Unit rationale, description and aim
In order to be effective classroom practitioners, teachers need a comprehensive understanding of theories and practices that underpin effective teaching and learning environments, coupled with the opportunity to develop and apply knowledge and skills in practical teaching contexts which are authentic and professionally supportive environments. In this unit, pre-service teachers will engage with research, scholarship and school-based professional experience that links theory with practice. They will critically address the complexities of teachers’ roles and practices, communication and interpersonal skills, planning processes and diverse teaching and assessment strategies to support the needs of diverse learners. Pre-service teachers will engage with research-derived ‘core practices’ as high-leverage strategies for creating effective learning environments. They will develop strong pedagogical judgment by describing, analysing and reflecting upon current pedagogical approaches and will engage in critical reflection upon their developing professional selves as confident and effective teachers, aligned with the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.
This unit combines lectures, tutorials, and self-paced independent study, with a professional experience component that comprises a minimum of 16 days of placement and supervised teaching in a school context, which will include the opportunity throughout the placement for targeted professional experience teaching within the specialisation area. Through this unit, pre-service teachers engage in professional learning experiences that provide opportunities for the development of knowledge and skills, deeper cultural awareness, and professional identity. This unit enables pre-service teachers to employ a range of teaching approaches that cater for different learning needs and fosters both independent and collaborative learning. Pre-service teachers will develop their understanding of codes of ethics and conduct and will be required to complete online modules in legal and professional requirements, including Duty of Care, Child Protection and Mandatory Reporting.
Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unitLearning 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.
Articulate a comprehensive understanding of the co...
Learning Outcome 01
Identify, explain, and apply a range of effective ...
Learning Outcome 02
Critically examine the nexus between theories and ...
Learning Outcome 03
Critically analyse and develop appropriate teachin...
Learning Outcome 04
Plan for, implement, and evaluate learning, teachi...
Learning Outcome 05
Content
Topics will include:
- The complexities of the teacher’s role and the implications for practice, including: Australian Professional Standards for teachers; organisational policies and processes; principles and codes of ethics and conduct; legal and professional responsibilities including Duty of Care, Child Protection and Mandatory reporting; diverse contexts of teacher supervision of students within school.
- An overview curriculum theory and in particular the national and state curriculum and key learning areas
- Communication and interpersonal skills in the classroom, school, community and other education contexts, including - including effective teacher stance and presence, and directing students and activities in the classroom.
- Theories and practices of lesson planning and evaluation procedures and how these impact on classroom teaching and learning
- Interpreting the syllabus: linkages between outcomes, teaching/learning strategies and key assessment tasks
- Assessment and Evaluative processes to enhance teaching and learning in order to build reflective practice based on a range of sources of evidence
- Approaches to assessment, a range of assessment strategies and the role of feedback in learning and assessment
- A range of teaching strategies that support inclusive student participation and engagement in learning, including insights from Grossman’s ‘Core Practices’
- Differentiation of content, teaching and assessment strategies to engage diverse learners, including:
- Routines and Strategies for organising classroom activities and maintaining smooth transitions
- Basic ICT applications and ICT-based resources to enhance teaching and learning
- The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers: Graduate - their purpose, structure and role in identifying professional learning needs
- Effective communication and classroom management skills appropriate for creating and maintaining positive, safe and challenging learning environments
- Strategies to foster reflective and self-auditing practices to improve learning and teaching
- Analysing and responding to feedback from mentors, TFAs, colleagues, supervisors and students
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment tasks and their weightings are designed so that the pre-service teachers can progressively achieve the Course Learning Outcomes and the Professional Standards and is consistent with university assessment requirements. This unit focuses on acquiring pedagogical knowledge and developing the skills to assimilate conceptual knowledge in order for that knowledge to inform skills that will be applied in practice.
The first task, a hurdle requirement, ensures that pre-service teachers initially meet the minimum requirements for entry into a school context. As pre-service teachers undertake learning opportunities and commence professional experience within the unit, they will begin compiling an evidence base that demonstrates their growing progression towards the unit learning outcomes (and their correspondingly relevant Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. By the culmination of the unit, this assessed professional experience will provide a clear and defensible portfolio of authentic artefacts to indicate that pre-service teachers have met the unit learning outcomes and made satisfactory progress towards the identified focus areas within the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers as they complete their professional experience. The unit then culminates with the participant drawing upon all sources of learning throughout the unit, including but not limited to professional experience, to synthesise a profile of effective teaching and personal development plan to guide their ongoing professional experience. This critical task highlights the significant development of professional knowledge, practice, and engagement and refocuses the participant to continue to invest in continued personal development in areas addressed in future units, including professional experience units.
Pre-service teachers, the University, TFA and schools collaborate in co-ordinating the school-based experiences of the pre-service teachers as they develop further their appreciation and understanding of the role of teacher. The report completed at the end of this unit covers the following themes:
- Professionalism – in conduct, in the execution of teaching and learning and in relationships with all parties
- Detailed, clearly expressed, thoroughly prepared and well-presented lessons
- Organisation and implementation of a range of learning activities and assessment strategies
- Diversity of teaching approaches
- Development of knowledge, skills and effective classroom strategies, including ICT, to promote engaging learning environments
- Engagement in a range of activities around the teacher’s role, including assisting the class teacher, structured observation and critical reflection, as appropriate to the setting.
The University will award the final grade based on reports from relevant staff. All assessments must be passed in order to pass this unit. Consistent with University regulations, pre-service teachers who fail this unit may be asked to show cause, and this may in turn lead to termination from the course.
Overview of assessments
Hurdle Requirement: Online preparation modules P...
Hurdle Requirement: Online preparation modules
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.
- Professional relationships.
Prior to commencing the Professional Experience placement, 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.
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.
Hurdle requirement: a Pass grade only will be awarded.
Pre-service teachers will not commence the Professional Experience placement until all modules have been passed and all legal requirements have been met.
Assessment Task: Effective Teaching Profile and P...
Assessment Task: Effective Teaching Profile and Professional Plan (CTITE 1)
Part A: Provide an evidence-informed definition of effective teaching and its most critical characteristics (teacher practices, beliefs, characteristics, etc.)
Part B: Provide a critical reflection of your knowledge and expertise with reference to the definition of effective teaching provided in part a. Must draw connections to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers and identified professional learning needs.
Part C: Create a professional development plan for an extended period (one term) that reflects a comprehensive understanding of the complexities of the role of the teacher, steps to be taken to develop in identified areas, and improvement goals.
A pass or fail grade will be awarded for the completion of the task.
Professional Experience Assessment Professional...
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 school 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
- lesson plans and relevant teaching resources
- critical reflection on own teaching experiences and evidence of observation and debriefing with mentors, peers, or other collegial support staff, including university staff
- documented feedback from supervising teacher/s and university staff.
This evidence must be compiled into a well-presented and well-organised Professional Experience folder, which will be updated throughout the placement.
Artefacts and reflections should 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 the completion of the professional experience
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
The course of which this unit is a part is an employment-based pathway (pre-service teachers in this unit will be working as employed first-year teachers) and therefore multiple modes of delivery enable pre-service teachers to learn concurrently with their professional responsibilities. In this context, the continuous spiral of teaching, practice, and assessment within the authentic context of their teaching role is paramount. A social constructivist and practice-based approach to develop the participant’s understanding of effective pedagogies through active engagement and collaborative learning. It is designed to build the participant’s understanding of teaching approaches through critical reading, lecturer modelling, discussion, practice in on-campus or simulated tutorials, and professional experience.
Praxis is the central organising principle for teaching and learning within the unit, such that pre-service teachers are provided with regular and consistent opportunities to apply the content within this unit to the context of professional experience. This approach aims to develop pedagogical judgment alongside essential skills, or core practices, that are critical in an employment-based pathway. The participant’s skills of planning and assessing, his/her ability to locate and synthesise information, and other skills aligned to the unit learning outcomes will be progressively developed through learning opportunities and professional experience that will culminate in successful achievement of the unit learning outcomes.
The teaching and learning strategy described above will use an appropriate selection of approaches, including, for example:
- Online lectures (synchronous and asynchronous)
- Face-to-face tutorials (including hands-on tutorials, discussions, peer learning and microteaching opportunities)
- Self-directed reading and research
- Collaborative learning opportunities;
- Online tutorials
- Individual in-workplace support
Further to this, the specific elements of professional experience will involve:
- Assisted immersion in school and class contexts to begin to experience aspects of the -primary school teacher’s role and responsibilities
- Participation and engagement, as a community of learners with peers, supervising teachers and university staff, in observation opportunities, team and small group teaching, and whole class teaching, observations and analysis of high-quality teaching episodes.
- Observation and analysis of high-quality teaching episodes.
Refer to Professional Experience Handbook for detailed guidelines regarding teaching and other requirements. (Uploaded as accreditation attachment)
AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS - GRADUATE LEVEL
On successful completion of this unit, pre-service teachers should be able to: