Year
2024Credit points
10Campus offering
Prerequisites
NilUnit rationale, description and aim
This unit examines the concepts and practices of the profession including: systems, structures, legislation and teacher standards that impact on teaching practice; current workforce demands and political and sociocultural trends in education that shape pre-service teachers’ understanding as they transition into the teaching profession. This unit critically investigates professional practice, roles and responsibilities, professional partnerships, and concepts of accountability in teachers’ work. A range of curriculum perspectives will be explored including, literacy, numeracy, ICT, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and intercultural understanding, sustainability, and gender practices. Pre-service teachers will consolidate evidence of their professional work practice in a substantive body of work and develop a critical investigation of their practice as a teacher.
The aim of this unit is to assist pre-service teachers to examine diverse aspects of the secondary teaching practice such as systems, structures, legislation and teacher standards, to better prepare them to transitioning 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.
| Learning Outcome Number | Learning Outcome Description | Relevant Graduate Capabilities |
|---|---|---|
| LO1 | Identify and critically examine key influences that impact on teachers’ identity, professional learning and practice, at the national and international level (APST 6.1, 6.2, 6.4, 7.2) | GC1, GC2, GC7, GC9 |
| LO2 | Demonstrate an advanced understanding of workforce demands and the roles and responsibilities and communication strategies of early career teachers and how they relate to required professional and ethical standards (APST 4.4, 6.1, 6.2, 6.4, 7.1, 7.2) | GC1, GC2, GC4, GC11, GC12 |
| LO3 | Critically reflect on collaborative strategies to engage with; parents/carers (including relationship building, conflict resolution, non-violent crisis intervention, pastoral care and communication strategies) and professional teaching networks and communities that can broaden professional knowledge and practice (APST 5.2, 5.3, 7.3, 7.4) | GC1, GC2, GC4, GC6, GC7, GC8, GC11, GC12 |
| LO4 | Critically examine the relationship between education, curriculum change and teachers work and apply this to a philosophy of and projected plan for continual professional learning (APST 6.1, 6.2, 6.4) | GC1, GC2, GC3, GC7 |
| LO5 | Demonstrate advanced knowledge and understanding of how to apply literacy, numeracy and ICT within their teaching and incorporate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and intercultural understanding within their teaching (APST 1.4, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6) | GC1, GC2, GC4, GC5, GC6, GC7, GC9, GC10, GC11, GC12 |
| LO6 | Collate a body of evidence of professional practice and critically evaluate this against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST 6.1, 6.3). | GC1, GC2, GC3, GC7, GC9, GC11 |
AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS - GRADUATE LEVEL
On successful completion of this unit, pre-service teachers should be able to:
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. |
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. |
4.4 Describe strategies that support students’ well-being and safety working within school and/or system, curriculum and legislative requirements. |
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. |
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. |
7.3 Understand strategies for working effectively, sensitively and confidentially with parents/carers. |
7.4 Understand the role of external professionals and community representatives in broadening teachers’ professional knowledge and practice. |
Content
Topics will include:
Key issues that form a platform for professional teaching:
- Key influences that impact on the graduates teacher identity and practices in relation to knowledge management, teaching, learning and assessment
- Advanced understanding of the roles and responsibilities of early career teachers related to learning engagement and the management of students (including relationship building, conflict resolution, non-violent crisis intervention, pastoral care and communication strategies)
- Commitment to principles of social justice and inclusive practices
- Collaborative strategies to engage with parents/carers, professional teaching networks and communities and knowledge of how these partnerships can add to professional knowledge and practice
- The relationship between education, curriculum change and teachers work to facilitate continual professional learning
- Knowledge and understanding of how to apply literacy, numeracy and ICT within their teaching and incorporate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and intercultural understanding
- Accountability, duty of care, ethical behaviour and quality standards for practice
- International, national, state and local educational systems influences on curriculum decision-making
- Understand contemporary curriculum and pedagogical approaches, considering international, national, state influences on curriculum and recent curriculum reform including indigenous, cultural, assessment and ICT perspectives
- Major contemporary drivers of change in the educational environment and the implications of key reports and initiatives.
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
Pre-service teachers will be involved in a variety of teaching-learning strategies to progress and demonstrate their understandings in this unit. Participants will be involved in a variety of teaching-learning strategies to support learning, including: lectures, student presentations, and group work. Collaborative enquiries and critical approaches to learning will be used.
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 with a normal expectation of 36 hours of directed study and the total contact hours should not exceed 36 hours. Directed study might include lectures, tutorials, webinars, podcasts etc. The balance of the hours then become private study.
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment tasks and their weightings are designed to allow pre-service teachers to progressively demonstrate achievement against the unit learning outcomes and demonstrate attainment of professional standards.
Minimum Achievement Standards
The assessment tasks for this unit are designed to demonstrate achievement of each learning outcome.
There will be two assessment tasks equivalent to 5,000 words.
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
Assessment Task 1: Design an information session which will engage parents in your teaching. The program should address key issues that form a platform for professional teaching outlined in the Content Section of this outline. | 50% | LO1, LO2, LO3, LO5 |
Assessment Task 2: (both options must address LOs 1,3,4 & 6) Collation of a body of evidence of pre-service teachers’ own professional practice to date and critically evaluated against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers-Graduate. Using this evaluation against the APSTs, pre-service teachers will identify gaps in their professional learning and provide evidence for future lifelong learning. OR Written critique of a key issue, perspectives or concept represented in the unit. | 50% | LO1, LO3, LO4, LO6 |
Representative texts and references
Ball, S. (2012). Policy and policy making in education. Library Editions: Routledge.
Churchill, R., Ferguson, P., Godinho, S., Johnson, N., Keddie, A., & Letts, W., et al. (2011). Teaching: Making a difference. Milton, Qld: John Wiley & Sons.
Groundwater-Smith, S., Ewing, R., & Le Cornu, R. (2011). Teaching: Challenges and dilemmas (4th ed). South Melbourne, Vic: Cengage Learning.
Hargreaves, A., & Fullan, M. (2012). Professional capital: Transforming teaching in every school. New York: Teachers’ College Press.
Hinde McLeod, J. & Reynolds, R. (2007). Quality teaching for quality learning: Planning through reflection. South Melbourne, Vic: Thomson Social Science Press.
Killen, R. (2013). Effective teaching strategies: Lessons from research and practice (6th ed.). South Melbourne, Vic: Cengage Learning Australia.
Marsh, C. (2010). Becoming a teacher: Knowledge, skills and issues (5th ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Australia.
Roffey, S. (Ed) (2013). Positive relationships: Evidence based practice across the world. New York: Springer Publications.
Tait, G. (2013). Making sense of mass education. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Yates, L., Collins, C. & O’Connor, K. (2011). Australia’s curriculum dilemmas. State cultures and the big issues. Academic Monograph Series: Melbourne University Publishing.