Year
2024Credit points
10Campus offering
Prerequisites
NilUnit rationale, description and aim
Includes 30 days Special and Inclusive Professional Experience in educational settings with children and young people with disabilities and diverse learning needs, under the supervision of a mentor. The placements include 2 x 15 block days, where one is completed at their own school, the other in an alternate setting for 15 days.
At a time of increased student diversity, the roles and responsibilities of an inclusive educator are much broader in providing high-quality education for every student, including those with disabilities and diverse learning needs, in line with relevant legislation, policies and Professional Standards. In this professional experience unit, within the Inclusive Practice specialisation of Master of Education, ACU students will engage in classroom-based and whole school community collaborative approaches involving students with disabilities and diverse learning needs in safe, supportive, inclusive learning environments. Influences across home, school and community will require ACU students to develop responsive communication to take account of multiple perspectives in building productive teamwork with students, their families, staff, and the wider community. This unit will include Special inclusive education professional experiences working with mentors in planning, implementing, assessing and evaluating individualised learning plans, incorporating differentiation, adjustments and universal design for learning. ACU students will work with their mentors in supporting students with diverse learning needs, underpinned by research-informed, evidence-based practice and data-driven decision-making. The roles of the Special Inclusive teacher and paraprofessionals in successful inclusive practice will be examined.
This unit is designed to support ACU students in putting into practice advanced specialised knowledge, understanding and skills, needed in inclusive environments that support the learning of all children and young people.
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 | Demonstrate differentiated teaching, moving from individual lessons to units of work and full days of teaching, to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities. (APST 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.5, 2.6, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5) | GC1, GC2, GC3, GC4, GC6, GC7, GC8, GC11, GC12 |
| LO2 | Build towards taking responsibility in all aspects of the teacher’s role, including differentiated programming, assessment and tracking learning outcomes. (APST 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.5, 2.6, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5) | GC1, GC2, GC3, GC4, GC6, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC11, GC12 |
| LO3 | Engage in observations, differentiated activities, collaborative communication and resource collection (APST 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 3.4, 3.7, 4.1, 4.3, 4.4, 5.4, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4) | GC1, GC2, GC3, GC4, GC6, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC11, GC12 |
Australian Professional Standards For Teachers - Proficient Or Highly Accomplished
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 (Proficient) Use teaching strategies based on knowledge of students’ physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics to improve student learning. |
1.2 Understand how students learn (Highly Accomplished) Expand understanding of how students learn using research and workplace knowledge |
1.3 Students with diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds (Proficient) Design and implement teaching strategies that are responsive to the learning strengths and needs of students from diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds. |
1.4 Strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island students (Proficient) Design and implement effective teaching strategies that are responsive to the local community and cultural setting, linguistic background and histories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. (Proficient) |
1.5 Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities (Highly Accomplished) Evaluate learning and teaching programs, using student assessment data, that are differentiated for the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities. |
1.6 Strategies to support full participation of students with disability (Highly Accomplished) Lead initiatives within the school to evaluate and improve knowledge of content and teaching strategies and demonstrate exemplary teaching of subjects using effective, research-based learning and teaching programs. |
2.1 Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area (Proficient) Apply knowledge of the content and teaching strategies of the teaching area to develop engaging teaching activities |
2.2 Content selection and organisation (Highly Accomplished) Exhibit innovative practice in the selection and organisation of content and delivery of learning and teaching programs. |
2.3 Curriculum, assessment and reporting (Proficient) Design and implement learning and teaching programs using knowledge of curriculum, assessment and reporting requirements. |
2.5 Literacy and numeracy strategies (Proficient) Apply knowledge and understanding of effective teaching strategies to support students’ literacy and numeracy achievement. |
2.6 Information and communication technology (Proficient) Use effective teaching strategies to integrate ICT into learning and teaching programs to make selected content relevant and meaningful |
3.1 Establish challenging learning goals (Proficient) Set explicit, challenging and achievable learning goals for all students. |
3.2 Plan, structure and sequence learning programs (Highly Accomplished) Work with colleagues to plan, evaluate and modify learning and teaching programs to create productive learning environments that engage all students. |
3.3 Use teaching strategies (Proficient) Select and use relevant teaching strategies to develop knowledge, skills, problem solving and critical and creative thinking. |
3.4 Select and use resources (Proficient) Select and/or create and use a range of resources, including ICT, to engage students in their learning. |
3.5 Use effective classroom communication (Lead) Demonstrate and lead by example inclusive verbal and non-verbal communication using collaborative strategies and contextual knowledge to support students’ understanding, engagement and achievement. |
3.6 Evaluate and improve teaching programs (Highly Accomplished) Work with colleagues to review current teaching and learning programs using student feedback, student assessment data, knowledge of curriculum and workplace practices. |
3.7 Engage parents/carers in the educative process (Proficient) Plan for appropriate and contextually relevant opportunities for parents/carers to be involved in their children’s learning. |
4.1 Support student participation (Proficient) Establish and implement inclusive and positive interactions to engage and support all students in classroom activities. |
4.2 Manage classroom activities (Highly Accomplished) Model and share with colleagues a flexible repertoire of strategies for classroom management to ensure all students are engaged in purposeful activities. |
4.3 Manage challenging behaviour (Proficient) Manage challenging behaviour by establishing and negotiating clear expectations with students and address discipline issues promptly, fairly and respectfully. |
4.4 Maintain student safety (Proficient) Ensure students’ wellbeing and safety within school by implementing school and/or system, curriculum and legislative requirements. |
4.5 Use ICT safely, responsibly and ethically (Proficient) Incorporate strategies to promote the safe, responsible and ethical use of ICT in learning and teaching. |
5.1 Assess student learning (Proficient) Develop, select and use informal and formal, diagnostic, formative and summative assessment strategies to assess student learning. |
5.2 Provide feedback to students on their learning (Proficient) Provide timely, effective and appropriate feedback to students about their achievement relative to their learning goals. |
5.3 Make consistent and comparable judgements (Proficient) Understand and participate in assessment moderation activities to support consistent and comparable judgements of student learning. |
5.4 Interpret student data (Highly Accomplished) Work with colleagues to use data from internal and external student assessments for evaluating learning and teaching, identifying interventions and modifying teaching practice. |
5.5 Report on student achievement (Proficient) Report clearly, accurately and respectfully to students and parents/carers about student achievement, making use of accurate and reliable records. |
7.1 Meet professional ethics and responsibilities (Proficient) Meet codes of ethics and conduct established by regulatory authorities, systems and schools. |
7.2 Comply with legislative, administrative and organisational requirements (Proficient) Understand the implications of and comply with relevant legislative, administrative, organisational and professional requirements, policies and processes |
7.3 Engage with the parents/carers (Proficient) Establish and maintain respectful collaborative relationships with parents/carers regarding their children’s learning and wellbeing. |
7.4 Engage with professional teaching networks and broader communities (Highly Accomplished) Contribute to professional networks and associations and build productive links with the wider community to improve teaching and learning. |
Content
Topics will include:
- Inclusive approaches (access, engagement, participation, respectful relationships, collaborative partnerships, diversity as a resource, creating safe environments where all school community members feel safe and free from discrimination, bias and harassment)
- Differentiating curriculum and instruction, Personalised/Individualised Learning Plans (PLP/ILPs), “differentiation”, “adjustments”, and “universal design for learning”
- Evidence-based strategies for effectively meeting individual student needs in literacy, numeracy, language development, social-emotional learning and behaviour
- Widely-used approaches to collaborate effectively with students, their parents or guardians, allied professionals, and members of the school community to plan and support all students including those with disabilities and diverse learning needs (e.g., inquiry-based problem solving, family-school partnerships, school-based teams, community partnerships, cross-agency collaboration, networks of support, including professional agencies and Advisory teachers.)
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This is a 10-credit points unit which is offered in multi-mode and will be supported by a Canvas site. Engagement for learning is the key driver in the delivery of this curriculum. The unit will facilitate active participation in pedagogical approaches that demonstrate alignment of teaching, learning and assessment and may incorporate a combination of strategies including individual and group work, activity-based workshops, formal presentations, online activities, and other activities such as reading, reflection, discussion, webinars, podcasts and videos.
This unit involves 30 days Special and Inclusive Professional Experience in educational settings with children and young people with disabilities and diverse learning needs, under the supervision of a mentor. The placements include 2 x 15 block days, where one is completed at their own school, the other in an alternate setting for 15 days.
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment tasks are used to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes and professional standards and criteria consistent with University assessment requirements.
In order to successfully complete this unit, students need to complete and submit two graded assessment tasks and meet Hurdle Task’s requirements The assessment strategy used allows students to progressively develop their specialized knowledge, understanding and analytical skills to the level of sophistication where they can demonstrate effective inclusive teaching practices in specific contexts.
Assessment Tasks
There are three assessment tasks in this unit, including a hurdle task. The hurdle task requires satisfactory completion of 30 days supervised Special Inclusive Professional Experience, with 15 days in a different educational setting to your school.
The first assessment task is a differentiated unit of work and the second assessment task is a critical reflection on the professional experience and e-Portfolio. Each of the two assessment tasks are worth 50% of the final grade for the unit;
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
Hurdle Task Professional Experience Professional Experience requirements include compilation of evidence as required. (Refer to attached Professional Experience Handbook and Report). Compilation of evidence will include:
| A pass or fail grade will be awarded for completion of the professional experience days | LO1, LO2, LO3 |
Assessment Task 1: Differentiated Unit of Work. Students are required to plan collaboratively for a differentiated unit of work with inclusive teaching episodes including the setting of goals, outcomes, content, assessment criteria catering for a specific disability or learning impairment | 50% | LO1, LO2, LO3 |
Assessment Task 2 Critical reflection on the Professional Experience Students are required to provide a critical reflection essay on their learning from the Professional Experience and development of their e-Portfolio. Students must also provide evidence of research-based analysis on a critical review of recent academic and professional literature. | 50% | LO1, LO2, LO3 |
Representative texts and references
Ashman, A. F. (Ed.). (2019). Education for inclusion and diversity (6th ed.). Melbourne, Vic: Pearson Australia.
Chambers, D. (Ed.). (2015). Working with teaching assistants and other support staff for inclusive education. Vol. 4, International perspectives on inclusive education. Bingley, UK: Emerald Insight. (e-book)
Deppeler, J., Loreman, T., Smith, R., & Florian, L. Eds.). (2015). Inclusive pedagogy across the curriculum. Vol. 7, International perspectives on inclusive education. Bingley, UK: Emerald Insight. (e-book)
Foreman, P., & Arthur-Kelly, M. (Eds.). (2017). Inclusion in action (5th ed.). South Melbourne, Vic: Cengage Learning Australia.
Hyde, M., Carpenter, L., & Dole, S. (2017). Diversity, inclusion and engagement (3rd ed.). South Melbourne, Vic: Oxford University Press.
De Nobilie, J., Lyons. G., & Arthur-Kelly, M. (2017). Positive learning environments: Creating and maintaining productive classrooms. Melbourne, Vic: Cengage Learning Australia.
Plows, V., & Whitburn, B. (Eds.). (2017). Inclusive education: Making sense of everyday practice. Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Springer. (e-book)
Scorgie, K., & Sobsey, D. (Eds.). (2017). Working with families for inclusive education: Navigating identity, opportunity and belonging. Vol. 10, International perspectives on inclusive education. Bingley, UK: Emerald Insight. (e-book)
Scully, P. A., Barbour, C., & Roberts-King, H. (2015). Families, schools and communities: Building partnerships for educating (6th ed.). Columbus, OH: Pearson.
Tomlinson, C.A., & Imbeau, M. (2010). Leading and managing a differentiated classroom. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.