Unit rationale, description and aim
Includes: 15 days placement in an educational setting
Well-managed learning settings that are engaging, inclusive and safe promote the achievement of learning outcomes. Teachers must be able to apply effective practices to create positive learning environments that meet learners’ needs and foster participation.
This unit develops the professional communication, management and organisational skills that are needed to create positive learning environments, engage students in learning and guide learner behaviour. Pre-service teachers will examine contemporary research, policies and key theories on understanding and positively guiding children’s and young people’s behaviour. They will explore a range of strategies to establish positive learning environments and manage behaviour, including physical arrangement of the classroom and communicating clear expectations for behaviour and learning. Pre-service teachers will apply these to the critical analysis of real-world case studies. They will synthesise theories, policy and practice to develop a holistic approach to building positive learning environments, positively guiding learner behaviour and managing challenging behaviours.
The aim of this unit is to enable pre-service teachers to acquire and develop the knowledge, understanding and skills to effectively promote positive behaviours and wellbeing and ensure meaningful engagement in learning. These skills will be applied during a 15-day professional experience placement.
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.
Describe and explain a range of effective and incl...
Learning Outcome 01
Analyse and compare major theories, policies, and ...
Learning Outcome 02
Describe and utilise a range of practical strategi...
Learning Outcome 03
Synthesise key theories and relevant policies to d...
Learning Outcome 04
Complete a successful professional experience in a...
Learning Outcome 05
Content
- Students will have the opportunity to study some or all of the content of this unit in the particular context of their teaching specialisation (refer to the section on ‘Professional Experience: Teaching Requirements’, below)
- Contemporary research and theories relating to effective management of a diverse range of learning settings, e.g.:
- Cognitive and Behaviorist models
- Psychological or needs-based models: Dreikurs, Glasser’s Choice Theory
- Bill Rogers’ Decisive Discipline
- Canter and Canter’s Assertive Discipline
- Ford’s Responsible Thinking
- Kounin’s Engagement Model and Basic Skills
- Marzano’s Teaching Effectiveness
- Developing proactive engagement and management plans,
- Strategies for creating safe and positive learning environments and promoting physical, psychological and social well-being:
- Establishing positive teacher-student relationships
- Communicating high expectations
- Engaging students in setting shared rules and procedures to help develop students’ ownership of their own behaviour
- Strategies for promoting class cohesion
- Strategies for establishing an inclusive and collaborative classroom culture for diverse learners, including students from EALD and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds
- The physical environment: effective layouts
- Practical strategies for promoting learner self-motivation and self-direction
- Strategies and techniques applicable to diverse learners
- Working collaboratively with specialist teachers, ESL and Community Language teachers, and school community liaison personnel supporting students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
- Factors contributing to undesired behaviours:
- Learner related variables
- Home and social group variables
- Classroom and teacher variables
- The impact of changing technologies and social media
- A range of practical strategies for responding to low-level undesired behaviours:
- Providing appropriate and timely feedback: Positive reinforcement
- Unobtrusive, non-punitive interventions
- A range of practical strategies for managing challenging behaviour:
- Student-teacher conferences
- Learning and behaviour contracts
- Moving beyond the classroom
- Educational system policies and practices
- Engaging with professional colleagues
- Engaging sensitively and confidentially with parents/carers
- Re-building relationships
- Cracking the challenging class
- Analysis of real-world case studies involving critical incidents of learner behaviours and teacher/school responses
- Engaging parents and caregivers in the educational process
- Policy, curriculum and legislative requirements that underpin learner well-being and safety
- Maintaining safe online environments: anti-bullying and cyber-bullying
- Strategies for protecting teacher safety and well-being: building resilience and self-care.
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment load and weighting of the assessments in this unit have been designed to incorporate professional experience. The written assessment load in this unit has been adjusted accordingly.
A range of assessment procedures are designed to allow pre-service teachers to progressively demonstrate achievement of the unit learning outcomes and to develop graduate attributes consistent with University assessment requirements. The Education Studies units in this course focus on developing an understanding of, and skills across the professional knowledge, practice and engagement domains needed to meet expectations of ACECQA criteria and the APST: Graduate level.
The two assessment tasks are sequenced to allow feedback and progressive development. Through completing Task 1 pre-service teachers have the opportunity to work collaboratively to demonstrate knowledge of theoretical models of behaviour management and the complexities of managing challenging behaviour, through a group critical analysis and presentation. In Task 2 pre-service teachers apply their knowledge of theories, policies and practical strategies in the development of a plan for engaging learners and managing behaviour in a specific educational context. The placement facilitates connections with the ‘real world’ of learning and teaching, thereby preparing pre-service teachers for their role as teachers.
Minimum Achievement Standards
The assessment tasks and their weighting for this unit are designed to demonstrate achievement of each learning outcome. In order to pass this unit, students are required to submit all assessment tasks, meet the learning outcomes of the unit and achieve a minimum overall passing grade of 50%.
In addition, pre-service teachers must attain a Pass in the two hurdle tasks. These are the preparation for the Professional Experience Placement (PEP) and the Professional Experience Assessment (PEA).
Assessment in EDET200 includes a Critical Task Assessment Task 2: Rationale and plan for engaging learners, fostering positive behaviour and managing challenging behaviour. This task is core to the demonstration of a number of Australian Professional Teacher Standards. Pre-service teachers must demonstrate mastery of every summative Graduate Teacher Standard identified and attain a score of at least 50% in Task 3 in order to pass this unit.
Overview of assessments
Assessment 1: Analysis and presentation of challe...
Assessment 1: Analysis and presentation of challenging behaviour (May be undertaken in groups)
Based on your readings, classroom observations and/or personal experience, describe an authentic example of challenging learner behaviour (individual, group or class) that requires teacher intervention. Critically analyse the teacher’s/school’s/centre’s response. Identify strategies that you would employ to deal effectively with the situation. Justify your choices based on your reading of the literature, relevant policies and one or more relevant theoretical frameworks in this unit.
Present to the tutorial group, employ effective verbal and multi-modal communication. and submit an individual reflection
50%
Assessment Task 2: Rationale and plan for engagin...
Assessment Task 2: Rationale and plan for engaging learners, fostering positive behaviour and managing challenging behaviour.
Critical Task
Describe a specific learning setting, such as your placement class. Include physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of the learners, as well as their linguistic, cultural, religious and socio-economic backgrounds. Develop a rationale and plan for inclusive strategies for fostering positive learner engagement and managing challenging behaviour in this setting. The rationale includes relevant legislative, administrative and organisational policies and processes for the school stage.
Annotate and reflect for inclusion in the ePortfolio: Identify evidence addressing each of the following APST descriptors: 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4
50%
Hurdle Requirement 1: Preparation for the Profess...
Hurdle Requirement 1: Preparation for the Professional Experience Placement
Prior to commencing the Professional Experience placement, pre-service teachers must ensure that they have completed the series of compulsory online preparation modules in the current calendar year, and their ‘Working with Children check’ is current.
Pass/Fail
Hurdle Requirement 2: Professional Experience Ass...
Hurdle Requirement 2: Professional Experience Assessment
Pre-service teachers must demonstrate attainment of the relevant Australian Professional Standards for Teachers: Graduate within a primary, secondary or Inclusive/Special Education setting. Refer to Professional Experience Handbook and Report.
A pass grade for this task will be awarded following:
- the successful completion of 15 professional experience days and,
- submission of a satisfactory Professional Experience Assessment Report
Notes:
- Multiple attempts at this hurdle task are not permitted.
- Professional Experience is a mandated part of Initial Teacher Education courses. Failing this task will result in a fail grade for the unit overall and pre-service teachers will be required to enrol in a future offering of the unit.
Pass/Fail
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
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. This includes direct teaching, reading and preparation of assessments, and a professional experience placement.
This unit applies a social constructivist approach to develop pre-service teachers’ understanding of planning and assessment and skills in applying effective pedagogies. They will have the opportunity to build on their understanding of teaching strategies through critical reading, lecturer modelling, active engagement, rehearsing and discussion in tutorials. Skills of professional communication and the ability to work collaboratively will be practised through group activities, culminating in presentations to the class. This provides opportunities for pre-service teachers to continue to build their communication and teaching skills, and to build their confidence in managing groups, in a safe and supportive environment prior to applying these skills in a relevant educational setting. Teaching skills of positively engaging learners and managing behaviour, and the ability to locate and synthesise information will be developed through designing engagement and management plans appropriate for a specific class context. Placement in a school will enable engagement with experienced practitioners and make links between theory and its application to learning environment.
To support this strategy teaching and learning approaches may include, but are not limited to:
- Weekly face-to-face lectures and/or online lectures (synchronous and asynchronous)
- Hands-on tutorials and discussions that promote peer learning;
- Self-directed reading and research
- Collaborative learning opportunities.
Differentiated instruction will be provided, through tutorial arrangements, so that students will have the opportunity to study some or all of the content of this unit in the particular context of their teaching specialisation.
The unit is hosted on a Learning Management System (LMS) site with resources and online links, announcements, and a discussion board to post questions and reflections that promote the connection between content and educational experiences.
Mode of delivery: This unit may be offered in different modes to cater to the learning needs and preferences of a range of participants.
Multi-mode
Learning activities are delivered through a planned mix of online and in-person classes, which may include full-day sessions and/or placements, to enable interaction. Activities that require attendance will appear in a student’s timetable.
Online unscheduled
Learning activities are accessible anytime, anywhere. These units are normally delivered fully online and will not appear in a student’s timetable.
Online scheduled
All learning activities are held online, at scheduled times, and will require some attendance to enable online interaction. Activities will appear in a student’s timetable.
ACU Online
- In ACU Online mode, this unit is delivered asynchronously, fully online using an active, guided learning approach. Pre-service teachers are encouraged to contribute to asynchronous weekly discussions and receive regular and timely feedback on their learning.
Professional Experience: teaching requirements
Within this Effective Teaching unit pre-service teachers will undertake, individually, a professional experience placement comprising 15 days in an educational setting.
- Each Primary pre-service teacher will have a nominated teaching specialisation (such as English, Mathematics, Religious Education, Science/Technology, Health and Physical Education, Creative Arts, Languages). The placement must allow the pre-service primary teacher to consolidate the content of this unit in the particular context of the primary teaching specialisation.
- A pre-service teacher preparing to teach across Primary and Secondary will undertake this professional experience in a Secondary setting.
- A pre-service teacher preparing to teach within a Special Education setting BEd(Primary and Special Education) or BEd(Secondary and Special Education)] will undertake this professional experience with students with disability in an Inclusive/Special Education setting under the supervision of a mentor.
- A pre-service Secondary teacher will be placed in a secondary setting that will support practice teaching in at least one their two secondary teaching areas.
- Pre-service teachers will develop the habit of critically reflective practice through guided reflection upon their observations of class and educational settings. In collaboration with supervising teachers and other professional colleagues, they will further develop teaching skills through assisting in the delivery of high-quality teaching episodes and taking responsibility for teaching whole classes. They will critically reflect upon their teaching and self-audit their progression and attainment of key teaching skills and standards.
The recommended arrangement of the 15 days is:
- Maximum of 5 days prior to the commencement of the block, for example, one day a week, by negotiation with the education provider
- Minimum of two weeks (10 days) of continuous engagement. (The “Block”).
Recommended Teaching Experiences
The following engagements are recommended across the 15-day placement for school settings. They provide a scaffolded, praxis-oriented approach to building experience, competency and confidence, and are designed to align with on-campus content. These engagements are to be discussed, negotiated and planned with the supervising teacher/s.
Days 1 – 5 (Single days or incorporated into the block): Proposed Teaching Expectations
Days 1 – 2: Orientation, observation and assisting the supervising teacher/s
Days 3 – 5: Observation and assisting the supervising teacher/s, plus planning and implementation of two teaching episodes per day.
Block Practicum: Days 6 – 15: Proposed Teaching Expectations
Days 6 – 10: Observation and assisting the supervising teacher/s, plus planning and implementation of two teaching episodes per day. Build to teaching half a full-time load including taking responsibility for whole classes and managing routines and transitions
Days 11 – 15: Observation and assisting the supervising teacher/s, plus planning and implementation of teaching half a full-time teaching load. Build to teaching .75% of a full-time load including, opportunities to take responsibility for whole days. Practicum reflection, self-auditing and evaluation.
Australian Professional Standards for Teachers - Graduate Level
In connection to the learning outcomes, on successful completion of this unit, pre-service teachers should have developed the following industry specific knowledge based on the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers - Graduate Level standards:
Relating toDemonstrate knowledge and understanding of physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students and how these may affect learning.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO1, LO4, LO5
Relating toDemonstrate knowledge of teaching strategies that are responsive to the learning strengths and needs of students from diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO5
Relating toDemonstrate knowledge and understanding of strategies for differentiating teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO5
Relating toOrganise content into an effective learning and teaching sequence.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO5
Relating toUse curriculum, assessment and reporting knowledge to design learning sequences and lesson plans.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO5
Relating toSet learning goals that provide achievable challenges for students of varying abilities and characteristics.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO5
Relating toPlan lesson sequences using knowledge of student learning, content and effective teaching strategies.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO5
Relating toDemonstrate a range of verbal and non-verbal communication strategies to support student engagement.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO1, LO2, LO5
Relating toDescribe a broad range of strategies for involving parents/carers in the educative process.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO3, LO4, LO5
Relating toIdentify strategies to support inclusive student participation and engagement in classroom activities.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5
Relating toDemonstrate the capacity to organise classroom activities and provide clear directions.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO1, LO2, LO5
Relating toDemonstrate knowledge of practical approaches to manage challenging behaviour.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO3, LO4, LO5
Relating toDescribe strategies that support students’ wellbeing and safety working within school and/or system, curriculum and legislative requirements.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5
Relating toDemonstrate an understanding of the relevant issues and the strategies available to support the safe, responsible and ethical use of ICT in learning and teaching.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO4, LO5
Relating toDemonstrate understanding of assessment strategies, including informal and formal, diagnostic, formative and summative approaches to assess student learning.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO1
Relating toDemonstrate an understanding of the purpose of providing timely and appropriate feedback to students about their learning.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO5
Relating toDemonstrate an understanding of the role of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers in identifying professional learning needs.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO5
Relating toUnderstand the relevant and appropriate sources of professional learning for teachers.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO5
Relating toSeek and apply constructive feedback from supervisors and teachers to improve teaching practices.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO5
Relating toUnderstand and apply the key principles described in codes of ethics and conduct for the teaching profession.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO4, LO5
Relating toUnderstand the relevant legislative, administrative and organisational policies and processes required for teachers according to school stage.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO4, LO5
Relating toUnderstand strategies for working effectively, sensitively and confidentially with parents/carers.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO3, LO4, LO5
Relating toUnderstand the role of external professionals and community representatives in broadening teachers’ professional knowledge and practice.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO4, LO5
Representative texts and references
Required text(s)
Australian Curriculum https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) www.acara.edu.au
Relevant State and Territory curriculum and policy documents
De Nobile, J., Lyons, G., & Arthur-Kelly, M. (2021). Positive learning environments: Creating and maintaining productive classrooms. (2nd ed.). Cengage Learning Australia.
Recommended references
Blatchford, P., & Russell, A. (2019). Class size, grouping practices and classroom management. International Journal of Educational Research, 96, 154-163.
Chaplain, R. (2016). Teaching without disruption in the primary school: A practical approach to managing pupil behavior (2nd ed.). Routledge.
Clarke, M., & Pittaway, S. (2014). Marsh's becoming a teacher (6th ed.). Pearson Education Australia.
Duran, D., & Topping, K. (2017). Learning by teaching: Evidence-based strategies to enhance learning in the classroom. Routledge.
Ewing, R., Glass, C., Kervin, L., Gobby, B., & Le Cornu, R. (2020). Teaching: Dilemmas, challenges and opportunities (6th ed.). Cengage Learning Australia.
Glynn, T. (2017). Building an effective teaching environment. In K Wheldhall & R Riding (Eds). Psychological aspects of earning and teaching. Ch 2, pp. 40-59. Routledge.
Rogers, B. (2015). Classroom behaviour: A practical guide to effective teaching, behaviour management and colleague support (4th ed.). Sage Publications Ltd.
Stronge, J. H. (2018). Qualities of effective teachers (3rd ed.). Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD).
Wubbels, T., Brekelmans, M., & Mainhard, T. (2016). Teacher–student relationships and student achievement. In Kathryn R. Wentzel, Ed, Handbook of social influences in school contexts (pp. 137-152). Routledge.