Year
2023Credit points
10Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unitPrerequisites
NilIncompatible
EDFD652 Perspectives on Wellbeing and Inclusive Schooling and EDFD662 Wellbeing in Inclusive SchoolingUnit rationale, description and aim
At a time of rapid ongoing change in society and education, the role of an educator or allied professional with specialist knowledge, understanding, and skills in promoting the social-emotional wellbeing of young people and fostering their engagement with learning is increasingly important. In this unit, within the Wellbeing specialisation of the Graduate Certificate in Education and Master of Education, students will explore definitions of 'wellbeing' and key theoretical perspectives as well as philosophical underpinnings, including principles of Catholic Social Teaching, that are shaping research, policy development and practice in wellbeing. Students will also analyse key international, national and local policies and practice frameworks relevant to enabling the wellbeing of children and young people and identify critical issues within our communities that are currently having an impact on the wellbeing. Finally, students will have opportunities to design an initial action plan to address an identified critical issue at the 'whole school' or 'whole-of-context' level. Therefore, the aim of this unit is to support students in developing the required advanced knowledge, understanding and skills they need in order to promote the wellbeing of children and young people in schools and other learning contexts.
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 - Articulate the complex construct of “wellbeing” across relevant disciplines (e.g., education, health, and the social sciences) and consider why wellbeing is so important to address in school and other learning contexts (GA1, GA4, GA5, GA8, GA9, GA10; APST 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 4.1, 4.4, 7.1, 7.2)
LO2 - Analyse key theoretical perspectives as well as philosophical underpinnings (e.g., inclusion, social justice and the principles of Catholic Social Teaching) that are shaping wellbeing research, policy development and practice (GA1, GA4, GA5, GA8, GA9, GA10; APST 1.1, 1.3, 4.1, 4.4, 7.1, 7.2
LO3 - Review the critical role of educators and allied professionals as change agents for social justice, inclusive practices, and wellbeing in schools and the wider community (GA1, GA4, GA5, GA8, GA9, GA10; APST 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 4.1, 4.4, 7.1, 7.2)
LO4 - Critically analyse key international, national and local policies and practice frameworks relevant to promoting and sustaining the wellbeing of children and young people and articulate common elements and differences (GA1, GA4, GA5, GA8, GA9, GA10; APST 1.1, 1.3, 4.1, 4.4, 7.1, 7.2)
LO5 - Design initial action plans, informed by local policies, practice frameworks and the principles of Catholic Social Teaching to address critical issues at a “whole school” or “whole-of-context” level (GA1, GA4, GA5, GA8, GA9, GA10; APST 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 4.1, 4.4, 7.1, 7.2)
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
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
On successful completion of this unit, students should have gained evidence towards the following standards:
1.1 Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students (Highly Accomplished) |
1.2 Understand how students learn (Highly Accomplished) |
1.3 Students with diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds (Highly Accomplished) |
4.1 Support student participation (Lead) |
4.4 Maintain student safety (Highly Accomplished) |
7.1 Meet professional ethics and responsibilities (Highly Accomplished) |
7.2 Comply with legislative, administrative and organisational requirements (Lead) |
Content
Topics will include:
- Wellbeing as a global and local concern
- Theoretical, philosophical and disciplinary understandings of “wellbeing”
- Principles of Catholic Social Teaching and the role of educators and allied professionals as change agents for social justice, inclusive practices and wellbeing
- International, national and local policies relevant to the wellbeing of children and young people
- Local practice frameworks and approaches to enhancing wellbeing and learning engagement
- Current critical issues within the community that impact on the wellbeing and learning engagement of children and young people
- Establishing collaborative networks and designing initial action plans to address issues of concern at a “whole-school” or “whole-of-context” level
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit may be offered in online, on campus or in blended learning modes. The use of LEO will be integral to the unit in exploring concepts and testing understandings and propositions. Strategies used may include lectures, engagement with the literature, self-directed learning, critical reflection against relevant professional standards, case studies, dialogue and interrogation of concepts, theories and practices, and the application of learning to current professional contexts.
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 semester. To achieve a passing standard in this unit, students will find it helpful to engage in the full range of learning activities and assessments utilised in this unit, as described in the learning and teaching strategy and the assessment strategy. The learning and teaching and assessment strategies include a range of approaches to support your learning such as reading, reflection, discussion, webinars, podcasts, video, workshops, and assignments etc.
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment tasks for this unit are designed for students to demonstrate achievement of each of the learning outcomes. In addition, the tasks represent an opportunity to align with the particular needs of students and their professional contexts.
In order to successfully complete this unit, postgraduate students need to complete and submit two graded assessment tasks. The assessment strategy used allows students to demonstrate their knowledge related to perspectives on wellbeing in a creative and practical manner.
In order to develop this level of creativity, students are required to complete two tasks. The first task involves an analysis of policy frameworks related to wellbeing and engagement for learning. The second task is a review of literature focus on priority issues in their professional context.
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes | Graduate Attributes |
|---|---|---|---|
Assessment Task 1 Analysis of policy frameworks This task requires students to identify and discuss the common elements of and differences among key international, national and local policies and practice frameworks guiding wellbeing and engagement for learning. The graduate’s response to the assessment task may be submitted in a range of formats as negotiated with the Lecturer-in-Charge (LIC) | (50%) | LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4 | GA1, GA4, GA5, GA8, GA9, GA10 |
Assessment Task 2 Review of the Literature This task requires students to identify a priority issue impacting on wellbeing and engagement with learning in their present professional context. Students are required to develop a critical review of relevant literature, including a succinct description of the priority issue and its impact on wellbeing and engagement with learning. Students should also consider the issue in relation to the principles of Catholic Social Teaching as well as current policy priorities and present a summary of the policies and practices commonly recommended in the literature for addressing the identified priority issue. | (50%) | LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5 | GA1, GA4, GA5, GA8, GA9, GA10 |
Representative texts and references
Australian Government, Department of Education and Training. (2017b). Student wellbeing hub. Retrieved from https://www.studentwellbeinghub.edu.au/
Collie, R. J., Martin, A. J., & Frydenberg, E. (2017). Social and Emotional learning: A brief overview and issues relevant to Australia and the Asia-Pacific. In E. Frydenberg, A. J. Martin, & R. J. Collie (Eds.), Social and emotional learning in Australia and the Asia-Pacific: Perspectives, programs and approaches (pp. 1-13). Singapore: Springer.
Government of South Australia, Department of Education and Child Development. (2016). Wellbeing for learning and life framework: A framework for building resilience and wellbeing in children and young people. Retrieved from https://www.decd.sa.gov.au/sites/g/files/net691/f/wellbeing-for-learning-and-life-framework.pdf?v=1475123999
McLellan, R. (2017). Children and young people’s wellbeing in the school context. In R. Maclean & L. Pe Symaco (Eds.), Life in schools and classrooms: Past, present and future (pp. 455-471). Singapore: Springer.
New South Wales Department of Education and Communities. (2015). The wellbeing framework for schools. Retrieved from https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/wellbeing/about/16531_Wellbeing-Framework-for-schools_Acessible.pdf
Powell, M. A.. & Graham, A. (2017). Wellbeing in schools: Examining the policy-practice nexus. The Australian Educational Researcher, 44(2), 213-231.
Skattebol, J., Hamilton, M., Skryzpiec, G., Burnstock, T., Redmond, G., Jenkins, B., & Dodd, K. (2013). Understanding children’s perspectives on wellbeing: The Australian Child Wellbeing Project – Phase one report. Retrieved from http://australianchildwellbeing.com.au/sites/default/files/uploads/Final%20 ACWP%20Phase%20One%20Report%20Nov%202013_0.pdf
White, S. C., & Eyber, C. (2017). Positive mental health and wellbeing. In R. G. White, S. Jain, D. M. R Orr & U. M. Read (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of sociocultural perspectives on global mental health (pp. 129-150). London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Wrench, A., Hammond, C., McCallum, F., & Price, D. (2013). Inspire to aspire: Raising aspirational outcomes through a student well-being curricular focus. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 17(9), 932-947.
Wright, K. (2014). Student wellbeing and the therapeutic turn in education. Australian Educational and Developmental Psychologist, 31(2), 141-152.