Unit rationale, description and aim
Educators play a vital role in advocating for and supporting the educational and social development of all students, particularly those with complex needs, unique attributes and challenging behaviours.
This unit recognises that all professionals in their work with all children and young people play a significant role in advocating on their behalf, assuring their safety and supporting their educational and social development through effective curriculum planning, design, and implementation. It develops skills in identifying and implementing inclusive strategies and practices based on the principles of Universal Design for Learning.
The aim of this unit is to provide students with the knowledge and skills to address the social and emotional needs of all students and to develop strategies for creating positive and supportive classroom environments.
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.
Demonstrate an understanding of the principles of ...
Learning Outcome 01
Display proficiency in choosing and customising in...
Learning Outcome 02
Articulate the significance of continuous assessme...
Learning Outcome 03
Demonstrate leadership skills and advocacy to adva...
Learning Outcome 04
Apply skills in collaboration and communication wi...
Learning Outcome 05
Content
Topics will include:
- Introduction to Universal Design for Learning (UDL) including its principles and how it can be applied in the classroom to support all learners
- Evidence-based universal interventions and strategies for supporting diverse student needs in the classroom, such as flexible grouping, differentiated instruction, and assistive technology
- Selection and adaptation of interventions to meet the specific needs of individual students and groups of students
- Assessment and monitoring techniques for evaluating the effectiveness of universal interventions and adjusting as needed
- Collaboration and communication strategies for working with families, community members, and other stakeholders to support all learners in the inclusive classroom
- Leadership and advocacy for promoting the use of universal interventions and creating inclusive classrooms for all learners.
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment strategy 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 above. 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 sucessfully complete all assessment tasks and achieve an overall mark above 50%..
The assessment tasks involve critique of the module content and independent research. Scope is provided for the educator 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 the critical reflection and strategy development presentation.
Overview of assessments
Assessment Task 1 Reflect on the effectiveness ...
Assessment Task 1
Reflect on the effectiveness of the universal interventions and strategies currently used (or otherwise) in your current professional context. Discuss how ongoing assessment and monitoring can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions and strategies, and how adjustments can be made as needed.
50%
Assessment Task 2 Create a presentation and sup...
Assessment Task 2
Create a presentation and support material for colleagues that highlights the importance of universal interventions for creating inclusive classrooms for all learners. Include specific examples of how the principles of UDL can be applied to support all students.
50%
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 strategic action framework for supporting children and young people in inclusive settings. Students will explore the key issues of effective planning and collaboration to develop a deeper contextualised understanding of effective educational provision for all students 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:
AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS - LEAD
On successful completion of this unit, students should have gained evidence towards the following standards: