EDFD663 - Transition into the Profession

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

Nil

Unit rationale, description and aim

The beginning teacher needs to understand the ethical, legal and professional demands of the primary classroom teacher.

This unit is responsible for drawing together knowledge and skills of previous units studied and building upon them. Particular focus will be given to the purpose and range of assessment practices and tools in forward-planning, evaluation, tracking, profiling, and reporting to parents and carers. Culturally responsive and socially critical perspectives in curriculum development will be explored. Finally, critical reflection, working in curriculum planning teams, and developing an understanding of the details of day-to-day classroom organisation will enable pre-service teacher to see themselves as a decision-maker within the classroom. The consolidation of a digital portfolio will directly link to the relevant Australian Professional Standards for Teachers at Graduate Teacher level.

This unit aims to enable pre-service teachers to demonstrate the beginning teacher who has understanding of the ethical, legal and professional demands of the classroom teacher from the national, state, systemic, to school based requirements.

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.

Content

Topics will include:

• International, national, state and local educational systems influences on curriculum decision-making
• Understand contemporary curriculum and pedagogical approaches, considering international, national, state influences on curriculum and recent curriculum reform including indigenous, cultural, assessment and ICT perspectives.
• Major contemporary drivers of change in the educational environment and the implications of key reports and initiatives
• Interrogation of the professional, legal and ethical responsibilities of teachers
• Acknowledgement and inclusion of cross-curriculum priorities including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures, Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia, and sustainability
• Identification and analysis of unique learning needs of individuals and groups including Australian Indigenous and multi-cultural peoples
• Incorporation of general capabilities within the teaching area, including literacy, numeracy, ICT capability, critical and creative thinking, personal and social capability, ethical understanding and intercultural understanding
• Investigation of software programs and other means of recording student results to maintain clear records of student development and needs
• Design of assessment tasks with critical discussion regarding the importance of feedback to enhance student learning
• Assessment practices and tools in moderating, record keeping, tracking, profiling, and reporting to parents and carers
• Working in partnership with parents/carers in the educative process
• Analysis of student results to determine strengths and areas needing attention for individual, small groups and whole class progression to inform future programming and modify practice
• Discussion and critique the purposes and tools of program evaluation for forward-planning – pre and post evaluation strategies for teaching and learning plans
• Identification of routines, timetables and management practices to enable effective implementation of curriculum and adherence to state, system and school requirements
• Exploration of partnerships with parents – reporting, parent/teacher nights, parental assistance in the classroom, specific interviews with parents regarding difficulties
• Construction of a teaching pedagogy or philosophy which reflects personal beliefs based upon scholarly literature and research
• Exploration of the various types of portfolios that could be used to demonstrate professional understandings, skills and work samples
• Exploration of a range of relevant and appropriate sources of professional learning for teachers and the role of external professionals in broadening teachers’ professional knowledge and practice
• Construction of a professional portfolio utilising teaching artefacts and reflective annotations to support achievement of Australian Professional Standards for Teachers: Graduate, and reflection of ACU Graduate Attributes. 

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

Pre-service teachers will be involved in a variety of teaching-learning strategies to progress and demonstrate their understandings in this unit. The unit is comprised of lectures and tutorials within which national, state, systemic and school documents, DVDs, discussion and debate, use of ICT, and workshop exercises will be utilised to address the outcomes and content of the unit.

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. To achieve a passing standard in this unit, students 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 learning and teaching and assessment strategies include a range of approaches to support your learning such as reading, reflection, discussion, webinars, podcasts, video, workshops, and assignments etc. 

Assessment strategy and rationale

The assessment tasks and their weightings are designed to allow pre-service teachers to progressively demonstrate achievement against the unit learning outcomes and demonstrate attainment of professional standards. There will be two assessment tasks for this unit. 

Representative texts and references

Relevant national, state, systemic and school curriculum documents.

Brady, L., & Kennedy, K. (2014). Curriculum construction (5th ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson.

Churchill, R., Ferguson, P., Godinho, S., Johnson, N., Keddie, A., & Letts, W., et al. (2013). Teaching: Making a difference (2nd ed.). Milton, Qld: John Wiley & Sons.

Groundwater-Smith, S., Ewing, R., & Le Cornu, R. (2015). Teaching: Challenges and dilemmas (5th ed.). South Melbourne, Vic: Cengage Learning Australia.

Latham, G., & Blaise, M. (2011). Learning to teach: New times, new practices (2nd ed.). South Melbourne, Vic: Oxford University Press.

Lyons, G., Ford, M., & Arthur-Kelly, M. (2014). Classroom management: Creating positive learning environments (4th ed.). South Melbourne, Vic: Cengage Learning.

Marsh, C., Clarke, M., & Pittaway, S. (2014). Marsh's becoming a teacher (6th ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Education Australia.

McDonald, T. (2019). Classroom management: Engaging students in learning (3rd ed.). Docklands, Vic: Oxford University Press.

Roffey, S. (Ed) (2013). Positive relationships: Evidence based practice across the world. New York: Springer Publications.

Stewart, D., & Knott, A. (2002). Schools, courts and the law: Managing student welfare. Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Australia.

Yates, L., Collins, C., & O’Connor, K. (Eds). (2011). Australia’s curriculum dilemmas: State cultures and the big issues. Academic Monograph Series. Carlton, Vic: Melbourne University Publishing.