Year
2021Credit points
10Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unitPrerequisites
EDFX522 Social and Cultural Contexts of Development and Learning and Graduate Professional Experience Primary 2 or EDFX512 Graduate Professional Practice Secondary 2 and Successful completion of LANTITE requirements OR LNTE111 Literacy and Numeracy Test
Incompatible
EDFX623 Research-Informed Pedagogy and Graduate Professional Experience (Primary) 3 , EDFX613 Research-Informed Pedagogy and Graduate Professional Experience Secondary 3
Unit rationale, description and aim
Professional Experience at ACU is bounded in workplace integrated learning theories where pre-service teachers experience the everyday reality of education settings and teaching and bring together ideas and theories from a coherent program of educational theory and curriculum studies. The praxis-oriented engagement encompassed in the unit aligns with, reinforces and authenticates the demonstration of teaching performance and of the Graduate Standards of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (AITSL). This unit supports pre-service teachers’ transition towards becoming an autonomous critically reflective professional or graduate teacher who has knowledge of learning communities within the teaching context.
EDFX624 focuses on the professional role of the teacher as one of leader, reflector, thinker, learner and investigator within a particular educational context and as an integral member of a school community. It provides the pre-service teacher with sustained engagement in a school for a block of a minimum of 20 continuous days. It is designed as a capstone experience drawing on all components of the course culminating with engagement in the Graduate Teacher Performance Assessment (GTPA). Pre-service teachers have the opportunity to demonstrate their developed knowledge and pedagogical practices, and their readiness to transition into the teaching profession.
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 - Demonstrate integrated knowledge of and ability to plan, implement and evaluate the key learning areas that comprise the school curricula. (GA4, GA8; APST 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7)
LO2 - Advance and integrate understanding of the role of critical reflection and professional standards and engage in research led practice to positively influence teaching practice and impact on student learning. (GA3, GA5; APST 6.4)
LO3 - Apply specialised knowledge and skills to improve the management of teaching programs and practice and student learning outcomes with particular focus on strategies and philosophies associated with their teaching specialisation for diverse students. (GA8, GA9; APST 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5)
LO4 - Design quality learning sequences and environments; plan, implement and evaluate curriculum and teaching programs and connect to current educational developments in curriculum and educational organisations. (GA4, GA5, GA8; APST 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5)
LO5 - Communicate skilfully and effectively with members of the school community and the broader educational community, implementing advanced leading and advocacy skills in areas of specialisation. (GA6, GA9; APST 7.4)
LO6 - Exhibit advanced understanding of the teaching profession, ethical requirements including codes of ethics, legislative and administrative requirements and expert understanding of the rationale for continued professional and lifelong learning, and awareness of strategies and resources to support this learning. (GA3, GA5, GA9; APST 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 7.1, 7.2, 7.4)
Graduate attributes
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
GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information
GA9 - demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media
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. |
1.4 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. |
1.6 Demonstrate broad knowledge and understanding of legislative requirements and teaching strategies that support participation and learning of students with disability |
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 |
3.5 Demonstrate a range of verbal and non-verbal communication strategies to support student engagement |
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. |
4.2 Demonstrate the capacity to organise classroom activities and provide clear directions. |
4.3 Demonstrate knowledge of practical approaches to manage challenging behaviour |
4.4 Describe strategies that support students’ well-being and safety working within school and/or system, curriculum and legislative requirements. |
4.5 Demonstrate an understanding of the relevant issues and the strategies available to support the safe, responsible and ethical use of ICT in learning and teaching. |
5.1 Demonstrate understanding of assessment strategies, including informal and formal, diagnostic, formative and summative approaches to assess student learning. |
5.2 Demonstrate an understanding of the purpose of providing timely and appropriate feedback to students about their 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. |
5.5 Demonstrate understanding of a range of strategies for reporting to students and parents/carers and the purpose of keeping accurate and reliable records of student achievement. |
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. |
7.2 Understand the relevant legislative, administrative and organisational policies and processes required for teachers according to school stage. |
7.4 Understand the role of external professionals and community representatives in broadening teachers’ professional knowledge and practice. |
On successful completion of their initial teacher education, graduate teachers should be able to draw upon three domains of teaching: Professional Knowledge (know students and how they learn, and know the content and how to teach it); Professional Practice (plan for and implement effective teaching and learning; create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments; and assess, provide feedback and report on student learning) and Professional Engagement (engage in professional learning and engage professionally with colleagues, parents/carers and the community). In this final professional experience pre-service teachers are required to demonstrate mastery of all of the APST: Graduate level by completing two culminating assessments:
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Content
Topics will include:
- Use of theory, practice and critical inquiry that informs teaching practices to impact on student/child learning
- Action research as a framework that can be used to investigate teaching practice in educational community settings through evidence-based practices
- Strategies for collecting and interpreting student assessment data to evaluate student learning and modify teaching practice to improve learning outcomes, with a focus on the teaching specialisation,
- Critical reflection to inform practice, impact on students/children
- Effective and reflective communities of practice with parents, families, colleagues and other professionals
- Ethical, legal and professional responsibilities
- Management strategies that encompass the full range of teacher’s responsibilities; including routines, transitions, supervision and pastoral care of school students
- Assessment strategies; including informal and formal, diagnostic, formative and summative approaches to assess, make judgements and moderate student learning
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
Engagement for learning is the key driver in the delivery of this professional experience placement unit which is offered in multi-mode. The unit embraces a range of learning and teaching strategies that support pre-service teachers’ praxis-oriented engagement in work-integrated learning. The unit allows principals, school coordinators, supervising teachers and pre-service teachers to work collaboratively with the University to assess, challenge, develop and extend the abilities of pre-service teachers.
Pre-service teachers will build conceptual and theoretical understandings of teaching practice during on-campus and online learning activities, including: interactive learning experiences; student-led discussions and reflective analysis; and contextualised inquiry. These experiences may be facilitated through lectures, seminars, tutorials and self-directed readings and study resources.
Opportunities for pre-service teachers to apply, exercise, realise and practise knowledges and skills will occur during a professional experience placement with a minimum 20 days continuous supervised block placement. Through immersion in the field, pre-service teachers will examine the nexus between theory and practice by knowing, doing and being in the context. Pre-service teachers will have opportunities for deliberate, focused alignment of curriculum, teaching, learning and assessment.
The supervised and assessed placement will consist of:
- 2-3 days of orientation, observation and data/evidence gathering prior to the commencement of the program, by negotiation with the school
- a full-time teaching load for four (4) continuous school weeks
Technology Enhanced Learning
The online teaching and learning in this unit will be offered via a LEO unit site. This will include resources and materials to support on-campus learning in a blended mode. Additionally, online communication tools, such as forums and webinars, will be used to support pre-service teachers’ completion of the learning and assessment requirements of the professional placement.
Lectures or lecture summaries will be recorded to support student learning. Workshop activities may be recorded as appropriate. Students will be notified when an activity is being recorded prior to the commencement of the activity.
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment tasks and their weightings allow pre-service teachers to demonstrate achievement against the course learning outcomes by demonstrating academic and professional standards. The assessment in professional experience studies units focuses on developing and applying praxis-oriented knowledge, skills and dispositions through work-integrated learning. EDFX624 is the culminating professional experience placement in the Master of Teaching (Primary) and Master of Teaching (Secondary) courses. As such, the assessment is focussed on providing summative evidence of meeting the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers: Graduate level through the completion of an inquiry-based capstone experience.
The block placement acts as a capstone experience. Pre-service teachers are required to take on the role of the teacher and to undertake an evidence-based teaching performance inquiry. This involves the collection and use of data and evidence to adapt and strategise teaching practices to meet the specific and diverse learning needs of students in the selected classroom context. The externally validated, nationally moderated, inter-institutional Graduate Teacher Performance Assessment (GTPA) is used for this purpose. The evidence of critically reflective teaching performance mediated by the GTPA is then corroborated with evidence of the pre-service teacher as observed in practice by other professionals, including at least the supervising teacher and a tertiary supervisor. Together, these two pieces of evidence represent the core elements of the corpus of evidence used to demonstrate readiness for the profession and will form the basis of a beginning teachers’ professional portfolio.
Minimum Achievement Standards
In order to achieve an ungraded pass in this unit, pre-service teachers are required to successfully complete both assessment tasks. This unit includes two mandatory assessment requirements for all initial teacher education students. These are:
- successfully complete a teaching performance assessment that demonstrates meeting the Graduate Teacher Standards, as required by Program Standard 1.2; and
- satisfactory formal assessment against the Graduate Teacher Standards within the placement school, as required by Program Standard 5.4.
Pre-service teachers need to successfully complete both requirements in the same professional experience placement. The description, criteria, standards and moderation of these assessments is common across initial teacher education courses offer by the ACU School of Education to facilitate consistent and comparable judgements. ACU also participates in cross-institutional processes in relation to the GTPA.
Pre-service teacher data from these tasks is used as culminating evidence that graduates have met the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers: Graduate, and to evaluate and improve programs.
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes | Graduate Attributes |
|---|---|---|---|
Assessment Task 1 Graduate Teacher Performance Assessment (GTPA), undertaken in the teaching specialisation; as described in national documentation for the year of study. | Pass/Fail | LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6 | GA3, GA4, GA5, GA6, GA8, GA9 |
Assessment Task 2 Professional Experience Assessment including Final Professional Experience Report from supervising teacher/s, Report from tertiary supervisor, and an ongoing professional learning plan | Pass/Fail | LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6 | GA3, GA4, GA5, GA6, GA8, GA9 |
Representative texts and references
Required Text
Creswell J. W. (2015). Educational research: Planning conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (5th ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Australia.
Recommended Texts
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (2012). Australian Curriculum. Accessed from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/
Marshall, C., & Rossman, G. B. (2011). Designing qualitative research (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
McNiff, J. (2013). Action research: Principles and practice (3rd ed.). Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
Mills, G. E. (2018) Action research: A guide for the teacher researcher (6th ed.) New York, NY: Pearson.
Neuman, W. L. (2014). Social research methods: Qualitative and quantitative approaches (7th ed. Pearson new international ed.). Harlow Essex: Pearson.
Somekh, B., & Noffke, S. (2013). The Sage handbook of educational action research. United Kingdom: SAGE Publications.
VandenBos, G. R. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Wilson, E. (2017). School-based research: A guide for education students (3rd ed.). London: SAGE Publications Ltd.