Unit rationale, description and aim
The Technologies curriculum is designed to provide learning opportunities for students that facilitate the development of critical and creative thinking skills to solve real–world problems. Aligning with the education goals from the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration, realisation of these mandates requires the adoption of constructivists principles to support ‘hands–on’, student–centred teaching and learning strategies.
In this unit, pre–service teachers will establish a knowledge base in the areas of curriculum, pedagogy and assessment in F–6 Technologies national curriculum. The understanding of curricula will be provided from a Catholic, State and Independent school perspective. More specifically, it will familiarise pre–service teachers with both the Design and Technologies and the Digital Technologies components of the Australian Curriculum. This will include syllabus content and requirements, approaches to lesson planning and delivery, the use of project–based learning, and current and emerging digital technologies for resource development. Pre–service teachers will experiment and evaluate a range of digital technologies resources to support meaningful technology pedagogy, and will learn to differentiate between ICT capabilities and Digital Technologies.
The aim of this unit is to develop pre–service teacher’s awareness of the unique language, literacy, general capabilities and cross–curriculum priorities of the technologies to meet the learning needs of a diverse range of students.
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.
Apply relevant national/state and systemic policy ...
Learning Outcome 01
Describe a range of theoretical frameworks relatin...
Learning Outcome 02
Select, document, implement and evaluate, a range ...
Learning Outcome 03
Research, evaluate and develop learning resources ...
Learning Outcome 04
Content
Topics will include:
- Study of relevant national, state and systemic policy and syllabus statements to set the context for the Australian Curriculum: Technologies within the Foundation to Year 6 context
- Study of the aims, objectives, outcomes, content and assessment requirements of the relevant Australian Curriculum: Technologies syllabus
- Examination of a range of theoretical frameworks relating to teaching of and with technologies
- Approaches to planning and development of project-based teaching and learning strategies
- Teaching and learning strategies, that include the general capabilities and cross-curriculum priorities, to meet a range of student learning styles and prior experiences
- Design and Technologies knowledge and understanding and processes and production skills - identify needs, opportunities or problems and use design process and design thinking to develop solution
- Digital Technologies knowledge and understanding and processes and production skills – defining and solving problems through digital systems, critical and creative thinking and applying computational thinking
- The language and literacy of the technologies
- Ethics, values and contemporary influences involved in the teaching of the technologies subject.
- Professional learning and associations
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment tasks and their weightings allow pre-service teachers to progressively demonstrate achievement against the course learning outcomes by demonstrating academic and professional standards. This Technologies Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment unit will focus on developing understanding of, and skills across the professional knowledge, practice and engagement needed to meet expectations of the Graduate Attributes and the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers: Graduate level.
A range of assessment procedures will be used to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes consistent with University assessment requirements. (http://www.acu.edu.au/policy/student_policies/assessment_policy_and_assessment_procedures).
Assessment Task 1 involves the development of a Design Technologies Project. Assessment Task 2 requires a Digital Technologies project solution. The two assessment tasks are sequenced to allow feedback and progressive development of content knowledge and skills for planning teaching and assessing technology units.
Minimum Achievement Standards
The assessment tasks and their weighting for this unit are designed to demonstrate achievement of each learning outcome. In order to pass this unit, pre-service teachers are required to complete ALL assessment tasks and achieve an overall Pass grade.
Overview of assessments
Assessment Task 1 Design and Technologies Projec...
Assessment Task 1
Design and Technologies Project-based Site
50%
Assessment Task 2 Digital Technologies Contempor...
Assessment Task 2
Digital Technologies Contemporary Teaching
50%
Assessment Task 1: Design Technologies Project-based site
Task Requirements
Part A – Project-Based Learning
Participants are to design and develop an original 7-10 days (7-10 hour) project-based learning (PBL) task, appropriate to a primary school year level of your choice. The problem and sustained inquiry sequence is to derive from the Design and Technologies Curriculum and should integrate with other curriculum areas, including ICT as a general capability. The PBL task must be underpinned by the learning theories addressed during lectures and tutorials, for example, project-based learning, SAMR, TIM, etc.
The PBL task will be presented as a website, and should be a minimum of four web pages:
1. Challenging Problem or Question Statement – A real-world scenario needs to be presented that describes the nature and scope of the problem.
2. Sustained Inquiry – include three innovative activities that will guide students to produce a well-considered judgment, to support their solution to the problem. Utilise a range of theories to ensure activities are scaffolded e.g. Bloom’s Taxonomy, Gardener’s Multiple Intelligences
3. Assessment Strategy – guide for students to determine whether the learning outcomes of the task are met.
4. Work Sample – ‘Above satisfactory’ work sample of each of the activities and problem solution
Part B – Project-Based Learning Reflection
Write a critical reflection addressing how and where the project-based learning task you have designed is underpinned by project-based learning and other theories. The critical reflection must be more than anecdotal; reference must be made to the readings and the theoretical content covered during the lectures and tutorials (approx. 400 words).
Assessment Task 2 – Digital Technologies Contemporary Teaching
Part A – Digital Technologies Lesson Plan
In groups of 3, develop a series of three sequential lessons/learning activities.
Using the ACU lesson plan template and the Digital Technologies Syllabus you are to create a sequence of three, contemporary and detailed 30-minute lessons. The lessons are to be based on the Years 5 and 6 Digital Technologies Outcomes and Content. Your lessons must integrate the meaningful use of at least one digital technological tool or application and be innovative in approach.
The lesson plans should specify clearly: the syllabus, year level, outcomes, cross-curriculum priorities, general capabilities, timed lesson content and teaching strategies and resources required, including technological. Accompanying the lesson plan should be all the resources required to teach the lesson. If resources have been taken from existing texts or URLs ensure they are clearly referenced.
Part B – Innovative Teaching Performance
In the same group of 3, students are to identify the most creative and engaging 15-minutes from the lessons planned in Part A. Students are to teach the 15-minute lesson, with each group member participating equally to the lesson delivery. The teaching performance must have the tutorial group actively participating in the lesson.
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
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 comprising of directed tasks and self-study.
An emphasis is placed on pre-service teachers as adult learners with responsibility for their own learning and who are capable of problem solving. The learning in this unit is enquiry-based, learner-focused and student centred. Teaching and learning strategies are designed to be flexible and promote self-regulated and guided learning, underpinned by adult learning principles and may include:
- Seminars, tutorials or workshops; online activities to engage in active learning
- Reading guides which involve directed reading as well as self-directed online study materials
- Discussion Forum online postings and responses designed to encourage peer collaboration
- Webinars and podcasts for lecturer and student communication and for further information.
To achieve a passing standard in this unit, pre-service teachers will find it helpful to engage in the full range of learning activities and assessments utilised in this unit, as described in the learning and teaching strategy and the assessment strategy.
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.
On Campus
Most learning activities or classes are delivered at a scheduled time, on campus, to enable in-person interactions. Activities will appear in a student’s timetable.
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.
Online scheduled
All learning activities are held online, at scheduled times, and will require some attendance to enable online interaction. Activities will 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
On successful completion of this unit, pre-service teachers should be able to:
ACECQA CURRICULUM SPECIFICATIONS
On successful completion of this unit, pre-service teachers should have developed the following specific knowledge:
Representative texts and references
Required text(s)
Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2015). Australian Curriculum: Technologies. , Canberra, ACT: Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority.
Relevant State and Territory curriculum documents.
Recommended references
Albion, P., Campbell, C., & Jobling, W. (2018). Technologies education for the primary years. Cengage Learning Australia.
Henderson, M., & Romeo, G. (Eds). (2015). Teaching and digital technologies: Big issues and critical questions. Cambridge University Press.
Howell, J. (2012). Teaching with ICT: Digital pedagogies for collaboration and creativity. Oxford University Press.
Larmer, J., Ross, D., & Mergendoller, J.R. (2017). PBL starter kit: To-the-point advice, tools and tips for your first project in middle or high school. Buck Institute for Education.
Thompson, S., & Thompson, N. (2018). The critically reflective practitioner 2nd ed.). Palgrave/Macmillan Education.
Whitton, D., Barker, K., Nosworthy, M., Humphries, J., & Sinclair, C. (2016). Learning for teaching: Teaching for learning (3rd ed.). Cengage Learning Australia
Appropriate Journals and Websites
Australian Council for Computers in Education (ACCE) (http://acce.edu.au)
Australasian Journal of Educational Technology https://acu.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/61ACU_INST/qpf7hm/alma991012621550302352
Buck Institute for Education: https://my.pblworks.org/
Digital Technologies Hub https://www.digitaltechnologieshub.edu.au/
code.org - http://code.org/
Computer Science Unplugged http://csunplugged.org/
Grok Learning - http://groklearning.com/
Introduction to Computational Thinking for Every Educator https://www.iste.org/learn/iste-u/computational-thinking
Scootle https://www.scootle.edu.au/ec/acSubject?name=%22Digital%20Technologies%22