Unit rationale, description and aim
Intending secondary teachers need an understanding of the senior secondary curriculum in order to plan lessons that promote learner engagement and enhance student learning, with attention to the high-stakes assessment that is a common feature of the end of secondary schooling.
In this unit, pre-service teachers will consider the place of Biology education in contemporary Australian society. They will explore a range of evidence-based approaches for curriculum development and alignment and to plan for effective teaching and learning, including formative and summative assessment and providing constructive feedback and reporting. They will engage in self-reflection on their familiarity with the concepts and substance of the Biology curriculum and consider their responsibilities as a Biology teacher. They will identify and practice pedagogical approaches emblematic of Biology teaching. Pre-service teachers will formulate unit and assessment plans in order to demonstrate a knowledge of curriculum, learning and assessment theory.
The aim of this unit is for the pre-service teacher to become familiar with the knowledge, understanding and skills necessary for teaching Biology at a senior secondary level and to promote the development of pedagogical content knowledge.
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.
Explain the principles of curriculum design and th...
Learning Outcome 01
Identify and describe research-informed teaching a...
Learning Outcome 02
Develop a range of engaging and challenging activi...
Learning Outcome 03
Develop a range of assessment strategies to suppor...
Learning Outcome 04
Identify professional learning needs and appropria...
Learning Outcome 05
Content
Topics will include:
- Factors in the educational context (international, national, state, territory and local levels) including curriculum policies and perspectives that shape the identity of Biology in Years 11-12, including the various courses offered across states and territories
- Effective senior Biology teaching and learning
- General capabilities and cross-curriculum priorities including the integration of literacy, and local, state, territory and national perspectives in the Biology classroom
- Alignment and coherence in content, learning outcomes, pedagogy in curriculum programming in Biology
- Pedagogical strategies that promote problem solving and critical thinking
- The relationship between reflexive learning and effective concept formation to build higher order thinking in Biology
- Catering for a diverse range of learners in Biology
- Discipline specific teaching strategies and issues related to Indigenous students in Biology, including incorporating Indigenous texts into the curriculum
- Effective use of resources for teaching, including digital resources and approaches specific to teaching Biology
- Pedagogical strategies to promote problem solving and critical thinking in Biology
- Digital resources and approaches for senior Biology education
- Conversational, questioning and scaffolding techniques to shape dialogic classroom talk in Biology education
- Assessing student learning, providing feedback and reporting achievement in senior Biology education
- High-stakes assessment in Senior Secondary Biology education, including the specific moderation process, student data interpretation and using data to inform teaching
- Professional responsibilities and relationships
- Professional associations and continued professional learning.
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment tasks and their weightings are designed so that the pre-service teacher can progressively achieve the course learning outcomes and professional standards. The Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment units in this course focus on pre-service teachers acquiring content knowledge and developing the skills to assimilate conceptual knowledge to inform skills that will be applied in practice.
The assessment tasks are sequenced to allow feedback and progressive development. These tasks reflect ‘real world’ school contexts and teaching responsibilities, thereby preparing the pre-service teacher for professional experience placement and their role as a teacher.
Minimum Achievement Standards
The assessment tasks for this unit are designed to demonstrate the achievement of each learning outcome. In order to pass this unit, pre-service teachers are required to demonstrate achievement of all learning outcomes by submitting all assessment tasks and obtaining a combined score of at least 50% and meeting the requirements of the Critical Tasks which are core to the demonstration of a number of Australian Professional Teacher Standards:
· Assessment Task 2: Resource folio and critical analysis
A Critical Task is synonymous with a Graded Hurdle Task as defined in Section 3 of the Assessment Policy. As such, failure to pass the Critical Task will mean you are not eligible for a supplementary assessment in this unit (in accordance with Section 1d of the Supplementary Assessment Policy). A student who is otherwise on track to pass the unit but has a result in the range of 45-49% for the Critical Task, may be offered a ‘revisit’ of the Critical Task by the Lecturer in Charge. The revisit is treated as an ungraded hurdle task (pass/fail). The revisit would be an opportunity for the student to address the feedback provided by the marker and make additions or minor alterations to their submission to bring it to a passing standard.
Overview of assessments
Assessment Task 1: Design of a program/unit of wo...
Assessment Task 1: Design of a program/unit of work
Design a senior program/unit of work that supports student learning towards a selected summative assessment. Justify choices made with supporting evidence.
50%
Assessment Task 2: Resource Folio and Critical An...
Assessment Task 2: Resource Folio and Critical Analysis
Critical Task
Create a folio of 8 learning activities across a range of topics and skills relevant to senior secondary education. Critically analyse each folio item to consider supporting 1. diverse learners, 2. classroom organisation, 3. student safety, and 4. the development of literacy, numeracy and ICT demands. Justify choices with supporting evidence.
50%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit applies a social constructivist approach to develop an understanding of planning and assessment and skills in applying effective pedagogies through active engagement and collaborative learning. The pre-service teacher will have the opportunity to build an understanding of teaching strategies through critical reading, reflection, discussion, and engagement with webinars, podcasts and video resources. The pre-service teacher’s skills of professional communication and ability to work collaboratively will be practised through group activities and culminating in micro-teaching opportunities. Teaching skills of planning and assessing, and the ability to locate and synthesise information, will be developed through designing a curriculum appropriate for an English education context. The pre-service teacher will continue to gather and reflect upon evidence of attainment of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers: Graduate.
Teaching and learning strategies may include:
- Microteaching opportunities.
- Self-directed reading and research.
- Collaborative learning opportunities.
The unit is hosted on a Learning Management System (LMS) site with resources and online links, announcements, and a discussion board to post questions and reflections that promote connection between content and educational experiences.
Mode of delivery: This unit may be offered in different modes to cater to the learning needs and preferences of a range of participants.
Multi-mode
Learning activities are delivered through a planned mix of online and in-person classes, which may include full-day sessions and/or placements, to enable interaction. Activities that require attendance will appear in a student’s timetable.
Online unscheduled
Learning activities are accessible anytime, anywhere. These units are normally delivered fully online and will not appear in a student’s timetable.
ACU Online
In ACU Online mode, this unit is delivered asynchronously, fully online using an active, guided learning approach. Pre-service teachers are encouraged to contribute to asynchronous weekly discussions and receive regular and timely feedback on their learning.
Australian Professional Standards for Teachers - Graduate Level
In connection to the learning outcomes, on successful completion of this unit, pre-service teachers should have developed the following industry specific knowledge based on the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers - Graduate Level standards:
Relating toDemonstrate knowledge and understanding of physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students and how these may affect learning.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO1
Relating toDemonstrate knowledge and understanding of research into how students learn and the implications for teaching.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO1, LO2, LO3
Relating toDemonstrate knowledge of teaching strategies that are responsive to the learning strengths and needs of students from diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO2, LO3
Relating toDemonstrate 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
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO2
Relating toDemonstrate knowledge and understanding of strategies for differentiating teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO2, LO3
Relating toDemonstrate knowledge and understanding of the concepts, substance and structure of the content and teaching strategies of the teaching area.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Relating toOrganise content into an effective learning and teaching sequence.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO3
Relating toUse curriculum, assessment and reporting knowledge to design learning sequences and lesson plans.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO4
Relating toKnow and understand literacy and numeracy teaching strategies and their application in teaching areas.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO3
Relating toSet learning goals that provide achievable challenges for students of varying abilities and characteristics.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO3, LO4
Relating toInclude a range of teaching strategies.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO2, LO3
Relating toDemonstrate knowledge of a range of resources, including ICT, that engage students in their learning.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO3
Relating toDemonstrate broad knowledge of strategies that can be used to evaluate teaching programs to improve student learning.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO3, LO4
Relating toDemonstrate an understanding of the relevant issues and the strategies available to support the safe, responsible and ethical use of ICT in learning and teaching.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO3
Relating toDemonstrate understanding of assessment strategies, including informal and formal, diagnostic, formative and summative approaches to assess student learning.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO4
Relating toDemonstrate an understanding of the purpose of providing timely and appropriate feedback to students about their learning.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO3, LO4
Relating toDemonstrate understanding of assessment moderation and its application to support consistent and comparable judgements of student learning.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO4
Relating toDemonstrate the capacity to interpret student assessment data to evaluate student learning and modify teaching practice.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO4
Relating toDemonstrate 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.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO3, LO4
Relating toDemonstrate an understanding of the role of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers in identifying professional learning needs.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO5
Relating toUnderstand the relevant and appropriate sources of professional learning for teachers.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO5
Relating toDemonstrate an understanding of the rationale for continued professional learning and the implications for improved student learning.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO5