Unit rationale, description and aim
A Catholic Dialogue School is an inclusive educational community formed to reflect the love of Christ in its authentic concern for the full flourishing of the human person. It is distinctive in foregrounding questions of ultimate meaning within a plural context, and is sensitive to the ways in which young people negotiate their developing identities as they address such questions. In a genuinely Catholic Dialogue School, the ongoing formation of teachers is paramount. Such formation includes, especially, skills in leading and moderating dialogue, while being critically attentive to their own presuppositions as well as knowledgeable in matters relating to Catholic faith and practice; sensitivity to the complex processes of meaning-making; and openness regarding the possibility of recognising the presence of God within the cultural moment as well as in Catholic tradition. The aim of this unit is for participants to develop a thorough understanding of the shifts required to enhance Catholic identity and to be able to promote such shifts strategically within their school communities. This will be evidenced by their design, implementation and evaluation of a year-long project focusing on provoking a shift by the staff in their school.
Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.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.
Compare and contrast the “the three shifts”: the r...
Learning Outcome 01
Articulate a thorough understanding of the nature ...
Learning Outcome 02
Apply a detailed understanding of one of the three...
Learning Outcome 03
Content
Topics will include:
- The Catholic Dialogue School
- The Recontextualising Shift
- The Hermeneutical Shift
- The Religious Identity Shift
- Examining school data with reference to the shifts
- Strategies to promote one of the shifts in staff members
- Designing a project to implement and evaluate a shift by staff members
- Thinking through blocks to success
- What does success look like?
Assessment strategy and rationale
Assessment in this unit will require critical reflection on the theological justifications for and practical implications of the development of a Catholic Dialogue School. The focus of assessment is the creation, implementation and evaluation of a robust and well-constructed Project to help promote the relevant shift in the participant’s school. In each of the three assessment tasks, participants will address all three learning outcomes, with all tasks providing multiple opportunities to compare and contrast the three shifts and to articulate their understanding of the nature and purposes of the Catholic Dialogue School. That learning will be applied in the Project Design, Implementation and Evaluation, which will be considered in class and in the individual meetings with the lecturer.
Overview of assessments
Assignment Task 1: Development of Project Design ...
Assignment Task 1: Development of Project Design
3000 words. This task requires participants to develop a professional learning plan for staff in their school over one year that will prompt change in the staff group with respect to the shift being studied.
50%
Hurdle Task: Satisfactory progress confirmed at ...
Hurdle Task: Satisfactory progress confirmed at 8 monthly meetings with project supervisors (with written progress reports).
0%
Assignment Task 2: Project Implementation and Eva...
Assignment Task 2: Project Implementation and Evaluation
3000 words. This task requires participants to implement their professional learning plan for staff and to evaluate their own effectiveness in leading the shift.
50%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit involves 300 hours of focused learning, which reflects the standard for a unit of this Australian Qualifications Framework type. The unit will be offered in either mixed mode or online scheduled mode, either of which enables students to engage in both synchronous and asynchronous learning activities. In order to allow time for participants to complete the project design, implementation and evaluation, the unit extends over two semesters.
Online materials are carefully structured and sequenced in modules with built-in exercises and activities designed to support the achievement of the learning outcomes. In face to face or virtual sessions, students are provided with the opportunity to work collaboratively to apply principles in practical activities which enable them to reflect critically, analyse and integrate new information with existing knowledge, draw meaningful new connections, and then work individually to apply what they have learned. Students are encouraged to reflect critically on their personal experience and observations in light of materials covered in the unit.
The unit requires students to be independent learners, responsible for managing their own learning journey in response to frequent constructive feedback on their learning progress at monthly meetings with the lecturer, and as evidenced in exercises and assessment tasks. Students are encouraged to establish a regular study schedule. Engagement and interaction with fellow students is also key to success, particularly through online forums and face to face sessions. Students are provided with the opportunity to build a supportive and encouraging learning community so that even when studying at a distance they feel connected to their fellow learners and the lecturer as they proceed through the unit together.
AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS - GRADUATE LEVEL
On successful completion of this unit, pre-service teachers should be able to: