Unit rationale, description and aim
In order to plan and deliver lessons that promote learner engagement and enhance student learning, intending secondary teachers need knowledge and understanding of the senior secondary curriculum, along with theoretical frameworks and pedagogical approaches that are emblematic of teaching in their chosen teaching areas, including teaching/learning that responds to the high-stakes assessment that is a usual feature of senior secondary schooling.
In this unit, pre-service teachers will consider the place of Environmental Science Education in contemporary Australian society, and the senior secondary Environmental Science Education curriculum, in particular. They will explore a range of evidence-based approaches for curriculum development and alignment and plan for effective teaching and learning, including formative and summative assessment. Pre-service teachers will learn approaches for building knowledge of Environmental Science Education and how to provide constructive feedback and reporting. They will learn approaches for engaging senior secondary learners and to meet the learning needs of diverse students in the senior secondary years. They will further develop skills to shape the dialogic talk of the classroom. Pre-service teachers will formulate unit and assessment plans in order to demonstrate a knowledge of curriculum, learning and assessment theory. They will assemble a resource folio to demonstrate the capacity to collect, create and critique resources for effective teaching and learning and to link with the curriculum. They will investigate issues and considerations of curriculum implementation as found in the practical reality of schools.
The aim of this unit is for the pre-service teacher to develop their pedagogical content knowledge through becoming familiar with the knowledge, understanding and skills necessary for teaching Environmental Science Education at a senior secondary level.
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.
Analyse and ethical and moral perspectives associa...
Learning Outcome 01
Demonstrate understanding of and apply the aims, c...
Learning Outcome 02
Evaluate, generate and implement appropriate lesso...
Learning Outcome 03
Examine a wide range of resources including state-...
Learning Outcome 04
Analyse the relationships between learning task de...
Learning Outcome 05
Evaluate teaching strategies for basic Environment...
Learning Outcome 06
Experience, evaluate, synthesise and prepare a ran...
Learning Outcome 07
Content
Topics will include:
- The definition of ethical values associated with the teaching of Environmental Science, leading to the formulation of a philosophy for the teaching of Environmental Science based on research into teaching and learning.
- factors in the educational context of Environmental Science (international, national, state, territory and local levels) including curriculum policies and perspectives that shape the identity of Biology Education in Years 11-12
- the concepts, substance and structure of senior secondary curriculum content in Environmental Science
- contemporary understandings of the unique ways in which students learn in Environmental Science Education
- specific professional practices and key pedagogical approaches related to teaching and learning in senior Environmental Science contexts, and their theoretical underpinnings, with modelling/deconstructing of teaching strategies, first-hand investigations and second-hand investigations
- alignment and coherence in content, learning outcomes, pedagogy in curriculum programming in Environmental Science Education with a focus on Years 11-12, including the identification of prior learning, provision for first-hand and second-hand learning experiences and teaching strategies that promote independent learning.
- guided construction of programs and teaching resources for sample core syllabus units will be followed by independent planning and preparation of teaching resources for part of a senior secondary core unit.
- the relationship between reflexive learning and effective concept formation to foster creativity, build promote problem solving and foster critical thinking in Environmental Science Education
- catering for a diverse range of learners in Environmental Science
- the need for a greater range of literacy skills in the senior secondary Environmental Science course/s will be addressed by preparation and planning explicit strategies to teach these skills
- specific teaching strategies and issues related to Indigenous students in Environmental Science Education
- effective use of a range of resources for the teaching area, including ICT’s and technologies specific to Environmental Science
- classroom management in Environmental Science and the impact of curriculum rigour, engagement, participation and inclusion on learner behaviour
- general principles of, ethical practice in, and ways to assess student learning, provide effective feedback, make consistent and comparable judgments, interpret student data, report on student achievement in assessment in senior secondary Environmental Science, including Examination construction and a focus upon the elective units
- maintaining student safety in this curriculum area including risk identification, management and legislative requirements
- resources and sources of professional learning for teachers, including professional associations, external professionals, community representatives and support networks.
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment tasks and their weightings are designed so that the pre-service teacher can progressively achieve the course learning outcomes and the professional standards. The Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment units in this course focus on pre-service teachers acquiring content knowledge and developing the skills to assimilate conceptual knowledge in order for that knowledge to inform skills that will be applied in practice.
The two assessment tasks are sequenced to allow feedback and progressive development. By completing Task 1 the pre-service teacher will apply knowledge of assessment strategies. In Task 2 pre-service teachers develop a program of work for senior students over a period of time.
Overview of assessments
Assessment Task 1: Rich assessment task Develop...
Assessment Task 1:
Rich assessment task
Develop a rich assessment task designed for senior Environmental Science students. Each task will include:
- a variety of assessment strategies, including diagnostic, formative and summative, that reflect the assessment requirements specific to the curriculum area while catering to diverse learner strengths and needs
- identification of learning outcomes/ achievement standards addressed
- strategies for making consistent and comparable judgments, including marking guidelines/criteria, and moderation, including the integration of literacy and numeracy
- ways in which data will be interpreted to modify teaching practices
- strategies for providing feedback
- source material as appropriate. <
50%
Assessment Task 2: Preparation for teaching topi...
Assessment Task 2:
Preparation for teaching topics relevant to Environmental Science in the final years of secondary schooling
Develop a program/unit of work for senior students. The program will be evidence-based and designed to include:
- nominated curriculum content/option represented in three practical activities
- learning outcomes/skills
- equipment, procedures and teacher notes
- questions and sample answers
- literacy/numeracy strategies in the teaching area
- the integration of assessment in learning and teaching tasks
- · differentiated pedagogical strategies to cater to diverse learners
- critical evaluation and development of resources, including ICT, and a field trip or excursion
- a proposal for curriculum evaluation. <
50%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit applies a social constructivist approach to develop the pre-service teacher’s understanding of effective pedagogies through active engagement and collaborative learning. The pre-service teacher will build an understanding of teaching strategies through critical reading, lecturer modelling, discussion, and practice in tutorials. The pre-service teacher’s skills of professional communication and ability to work collaboratively will be practised through group work. The pre-service teacher’s teaching skills of planning and assessing, and his/her ability to locate and synthesise information, will be developed through designing a curriculum appropriate for an Environmental Science Education context. The pre-service teacher will continue to gather and reflect upon evidence of attainment of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers: Graduate.
The teaching and learning strategy described above will use an appropriate selection of approach, including, for example:
- Weekly face-to-face lectures and/or online lectures (synchronous and asynchronous)
- Hands-on tutorials and discussions that promote peer learning
- Microteaching opportunities
- Self-directed reading and research
- Collaborative learning opportunities
AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS - GRADUATE LEVEL
On successful completion of this unit, pre-service teachers should be able to: