Year
2021Credit points
20Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unitPrerequisites
EDEP600 Highly Accomplished/Lead Educational Practice 1
Unit rationale, description and aim
Emerging educational leaders need to demonstrate evidence of practice at the relevant career stage (Highly Accomplished or Lead Teaching Standards) and utilise a critical enquiry lens to value-add to their educational community. This unit is the second of two units undertaken in the Highly Accomplished/Lead Educational Practice specialisation in the Graduate Certificate of Education.
This unit uses the reflective critical enquiry proposal developed in the first unit EDEP600 as the focus of developing the ability to implement evidence-based practice in action. Emerging leaders will implement their proposals within a specified educational context, focussing on professional knowledge, professional practice and professional engagement. The critical enquiry will then be used as the basis for preparing for undertaking school-based processes within relevant state or territory policy for applying for highly accomplished or lead teacher accreditation status.
This unit aims to develop practices for school improvement and will be used as a basis to help students prepare for the submission requirements for Highly Accomplished/Lead accreditation.
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 - implement a critical, ethical, evidence-based enquiry in leading educational change in line with the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Highly Accomplished and Lead) and relevant professional codes. (GA1, GA2, GA3, GA4, GA5, GA7, GA8, GA9; APST 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.5, 2.3, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.6, 4.1, 5.1, 5.4, 6.2, 6.4, 7.1)
LO2 - analyse and evaluate school-based data including assessment data; develop a specific intervention strategy; and subsequently evaluate its impact on transforming practice for educational change (GA3, GA4, GA5, GA6, GA7, GA8;GA 10; APST 1.2, 3.2, 3.6, 5.1, 5.4)
LO3 - Communicate the findings of their critical enquiry to academic and specialist audiences (GA5, GA7, GA8, GA9; APST 6.3, 7.4).
Graduate attributes
GA1 - demonstrate respect for the dignity of each individual and for human diversity
GA2 - recognise their responsibility to the common good, the environment and society
GA3 - apply ethical perspectives in informed decision making
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
GA7 - work both autonomously and collaboratively
GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information
GA9 - demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media
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:
1.1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students and how these may affect learning. |
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. |
1.5 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of strategies for differentiating teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities. |
2.3 Use curriculum, assessment and reporting knowledge to design learning sequences and lesson plans. |
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. |
3.6 Demonstrate broad knowledge of strategies that can be used to evaluate teaching programs to improve student learning. |
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. |
5.4 Demonstrate the capacity to interpret student assessment data to evaluate student learning and modify teaching practice. |
6.1 Demonstrate an understanding of the role of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers in identifying professional learning needs. |
6.2 Understand the relevant and appropriate sources of professional learning for teachers. |
6.3 Seek and apply constructive feedback from supervisors and teachers to improve teaching practices. |
6.4 Demonstrate an understanding of the rationale for continued professional learning and the implications for improved student learnings. |
7.1 Understand and apply the key principles described in codes of ethics and conduct for the teaching profession. |
7.4 Understand the role of external professionals and community representatives in broadening teachers’ professional knowledge and practice. |
Content
Topics will include:
- Critical enquiry as research in professional practice; principles for safe and ethical practices, including participant engagement, data collection, analysis and reporting
- Reflecting on, synthesising and evaluating evidence of professional knowledge, professional practice and professional engagement
- Conducting practitioner research; implementing research methods and techniques commonly used in educational research
- Principles of ethical data collection and analysis techniques commonly used in educational research
- Data and evidence; strategies to record, interpret and analyse evidence of impact on educational community
- Synthesising and evaluating critical enquiry; evaluation of evidence of impact on educational change
- Preparing research reports
- Evidencing the Teacher Standards (Highly Accomplished and Lead)
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
The nature of the learning outcomes of this unit require you to iteratively interrogating practice, evidence and context in line with the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Highly Accomplished and Lead). Accordingly, the learning and teaching strategy in this unit involves an ongoing research and critical enquiry focus on evidence-based practice that commenced in EDEP600. The critical enquiry aims to inform your practice as an emerging educational leader and its alignment with the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers Highly Accomplished and Lead Standards and add value to your educational context. The unit will conclude with a final report on the critical enquiry research project.
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment tasks, their sequence, timing and their weightings are designed to allow you to progressively demonstrate achievement against the course learning outcomes by demonstrating your attainment of academic and professional standards. This is unit two of a suite of two units in this specialisation that focus on developing skills in school-based contextual issue identification, literature alignment and problem solving.
The assessment tasks are sequenced to allow feedback and progressive development. By completing Task 1 you will implement your enquiry project developed in EDEP600. Task 2 will allow you to present your findings to a specialised audience for feedback and review.
A range of assessment procedures are used to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop APSTs and criteria consistent with University assessment requirements.
(http://www.acu.edu.au/policy/student_policies/assessment_policy_and_assessment_procedures)
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes | Graduate Attributes |
|---|---|---|---|
Assessment Task 1: Enquiry Project Report Implement a critical enquiry project (as designed in EDEP600), collect and analyse data and evidence to assess the effectiveness of the educational change being investigated, and prepare a final report following conventions for reporting research. | 50% | LO1, LO2, LO3 | GA 1, GA2, GA3, GA4, GA5, GA6, GA7, GA8, GA9, GA10 |
Assessment Task 2: Portfolio of Documentary Evidence at Highly Accomplished/ Lead APSTs Viva voce and reflection. Students will present their portfolio of evidence at Highly Accomplished or Lead level to a specialised audience demonstrating the impact on the educational community. This specialised audience could be in the form of a referee or colleague. Students will be required to reflect on the feedback given. | 50% | LO1, LO2, LO3 | GA 1, GA2, GA4, GA5, GA6, GA7, GA8, GA9 |
Representative texts and references
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. (2014). Evaluation of the implementation of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers: Interim report on baseline implementation: 2013 Key Findings.
Fullan, M. (2006). The future of educational change: System thinkers in action. Journal of Educational Change, 7(3), 113-122.
Gurr, D. (2019). Australian Considerations in Relation to Instructional Leadership and Leadership for Learning. In Instructional Leadership and Leadership for Learning in Schools (pp. 77-104). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Hallinger, P. (2003). Leading educational change: Reflections on the practice of instructional and transformational leadership. Cambridge Journal of Education, 33(3), 329-352.
Hattie, J. (2015). High-Impact Leadership. Educational Leadership, 72(5), 36-40.
Holmes, K., Clement, J., & Albright, J. (2013). The complex task of leading educational change in schools. School Leadership & Management, 33(3), 270-283.
Labone, E., & Long, J. (2016). Features of effective professional learning: A case study of the implementation of a system-based professional learning model. Professional development in education, 42(1), 54-77.
Lieberman, A. (Ed.). (2007). The Roots of Educational Change: International Handbook of Educational Change (Vol. 1). Springer Science & Business Media.
Malone, H. J. (2015). Leading Educational Change: Global Issues, Challenges, and Lessons on Whole- System Reform. Teachers College Press.
Mayer, D., Mitchell, J., Macdonald, D., & Bell, R. (2005). Professional standards for teachers: A case study of professional learning. Asia‐Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 33(2), 159-179.