EDCU519 - Extension Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment 3

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

One Curriculum Pedagogy and Assessment 1 unit

Unit rationale, description and aim

In order to plan and deliver lessons that promote learner engagement and enhance student learning, intending secondary teachers need knowledge and understanding of the senior secondary curriculum, along with theoretical frameworks and pedagogical approaches that are emblematic of teaching in their chosen teaching areas, including teaching/learning that responds to the high-stakes assessment that is a usual feature of senior secondary schooling.

This unit enables students to extend their knowledge of their major curriculum and teaching area with a particular focus on placing that key learning area within the broader curriculum context, both nationally and internationally. Students will explore how general capabilities and cross curriculum perspectives from contemporary Australian curriculum are integrated within their curriculum area and the connections between the key areas of study. Different approaches to the middle years of schooling and the ways in which they cater for the diversity of needs and interests of students will be contrasted. Issues in education such as gender, ethics and social justice will also be considered.   

The aim of this unit is for the pre-service teacher to develop their pedagogical content knowledge through becoming familiar with the knowledge, understanding and skills necessary for teaching Accounting at a senior secondary level.

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 - analyse and articulate how general capabilities and cross curriculum perspectives, such as those incorporated in the Australian curriculum, can be integrated within their major curriculum area (GA5)

LO2 - compare and contrast and critically evaluate curricula both locally and internationally, with a particular focus on their major curriculum area and how it integrates across the curriculum, and apply to the development and modification of own teaching practice (GA6)

LO3 - analyse policies and approaches to the middle years of schooling through the lens of catering for diversity and the needs of diverse learners (GA1)

LO4 - critically review and synthesise research on key issues such as gender, ethics and/or social justice in their major curriculum area and propose policy in response (GA8).

Graduate attributes

GA1 - demonstrate respect for the dignity of each individual and for human diversity

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 

Content

Topics will include:

•         The impact of the Melbourne declaration and the general capabilities desired from education
•         Cross curriculum perspectives such as Indigenous perspectives, Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia and sustainability within the contemporary Australian curriculum and other curriculum approaches
•         Middle years and related policy and curriculum approaches including local, national and international perspectives and a range of curriculum including the International Baccalaureate. This should include a study of international comparative research and assessment where available.
•         Differentiated curriculum and catering for diversity within the different approaches with particular focus on a pre-service teachers key curriculum area
•         Current issues in education including gender, social justice, ethics and human rights and their impact in the key learning area.

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit applies a social constructivist approach to develop the pre-service teacher’s understanding of effective pedagogies through active engagement and collaborative learning. The pre-service teacher will build an understanding of teaching strategies through critical reading, lecturer modelling, discussion, and practice in tutorials. The pre-service teacher’s skills of professional communication and ability to work collaboratively will be practised through group work. The pre-service teacher’s teaching skills of planning and assessing, and his/her ability to locate and synthesise information, will be developed through designing an appropriate curriculum.

Teaching and learning strategy described above will use an appropriate selection of approach, including, for example:

•         Weekly face-to-face lectures and / or online lectures (synchronous and asynchronous)
•         Hands-on tutorials and discussions that promote peer learning
•         Microteaching opportunities
•         Self-directed reading and research
•         Collaborative learning opportunities

Assessment strategy and rationale

The assessment tasks and their weightings are designed so that the pre-service teacher can progressively achieve the course learning outcomes and the professional standards. The Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment units in this course focus on pre-service teachers acquiring content knowledge and developing the skills to assimilate conceptual knowledge in order for that knowledge to inform skills that will be applied in practice.

The two assessment tasks are sequenced to allow feedback and progressive development. By completing Task 1 the pre-service teacher will apply knowledge of assessment strategies. In Task 2 pre-service teachers develop a program of work for senior students over a period of time.

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Australian Curriculum documents

Other Curriculum documents, including state, territory and some international documents.

Brady, L., & Kennedy, K. (2010). Curriculum construction (4th ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Education Australia.

Dempsey, I., & Arthur-Kelly, M. (2007). Maximising learning outcomes in diverse classrooms. South Melbourne, Vic: Thompson.

Dillon, J., & Maguire, M. (2011). Becoming a teacher: Issues in secondary teaching (4th ed.). Maidenhead, Eng: Open University Press. ISBN: 9780335242382 ebook

Emmer, C. E. (2013). Classroom management for middle and high school teachers (9th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

International Baccalaureate. (2010).The middle years program: Preparing students for university in the 21st century. IB Middle Years Program. http://www.ibo.org/myp/

Jennings, M. (2012). Teaching for results: Best practices in integrating co-teaching and differentiated instruction. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield Education.

Killen, R. (2013). Effective teaching strategies: Lessons from research and practice (6th ed.). South Melbourne, Vic: Cengage Learning Australia.

Ornstein, A. & Hunkins, F. (2013). Curriculum: Foundations, principles, and issues (6th ed.). Boston MA: Pearson.

Tomlinson, C. A. (Ed.) (2004). Differentiation for gifted and talented students. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Wiggins G., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (Expanded 2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall.