demonstrate an understanding of the varying approaches to, and purposes of assessment of student’s spoken language, reading and writing for supporting pedagogical decision-making in primary classrooms including the use of formative, summative and diagnostic assessments for a range of stakeholders (teacher, peer, student, parent/caregiver) (GA5, GA6, GA8; APST 3.7, 5.1, 5.3, 5.4; ACECQA B4, B9, C1, C4)
Graduate attributes
GA4 - Think critically and reflectively
GA5 - Demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession
GA6 - Solve problems in a variety of settings taking local and international perspectives into account
GA8 - Locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information
GA10 - Utilise information and communication and other relevant technologies effectively
AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS - GRADUATE LEVEL
On successful completion of this unit, pre-service teachers should be able to:
1.2 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of research into how students learn and the implications for teaching. |
1.3 Demonstrate knowledge of teaching strategies that are responsive to the learning strengths and needs of students from diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds. |
1.4 Demonstrate broad knowledge and understanding of the impact of culture, cultural identity and linguistic background on the education of students from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds. |
1.5 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of strategies for differentiating teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities. |
2.1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the concepts, substance and structure of the content and teaching strategies of the teaching area. |
2.2 Organise content into an effective learning and teaching sequence. |
2.3 Use curriculum, assessment and reporting knowledge to design learning sequences and lesson plans. |
2.4 Demonstrate broad knowledge of, understanding of, and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and languages. |
2.5 Know and understand literacy and numeracy teaching strategies and their application in teaching areas. |
2.6 Implement teaching strategies for using ICT to expand curriculum learning opportunities for students. |
3.1 Set learning goals that provide achievable challenges for students of varying abilities and characteristics. |
3.2 Plan lesson sequences using knowledge of student learning, content and effective teaching strategies. |
3.3 Include a range of teaching strategies. |
3.4 Demonstrate knowledge of a range of resources, including ICT, that engage students in their learning. |
3.6 Demonstrate broad knowledge of strategies that can be used to evaluate teaching programs to improve student learning. |
3.7 Describe a broad range of strategies for involving parents/carers in the educative process. |
4.1 Identify strategies to support inclusive student participation and engagement in classroom activities. |
5.1 Demonstrate understanding of assessment strategies, including informal and formal, diagnostic, formative and summative approaches to assess student learning. |
5.3 Demonstrate understanding of assessment moderation and its application to support consistent and comparable judgements of student learning. |
5.4 Demonstrate the capacity to interpret student assessment data to evaluate student learning and modify teaching practice. |
ACECQA Curriculum Specifications
On successful completion of this unit, pre-service teachers should have developed the following specific knowledge:
A. Child development and care A6. Diversity, difference and inclusivity A7. Learners with special needs |
B. Education and curriculum studies B2. The Australian Curriculum B4. Language and literacy B5. English as a second language B9. Curriculum planning, programming and evaluation |
C. Teaching pedagogies C1. Alternative pedagogies and curriculum approaches C4. Teaching methods and strategies C5. Children with diverse needs and backgrounds C6. Working with children who speak languages other than English, or in addition to, English |
D. Family and community contexts D3. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives D5. Culture, diversity and inclusion |
Content
Topics will include:
- Review of international literacy theories and schooling
- Theories of the development, skills and processes of reading and writing and their relationship to designing effective literacy programs (e.g., sociocultural, functional, cognitive) in the later years of primary schooling
- Key current international, national and state language and literacy documents, issues, trends and data
- Comprehending, composing and producing multimodal texts for a range of imaginative, informative and persuasive purposes
- Understanding multimodality and elements of design (the five semiotic systems for meaning making - linguistic, visual, auditory, spatial and gestural elements)
- ICTs in and for contemporary literacy education in the primary years
- Text types and connections to structural and language features
- Pedagogies for teaching and assessing speaking and listening in the primary classroom
- Dialogic approaches for promoting and supporting comprehension, critical analysis and composition
- Pedagogies for teaching and assessing writing multimodal printed and digital texts in the primary classroom
- Understanding the writing process
- Creating and producing multimodal printed and digital texts
- Pedagogies for teaching and assessing reading and viewing multimodal printed and digital texts in the primary classroom
- Literal, inferential, and critical levels of questioning for comprehending a range of text types
- Literature Circles, Reciprocal Reading
- Summarising, synthesising and critically analysing a range of visual, written and digital texts
- Planning and programming literacy in the primary years
- Understanding and using state and national curriculum in planning literacy programs
- Development of units of work/teaching plans to support the management and implementation of literacy learning in the primary classroom e.g., the literacy block, individual and group work
- Effective methods of planning and sequencing activities and strategies that are intended to promote literacy and learning, monitoring and assessment across the curriculum
- Scaffolding teaching and assessment for a diversity of learners
- Review of theories of first and second language acquisition and development, including the role of culture and society in language development, the nature of bilingualism and language variation in older learners
- Researching pedagogies and justifying appropriate strategies for supporting diverse learners to become effective, analytical and critical writers and readers of a variety of text types and modalities for different purposes
- Strategies and approaches to scaffold and/or differentiate literacy instruction for diverse learners (for example: linguistic, religious, gifted and talented, First Nations, and autism spectrum disorder)
- Assessment and reporting
- Understanding the purposes, characteristics and importance of gathering balanced assessment information; assessment-related issues considering benefits and limitations of various types of assessments (diagnostic, formative and summative); e.g., running records, standardised tests, NAPLAN, Literacy Learning Progressions
- Analysis of school data (individual, school, system) to make informed decisions about student literacy needs
- Strategies for working with, and reporting to, parents/carers especially with students requiring additional support
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
Teaching and learning in this unit are based on a social constructivist approach (Vygotsky, 1978), which emphasises the critical importance of the cultural and social aspects of learning. Learning across the unit will be scaffolded through both explicit instruction and opportunities for students to engage in a range of interactive learning activities in workshops, lectures and tutorials. This approach will enable students to learn from, and with, one another as active co-constructors of meanings, skills and understandings; furthermore, models particular approaches suitable for the highly effective teaching of literacy in the primary years (Years 3-6). Learning will be supplemented by online activities and engage a range of current research delivered in the form of readings, reflection, discussion, webinars, podcasts and other multimedia options.
This is a 10-credit point unit and has been designed to ensure that the time needed to complete the required volume of learning to the requisite standard is approximately 150 hours in total across the semester.
Technology Enhanced Learning
Technology will be used to enhance teaching and learning, as well as in assessment, as a means of communication, production and feedback. Students will be required to engage with online reading, content and create digital artefacts and interact with the unit’s ‘Learning Management System site, online resources and technology requirements.
On-campus/Online Learning support
Students enrolled in both on-campus and online learning modes are required to regularly log into the Learning Management System site to access recorded lectures and important announcements, to communicate with other students and lecturers, and to submit assessments and access feedback and grades. Students who are enrolled in either on-campus or online learning will have equal access to support from the lecturer in charge and tutors.
Additional equipment requirements for online learning:
- Reliable broadband access is recommended.
- Headset with microphone to listen to podcasts, view videos and interact in synchronous classes.
ACU Online
This unit uses an active learning approach to support students in the exploration of knowledge essential to the discipline. Students are provided with choice and variety in how they learn. Students are encouraged to contribute to asynchronous weekly discussions. Active learning opportunities provide students with opportunities to practice and apply their learning in situations similar to their future professions. Activities encourage students to bring their own examples to demonstrate understanding, application and engage constructively with their peers. Students receive regular and timely feedback on their learning, which includes information on their progress.
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment tasks and their weightings allow pre-service teachers to progressively demonstrate achievement against the course learning outcomes by demonstrating academic and professional standards. This unit focuses on developing understanding of, and skills across the professional knowledge, practice and engagement needed to meet expectations of the Graduate Attributes and the APST - Graduate level.
Assessment Task 1 focuses on pre-service teachers’ ability to apply knowledge of contemporary global literacy practices, linguistic subject knowledge, texts types, multimodality, and use of ICTs impact on comprehension and composition to produce a well-designed multimedia presentation to extend practical knowledge of implications for pedagogy and assessment in Years 3-6 English and other curriculum areas.
Assessment Task 2 assesses pre-service teachers’ skills to create an integrated unit of work across a range of curriculum areas, to design a series of lessons, and to identify and critique methods and approaches for scaffolding learning opportunities for diverse learners in the primary school setting.
A range of assessment procedures is used to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes and professional standards and criteria consistent with University assessment requirements.
Minimum Achievement Standards
The assessment tasks for this unit are designed to demonstrate the achievement of the learning outcome. To promote sustained learning, pre-service teachers are expected to complete weekly readings and practice tasks as assigned by teaching staff and submit ALL assessment tasks.
Assessments in this unit include one Critical Task Assessment Task 2: Literacy pedagogies in the primary years: Planning, programming and assessment for diverse learners. This task is core to the demonstration of a number of Australian Professional Teacher Standards. To pass this unit, students must demonstrate mastery of every summative standard listed in the learning outcomes and attain a score of at least 50% in Task 2 and achieve an overall Passing grade.
Technology Enhanced Learning
Lecture and tutorial materials will be uploaded on Learning Management System. Lectures will also be recorded.
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes | Graduate Attributes |
|---|---|---|---|
Assessment Task 1: Producing multimodal texts – Examining critical literacies, literacy learning, ICT and in the primary classroom Individual or small group component Students develop a multimedia presentation (digital learning object) to demonstrate key concepts from a quote provided to i) unit materials, ii) knowledge of text types (and their relevant structural and language features iii) additional research, and iv) knowledge of primary literacy contexts. Individual component Students are to produce accompanying individually written report demonstrating their knowledge and understanding of multiliteracies. | 50% | LO1, LO2, LO3 | GA4, GA5, GA6, GA8, GA10 |
Assessment Task 2: Literacy pedagogies in the primary years: Planning, programming and assessment for diverse learners Critical Task Design a 5-week integrated unit of work to teach speaking/listening, reading/viewing and writing/producing that will support student’s development of a relevant multimodal text product as part of an inquiry-based unit of work for a specific curriculum area (for example English, HASS, Science, Health). Within the unit of work, plan a series of five integrated English lessons that support student’s development of a relevant multimodal text in an inquiry-based unit of work for a specific curriculum area (for example English, HASS, Science). Outline and describe preferred practice approaches and strategies for scaffolding the learning and assessment of these students to demonstrate you are able to differentiate your teaching in ways that support the diverse learning abilities of students. | 50% | LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5 | GA5, GA6, GA8, GA10 |
Representative texts and references
Required text(s)
Seely Flint, A., Kitson, L., Lowe. K., Shaw. K., Vicars, M., Feez, S., & Humphrey, S. (2020). Literacy in Australia: Pedagogies for engagement (3rd ed.). Wiley.
Tomkins, G., Smith, C., Campbell, R., & Green, D. (2019). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach (3rd ed. Third adaptation ed.). Melbourne, Vic: Pearson.
Wing Jan, L. (2015). Write ways: Modelling writing forms (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.
Recommended references
Adam, H. (2021). Transforming practice: Transforming lives through diverse children’s literature. Primary English Teaching Association Australia (PETAA).
Callow, J. (2013). The shape of text to come: How image and text work. Primary English Teaching Association Australia (PETAA).
de Silva Joyce, H., & Feez, S. (2016). Exploring literacies: Theory, research and practice. Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 304-311.
Derewianka, B., & Jones, P. (2016). Teaching language in context (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
Edwards-Groves, C. (2014). Talk Moves: A repertoire of practices for productive classroom dialogue. PETAA PAPERs 195. Primary English Teaching Association Australia.
Edwards-Groves, Anstey, M., & Bull, G. (2014). Classroom talk: Understanding dialogue, pedagogy and practice. Primary English Teaching Association Australia.
Fisher, D, Frey, N., & Hattie, J. (2016). Visible learning for literacy, grades K-12. Corwin Literacy.
Henderson, R. (2018). (Ed). Teaching literacies in the middle years: Pedagogies and diversity (2nd ed). Oxford University Press.
Jones, P.T., Matruglio, E., & Edwards-Groves, C. (Eds). (2021). Transition and continuity in school literacy development. Bloomsbury.
Kalantzis, M., Cope, B, Chan, E., & Dalley-Trim, L. (2016). Literacies (2nd ed). Cambridge University Press
Morrison, A., Rigney, L., Hattam, R., Diplock, A. (2019.) Toward an Australian culturally responsive pedagogy: A narrative review of the literature. University of South Australia.
Parkin, B., & Harper, H. (2019). Teaching with Intent 2: Literature-based literacy teaching and learning. Primary English Teaching Association Australia.
Serafini, F. (2014). Reading the visual: An introduction to teaching multimodal literacy. Teachers College Press.
Winch, G., Johnston, R., March, P., Ljungdahl, L., & Holliday, M. (2020). Literacy: Reading, writing and children’s literature (6th ed.). Oxford University Press.