Year
2024Credit points
10Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unitPrerequisites
(ENGL140 Childrens Literature: Worlds of Fiction OR ENGL104 Exploring Literature ) AND NMBR140 Introduction to Mathematical Thinking
Unit rationale, description and aim
This unit will focus on pre-service teachers becoming effective teachers through engagement in and reflection on explicit teaching skills for effective practice, coupled with the introduction to the professional responsibilities of a teacher. They will form links between theory and practice in a coherent manner as they describe, analyse and reflect upon quality teaching and what makes a difference to student learning outcomes. Pre-service teachers will also be introduced to the purpose and structure of the Digital Portfolio of Professional Practice that is created using the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers: Graduate as the framework.
Within this core Education Studies and Professional Experience unit pre-service teachers in pairs, where possible, will undertake a minimum of 10 days in a mainstream school setting where they will observe and assist in the delivery of high quality teaching episodes particularly in Literacy and Mathematics, plus teach small groups of children. Pre-service teachers, in collaboration with their class teachers and other professional colleagues, will be required to self-audit their attainment of the key teaching skills and overall progression, plus question and reflect upon teaching and learning practices, curriculum matters and class and school organisational issues.
Pre-service teachers will develop their understanding of codes of ethics and conduct, and will be required to complete online modules in legal and professional requirements, including Duty of Care, Child Protection and Mandatory Reporting. This includes a module on working with children and young people that will focus on responding to concerns and strategies to keep ourselves and others safe and support children, young people and vulnerable adults.
This unit aims at engaging Pre-service teachers in teaching experiences in classrooms, simulated classrooms and through micro-teaching skill development opportunities, with the specific purposes of learning how to plan for effective learning and teaching through modelling and demonstrating their understanding of the components of key teaching skills.
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 |
|---|---|
| LO1 | Demonstrate an understanding of and act in accordance with the professional role and responsibilities of teachers in the classroom and in the primary school community (APST 6.1, 7.1, 7.2) |
| LO2 | Identify, describe, develop and implement appropriate and effective learning activities and sequences, teaching skills and strategies, and resources, including the ethical use of ICT, that engage learners (APST 2.1, 2.2, 2.6, 3.3, 3.4, 4.5) |
| LO3 | Demonstrate variability in the use of verbal and non-verbal classroom communication and effective interpersonal skills during teaching episodes that support student engagement in learning (APST 3.5, 4.2) |
| LO4 | Construct and evaluate teaching skills and strategies through small group activities, embedded within lesson plans and activities noting student strengths and needs, content from key learning areas, in particular Literacy and Numeracy (APST 1.1, 2.2, 3.2, 3.3) |
| LO5 | Critically reflect upon and evaluate teaching skills and strategies used in the context of the various learning environments (on campus/online/in the field) experienced in this unit and establish links between theoretical perspectives and professional practice (APST 6.1; 6.3) |
| LO6 | Demonstrate an understanding of the importance, policies and strategies for building safe and supportive environments for working with children and young people (APST 4.4, 7.1, 7.2). |
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. |
2.1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the concepts, substance and structure of the content and teaching strategies of the teaching area. |
2.2 Organise content into an effective learning and teaching sequence. |
2.6 Implement teaching strategies for using ICT to expand curriculum learning opportunities for students. |
3.2 Plan lesson sequences using knowledge of student learning, content and effective teaching strategies. |
3.3 Include a range of teaching strategies. |
3.4 Demonstrate knowledge of a range of resources, including ICT, that engage students in their learning. |
3.5 Demonstrate a range of verbal and non-verbal communication strategies to support student engagement. |
4.2 Demonstrate the capacity to organise classroom activities and provide clear directions. |
4.4 Describe strategies that support students’ well-being and safety working within school and/or system, curriculum and legislative requirements. |
4.5 Demonstrate an understanding of the relevant issues and the strategies available to support the safe, responsible and ethical use of ICT in learning and teaching. |
6.1 Demonstrate an understanding of the role of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers in identifying professional learning needs. |
6.3 Seek and apply constructive feedback from supervisors and teachers to improve teaching practices. |
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. |
Content
Topics will include:
- Strategies to foster reflective and self-auditing practices to improve learning and teaching
- Planning for teaching using the content in the other KLAs being studied in this semester to:
- Plan, structure and implement within a lesson plan format, specific teaching skills and learning sequence for small groups of students
- Identify strategies for critiquing the implementation of learning activities
- Interpret curriculum documents to set learning outcomes and content
- Cater for the learning needs of children from a diverse range of social and cultural backgrounds
- Micro-teaching opportunities to practice a repertoire of professional practice with a focus on skills for effective teaching such as small group instruction, introduction, closure, questioning and responding
- Strategies and frameworks such as the Quality Teaching Model and Clinical Supervision to structure observations for critiquing learning/teaching practices and contexts, using collation of data and analysis of specific teaching skills to inform future professional practice
- Strategies for promoting effective learning and behaviour management such as attention gaining techniques, voice projection and variability, use of verbal and non-verbal communication and proximity reinforcement
- Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for teaching such as the effective use of interactive whiteboards and mobile devices to engage learning
- Communicating with students and colleagues as a professional in the field, especially to gain feedback for current and future practice.
- The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers: Graduate (AITSL, 2012) - their purpose, structure and role for teachers
- Creating a Digital Portfolio of Professional Practice – for evidence of self-auditing to identify strengths and areas for development
- The complexities of the teacher’s role and the implications for practice, including: Australian Professional Standards for Teachers; organisational policies and processes; principles and codes of ethics and conduct; legal and professional responsibilities including Duty of Care, Child Protection and Mandatory reporting
- Building safe and supportive environments for working with children and young people
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit will consist of three contact hours or equivalent each week during a 12 week semester and a minimum of 10 days in a school setting. The unit will integrate content and micro-skills developed and practiced in ‘on campus’ and ‘in school’ experiences, discussions, readings, individual study and critical reflections. A variety of learning-teaching strategies will be used including:
- face-to-face lectures, supported through some online delivery of content
- workshop/tutorials where micro-teaching skills are modelled, practised and analysed
- Immersion in the field as pre-service teacher education pairs, where possible, in order to participate and engage as a community of learners with peers, colleague teachers and mentors, in structured observation and small group teaching in classrooms
- Strategies to inform the self-auditing process to determine professional and personal achievement and progress.
- Completion of all specified preparation and legal modules is compulsory prior to commencement of the practicum.
- The Working with Children, Young People and Vulnerable Adults module is an online module that will take approximately 2 hours to complete. Successful participants will be given a record of completion.
Integral to the unit will be the undertaking of a minimum of 10 days in pairs, where possible, in a primary school setting. Five single days will be taken in the first half of the 12 week semester followed by a 5 day block in the same school and classroom. This experience will involve:
- exposure to the many aspects of the role and responsibilities of a primary school teacher
- assisted immersion in school and class contexts to begin to experience some aspects of the primary school teacher’s role and responsibilities
- structured observation and analysis of high-quality teaching episodes particularly in Literacy, Mathematics and Humanities and Social Sciences
- practicing the skills of micro-teaching in small groups situations in university and school contexts with collegial feedback from peers, lecturers, class teachers, mentors and supervisors
- observation and critiquing of teaching and learning practices, curriculum matters and organisational issues within school contexts.
Pre-service teachers should anticipate undertaking 150 hours of study, plus professional experience requirements for this unit.
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment tasks and their weighting for this unit are designed to demonstrate achievement of each learning outcome. In order to pass this unit, participants are required to submit or participate in all assessment tasks as well as successfully engage in and complete the professional experiences of this unit.
Minimum Achievement Standards
Pre-service teachers must achieve a pass in the professional experience component of the unit in order to satisfactorily complete this unit. If a fail grade is determined in professional experience, regardless of the marks achieved in the other assessment tasks, this will result in a fail for the entire unit. The pre-service teacher will also fail the unit if the grade for the combination of the other assessment tasks is a fail. Pre-service teachers who fail this unit will be asked to ‘show cause’ and their enrolment in the course will be terminated if the unit is failed twice.
The total of assessment tasks will amount to the equivalent of 4,000 words.
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
Assessment Task 1 Evaluating Teaching and Learning Part A – Lesson planning Part B – Teaching skills demonstrated through microteaching activities Part A – Lesson Plan 30% Each pre-service teacher is to submit a full lesson plan using the ACU Lesson Plan Format to prepare and develop a 30 – 50min lesson using content and ideas from a KLA area and stage of your choice and the micro-skill allocated. Be sure to include:
Part B - Teaching and learning 20% In pairs, students are to deliver a 10-minute micro-lesson with the tutorial group acting as the audience. The lesson should focus on the micro-skill allocated and strategies that will involve the tutorial group as active participants, demonstrating the capacity to organise classroom activities and provide clear directions. | 50% | LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5 |
Assessment Task 2 Part A: Digital Portfolio 35% Plan and create a Digital Portfolio of Professional Practice using the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers: Graduate as a framework. Self-auditing of practices taken from micro-teaching activities and the initial 5 single days of professional experience must be included with a selection of evidence/artefacts, supported by annotations and critical reflection of the chosen Standards that address the Learning Outcomes for this unit justifying their inclusion. Part B: Reflection on the Process 15% Must demonstrate deep understanding of the role of critical reflection, constructive feedback and the Professional Standards framework in improving teaching practice and student learning outcomes. 800 – 1000 words | 50% | LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5 |
Assessment Task 3 Hurdle Requirement: Online preparation modules Prior to commencing the Community Engagement placement, pre-service teachers must complete a series of compulsory online preparation modules, attaining a score of 95% or above in each module. The modules cover:
Pre-service teachers must also complete and provide evidence of the following:
Note: Completion of these modules do not exempt pre-service teachers from seeking a Working with Children Check or a Police Check where this is appropriate or mandated.
| Hurdle requirement: a Pass grade only will be awarded.
Pre-service teachers will not commence the Community Engagement Experience placement until all modules have been passed and all legal requirements have been met. | LO6 |
Professional Experience Assessment Professional Experience requirements include compilation of evidence as required. (Refer to attached Professional Experience Handbook and Report). Compilation of evidence will include:
This evidence must be compiled into a well-presented and well-organised Professional Experience folder, which must be updated on a daily basis throughout the placement. Artefacts and reflections may provide evidence of attainment of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers: Graduate, and can be included in the ePortfolio. | A pass or fail grade will be awarded for completion of the professional experience days | LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5 |
Representative texts and references
Relevant National, State and Territory curriculum documents.
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2010). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Clarke, M., & Pittaway, S. (2014). Marsh’s Becoming a teacher: Knowledge, skills and issues. (6th ed.). Sydney, NSW: Pearson.
Ewing, R., Lowrie, T., & Higgs, J. (2010). Teaching and communicating: Rethinking professional experiences. South Melbourne, Vic: Oxford University Press.
Good, T., & Brophy, J. (2008). Looking in classrooms (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon Publishers.
Groundwater-Smith, S., Ewing, R., & Le Cornu, R. (2015). Teaching: Challenges and dilemmas (5th ed.). South Melbourne, Vic: Cengage Learning.
Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning for teachers: Maximizing impact on learning. Florence, KY: Routledge.
Killen, R. (2013). Effective teaching strategies: Lessons from research and practice. (6th ed.). Melbourne, Vic: Cengage Learning.
Levin, J., & Nolan, J. (2013). Principles of classroom management: A professional decision-making model (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
McDonald, T. (2013). Classroom management: Engaging students in learning (2nd ed.). Melbourne, Vic: Oxford University Press.
Remesh, A. (2013). Microteaching, an effective technique for learning effective teaching. Journal of Research Medical Science.18(2), 158–163.
Whitton, D., Barker, K., Nosworthy, M., Sinclair, C., & Nanlohy, P. (2010). Learning for teaching, teaching for learning (2nd ed.). Melbourne, Vic: Cengage Learning.
Wortley, R., & Smallbone, S. (2006). Applying Situational Principles to Sexual Offenses Against Children. In R. Wortley, & S. Smallbone (Eds.). Situational prevention of child sexual abuse. Monsey, NY: Criminal Justice Press.