Unit rationale, description and aim
Special Education is one of the more challenging, dynamic, growing areas of education and is reflected in early childhood, primary and secondary learning contexts with many students with disability and diverse needs requiring personalised learning approaches. In this specialisation, pre-service teachers are encouraged to work collaboratively with students, their families and other professionals to build whole-of-community networking, designed to improve each student’s cross-curricula lifelong learning outcomes and wellbeing.
This unit enables pre-service teachers to draw on broad and specific knowledge of inclusive education in catering for students with disability, challenging behaviours and learning difficulties. Pre-service teachers will consider the form and nature of collaborative partnership within schools and the broader community. Pre-service teachers will apply their knowledge to develop skills to enable establishment and maintenance of collaborative partnerships with students, parents, families, colleagues, other professionals, medical specialists and community members in the development of Individualised Planning Documents [i.e. Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and Individual Learning Plans (ILPs)]. Strategies that support effective communication, conflict management, relationship building and person-centred practice will be covered. Consideration of partnerships will include opportunities for pre-service teachers to investigate and critically reflect on the complex nature of teachers’ work to support families effectively and promote continuity of learning for students with disability, challenging behaviour and learning difficulties. Pre-service teachers will apply critical thinking and judgement to analyse issues related to ethical, legal and professional responsibilities of teachers, including inclusive practice and advocacy for students and their families. Diverse and dynamic contexts of family life with an individual with a disability will be examined. Relevant framework approaches will be used to develop awareness of principles and concepts informing service provision, appropriate adjustments, inclusion, and partnerships that support access, participation, inclusive and diverse learning for students with disability, in collaboration with their families, carers and other professionals.
The aim of this unit is to assist pre-service teachers to develop an understanding of processes to build collaborative partnerships, team work and wrap-around services for students with disabilities and their families.
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.
Reflect on and critically analyse ethical, legal, ...
Learning Outcome 01
Examine the form and nature of collaborative partn...
Learning Outcome 02
Identify the diverse and dynamic nature of family ...
Learning Outcome 03
Develop awareness of principles and concepts infor...
Learning Outcome 04
Reflectively synthesise ideas and present work in ...
Learning Outcome 05
Content
Topics will include:
- The form and nature of collaborative partnership within schools and the broader community.
- Investigation of various opportunities for teachers to effectively support families and promote continuity of learning for students with disability, challenging behaviours and learning difficulties.
- Ethical, legal and professional responsibilities of teachers including requirements for the Record of School Achievement and Higher School Certificate
- Examples of inclusive practice and advocacy for students, families and the teaching profession.
- Experiences of collaboration with peers and participation in group based tasks.
- Collaborating with families in which there is a member with disability and diverse support requirements.
- Principles and concepts informing service provision, inclusion, and support strategies for a diverse range of families.
- Application of legislative requirements and differentiated teaching strategies that support participation and learning for inclusion and demonstrate understanding of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
Assessment strategy and rationale
A range of assessment procedures will be used to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes consistent with University assessment requirements. Such procedures may include, but are not limited to, essays, reports, examinations, student presentations or case studies.
Overview of assessments
Assessment Task 1 Partnership artefact and refle...
Assessment Task 1
Partnership artefact and reflection:
Artefact
This assessment task requires the development of a communication package that draws on a range of communication strategies and communicates to families an important aspect of education and learning for their child with a disability.
The aim of this package is that it could be used to create partnerships with parents and provide key advice and information on their child’s education program with reference to how it applies to relevant inclusive principles, practices and frameworks.
Reflection on the process of creating the communication package and what the expected outcomes of using such an artefact with the parents would be.
Indicate ways in which this artefact could be adapted to be used with diverse families.
30%
Assessment Task 2 Folio: Present a folio of res...
Assessment Task 2
Folio: Present a folio of resources that indicate the form and nature of inclusive community collaborative partnerships. Present an analysis of how these resources could:
- Promote effective learning for students with disability, challenging behaviours and learning difficulties,
- Demonstrate awareness of principles and concepts informing service provision, participation and inclusion, and
- Support a diverse range of families. <
30%
Assessment Task 3 Research-informed critical ana...
Assessment Task 3
Research-informed critical analysis paper
Critical analysis of chosen issue or topic within the area of partnerships and family studies that support inclusive and diverse learning, drawing on the literature relevant to this unit. Consider ethical, legal and professional responsibilities of teachers and how these can be applied to practices of educators. The critical analysis should synthesis the importance of partnerships in the following elements of teaching:
- Develop a common understanding of the different ways students with disability can access and participate in the K-12 syllabus.
- Effective provision of learning opportunities.
- Inclusion and support for families and students with disability and additional needs including NDIS support.
- Use of a range of teaching strategies that support participation and learning of students with disability to enhance inclusive practice. <
40%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
Pre-service teachers will be involved in a variety of teaching-learning strategies to progress and demonstrate their understandings in this unit. Participants will be involved in a variety of teaching-learning strategies to support learning, including: online engagement, lectures, tutorials, seminar presentations and group discussions, both online and face-to-face, self-directed study activities and assessment tasks. Some participation in appropriate educational settings may be required.
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.
AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS - GRADUATE LEVEL
On successful completion of this unit, pre-service teachers should be able to:
ACECQA Curriculum Specifications
On successful completion of this unit, pre-service teachers should have developed the following specific knowledge: