Unit rationale, description and aim

With the enactment of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) (UN, 2006) alongside the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (United Nations, 1989), the right to inclusive education is clearly and universally defined. Despite human rights recognition and legal obligations to implement inclusive education, many institutions still benefit, including profit making, from segregation.

This unit focuses on strategies for addressing and preventing discrimination, harassment, and bullying, and ways to promote equity and social justice in the classroom and the school community that are underpinned by the actualisation of the human rights of children. It develops skills in inclusive classroom practice and assessment, as well as community advocacy strategies.

The aim of this unit is to provide students with an awareness, understanding and political will to uphold the rights outlined in the Conventions on the Rights of Persons with Disability and the Rights of the Child.

2025 10

Campus offering

Find out more about study modes.

Unit offerings may be subject to minimum enrolment numbers.

Please select your preferred campus.

  • Term Mode
  • Semester 2Multi-mode
  • Term Mode
  • Semester 2Online Unscheduled

Prerequisites

Nil

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.

Synthesise an understanding of the rights of stude...

Learning Outcome 01

Synthesise an understanding of the rights of students with diverse abilities and the importance of enabling their participation in the classroom (APST (HA) 1.3, 1.6, 6.3, 7.1; APST (Lead) 3.1)
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC2, GC3, GC4, GC6, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC11

Implement strategies for creating inclusive learni...

Learning Outcome 02

Implement strategies for creating inclusive learning environments that support the participation rights of all students (APST (HA) 1.3, 1.6; APST (Lead) 3.2, 4.4)
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC2, GC3, GC4, GC6, GC7, GC8, GC11

Synthesise an understanding of the role of assessm...

Learning Outcome 03

Synthesise an understanding of the role of assessment in enabling participation and the importance of using alternative and inclusive assessment methods (APST (HA) 1.3, 1.6; APST (Lead) 1.1, 3.2)
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC2, GC3, GC4, GC6, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC11

Identify strategies for effective collaboration an...

Learning Outcome 04

Identify strategies for effective collaboration and communication with families, community members, and other stakeholders to enable participation of all students (APST (HA) 1.6, 6.3, 7.1; APST (Lead) 4.4, 7.2)
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC2, GC3, GC4, GC6, GC7, GC8

Exhibit skill in advocacy and leadership to promot...

Learning Outcome 05

Exhibit skill in advocacy and leadership to promote the rights of students with diverse abilities and create inclusive classrooms (APST (HA) 1.6, 6.3, 7.1; APST (Lead) 3.1, 4.4, 7.2)
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC2, GC3, GC4, GC6, GC7, GC8, GC11

Content

Topics will include:

  • International treaties and documents such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child; UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, General Comment No.7; General Comment No.4; General Comment No.12
  • Local codes of ethical practice in relation to young children (e.g., in law, education, health, etc)  
  • Current tensions, debates, and research  
  • Sociology of childhood, child competence and agency  
  • Children as global rights holders: provision, participation and protection  
  • Children as active participants and decision-makers  
  • Working and communicating with diverse children in multiple contexts  
  • The role of professionals as advocates for young children across a range of disciplines within local, national and international contexts  
  • Strategies that enhance rights-based practice.  


Assessment strategy and rationale

The assessment strategies used allows students to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes and professional standards and criteria consistent with University assessment requirements.   

The assessment tasks relate directly to the achievement of the learning outcomes. Some flexibility may be exercised in the assessment tasks to align with the needs of the students; for example, some students may be working in schools or other educational contexts, in an administrative role or currently on leave from teaching in a school. In order to pass this unit, students are required to successfully complete all assessment tasks and achieve an overall mark of 50% or above. 

The assessment tasks involve critique of the module content and independent research. Scope is provided for the student to use reflective processes to connect personal theories with the content and material presented and to critically discuss possible applications and consequences for practice. The content explored in the modules and independent research is to be used to inform and frame the writing of a critical analysis and a strategic proposal. 

Overview of assessments

Assessment Task 1  Critical analysis of relevant ...

Assessment Task 1 

Critical analysis of relevant rights related documents and the implications for professional practice 

Weighting

40%
Learning Outcomes LO1, LO2, LO4

Assessment Task 2  Create a proposal for a projec...

Assessment Task 2 

Create a proposal for a project or initiative that demonstrates your skills in advocacy and leadership to promote the rights of students with diverse abilities and create inclusive classrooms. 

Weighting

60%
Learning Outcomes LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit is offered fully online and uses an active learning approach to support students in the exploration of the essential knowledge associated with the enactment of a rights respecting framework for supporting children and young people in inclusive settings. Students will explore key issues and develop a deeper contextualised understanding of child rights, voice and agency through online asynchronous activities. Other activities may include lectures and reading, self-directed learning, participant critical reflection against relevant professional standards with particular reference to case studies, engagement with the literature, dialogue and interrogation of concepts, theories and practices, and the application to their current professional contexts. 

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 across the teaching period, comprising directed tasks and self-study. 

AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS - HIGHLY ACCOMPLISHED

On successful completion of this unit, students should have gained evidence towards the following standards:

Standards/Attributes/Criteria

1.3 Students with diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds

Support colleagues to develop effective teaching strategies that address the learning strengths and needs of students from diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds.

1.6 Strategies to support full participation of students with disability

Work with colleagues to access specialist knowledge, and relevant policy and legislation, to develop teaching programs that support the participation and learning of students with disability.

6.3 Engage with colleagues and improve practice

Initiate and engage in professional discussions with colleagues in a range of forums to evaluate practice directed at improving professional knowledge and practice, and the educational outcomes of students.

7.1 Meet professional ethics and responsibilities

Maintain high ethical standards and support colleagues to interpret codes of ethics and exercise sound judgement in all school and community contexts.

AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS - LEAD

On successful completion of this unit, students should have gained evidence towards the following standards: 

Standards/Attributes/Criteria

1.1 Physical, Social and intellectual development and characteristics of students

Lead colleagues to select and develop teaching strategies to improve student learning using knowledge of the physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students.

3.1 Establish challenging learning goals

Demonstrate exemplary practice and high expectations and lead colleagues to encourage students to pursue challenging goals in all aspects of their education

3.2 Plan, structure and sequence learning programs

Exhibit exemplary practice and lead colleagues to plan, implement and review the effectiveness of their learning and teaching programs to develop students’ knowledge, understanding and skills.

4.4 Maintain student safety

Evaluate the effectiveness of student wellbeing policies and safe working practices using current school and/ or system, curriculum and legislative requirements and assist colleagues to update their practices.

7.2 Comply with legislative, administrative and organisational requirements

Initiate, develop and implement relevant policies and processes to support colleagues’ compliance with and understanding of existing and new legislative, administrative, organizational and professional responsibilities.

Representative texts and references

Representative texts and references

Coates, J., & Vickerman, P. (2013). A review of methodological strategies for consulting children with special educational needs in physical education. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 28(3), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/08856257.2013.797705

Gillett-Swan, J. K., & Sargeant, J. (2018). Assuring children’s human right to freedom of opinion and expression in education. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 20(1), 120–127. https://doi.org/10.1080/17549507.2018.1385852

Graham, L. J., Medhurst, M., Malaquias, C., Tancredi, H., de Bruin, C., Gillett-Swan, J., Poed, S., Spandagou, I., Carrington, S., & Cologon, K. (2020). Beyond Salamanca: a citation analysis of the CRPD/GC4 relative to the Salamanca Statement in inclusive and special education research. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2020.1831627 

Invernizzi, Antonella., & Williams, J. (2008). Children and citizenship (Antonella. Invernizzi & J. (Jane M. ) Williams, Eds.) [Book]. SAGE. 

Jones, P. (2018). Rethinking children’s rights : attitudes in contemporary society (S. Welch & S. Welch, Eds.; Second Edition.) [Book]. Bloomsbury Academic, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. 

Moody, Z. (2014). Transnational treaties on children’s rights: Norm building and circulation in the twentieth century. Paedagogica Historica, 50(1–2), 151–164. https://doi.org/10.1080/00309230.2013.872682

Sargeant, J. (2014). Adults’ Perspectives on Tweens’ Capacities: Participation or Protection? Children Australia, 39(1), 9–16. https://doi.org/10.1017/cha.2013.36  

UN General Assembly, Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: resolution adopted by the General Assembly, 24 January 2007, A/RES/61/106, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/45f973632.html  

United Nations. (1989). Convention on the Rights of the Child. United Nations. http://www.hrweb.org/legal/child.html

Locations
Credit points
Year
Back to previous page

Have a question?

We're available 9am–5pm AEDT,
Monday to Friday

If you’ve got a question, our AskACU team has you covered. You can search FAQs, text us, email, live chat, call – whatever works for you.

Live chat with us now

Chat to our team for real-time
answers to your questions.

Launch live chat

Visit our FAQs page

Find answers to some commonly
asked questions.

See our FAQs
 Ask a question
Call 1300 275 228