Year
2024Credit points
20Campus offering
Prerequisites
80 credit points of Year 1 units plus EDRS688 Interpreting and Designing Educational Research , EDFX512 Graduate Professional Practice Secondary 2 , Successful completion of LANTITE requirements or LNTE111 Literacy and Numeracy Test
Unit rationale, description and aim
This unit facilitates the pre-service teacher’s induction into the profession and provides opportunities for school-based critical enquiry. It enables pre-service teachers to reinforce and expand their professional knowledge and practice of the different roles of a teacher and their capacity to transform student learning. Pre-service teachers will use a critical enquiry framework to further develop capacities in the alignment of curriculum, assessment, learning and teaching. They will collect and interpret data on their own teaching to support quality teaching practices.
This unit aims to provide pre-service teachers with a substantial block of extended reflective professional experience that approximates the realities of everyday teaching; extends pre-service teachers’ repertoire of pedagogical skills in the planning, delivery and assessment of appropriate teaching and learning programs; and develops pre-service teachers’ understanding of the teachers’ role within the school and broader educational community.
This unit includes the GTPA as a capstone experience for this course. It draws upon learning across all components of the course, culminating in a final sustained and embedded professional experience of a minimum of 20 continuous days.
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 | Profile achievement of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers at a graduate level, and demonstrate readiness to transition into the profession, based on multiple sources of evidence (APST 6.1, 6.3) | GC1, GC2, GC3, GC7, GC9, GC11 |
| LO2 | Design and implement a critical enquiry, applying appropriate codes of ethics, into a pedagogical focus that promotes continued professional learning for improved student learning (APST 1.2, 3.6, 6.2, 6.4, 7.1) | GC1, GC2, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC11 |
| LO3 | Collect, examine and interpret multiple sources of evidence, including feedback from supervisors and student assessment data, to modify teaching practice (APST 5.1, 5.4, 6.3) | GC1, GC2, GC4, GC7, GC8, GC9 |
| LO4 | Critically self-reflect on the enquiry process and the collected evidence of learning and teaching for transforming and improving student learning and the pre-service teacher’s professional learning and practice (APST 1.2, 3.6) | GC1, GC2, GC3, GC7, GC8 |
| LO5 | Understand and critique the role of education systems, school philosophies and mission statements, strategic cross-sectorial policy developments, curriculum construction and management decisions in quality learning and teaching practices as a member of a collaborative learning community of professional educators (APST 6.2, 6.4, 7.1, 7.2) | GC1, GC2, GC3, GC4, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC11 |
| LO6 | Demonstrate effective teaching that promotes learning, and readiness to teach (APST 1.1, 1.3, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.5, 2.6, 3.1, 3.2, 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, 6.3, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3) | GC1, GC2, GC3, GC4, GC6, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC10, GC11, GC12 |
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. |
1.5 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of strategies for differentiating teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities. |
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. |
2.3 Use curriculum, assessment and reporting knowledge to design learning sequences and lesson plans. |
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. |
3.1 Set learning goals that provide achievable challenges for students of varying abilities and characteristics. |
3.2 Plan lesson sequences using knowledge of student learning, content and effective 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. |
3.6 Demonstrate broad knowledge of strategies that can be used to evaluate teaching programs to improve student learning. |
3.7 Describe a broad range of strategies for involving parents/carers in the educative process. |
4.1 Identify strategies to support inclusive student participation and engagement in classroom activities. |
4.2 Demonstrate the capacity to organise classroom activities and provide clear directions. |
4.3 Demonstrate knowledge of practical approaches to manage challenging behaviour. |
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. |
5.1 Demonstrate understanding of assessment strategies, including informal and formal, diagnostic, formative and summative approaches to assess student learning. |
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. |
5.4 Demonstrate the capacity to interpret student assessment data to evaluate student learning and modify teaching practice. |
5.5 Demonstrate understanding of a range of strategies for reporting to students and parents/carers and the purpose of keeping accurate and reliable records of student achievement. |
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. |
On successful completion of their initial teacher education, graduate teachers should be able to draw upon three domains of teaching: Professional Knowledge (know students and how they learn, and know the content and how to teach it); Professional Practice (plan for and implement effective teaching and learning; create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments; and assess, provide feedback and report on student learning) and Professional Engagement (engage in professional learning and engage professionally with colleagues, parents/carers and the community). In this final professional experience pre-service teachers are required to demonstrate mastery of the APST: Graduate level by completing two culminating assessments: * Graduate Teacher Performance Assessment (GTPA); and * Final Professional Experience Report |
Content
Topics will include:
- Establishing and maintaining an engaging learning environment cognizant of current teaching and learning theories in the classroom.
- Development of curriculum and class programs to enhance teaching and learning.
- Schools as learning communities and the teacher’s role as collaborative team member.
- Managing relationships within the school community.
- Analysing the particular school context for the impact of education systems, school philosophies, system, state, national and international policy developments and school structures on quality learning and teaching practices.
- Management of the full range of teacher’s responsibilities including routines, transitions, supervision and pastoral care of school students.
- Strategies that can be used to evaluate teaching programs to improve student learning.
- Assessment strategies, including informal and formal, diagnostic, formative and summative approaches to assess and moderate student learning.
- Strategies for collecting and interpreting student assessment data to evaluate student learning and modify teaching practice to improve learning outcomes, with a focus on the Secondary teaching area.
- Ethical professional practice for engaging with data and evidence for enquiry into and critical reflection of teaching and learning in school contexts.
- Critical reflection and collaborative interaction with other teachers and other professionals to improve teaching, assessment and professional judgement.
- Seeking and applying constructive feedback from supervisors, mentors and teachers to reflect on and improve teaching practices.
- Opportunities for continued professional learning within and beyond the school context and the implications for improved student learning.
- The writing and presentation of an enquiry-based capstone report.
- Self-auditing and reflective practices and their place in the authentication of attainment of the role of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers in identifying professional learning needs.
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
The key genre of this unit will be enquiry-based. The pre-service teacher engages in the GTPA as a capstone experience in the school context.
The enactment of this unit will be predominantly classroom/school focussed as the pre-service teacher engages in the sustained role of teacher in a classroom/school setting undertaking the diverse duties of a practising teacher, including: planning, teaching, assessment and moderation, differentiated engagement with students, department/year-level/school meetings, collaborative team planning sessions, supervision, and other duties required within the setting. Further, the pre-service teacher will engage in a capstone experience in the class/school setting and also undertake self-auditing activities against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers: Graduate level. The pre-service teacher will engage in the activities collegially with a mentor and/or supervising teacher and will engage in feedback discussions and proactive planning with both the supervising teacher and the university academic. The semester implementation of this unit identifying the nexus between university and school-based practice is as follows:
- Preparation for school-based experience; including professional knowledge and critical enquiry
- Block professional experience placement including implementation of the GTPA
- Preparation and submission of GTPA
- Reflection on school-based experience
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: TEACHING REQUIREMENTS
In the final professional experience, pre-service teachers must satisfactorily demonstrate attainment of the Australian Standards for Teachers: Graduate level in order to complete requirements and pass this unit.
The final practicum consists of 20 days of continuous supervised school-based experience in the same school. Pre-service teachers will be expected to undertake:
- 2 days of orientation and project planning prior to the commencement of the program, by negotiation with the school
- 0.8 of a full-time teaching load for four (4) continuous school weeks
(Refer to Professional Experience Handbook for detailed guidelines regarding teaching and other requirements).
Assessment strategy and rationale
The professional experience included in this unit represents the culmination of the pre-service teacher’s development towards readiness for the profession. The assessment comprises two culminating pieces of evidence of professional readiness;
i) the final report of Professional Experience Assessment; and ii) the Graduate Teacher Performance Assessment (GTPA). Pre-service teachers must achieve a pass in both assessments to satisfactorily complete this unit.
An ungraded pass or fail grade will be awarded for the completion of this unit. The University will award the final grade based on the two pieces of evidence collated about the student’s attainment of the Australian Professional Standards of Teachers: Graduate. Students must meet the graduate level requirements for both tasks/pieces of evidence to pass this unit.
If a fail grade is determined for either assessment requirement, regardless of the outcome of the other, this will result in a fail for the entire unit. 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.
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
Assessment Task 1: Assessment (GTPA) Graduate Teacher Performance Assessment (GTPA), undertaken in theteaching area; as described in national documentation for the year of study The GTPA asks pre-service teachers to reflect critically on a teaching, learning and assessment cycle and its impact on student learning. It must be accompanied by documentary evidence of the teaching, learning and assessment cycle and of student learning. The GTPA is a common, culminating assessment used across multiple ITE programs and providers. Information about the specific requirements of the GTPA is detailed in the guideline materials supplied via the Canvas site of this unit. | Pass/Fail | LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6 |
Assessment Task 2: Professional Experience Assessment The summative Professional experience is assessed in consultation with a supervising teacher and a university academic over the placement. The pre-service teacher must demonstrate attainment of the Australian Professional Standards of Teachers: Graduate within the context of classroom/school setting practices. Refer to the Unit Professional Experience Guidebook for interim and final reports. | Pass/Fail | LO5, LO6 |
Representative texts and references
Alber, S. (2011). A tool kit for action research. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Johnson, A.P. (2012). Short guide to action research. (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson
Kemmis, S., McTaggart, R., & Nixon, R. (2014). The action research planner: Doing critical participatory action research. Singapore: Springer Singapore.
Koshy, V. (2010). Action research for improving educational practice: A step-by-step guide (2nd ed.). London, England: Sage.
Macintyre, C. (2012). The art of action research in the classroom. London, England: David Fulton Publishers Ltd.
McMillan, J. and Schumacher, S. (2010). Research in Education Evidence-Based Inquiry (7th Edition). Boston: Pearson.
Nuttall, J., Kostogriz, A., Jones, M., & Martin, J. (Eds) (2017). Teacher Education Policy and Practice: Evidence of impact, impact of evidence. Singapore: Springer Science+Business Media. DOI: 10.1007/978-981-10-4133-4
Shagoury, R., & Miller-Power, B. (2012). Living the questions: A guide for teacher-researchers (2nd ed.). United States: Stenhouse Publishers.
Readman, K. and Allen, B. (2013). Practical planning and assessment. South Melbourne: Oxford University Press.
Wilson, E. (2017). School-based research: A guide for education students (3rd ed.). Cannington, WA: SAGE.