Unit rationale, description and aim
This is the second unit in a Religious Education Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment sequence. The pre-service teacher will refine their approach to teaching and learning with a focus on specific professional practices related to teaching and learning in the specific discipline area.
This unit is designed to build on and further develop the knowledge base for pre-service teachers in the areas of curriculum, pedagogy and assessment in Religious Education for secondary students in the senior years (Years 11-12). The unit is also designed to develop pre-service teachers' understanding and skills in critically analysing and evaluating contemporary theory, concepts and issues in Religious Education as applied in the classroom context. Particular attention is given to developing pre-service teachers' understanding of current issues impacting this curriculum area with a particular focus on assessment, examination, reporting, curriculum evaluation, and literacy and numeracy teaching strategies within Religious Education.
The aim of EDRE399 is to immerse students further into the discipline of religious education for the senior secondary school context and to develop their knowledge and skills for planning related curriculum, pedagogy and assessment.
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.
Generate and critically evaluate a religious educa...
Learning Outcome 01
Critically analyse a variety of classroom strategi...
Learning Outcome 02
Demonstrate an understanding of the literacy and n...
Learning Outcome 03
Examine the relationships between student learning...
Learning Outcome 04
Interpret and explain the relationship of assessme...
Learning Outcome 05
Articulate the relationship between Religious Educ...
Learning Outcome 06
Demonstrate understanding of sociocultural influen...
Learning Outcome 07
Content
Topics will include:
factors in the religious educational context (international, national, state, territory and local levels) including curriculum policies and perspectives that shape the identity of Catholic religious education in the senior years
- coverage of resources relevant to jurisdictional syllabus documents
- specific professional practices related to teaching and learning in religious education in the senior years (eg. state accredited religious education and school-based Religious Education)
- an understanding of how effective teaching, including curriculum rigour, engagement, participation and inclusion, is a key factor in effective classroom management
- general capabilities and cross curriculum priorities including the integration of literacy and numeracy, and local, state, territory and national perspectives in Religious Education
- alignment and coherence in content, learning outcomes, pedagogy in curriculum programming in Religious Education
- the relationship between reflexive learning and effective concept formation to build higher order thinking in Religious Education
- catering for a diverse range of learners in Religious Education
- discipline specific teaching strategies and issues related to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in Religious Education
- effective use of resources for teaching, including ICT’s and technologies specific to Religious Education
- literacy and numeracy teaching strategies applicable to teaching and learning within Religious Education
- pedagogical strategies to promote problem solving and critical thinking in Religious Education
- school-based assessment, external examinations in Religious Education
- interpreting assessment data, intervention, feedback, and reporting in Religious Education
- extending and challenging learners in Religious Education
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment tasks for this unit are designed for students to progressively demonstrate their achievement of each learning outcome. For this reason, a range of assessment procedures will be used to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes consistent with University assessment requirements. Such procedures may include, but are not limited to: essays, reports, examinations, student presentations or case studies. In order to pass this unit, students are required to submit all assessment tasks and achieve an aggregate mark of at least 50/100.
By drawing on religious education and general educational theory, task 1 requires students to plan and implement religious education learning and teaching activities for senior secondary students.
Task 2 requires students to address a current issue or debate in curriculum, pedagogy and assessment in the religious education.
Overview of assessments
Assessment Task 1: Incorporating curriculum, pe...
Assessment Task 1:
Incorporating curriculum, pedagogy and assessment into a short sequence of classroom lessons
50%
Assessment Task 2: A paper that addresses a cur...
Assessment Task 2:
A paper that addresses a current issue or debate in curriculum, pedagogy and assessment in the teaching subject.
50%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit involves 150 hours of focused learning. The total includes formally structured learning activities such as lectures, tutorials, and online learning. The remaining hours typically involve reading, research, and the preparation and submission of tasks for assessment.
The unit is normally offered in face-to-face or online modes. Students learn through formally structured and sequenced learning activities that support the achievement of the learning outcomes. Students are asked to critically reflect, analyse, and integrate new information with existing knowledge, draw meaningful new connections, and then apply what they have learned to school and other professional contexts. Learning activities take a social constructivist approach which recognises the particular relevance, value and need for peer to peer engagement in learning within this discipline.
Teaching religious education in school settings requires specific knowledge and skill sets unique to the Catholic and church-sponsored school. Students in this unit acquire knowledge about curriculum, pedagogy and assessment and apply that to junior secondary school religious education contexts. Religious education theory, church documents and curricula inform students about the role of the religious educator in the local diocesan school. This background information provides a foundation for teachers to construct pedagogically appropriate classroom teaching and learning strategies for religious education, including previously acquired theological understandings of the essential precepts of Church teaching.
The unit is constructed with consideration of students’ prior knowledge, their experience, and the requirements for teaching religious education in the junior years of schooling. The unit is constructively aligned to build knowledge and integrate skills from general principles to specific outcomes that apply to classroom and school-wide settings of religious education.
AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS - GRADUATE LEVEL
On successful completion of this unit, pre-service teachers should be able to: