Unit rationale, description and aim
Contemporary research into student well-being suggests that a collaborative, team-based, school, family and community partnership approach appropriate to the individual’s holistic environment and specific needs offers preventative, protective, and supportive factors. Best practice in both teaching and in student engagement requires that educators to understand not only the need for, but to develop and expand established relationships and social networks to create a team approach inclusive of themselves, their colleagues, families and the local community. The family and community play a critical role in supporting young people's learning and wellbeing and therefore understanding the enabling factors and barriers to students' well-being is critical to inform the adoption of appropriate and evidence-based whole-school approaches to foster well-being.
In this unit, postgraduate students will develop an understanding of key factors, including aspirations and motivations and the integration of family and community knowledge, experiences and resources into learning, that contribute to or hinder the development of family and community partnerships. Students will examine evidence-informed approaches to building and sustaining strong, respectful, collaborative family and community partnerships with an emphasis on whole-school approaches to enhancing student wellbeing and learning. Based on their literature review and knowledge of local policies, practices, and the principles of Catholic Social Teaching, post graduate students will design an initial action plan for enhancing family and community partnerships and implement whole school approaches to enhance student wellbeing and learning in their professional context.
The aim of this unit is to support students in developing the required advanced knowledge, understanding and skills they need in order to enable strong, collaborative family and community partnerships that promote the wellbeing and engagement with learning of children and young people using whole-school approaches.
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.
Articulate theoretical and applied understanding o...
Learning Outcome 01
Analyse evidence-informed approaches and practices...
Learning Outcome 02
Create an action plan for enhancing family and com...
Learning Outcome 03
Content
Topics will include:
- 1a. Key factors that are enablers and barriers to the development of family and community partnerships
- 1b. consideration of the role of motivations and the integration of family and community knowledge, experiences and resources into learning as contributors in the development of family and community partnerships
- 2a. evaluation of whole-school models, frameworks and approaches to enhancing student wellbeing and learning
- 2b. consideration of the role of opportunities, capabilities, connections, beliefs and values, and confidence or self-efficacy required to build and sustain strong, respectful, collaborative family and community partnerships
- 3a. consideration of the role of local policies, and practices in building and sustaining strong, respectful, collaborative family and community partnerships
- 3b. consideration of the potential contribution of principles of Catholic Social Teaching to building and sustaining strong, respectful, collaborative family and community partnerships
- 4a. evidence-informed approaches to building and sustaining strong, respectful, collaborative family and community partnerships
- 4b. developing action plans for building and sustaining strong, respectful, collaborative family and community partnerships in learning contexts.
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment tasks for this unit are designed for students to demonstrate achievement of each of the learning outcomes. In addition, the tasks represent an opportunity to align with the individual needs of students and their professional contexts. The assessment tasks are cumulative in their requirements, demonstrating specifically what factors enable foster student wellbeing and a safe learning environment. There are two assessment tasks designed as meaningful and authentic tasks. The assessment strategy used allows students to demonstrate their knowledge and evaluate key factors (including the role of aspirations and the integration of family and community knowledge, experiences and resources into learning) to inform the development of an action plan to develop strong, respectful and collaborative family and community partnerships with an emphasis on whole-school approaches to enhancing student wellbeing and learning.
In order to successfully complete this unit, postgraduate students need to complete and submit two graded assessment tasks. The first task involves a review of literature identifying factors that contribute to or hinder safe and supportive learning environments. The second task is an action plan designed for a specific context.
In order to pass this unit, students are required to submit and pass both assessment tasks.
Overview of assessments
Assessment Task 1: Concept pitch This task requ...
Assessment Task 1: Concept pitch
This task requires students to design a concept pitch that could be presented to a school council and local community council with the aim of creating build a new school-based community-linked partnership to enhance student well-being. This task requires students to critically review the current relevant literature and demonstrate their understanding of key factors (including the role of aspirations, motivations and the integration of family and community knowledge, experiences and resources into learning) that contribute to and hinder the development of strong, respectful and collaborative family and community partnerships with an emphasis on whole-school approaches to enhancing student wellbeing and learning. Students should then select a contemporary evidence-informed approach to developing family and community partnerships and critique this approach in relation to the key factors identified within the review of literature. This pitch needs to include contextual background (literature review), rationale, a map of the proposed local community highlighting key locations, facilities and organisation locations, the student target group/s, links to curriculum, strategies to be implemented using a whole-school approach. Students present their findings using a multi-media presentation using a format approved by the LIC that can be presented to the school council and local community council.
50%
Assessment Task 2 -Initial Action Plan This ta...
Assessment Task 2 -Initial Action Plan
This task requires students to build upon the proposal design outlined in assessment task 1 by creating and initial action plan for developing respectful, collaborative family and community partnerships with an emphasis on whole-school approaches to enhancing student wellbeing and learning in relation to their professional context. The plan should be consistent with current policy and practices and include consideration of the need for the action plan as well as a rationale for its design. Students should also include a brief description of selected evidence-informed strategies to be utilised as well as a description of the evidence that would be gathered to monitor implementation and potential outcomes of the action plan. The evaluation plan needs to include short term and sustained goals over a 10-year period.
50%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
Engagement for learning is the key driver in the delivery of this curriculum. This unit is supported by a Learning Management System (LMS) site, and the use of the LMS will be integral to the unit in exploring concepts and testing understandings and propositions. Approaches used may include lectures, engagement with the literature, self-directed learning, critical reflection against relevant professional standards, case studies, dialogue and interrogation of concepts, theories and practices, and the application of learning to current professional contexts. The aim is to design a reflective and reflexive learning space for participants to consider and discuss the importance of student wellbeing and the relevance of teachers’ wellbeing and teaching practice
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 semester.
Mode of delivery: This unit will be offered in one or more of modes of delivery described below, chosen with the aim of providing flexible delivery of academic content.
- 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.
- Intensive: In an intensive mode, students require face-to-face attendance on weekends, or any block of time determined by the school. Students will have face-to-face interactions with lecturer(s) to further their achievement of the learning outcomes. This unit is structured with required upfront preparation before workshops. The online learning platforms used in this unit provide multiple forms of preparatory and practice opportunities for students to prepare and revise.
- 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.
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: