Year
2022Credit points
10Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.Incompatible
EDFD140 Foundations of Learning
Unit rationale, description and aim
To become an effective teacher, pre-service teachers need to understand the learner and the factors which impact learning and development.
Through this unit, pre-service teachers develop a sound understanding of human development from infancy to early adulthood across multiple domains (e.g., physical, social, emotional, cognitive). This understanding serves as a basis for an exploration of how psychology can inform effective teacher practice and facilitate effective learning. In this unit, pre-service teachers examine the nature of learning from a variety of perspectives (e.g., neurological, behavioural, constructivist, cognitive, humanist), factors that influence or underpin learning (e.g., motivation, self-efficacy, experience and culture) and the application of this knowledge in educational contexts to help them understand their own learning and the learning of others.
This unit aims to support pre-service teachers gain knowledge on developmental factors that may impact student learning so that they can construct effective learning environments that cater to diverse needs. It encourages pre-service teachers to think critically about their conceptions of learning and teaching.
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 understanding of normative development in multiple domains (e.g., physical, social, emotional, cognitive) across infancy, childhood, adolescence and early adulthood (GA1; APST 1.1; ACECQA A1, A2, A3)
LO2 - Demonstrate understanding of a range of theories/perspectives that explain learning (e.g., neurological, behavioural, constructivist, cognitive, humanist) (GA1, GA4; APST 1.2; ACECQA A1, A2, A3)
LO3 - Demonstrate understanding of a range of factors that influence learning (e.g., motivation, self-efficacy, experience and culture). (GA1, GA4, GA5, GA7, GA9; APST 1.1, 1.2, 1.3; ACECQA A1, A3)
LO4 - Reflect on, and critique themselves, their peers, and others as learners based on seminal and contemporary theories and influencing factors. (GA1, GA4, GA5, GA7, GA8, GA9; APST 1.1, 1.2; ACECQA F3).
Graduate attributes
GA1 - Demonstrate respect for the dignity of each individual and for human diversity
GA4 - Think critically and reflectively
GA5 - Demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession
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
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. |
ACECQA CURRICULUM SPECIFICATIONS
On successful completion of this unit, pre-service teachers should have developed the following specific knowledge:
A. Child development and care A1. learning, development and care A2. language development A3. social and emotional development |
F. Early childhood professional practice F3. professional identity and development |
Content
Topics will include:
- Human development during infancy, childhood, adolescence and early adulthood.
- Theories of human development including emotional, social, cognitive and physical domains
- What does it mean to know something?
- Expertise
- Human memory.
- Theoretical conceptualizations of learning including:
- Neurological
- Behavioural
- Constructivist
- Cognitive
- Humanist
- Influences on learning:
- Motivation and engagement
- Attention, observation, practice
- Metacognition & self-regulation
- Self-efficacy and experience
- Culture
- Intelligence
- Goal setting
- Resilience
- Learner diversity (including physical, social, intellectual, learning styles, contexts) and the impact of these on learning.
- Importance of research, reflective practice and linking theory and practice in teaching.
- ICT use in learning and teaching.
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit may be offered on-campus, online or in a blended mode. 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 across the teaching period comprising of directed tasks and self-study. An emphasis is placed on pre-service teachers as adult learners with responsibility for their own learning and who are capable of problem solving. The learning in this unit is enquiry-based, learner-focused and student centred.
Teaching and learning strategies will consist of a combination of face-to-face and/or online learning. Lectures and/or online material will explore and demonstrate some of the core unit content. Pre-service teachers will be provided with descriptions, explanations and examples of content and structure leading to learning activities that will be explored in tutorials. Tutorials will provide a context for discussion, analysis and application of the content addressed in lectures/readings/online materials. Tutorials will also provide opportunities for cooperative learning and peer tutoring.
Technology Enhanced Learning
This unit uses a Learning Management System for the provision of lecture and tutorial content, required and/or further readings, and other unit material. Recorded lectures will be made available to students through this system.
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment tasks and their weightings are designed to allow pre-service teachers to progressively demonstrate achievement against the course learning outcomes by demonstrating attainment of academic and professional standards and develop graduate attributes consistent with university assessment requirements. The first assessment task is reflective writing task enables pre-service teachers to examine and explore their own learning and link their learning to relevant theories. It is an early low-weighted assessment task which provides feedback to pre-service teachers within the first six weeks of the standard semester. This task enables the teaching staff to identify pre-service teachers who are experiencing difficulties articulating their knowledge. These students will be advised to seek assistance from the Academic Skills unit. The second assessment task requires collaboration with peers which is a planning activity undertaken in educational settings. The task allows the pre-service teacher to gain insights of how their peers learn and jointly to create an effective learning environment. The final assessment task is a test which focuses on understanding the theories of teaching, learning and motivation.
Minimum Achievement Standards
The assessment tasks and their weighting for this unit are designed to demonstrate achievement of each learning outcome. In order to pass this unit, students are required to submit all assessment tasks, meet the learning outcomes of the unit and achieve a minimum overall passing grade of 50%.
Electronic Submission, Marking and Return
Electronic submission is used for submitting, marking, and returning of assessment tasks. Assessment tasks will be returned within three weeks of submission.
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes | Graduate Attributes |
|---|---|---|---|
Assessment Task 1: Self-learning reflection Pre-service teachers create a critically reflective account of their development and personal learning journey that has brought them to where they are today and answer the question: Who am I as a learner? through explanatory links to relevant learning theories and readings. | 20% | LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4 | GA1, GA4, GA5, GA7, GA8, GA9 |
Assessment Task 2: Application of a learning framework In small groups, pre-service teachers prepare and present on an allocated learning scenario. Pre-service teachers will research what teachers need to consider in order to create effective learning environments and to evaluate student success. | 40% | LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4 | GA1, GA4, GA5, GA7, GA8, GA9 |
Assessment Task 3: Examination Multiple-choice and short answer questions based on unit content. | 40% | LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4 | GA1, GA4, GA5, GA7, GA8, GA9 |
Representative texts and references
Recommended texts
Duschesne, S. & McMaugh, A. (2019). Educational psychology for learning and teaching (6th ed.). South Melbourne: Vic: Cengage Learning Australia.
Margetts, K., & Woolfolk, A. E. (2019). Educational psychology (5th ed.). Melbourne, Vic: Pearson Australia.
O’Donnell, A. M., Dobozy, E., Bartlett, B.J., & Nagel, M.C., Spooner-Lane, R., Youssef-Shalala, A., Reeve, J. & Smith, J., K. (2016). Educational psychology (2nd Australian ed.). Milton, Qld: Wiley.
Recommended references
Egeberg, H. M., McConney, A., & Price, A. (2016). Classroom management and national professional standards for teachers: A review of the literature on theory and practice. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 41(7) pp: 1-18.
Halpern, D. F. (2013). Sex differences in cognitive abilities (4th ed.). New York, NY: Psychology Press.
McInerney, D., & Putwain, D. (2017). Developmental and educational psychology for teachers: An applied approach. Abingdon, Oxon; New York, NY: Routledge.
Pritchard, A. (2014). Ways of learning: Learning theories and learning styles in the classroom (3rd ed.). Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
Roblyer, M. D. (2016). Integrating educational technology into teaching (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Snowman, J., & McCown, R. (2015). Psychology applied to teaching (14th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.