Year

2024

Credit points

10

Campus offering

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  • Term Mode
  • Professional Term 2Multi-mode
  • Term Mode
  • Professional Term 2Online Unscheduled
  • Term Mode
  • Professional Term 2Multi-mode

Prerequisites

EDAR516 Visual Arts Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment 1 OR EDAR599 Visual Arts Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment 1

Incompatible

EDAR517 Visual Arts 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 Visual Arts education in contemporary Australian society, and the senior secondary 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 Visual Arts 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 the 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 Visual Arts 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 NumberLearning Outcome DescriptionRelevant Graduate Capabilities
LO1Describe 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 Visual Arts curriculum (APST 1.3, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.6, 5.1)GC1, GC2, GC3, GC7, GC8, GC11, GC12
LO2Identify, describe and reflect on research-informed teaching and learning strategies that support student academic growth across the full range of abilities and diverse backgrounds (APST 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.5, 2.1, 2.5, 2.6, 3.3, 4.1, 4.2, 6.2)GC1, GC2, GC3, GC6, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC11, GC12
LO3Develop 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 (APST 1.2, 1.3, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2, 2.5, 2.6, 3.1, 3.3, 3.4, 3.6, 5.1, 5.2)GC1, GC2, GC3, GC5, GC7, GC8, GC10, GC11, GC12
LO4Apply a range of assessment strategies to appraise and support student learning and the evaluation of teaching and curriculum (APST 2.1, 2.3, 3.1, 3.6, 5.1, 5.2)GC1, GC2, GC3, GC5, GC7, GC10, GC11, GC12
LO5Identify and explain professional responsibilities, ethical requirements, and safe and supportive learning experiences, including with ICTs (APST 1.2, 1.3, 1.5, 4.4, 4.5, 6.2, 7.1)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 be able to:

1.1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students and how these may affect learning.

1.2 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of research into how students learn and the implications for teaching.

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.

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. 

2.1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the concepts, substance and structure of the content and teaching strategies of the teaching area.

2.2 Organise content into an effective learning and teaching sequence.

2.3 Use curriculum, assessment and reporting knowledge to design learning sequences and lesson plans.

2.5 Know and understand literacy and numeracy teaching strategies and their application in teaching areas.

2.6 Implement teaching strategies for using ICT to expand curriculum learning opportunities for students.

3.1 Set learning goals that provide achievable challenges for students of varying abilities and characteristics.

3.2 Plan lesson sequences using knowledge of student learning, content and effective teaching strategies.

3.3 Include a range of teaching strategies.

3.4 Demonstrate knowledge of a range of resources, including ICT, that engage students in their learning.

3.5 Demonstrate a range of verbal and non-verbal communication strategies to support student engagement.

3.6 Demonstrate broad knowledge of strategies that can be used to evaluate teaching programs to improve student learning.

4.1 Identify strategies to support inclusive student participation and engagement in classroom activities.

4.2 Demonstrate the capacity to organise classroom activities and provide clear directions.

4.3 Demonstrate knowledge of practical approaches to manage challenging behaviour.

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.

5.1 Demonstrate understanding of assessment strategies, including informal and formal, diagnostic, formative and summative approaches to assess student learning.

5.2 Demonstrate an understanding of the purpose of providing timely and appropriate feedback to students about their learning

5.3 Demonstrate understanding of assessment moderation and its application to support consistent and comparable judgements of student learning.

5.4 Demonstrate the capacity to interpret student assessment data to evaluate student learning and modify teaching practice.

5.5 Demonstrate understanding of a range of strategies for reporting to students and parents/carers and the purpose of keeping accurate and reliable records of student achievement.

Content

Topics will include: 

  • Visual Arts in the Australian curriculum context: historical context and current frameworks and documentation
  • The Australian senior secondary Visual Arts curriculum
  • Planning for effective teaching in Visual Arts
  • Effective senior Visual Arts teaching and learning
  • Differentiated teaching in Visual Arts
  • Needs of learners from diverse cognitive, physical, social, cultural backgrounds
  • Digital resources and approaches for senior Visual Arts education
  • Engaging all learners in senior Visual Arts education studies
  • Conversational, questioning and scaffolding techniques to shape dialogic classroom talk in Visual Arts education
  • Assessing student learning and reporting achievement in senior Visual Arts education
  • High-stakes assessment in senior secondary Visual Arts education, including the specific moderation process and student data interpretation
  • Composing assessment items in Visual Arts education
  • An introduction to data-informed teaching in Visual Arts
  • 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. 

Overview of assessments

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.

Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment TasksWeightingLearning OutcomesGraduate CapabilitiesStandards

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, LO5GC1, GC2, GC3, GC5, GC6, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC10, GC11, GC12APST(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, LO5GC1, GC2, GC3, GC5, GC6, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC10, GC11, GC12APST(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

Australian Curriculum https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) www.acara.edu.au

Relevant jurisdictional curriculum documents

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