Year

2024

Credit points

0

Campus offering

No unit offerings are currently available for this unit

Prerequisites

EDET100 Effective Teaching 1: Becoming a Teacher

Unit rationale, description and aim

Includes: a specified number of placement days in an educational setting

Teaching is a multi-faceted profession and teachers need to have a practical understanding of the complexities of the teacher’s role in order to inform their teaching practice and meet the challenges of teaching in a rapidly changing world.

For various reasons, pre-service teachers may be required to undertake days of professional experience placement that are in addition to the total number of days normally specified in their course. These additional days must be undertaken in defined settings (e.g., early childhood centre, primary or secondary school) to meet jurisdictional teacher registration requirements. This unit provides for those additional days, in a defined setting specified by the lecturer-in-charge on a case-by-case basis.

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 Description
LO1Comply with legal and ethical requirements of teachers, and describe and apply policies and strategies for providing safe and supportive environments for children and young people (APST 3.5, 4.2, 4.4, 4.5, 7.1, 7.2)
LO2Apply knowledge of curriculum, communication and teaching strategies to organise content and design and implement learning activities to engage learners (APST 1.1, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 5.1, 7.2)
LO3Complete a successful professional experience in a defined educational setting engaging in critical reflection and responding to feedback from colleagues and supervisors to improve teaching practice (APST 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 4.2, 4.4, 4.5, 5.1, 5.2, 6.1, 6.3, 7.1, 7.2)

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.

1.3 Demonstrate knowledge of teaching strategies that are responsive to the learning strengths and needs of students from diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds.

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.

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.

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

4.4 Describe strategies that support students’ well-being and safety working within school and/or system, curriculum and legislative requirements.

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.

6.1 Demonstrate an understanding of the role of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers in identifying professional learning needs.

6.3 Seek and apply constructive feedback from supervisors and teachers to improve teaching practices.

7.1 Understand and apply the key principles described in codes of ethics and conduct for the teaching profession.

7.2 Understand the relevant legislative, administrative and organisational policies and processes required for teachers according to school stage.

Content

Topics will include:

The Professional Experience:

  • Teacher self-care: physical and mental wellbeing and building resilience;
  • Observation, reflection and applying constructive feedback as strategies that guide professional learning and growth;
  • Prior to commencing the Professional Experience placement, pre-service teachers must complete a series of compulsory online preparation modules that includes a mandatory module on working with children and young people that focuses on responding to concerns and strategies to keep ourselves and others safe and support children, young people and vulnerable adults.


Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

The learning and teaching strategies will include:

1.Online activities

2.School placement

The unit includes a Learning Management System site with resources and online links, announcements, and a discussion board to post questions and reflections that promote connection between on campus content and school experiences.

1.Video illustrations of teaching practice and focused readings to address a wide spectrum of teaching contexts, practices and competencies;

2.Online focused readings to help students prepare for the weekly schedule.


PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: TEACHING REQUIREMENTS

Within this unit pre-service teachers will undertake a professional experience placement comprising of a specified number of days in a defined educational setting (either early childhood centre, primary or secondary school) as specified by the lecturer-in-charge.

Pre-service teachers will develop the habit of critically reflective practice through guided reflection upon their observations of their class and the educational setting. In collaboration with their supervising teachers and other professional colleagues, they will develop basic teaching skills through assisting in the delivery of high-quality teaching episodes and teaching small groups and whole classes. They will critically reflect upon their teaching, and self-audit their progression and attainment of key teaching skills and standards.

Assessment strategy and rationale

The assessment load in this unit is fully associated with the completion of a satisfactory professional experience placement.

Minimum Achievement Standards

Pre-service teachers must attain a Pass in the two assessment tasks. These are the preparation for the Professional Experience Placement (PEP) and the Professional Experience Assessment (PEA). The first task comprises a collection of preparatory modules that must be completed to a high standard prior to commencement of the placement. The second comprises a placement – which is assessed on a pass/fail basis.

Overview of assessments

Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment TasksWeightingLearning Outcomes

Hurdle Requirement: Preparation for the Professional Experience Placement

  1. Prior to commencing the Professional Experience placement, pre-service teachers must complete a series of compulsory online preparation modules, attaining a score of 95% or above in each module. The modules cover:
  • Professional Standards;
  • Professional expectations and codes of conduct;
  • Legal requirements, including Duty of Care, Child Protection and Mandatory Reporting; and
  • Professional relationships.


2.Pre-service teachers must also complete and provide evidence of the following:

  • Anaphylaxis training;
  • Working with Children Check or a Police Check where this is appropriate or mandated.
  • Working with Children, Young People and Vulnerable Adults online module: Online multiple choice or short answer questions in 4 sub-modules. Pre-service teachers will need to attain a mark of 75% or more in each submodule before progressing to the next sub-module


Note: Completion of this module does not exempt students from seeking a Working with Children Check or a Police Check where this is appropriate or mandated. Anticipated completion time: 7 hours.

Pass/Fail

LO1

Professional Experience Assessment

Professional Experience requirements include compilation of evidence as required. (Refer to Professional Experience Handbook and Report). Compilation of evidence will include:

  • structured observation and analysis of educational setting and classroom contexts
  • preparation for all teaching episodes including the setting of goals, outcomes, content, assessment criteria catering for a variety of abilities and characteristics
  • relevant teaching resources
  • critical reflection on own teaching experiences
  • feedback from supervising teacher/s and university staff.


This evidence must be compiled into a well-presented and well-organised Professional Experience folder, which must be updated on a daily basis throughout the placement. Artefacts and reflections may provide evidence of attainment of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers: Graduate, and can be included in the ePortfolio.

A pass or fail grade will be awarded for completion of the professional experience days

LO1, LO2, LO3

Representative texts and references

Required text(s)

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

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

Relevant State and Territory curriculum documents.

Recommended references

Churchill, R., Shaw, K., Godinho, S., Johnson, N., Keddie, A., Letts, W., Lowe, K., Mackay, J., McGill, M., & Moss, J. (2016). Teaching: Making a difference (4th ed.). Milton, Qld: John Wiley & Son Australia.

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

Ewing, R., Glass, C., Kervin, L., Gobby, B., & Le Cornu, R. (2019). Teaching: Dilemmas, Challenges and Opportunities. South Melbourne, Vic: Cengage Learning Australia.

Killen, R. (2016). Effective teaching strategies: Lessons from research and practice (7th ed.). South Melbourne, Vic: Cengage Learning Australia.

Marzano, R.J., & Haystead, M.W. (2008). Making standards useful in the classroom. Alexandria, VA: Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Pritchard, A. (2014). Ways of learning: Learning theories and learning styles in the classroom (3rd ed.). Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.

Have a question?

We're available 9am–5pm AEDT,
Monday to Friday

If you’ve got a question, our AskACU team has you covered. You can search FAQs, text us, email, live chat, call – whatever works for you.

Live chat with us now

Chat to our team for real-time
answers to your questions.

Launch live chat

Visit our FAQs page

Find answers to some commonly
asked questions.

See our FAQs