Unit rationale, description and aim
Includes 35 days professional experience placement in a school setting with a focus on the teaching in the primary subject specialisation.
Effective teaching is underpinned by reflection, enquiry and evidenced based practice. Teachers need skills that enable continual, self-regulated professional learning. This unit facilitates readiness for the profession and provides opportunity for school-based reflective enquiry into practice. In this unit, pre-service teachers reinforce and expand their professional knowledge, practice and engagement in the different roles and responsibilities of teachers in positively influencing student learning. The unit provides pre-service teachers with a substantial block of extended professional experience that approximates the realities of everyday teaching in a supportive classroom context and the related school and broader community. The intention is to extend pre-service teachers’ repertoire of pedagogical skills and practices for planning, delivering and evaluating teaching and learning programs. Pre-service teachers will use a framework of enquiry to align curriculum, assessment, learning and teaching to provide effective and differentiated learning across the full range of learning needs. They will collect, interpret and use data to demonstrate quality teaching practices and to track learning progressions to evaluate the impact of their teaching on student learning.
The aim of this culminating unit is to synthesise learning from Education Studies, Effective Teaching and Curriculum Studies to ensure pre-service teachers’ readiness for the profession.
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.
| Learning Outcome Number | Learning Outcome Description |
|---|---|
| LO1 | Profile achievement of the Australian Teacher Professional Standards at a graduate level and demonstrate readiness to transition into the profession based on multiple sources of evidence ( APST 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4) |
| LO2 | Demonstrate integrated knowledge of and ability to plan, implement and evaluate teaching and learning for selected curricula relevant to pre-service teachers’ areas of specialty ( APST 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7) |
| LO3 | Collect, examine, interpret and moderate multiple sources of evidence, including student data and feedback from professionals, to ensure consistent judgements of student learning and to modify teaching practices and programs ( APST 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 6.3, 7.1) |
| LO4 | Demonstrate effective teaching practices that evidence readiness for entry to the profession ( APST 1.1, 1.3, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.5, 2.6, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3) |
Content
Topics will include:
- Self-reflective professional learning: including goal setting, critical reflective practice and sources of professional learning and feedback
- Ethical professional practice for engaging with data and evidence for enquiry into and critical reflection of teaching and learning in school contexts
- Use of theory, practice and critical enquiry that informs teaching practices to impact on learners and learning
- Strategies for collecting and interpreting data to evaluate student learning and modify teaching practice to improve learning outcomes
- Seeking and applying constructive feedback from supervisors, colleagues, students and community to reflect on and improve teaching practices
- Establishing and maintaining an engaging learning environment cognizant of current teaching and learning theories in the classroom
- Management of the full range of teacher’s responsibilities, including routines, transitions, supervision, teaching and learning, assessment, pastoral care of school students and relationships within the school community
- Preparing to transition; including ethical, legal and professional responsibilities of teachers
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment tasks allow pre-service teachers to demonstrate achievement against the course learning outcomes by demonstrating they met academic and professional standards. Students in this unit will develop the professional knowledge, practice and engagement needed to meet the expectations of the APST: Graduate level. Assessments will focus on skills of enquiry as a means of enhancing teaching practices and strategies. Performance in the professional experience placement is assessed in two ways. First, the Graduate Teacher Performance Assessment (GTPA) is the centrepiece of this unit and its assessment. This praxis-oriented assessment is an externally validated, nationally moderated, inter-institutional task that must be completed holistically. Second, evidence of the pre-service teacher as observed in practice by other professionals, including at least the supervising teacher and a university academic, is used to confirm achievement of the APST: Graduate level.
Minimum Achievement Standards
The professional experience included in this unit represents the culmination of the pre-service teacher’s development towards readiness for the profession. The assessment comprises two culminating pieces of evidence of professional readiness: i) the final report of the Professional Experience Assessment, and ii) the Graduate Teacher Performance Assessment (GTPA). Pre-service teachers must achieve a pass in both assessments to satisfactorily complete this unit.
If a fail grade is determined for either assessment requirement, regardless of the outcome of the other, this will result in a fail for the entire unit. Pre-service teachers who fail this unit will be asked to ‘show cause’ and their enrolment in the course will be terminated if the unit is failed twice.
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes | Standards |
|---|---|---|---|
Assessment Task 1: Graduate Teacher Performance Assessment (GTPA) Critical Task The GTPA asks pre-service teachers to reflect critically on a teaching, learning and assessment cycle and its impact on student learning. It must be accompanied by documentary evidence of the teaching, learning and assessment cycle and of student learning. The GTPA is a common, culminating assessment used across multiple ITE programs and providers. Information about the specific requirements of the GTPA is detailed in the guideline materials supplied via the provided Learning Management System site. | Pass/Fail | LO1, LO2, LO3 | 1, APST(GA)1.1, 2, APST(GA)1.2, 3, APST(GA)1.3, 4, APST(GA)1.4, 5, APST(GA)1.5, 6, APST(GA)1.6, 7, APST(GA)2.1, 8, APST(GA)2.2, 9, APST(GA)2.3, 10, APST(GA)2.4, 11, APST(GA)2.5, 12, APST(GA)2.6, 13, APST(GA)3.1, 14, APST(GA)3.2, 15, APST(GA)3.3, 16, APST(GA)3.4, 17, APST(GA)3.5, 18, APST(GA)3.6, 19, APST(GA)3.7, 20, APST(GA)4.1, 21, APST(GA)4.2, 22, APST(GA)4.3, 23, APST(GA)4.4, 24, APST(GA)4.5, 25, APST(GA)5.1, 26, APST(GA)5.2, 27, APST(GA)5.3, 28, APST(GA)5.4, 29, APST(GA)5.5, 30, APST(GA)6.1, 31, APST(GA)6.2, 32, APST(GA)6.3, 33, APST(GA)6.4, 34, APST(GA)7.1, 35, APST(GA)7.2, 36, APST(GA)7.3, 37, APST(GA)7.4 |
Professional Experience Assessment The summative Professional Experience is assessed in consultation with a supervising teacher and a university academic over the placement. The pre-service teacher must demonstrate attainment of the Australian Professional Standards of Teachers: Graduate within the context of classroom/school setting practices. Refer to the Unit Professional Experience Report Book for interim and final reports | Pass/Fail | LO4 | 1, APST(GA)1.1, 3, APST(GA)1.3, 5, APST(GA)1.5, 7, APST(GA)2.1, 8, APST(GA)2.2, 9, APST(GA)2.3, 11, APST(GA)2.5, 12, APST(GA)2.6, 13, APST(GA)3.1, 14, APST(GA)3.2, 15, APST(GA)3.3, 16, APST(GA)3.4, 17, APST(GA)3.5, 18, APST(GA)3.6, 20, APST(GA)4.1, 21, APST(GA)4.2, 22, APST(GA)4.3, 23, APST(GA)4.4, 24, APST(GA)4.5, 25, APST(GA)5.1, 26, APST(GA)5.2, 27, APST(GA)5.3, 28, APST(GA)5.4, 29, APST(GA)5.5, 30, APST(GA)6.1, 31, APST(GA)6.2, 32, APST(GA)6.3, 33, APST(GA)6.4, 34, APST(GA)7.1, 35, APST(GA)7.2, 36, APST(GA)7.3 |
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
The key strategy of this unit will be enquiry-based learning, enacted predominantly in the classroom/school. The pre-service teacher engages in the GTPA as a capstone experience in the school context. This will include approximately 12 hours of directed teaching (lectures or workshops), readings and online support before, during and after the placement. Directed instruction will provide support for students in the completion of the GTPA within the context of a professional experience placement.
In this unit the pre-service teacher will engage in the sustained role of teacher in a classroom/school setting undertaking the diverse duties of a practising teacher, including: planning, teaching, assessment and moderation, differentiated engagement with students, department/year-level/school meetings, collaborative team planning sessions, supervision, and other duties required within the setting. This supports the pre-service teacher to undertake the capstone experience in the class/school setting. The pre-service teacher will work collegially with a mentor and/or supervising teacher and will actively participate in feedback discussions and proactive planning with both the supervising teacher and the university academic.
Teaching and learning strategies may include, but are not limited to:
- Weekly face-to-face lectures and / or online lectures (synchronous and asynchronous)
- Tutorials and discussions that promote peer learning
- Self-directed reading and research
- Collaborative learning opportunities
- Online review exercises
- Discussion board activities to exchange ideas and refine learning.
- Video illustrations of teaching practice and focused readings addressing a wide spectrum of teaching contexts, practices and competencies.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: TEACHING REQUIREMENTS
In the final professional experience, pre-service teachers must satisfactorily demonstrate attainment of the Australian Standards for Teachers: Graduate level in order to complete requirements and pass this unit. The placement consists of 35 days (5 weeks) of continuous school-based experience in the same classroom. A pre-service Primary teacher will be placed in a primary setting that will support practice teaching in their primary subject specialisation.
In this unit, pre-service teachers will be expected to undertake:
- 5 weeks of teaching, with a teaching load at 75-80% of normal load
- GTPA Project development, implementation and data collection. (Refer to Professional Experience Handbook for detailed guidelines regarding teaching and other requirements).
Recommended Teaching Experiences
The following engagements are recommended across the 35-day placement. They provide a scaffolded, praxis-oriented approach to building experience, competency and confidence, and are designed to align with on-campus content. These engagements are to be discussed, negotiated and planned with the supervising teacher/s.
Proposed Teaching Expectations
2 Observation Days Prior to the Block:
- Orientation, observation and assisting the supervising and nominated teacher/s in the teaching and learning process.
- Initial planning/pre-assessing for GTPA.
Days 1 – 5
- Planning and implementation of one lesson to half-day teaching per day. Building capacity to take responsibility for whole-day teaching.
- Continue planning or commence assessing/teaching GTPA.
- Professional experience reflection, self-auditing and evaluation.
Days 6 – 10
- Planning and implementation of half to full-day teaching and assessing per day including GTPA. Responsibility for most class transitions and routines.
- Professional experience reflection, self-auditing and evaluation.
Days 11 – 35
- Planning and implementation of all-day teaching and assessing including GTPA. Responsibility for all class transitions and routines.
- Professional experience reflection, self-auditing and evaluation.
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.
Mills, G. E. (2018). Action research: A guide for the teacher researcher (6th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson.
Recommended references
Alexakos, K. (2015). Being a teacher/researcher: A primer on doing authentic inquiry research on teaching and learning. Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
Brady, L., & Kennedy K. (2018). Assessing and reporting: Celebrating student achievement (5th ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Australia.
Charteris, J., & Smardon, D. (2015). Teacher agency and dialogic feedback: Using classroom data for practitioner inquiry. Teaching and Teacher Education, 50, 114-123.
Dana, N. F., & Yendol-Hoppey, D. (2020). The reflective educator's guide to classroom research: Learning to teach and teaching to learn through practitioner inquiry (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Deppeler, J. (2017). Navigating the boundaries of difference: Using collaboration in inquiry to develop teaching and progress student learning. In L. Florian and N. Pantic (Eds.), Teacher education for the changing demographics of schooling (pp. 149-165). Springer, Cham.
Dyson, M., Plunkett, M., & McCluskey, K .(2018). Success in professional experience: Building relationships in educational settings (2nd ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Leat, D., Reid, A., & Lofthouse, R. (2015). Teachers’ experiences of engagement with and in educational research: What can be learned from teachers’ views? Oxford Review of Education, 41(2): 270-286.
Mor, Y., Ferguson, R., & Wasson, B. (2015). Learning design, teacher inquiry into student learning and learning analytics: A call for action. British Journal of Educational Technology, 46(2), 221-229.
Posch, P. (2019). Action research - conceptual distinctions and confronting the theory-practice divide in Lesson and Learning Studies. Educational Action Research, 27(4), 496-510.
Taylor, L. A. (2017). How teachers become teacher researchers: Narrative as a tool for teacher identity construction. Teaching and Teacher Education, 61, 16-25.
To, J., & Carless, D. (2016). Making productive use of exemplars: Peer discussion and teacher guidance for positive transfer of strategies. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 40(6), 746-764.
Wall, K., & Hall, E. (2017). The teacher in teacher-practitioner research: Three principles of inquiry. In Boyd, P. and Szplit, A. (Eds.), International perspectives: Teachers and teacher educators learning through enquiry (pp. 35-62). Kielce-Krakow.