Year
2021Credit points
10Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unitPrerequisites
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 - generate and critically evaluate a teaching program in their core curriculum area that caters for students who are following a vocational pathway, such as VET, taking into account different backgrounds and experiences including cultural aspects, indigenous students and students with special education needs (GA1)
LO2 - plan a sequence of learning experiences appropriate for a University directed alternative senior secondary program, such as the International Baccalaureate (IB), and compare and contrast its curriculum and its different levels and offerings with the Australian and State curricula at senior secondary level including the incorporation of ICT into the planning and delivery (GA10)
LO3 - critically examine and discuss issues which affect the senior secondary curriculum and its implementation, including cross curriculum perspectives, inclusive curriculum, social justice, gender, cross-cultural understanding, information technology and new learning technologies, standards-based curriculum frameworks, critical thinking and creativity (GA4)
LO4 - investigate the range of pathway programs available and the transition from school to tertiary education and critically analyse related policy and research to present recommendations for a school program with rationale (GA8)
LO5 - critically evaluate different assessment theory frameworks such as vocational education, IB and the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR).
Graduate attributes
GA1 - demonstrate respect for the dignity of each individual and for human diversity
GA4 - think critically and reflectively
GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information
GA10 - utilise information and communication and other relevant technologies effectively.
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
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes | Graduate Attributes |
|---|---|---|---|
Assessment Task 1: Design a learning sequence for students in an alternative program demonstrating how it differentiates the curriculum and caters for the diversity of students while also contrasting it with the mainstream program (50% 2500 words). | 50% | LO1, LO2, LO3, LO5 | GA1, GA4, GA10 |
Assessment Task 2: Critically analyse the range of curriculum offerings, both nationally and internationally with a lens of equity and social justice, and locate their curriculum area in the broader context considering the cross curricula links and how programs and schools can cater for the transitions in education (50% 2500 words).
| 50% | LO3, LO4 | GA1, GA4, GA8 |
Representative texts and references
Australian Curriculum documents
Other curriculum documents including state and some international documents
Bailey, T. R., Hughes, K. L., & Karp, M. M. (2002). What role can dual enrolment programs play in easing the transition between high school and postsecondary education? Community College Research Center, Institute on Education and the Economy, Teachers College, Columbia University.
Canning, R. (2012) The vocational curriculum in the lower secondary school: material and discursive practices. Curriculum Journal, 23(3) 327-343. DOI:10.1080/09585176.2012.703380.
Flinders, D., & Thornton, S. (Eds) (2013). The curriculum studies reader (4th ed.) New York: Routledge.
Henry, J., & Grundy, S. (2004). Blurring the boundaries in education: Towards a more seamless system of post-compulsory education. Bundoora, Vic: Australian Council of Deans of Education.
Hoeckel, K., Field, S., Justesen, T. R., & Kim, M. (2008). Learning for jobs: OECD reviews of vocational education and training, Australia. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). http://www.oecd.org/education/innovation-education/learningforjobs.htm
International Baccalaureate (2008). The IB Diploma programme: 21st century education. http://www.ibo.org/diploma/
Lauglo, J., & Maclean, R. (Eds.) (2005). Vocationalisation of secondary education revisited. Series: Technical and Vocational Education and Training: Issues, Concerns and Prospects, Vol. 1. Springer.
McNeil, J. D. (2009). Contemporary curriculum: In thought and action (7th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons.
Miller, D. (2011). Curriculum theory and practice: What’s your style? Phi Delta Kappan, 92(7) 32-39.
Young, M. (2013) Overcoming the crisis in curriculum theory: A knowledge-based approach. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 45(2), 101 -118.