Unit rationale, description and aim
This unit examines the concepts and practices of the profession including systems, structures, legislation and teacher standards that impact on teaching practice; current political and sociocultural trends in education that shape pre-service teachers’ understandings and preparedness as they transition into the teaching profession. A range of curriculum perspective will be explored including, literacy, numeracy, ICT, indigenous and intercultural understanding. Students will consolidate evidence of their professional work practice in a substantive body of work and develop a critical investigation of their practice as a teacher.
This unit aims to assist pre-service teachers to critically investigate professional practice, roles and responsibilities, professional partnerships, and concepts of accountability in teachers’ work.
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.
Identify and critically examine key influences tha...
Learning Outcome 01
Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the roles...
Learning Outcome 02
Critically reflect on collaborative strategies to ...
Learning Outcome 03
Critically examine the relationship between educat...
Learning Outcome 04
Demonstrate advanced knowledge and understanding o...
Learning Outcome 05
Collate a body of evidence of professional practic...
Learning Outcome 06
Content
Topics will include:
Practices and process for recruitment into teaching and early career teaching
- Exploration of concepts of the roles and responsibilities of teachers
- Career development and pathway for teachers
- An understanding of the mentoring relationship and processes in developing proficiency for early career teachers
- Exploring teacher networks and communities of practice
- Accountability and quality standards for practice, with particular reference to codes of conduct and professional standards relevant to local contexts.
- Explore strategies to engage with parents and carers
- Student protection, cyber-safety and cyberbullying, ethical use of online media and resources
- Information from employing bodies and teacher registration agencies
- Support information for job application and interview process
Systems and structures that impact on teaching identity and practice
- Duty of care and ethical behaviour
- The role of political practices in education
- Australian Professional Standards for Teachers
- Educational innovation and curriculum change
Current political and cultural trends in education
- Examination of Indigenous knowing
- ICT integration
- Numeracy/literacy into practice or design
- Intercultural perspectives
- Consideration of current issues and trends in education
- Sustainability
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.
Minimum Achievement Standards
The assessment tasks for this unit are designed to demonstrate achievement of each learning outcome.
There will be two assessment tasks equivalent to 5,000 words.
Overview of assessments
Assessment Task 1: Submission of a critical exam...
Assessment Task 1:
Submission of a critical examination of a body of evidence that represents student professional practice evaluated against the Australian Graduate Teacher Standards. (For example a digital portfolio).
50%
Assessment Task 2 : Professional Learning Plan ...
Assessment Task 2 :
Professional Learning Plan
Drawing on the content of this unit and your engagement with units (both on campus and PEP) throughout your course:
- Identify the skills attributes and professional strategies you feel you need to continue to develop to enhance your capacity as a professional teacher and to ensure you are able to demonstrate all required professional standards.
- Based on the above task, provide an analysis of value of ongoing professional learning and outline a plan for your own ongoing professional learning as a practicing teacher.
- Identify the support networks you will draw on to effectively support your career long learning strategies and articulate what support you feel they will be able to provide to you. <
50%
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. Participants will be involved in a variety of teaching-learning strategies to support learning, including: lectures, student presentations, and group work. Collaborative enquiries and critical approaches to learning will be used.
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 with a normal expectation of 36 hours of directed study and the total contact hours should not exceed 36 hours. Directed study might include lectures, tutorials, webinars, podcasts etc. The balance of the hours then become private study.
AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS - GRADUATE LEVEL
On successful completion of this unit, pre-service teachers should be able to:
ACECQA CRITERIA
On successful completion of this unit, students should have progressed in the development of the following ACU graduate attributes: