Year
2024Credit points
10Campus offering
Prerequisites
EDEN599 English Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment 1 OR EDLA538 English Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment 1
Incompatible
EDLA539 English Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment 2
Unit rationale, description and aim
In order to plan and deliver lessons that promote learner engagement and enhance student learning, intending secondary teachers need knowledge and understanding of the senior secondary curriculum, along with theoretical frameworks and pedagogical approaches that are emblematic of teaching in their chosen teaching areas, including teaching/learning that responds to the high-stakes assessment that is a usual feature of senior secondary schooling.
In this unit, pre-service teachers will consider the place of English education in contemporary Australian society, and the senior secondary English curriculum, in particular. They will explore a range of evidence-based approaches for curriculum development and alignment and to plan for effective teaching and learning, including formative and summative assessment. Pre-service teachers will learn approaches for building knowledge of English and how to provide constructive feedback and reporting. They will learn approaches for engaging senior secondary learners and to meet the learning needs of diverse students in the senior secondary years. They will further develop skills to shape the dialogic talk of the classroom. Pre-service teachers will formulate unit and assessment plans in order to demonstrate a knowledge of curriculum, learning and assessment theory. They will assemble a resource folio to demonstrate capacity to collect, create and critique resources for effective teaching and learning and to link with curriculum. They will investigate issues and considerations of curriculum implementation as found in the practical reality of schools.
The aim of this unit is for the pre-service teacher to develop their pedagogical content knowledge through becoming familiar with the knowledge, understanding and skills necessary for teaching English at a senior secondary level.
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.
| Learning Outcome Number | Learning Outcome Description | Relevant Graduate Capabilities |
|---|---|---|
| LO1 | Describe and explain the principles of curriculum and assessment design and the inherent knowledge, skills and understandings that support student learning and the evaluation of teaching in the senior secondary English curriculum | GC1, GC2, GC3, GC7, GC8, GC11, GC12 |
| LO2 | Identify, describe and reflect on research-informed teaching and learning strategies that support student academic growth across the full range of abilities and diverse backgrounds | GC1, GC2, GC3, GC6, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC11, GC12 |
| LO3 | Develop and implement knowledge of a range of engaging and challenging activities incorporating a range of resources to meet specific learning strengths and needs of students, including literacy, numeracy and ICT demands | GC1, GC2, GC3, GC5, GC7, GC8, GC10, GC11, GC12 |
| LO4 | Apply a range of assessment strategies to appraise and support student learning and the evaluation of teaching and curriculum | GC1, GC2, GC3, GC5, GC7, GC10, GC11, GC12 |
| LO5 | Identify and explain professional responsibilities, ethical requirements, and safe and supportive learning experiences, including with ICTs | GC1, GC2, GC3, GC5, GC6, GC7, GC9, GC11, GC12 |
Australian Professional Standards for Teachers - Graduate Level
On successful completion of this unit, pre-service teachers should have developed the following industry specific knowledge based on the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers - Graduate Level standards:
| Industry Standard | Relating to | Relevant Learning Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| APST(GA)1.1 | Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students and how these may affect learning. | LO2 |
| APST(GA)1.2 | Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of research into how students learn and the implications for teaching. | LO2, LO3, LO5 |
| APST(GA)1.3 | Demonstrate knowledge of teaching strategies that are responsive to the learning strengths and needs of students from diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds | LO1, LO2, LO3, LO5 |
| APST(GA)1.5 | Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of strategies for differentiating teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities. | LO1, LO2, LO3, LO5 |
| APST(GA)2.1 | Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the concepts, substance and structure of the content and teaching strategies of the teaching area. | LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4 |
| APST(GA)2.2 | Organise content into an effective learning and teaching sequence. | LO1, LO3 |
| APST(GA)2.3 | Use curriculum, assessment and reporting knowledge to design learning sequences and lesson plans. | LO1, LO4 |
| APST(GA)2.5 | Know and understand literacy and numeracy teaching strategies and their application in teaching areas. | LO2, LO3 |
| APST(GA)2.6 | Implement teaching strategies for using ICT to expand curriculum learning opportunities for students. | LO2, LO3 |
| APST(GA)3.1 | Set learning goals that provide achievable challenges for students of varying abilities and characteristics. | LO1, LO3, LO4 |
| APST(GA)3.2 | Plan lesson sequences using knowledge of student learning, content and effective teaching strategies. | LO1 |
| APST(GA)3.3 | Include a range of teaching strategies. | LO1, LO2, LO3 |
| APST(GA)3.4 | Demonstrate knowledge of a range of resources, including ICT, that engage students in their learning. | LO1, LO3 |
| APST(GA)3.5 | Demonstrate a range of verbal and non-verbal communication strategies to support student engagement. | LO1 |
| APST(GA)3.6 | Demonstrate broad knowledge of strategies that can be used to evaluate teaching programs to improve student learning. | LO1, LO3, LO4 |
| APST(GA)4.1 | Identify strategies to support inclusive student participation and engagement in classroom activities. | LO2 |
| APST(GA)4.2 | Demonstrate the capacity to organise classroom activities and provide clear directions. | LO2 |
| APST(GA)4.4 | Describe strategies that support students’ wellbeing and safety working within school and/or system, curriculum and legislative requirements. | LO5 |
| APST(GA)4.5 | Demonstrate an understanding of the relevant issues and the strategies available to support the safe, responsible and ethical use of ICT in learning and teaching. | LO5 |
| APST(GA)5.1 | Demonstrate understanding of assessment strategies, including informal and formal, diagnostic, formative and summative approaches to assess student learning. | LO1, LO3, LO4 |
| APST(GA)5.2 | Demonstrate an understanding of the purpose of providing timely and appropriate feedback to students about their learning. | LO3, LO4 |
| APST(GA)6.2 | Understand the relevant and appropriate sources of professional learning for teachers. | LO2, LO5 |
| APST(GA)7.1 | Understand and apply the key principles described in codes of ethics and conduct for the teaching profession. | LO5 |
Content
Topics will include:
- English in the Australian curriculum context: historical context and current frameworks and documentation
- The Australian senior secondary English curriculum
- Planning for effective teaching in English
- Effective senior English teaching and learning
- Differentiated teaching in English
- Needs of learners from diverse cognitive, physical, social, cultural backgrounds
- Digital resources and approaches for senior English education
- Engaging all learners in senior English education studies
- Conversational, questioning and scaffolding techniques to shape dialogic classroom talk in English education
- Assessing student learning and reporting achievement in senior English education
- High-stakes assessment in senior secondary English education, including the specific moderation process and student data interpretation
- Composing assessment items in English education
- An introduction to data-informed teaching in English
- Professional responsibilities and relationships
- Professional associations and continued professional learning
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit applies a social constructivist approach to develop the pre-service teacher’s understanding of effective pedagogies through active engagement and collaborative learning. The pre-service teacher will build an understanding of teaching strategies to consolidate the learning of content, apply knowledge to problem-solving tasks and develop analytical and evaluating skills. The skills of professional communication and ability to work collaboratively will be practised through group work. The teaching skills of planning and assessing, and the ability to locate and synthesise information, will be developed through designing curriculum appropriate for an English education context. The pre-service teacher will continue to gather and reflect upon evidence of attainment of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers: Graduate.
Teaching and learning strategy described above will use an appropriate selection of approach, including, for example:
- Weekly face-to-face lectures and/or online lectures (synchronous and asynchronous)
- Discussions that promote peer learning
- Microteaching opportunities
- Self-directed reading and research
- Collaborative learning opportunities
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.
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.
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. They will have an opportunity to attend facilitated synchronous online sessions with peers.
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment tasks and their weightings are designed so that the pre-service teacher can progressively achieve the course learning outcomes and professional standards. The Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment units in this course focus on pre-service teachers acquiring content knowledge and developing the skills to assimilate conceptual knowledge to inform skills that will be applied in practice.
The assessment tasks are sequenced to allow feedback and progressive development. These tasks reflect ‘real world’ school contexts and teaching responsibilities, thereby preparing the pre-service teacher for professional experience placement and their role as a teacher.
Minimum Achievement Standards
The assessment tasks for this unit are designed to demonstrate the achievement of each learning outcome. In order to pass this unit, pre-service teachers are required to demonstrate achievement of all learning outcomes by submitting all assessment tasks and obtaining a combined score of at least 50% and meet the requirements of the Critical Tasks which are core to the demonstration of a number of Australian Professional Teacher Standards:
- Assessment Task 2: Resource folio and critical analysis
A Critical Task is synonymous with a Graded Hurdle Task as defined in Section 3 of the Assessment Policy. As such, failure to pass the Critical Task will mean you are not eligible for a supplementary assessment in this unit (in accordance with Section 1d of the Supplementary Assessment Policy). A student who is otherwise on track to pass the unit but has a result in the range of 45-49% for the Critical Task, may be offered a ‘revisit’ of the Critical Task by the Lecturer in Charge. The revisit is treated as an ungraded hurdle task (pass/fail). The revisit would be an opportunity for the student to address the feedback provided by the marker and make additions or minor alterations to their submission to bring it to a passing standard.
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes | Graduate Capabilities | Standards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Assessment Task 1: Design of a program/unit of work Design a senior program/unit of work that supports student learning towards a selected summative assessment. Justify choices made with supporting evidence. | 50% | LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5 | GC1, GC2, GC3, GC5, GC6, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC10, GC11, GC12 | APST(GA)1.1, APST(GA)1.2, APST(GA)1.3, APST(GA)1.5, APST(GA)2.1, APST(GA)2.2, APST(GA)2.3, APST(GA)2.5, APST(GA)2.6, APST(GA)3.1, APST(GA)3.2, APST(GA)3.3, APST(GA)3.4, APST(GA)3.6, APST(GA)4.1, APST(GA)4.2, APST(GA)4.4, APST(GA)4.5, APST(GA)5.1, APST(GA)5.2, APST(GA)6.2, APST(GA)7.1 |
Assessment Task 2: Resource Folio and Critical Analysis Critical Task Create a folio of 8 learning activities across a range of topics and skills relevant to senior secondary education. Critically analyse each folio item to consider supporting 1. diverse learners, 2. classroom organisation, 3. student safety, and 4. the development of literacy, numeracy and ICT demands. Justify choices with supporting evidence. | 50% | LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5 | GC1, GC2, GC3, GC5, GC6, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC10, GC11, GC12 | APST(GA)1.1, APST(GA)1.2, APST(GA)1.3, APST(GA)1.5, APST(GA)2.1, APST(GA)2.2, APST(GA)2.3, APST(GA)2.5, APST(GA)2.6, APST(GA)3.1, APST(GA)3.3, APST(GA)3.4, APST(GA)3.6, APST(GA)4.1, APST(GA)4.2, APST(GA)4.4, APST(GA)4.5, APST(GA)5.1, APST(GA)5.2, APST(GA)6.2, APST(GA)7.1 |
Representative texts and references
Required texts
Australian Curriculum https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) www.acara.edu.au
Relevant jurisdictional curriculum documents
Recommended references
Campbell, R., & Ryles, G. (2018). Teaching English grammar: A handbook for Australian teachers (2nd ed,). Pearson Education Australia.
Derewianka, B., & Jones, P. (2016), Teaching language in context (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
Flint, A.S., Kitson, L., Lowe, K., Shaw, K., Humphrey, S., Vicars, M., & Rogers, J. (2020). Literacy in Australia: Pedagogies for engagement (3rd ed.). Wiley.
Gibbons, P. (2018). Bridging discourses in the ESL classroom: Students, teachers and researchers. Bloomsbury Academic.
Henderson, R. (2019). Teaching literacies: pedagogies and diversity (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
Hill, S. (2021). Developing early literacy: Assessment and teaching (3rd ed.). Eleanor Curtain Publishing.
Humphrey, S. (2016). Academic literacies in the middle years: A framework for enhancing teacher knowledge and student achievement. Routledge
Macken-Horarik, M., Love, K., Unsworth, L., & Sandiford, C. (2018). Functional grammatics: Re-conceptualizing knowledge about language and image for school English. Routledge.
Moats, L. (2020). Speech to print: Language essentials for teachers (3rd ed.). Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.
Tompkins, G., Smith, C., Campbell, R., & Green, D. (2019). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach (3rd ed.). Pearson.
Winch, G., Holliday, M., Johnston, R.R., Ljungdahl, L., & March, P. (2020). Literacy: Reading, writing and children’s literature (6th ed.). Oxford University Press.
Wing Jan, L., & Taylor, S. (2020). Write ways (5th ed.). Oxford University Press.