Unit rationale, description and aim
Junior secondary Dance plays a critical role in developing adolescents’ physical, cognitive, social and creative capabilities through embodied learning and artistic expression. Preservice teachers will build understanding of Dance as a learning area that enables students to choreograph, perform and respond, while developing movement literacy, safe dance practices and awareness of how dance communicates meaning across cultural, social and historical contexts. Dance learning supports exploration of identity, collaboration and wellbeing, and encourages critical engagement with diverse dance practices.
Through movement‑based inquiry, choreographic exploration and collaborative practice, preservice teachers engage with the Australian Curriculum and jurisdictional documentation, including its structure, content strands and achievement standards across making and responding. They develop competence in evidence‑informed pedagogies such as explicit instruction, modelling, scaffolded improvisation and reflective discussion to support diverse learners, including those requiring intervention or extension. Preservice teachers analyse curriculum materials, identify common student challenges, and apply diagnostic and formative assessment strategies to design coherent lesson and unit sequences integrating choreography, performance and critical response.
The aim of this unit is to develop preservice teachers’ curriculum knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge and assessment capability for effective and inclusive Dance teaching in Years 7–10.
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.
Describe the structure, intent and key features of...
Learning Outcome 01
Examine how students learn in Dance using appropri...
Learning Outcome 02
Critically analyse the concepts, substance and str...
Learning Outcome 03
Design coherent lesson and unit sequences in Dance...
Learning Outcome 04
Appraise assessment strategies and feedback practi...
Learning Outcome 05
Content
Topics will include:
- Reflecting on prior experiences of teaching and learning in Years 7-10 Dance
- Australian Curriculum for Years 7-10 Dance, including Cross-Curriculum Priorities, General Capabilities and local curriculum documentation
- Theories of learning and knowledge frameworks for Years 7-10 Dance pedagogy including Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), collaborative learning and explicit instruction
- Designing units of work and related summative assessments for Years 7-10 Dance
- Teaching strategies and approaches for Years 7–10 Dance, including explicit teaching, movement analysis, choreographic design and performance‑based reasoning strategies and project‑based approaches
- Strategies for monitoring and differentiating student learning in Years 7-10 Dance, including formal and informal feedback, checklists, differentiated instruction model (content, process, product, learning environment)
- Classroom verbal and non‑verbal communication for Years 7–10 Dance, including the Initiation‑Response‑Feedback (IRF) model, questioning, scaffolding and reflective dialogue
- Resource development and curation to support Years 7-10 Dance teaching and learning that is ethical and professional, including the use of generative AI for movement analysis, choreography planning and reflective practice
- Roles and professional responsibilities of a contemporary teacher of Years 7-10 Dance, including student safety and wellbeing in practical and online environments, including generative AI.
Assessment strategy and rationale
Assessment in this unit is designed to support preservice teachers’ development of curriculum and pedagogical content knowledge for teaching Dance in Years 7–10. The two tasks reflect authentic school‑based responsibilities that preservice teachers will undertake during professional experience and early career teaching. Both tasks include explicit instruction on the ethical and appropriate use of generative AI for brainstorming, drafting and editing, with clear requirements regarding attribution, transparency and originality.
Task 1 requires preservice teachers to design a coherent Years 7–10 Dance unit of work aligned with state-based curriculum requirements and culminating in a summative assessment task. This task assesses their ability to interpret curriculum intent, integrate evidence-informed pedagogical approaches, embed explicit instruction, differentiation and inclusive practices, and justify curriculum, pedagogical and assessment decisions using scholarly and policy evidence. Task 2 builds on this foundation by integrating a skills audit, microteaching episodes, and a reflective evaluation of pedagogical decisions. This design mirrors authentic school practice, where teachers identify learner needs, plan responsively, trial strategies, and evaluate their impact on student learning.
To pass this unit, preservice teachers need to complete all assessment tasks and receive a passing grade of 50% overall.
Overview of assessments
Assessment Task 1: Planning a Unit of Work Desig...
Assessment Task 1: Planning a Unit of Work
Design a coherent Year 7–10 Dance unit of work that aligns with curriculum requirements and leads to a selected summative assessment task. Integrate evidence informed approaches to (1) develop content and skills relevant to the field of Dance;
(2) incorporate explicit instruction, differentiation and inclusive practices; and (3) critique the curriculum, pedagogical and assessment decisions using relevant scholarly and policy evidence.
50%
Assessment Task 2: Micro Teaching Plan and deliv...
Assessment Task 2: Micro Teaching
Plan and deliver three short microteaching episodes across the different learning areas within Dance. Integrate discipline specific and inclusive pedagogies, including differentiated approaches within the teaching episodes. Demonstrate providing clear instructions, precise explanations, and purposeful questioning. Prepare a reflective evaluation explaining your pedagogical decisions, use of resources, and impact on diverse learners.
50%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
The teaching approach in this unit is grounded in social constructivist and adult learning principles that promote active engagement, collaboration and reflective practice. Preservice teachers learn through a combination of modelling, critical reading, discussion and hands on activities that make pedagogical concepts visible. Tutorials introduce evidence-informed strategies relevant to Dance, including explicit instruction, inquiry-based learning, problem-solving, and collaborative learning. Throughout the unit, preservice teachers gather and evaluate evidence of their developing pedagogical capabilities and reflect on their progress against the Graduate Teacher Standards and Core Content.
Tutorials and microteaching activities provide opportunities to trial strategies, analyse student needs, and practise professional communication in supportive environments. Online modules and self-regulated learning extend access to theoretical content and allow preservice teachers to consolidate understanding at their own pace. Given the complexity of curriculum documents and pedagogical models, scaffolding is used to support learners who may need explicit navigation of concepts, while optional supports, accessible materials and multiple means of engagement ensure equitable participation for preservice teachers with disability or diverse learning needs.
Australian Professional Standards for Teachers - Graduate Level
In connection to the learning outcomes, on successful completion of this unit, pre-service teachers should have developed the following industry specific knowledge based on the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers - Graduate Level standards:
Relating toDemonstrate knowledge and understanding of physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students and how these may affect learning.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO2
Relating toDemonstrate knowledge and understanding of research into how students learn and the implications for teaching.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO2
Relating toDemonstrate knowledge of teaching strategies that are responsive to the learning strengths and needs of students from diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO2
Relating toDemonstrate broad knowledge and understanding of the impact of culture, cultural identity and linguistic background on the education of students from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO4
Relating toDemonstrate knowledge and understanding of strategies for differentiating teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO2, LO4
Relating toDemonstrate knowledge and understanding of the concepts, substance and structure of the content and teaching strategies of the teaching area.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5
Relating toOrganise content into an effective learning and teaching sequence.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO4
Relating toUse curriculum, assessment and reporting knowledge to design learning sequences and lesson plans.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO3, LO4, LO5
Relating toDemonstrate broad knowledge of, understanding of, and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and languages.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO4
Relating toKnow and understand literacy and numeracy teaching strategies and their application in teaching areas.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO2, LO4
Relating toImplement teaching strategies for using ICT to expand curriculum learning opportunities for students.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO2, LO4
Relating toSet learning goals that provide achievable challenges for students of varying abilities and characteristics.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO4
Relating toPlan lesson sequences using knowledge of student learning, content and effective teaching strategies.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO4
Relating toInclude a range of teaching strategies.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO2, LO4
Relating toDemonstrate knowledge of a range of resources, including ICT, that engage students in their learning.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO2, LO4
Relating toIdentify strategies to support inclusive student participation and engagement in classroom activities.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO2, LO4
Relating toDemonstrate an understanding of the relevant issues and the strategies available to support the safe, responsible and ethical use of ICT in learning and teaching.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO2, LO4
Relating toDemonstrate understanding of assessment strategies, including informal and formal, diagnostic, formative and summative approaches to assess student learning.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO5
Relating toDemonstrate an understanding of the purpose of providing timely and appropriate feedback to students about their learning.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO2, LO5
Relating toDemonstrate understanding of assessment moderation and its application to support consistent and comparable judgements of student learning.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO5
Relating toDemonstrate an understanding of the role of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers in identifying professional learning needs.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO3
Relating toUnderstand the relevant and appropriate sources of professional learning for teachers.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO3
Relating toDemonstrate an understanding of the rationale for continued professional learning and the implications for improved student learning.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO3
Relating toUnderstand the role of external professionals and community representatives in broadening teachers’ professional knowledge and practice.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO3
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) Core Content
On successful completion of this unit, pre-service teachers should have developed the following industry specific knowledge based on the AITSL Core Content:
Relating toThe difference in the process of knowledge acquisition in the brain of a novice vs the brain of an expert. This should be taught with reference to the development of mental models and schemas.
Relevant learningLO1, LO2
Relating toWhy teaching practices must adapt as a student’s familiarity with the knowledge of a subject increases, including when to move from scaffolded practice to independent practice, and why this is important.
Relevant learningLO1, LO2
Relating toHow to develop and use worked examples for students who are unfamiliar with a subject, followed by more challenging problem-solving activities as students become more familiar with the knowledge of a subject.
Relevant learningLO3, LO4
Relating toThe key features of coherent and deliberate planning and sequencing of tasks and lessons including curriculum-aligned learning objectives, clear descriptions of how students will show evidence of mastery, the common progression of learning in a subject area and the critical curriculum knowledge needed for students to progress.
Relevant learningLO1, LO3, LO4
Relating toHow to plan a sequence of lessons that incorporate spacing and retrieval practice, build upon each other, meet students where they are in their learning and help students retrieve past learning and consolidate it in long-term memory.
Relevant learningLO1, LO2, LO4
Relating toHow to sequence tasks within a lesson that build upon each other, meet students where they are in their learning and help them understand the progression of skills needed to attain mastery.
Relevant learningLO1, LO2, LO4
Relating toHow to explicitly model new skills and content through ‘worked examples’ that clearly demonstrate how to complete the task, followed by a progressive removal of scaffolding as students become more proficient.
Relevant learningLO2, LO5
Relating toHow to pitch an introductory lesson at an appropriate level, before starting a new unit of work, by identifying where a student is in their learning through assessing what they know, or think they know.
Relevant learningLO1, LO2
Relating toHow to design summative assessment to assess students against a standard or benchmark to gain an understanding of the level of mastery attained.
Relevant learningLO5
Relating toHow to produce and use developmental rubrics with criteria tailored to the specific task and/or work samples so that students understand what is expected.
Relevant learningLO5
Relating toThe research that shows explicit reading, and writing comprehension instruction tailored to discipline-specific content improves students’ academic understanding and engagement with material, as well as their overall academic performance.
Relevant learningLO1, LO2
Relating toHow to explicitly deliver reading and writing instruction through discipline and discipline-specific curriculum and pedagogical studies as outlined in standard 4.2.
Relevant learningLO1, LO2
Relating toThe research that shows numeracy is a fundamental component of learning, discourse, and critique across all areas of the curriculum and improves students’ understanding of and engagement with material within and beyond the mathematics curriculum.
Relevant learningLO1, LO2
Relating toThe research evidence that shows the relationship between effective pedagogical practices and increased positive behaviour including why specific practices are particularly effective in preventing undesired behaviour.
Relevant learningLO2, LO5
Relating toThe content covered in the Australian Curriculum Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures cross-curriculum priority across stages and subjects.
Relevant learningLO1, LO3, LO4
Relating toAbout the cultural diversity within classrooms and communities in Australia, and in the local context, to understand and value the perspectives of diverse groups including EAL/D and First Nations students.
Relevant learningLO4, LO5
Representative texts and references
Recommended texts and documents
Australian Curriculum https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) www.acara.edu.au
Relevant jurisdictional curriculum documents
ACT Education Directorate: https://www.education.act.gov.au/public-school-life/Our-Curriculum.
New South Wales Education Standards Authority (NESA): https://www.educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/home.
Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (CAA): https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/.
Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA): https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Pages/HomePage.aspx.
Recommended references
Allen-Handy, A., Ifill, V., Schaar, R. Y., Rogers, M., & Woodard, M. (2021). The emerging critical pedagogies of dance educators in an urban STEAM after-school program for Black girls. Journal of Urban Learning, Teaching, and Research, 16(1), 58–88.
Butterworth, J., & Wildschut, L. (Eds.). (2017). Contemporary choreography: A critical reader (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315563596
Clark-Fookes, T. (2022). Inquiry and reverse chronology pedagogies for social inclusion in school-based dance programs. Journal of Dance Education, 22(3), 175–180. https://doi.org/10.1080/15290824.2022.2091139
Cook, P. J. (2025). Dance education as a transdisciplinary vehicle for transforming teacher education: A blueprint for academic excellence. Education Sciences, 15(10), Article 1409. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15101409
Dinham, J. (2022). Signature pedagogies of arts education reflected in the Australian Curriculum: The Arts (Version 9). Australian Art Education, 43(1), 13–32.
Gamble, M., & Johnson, N. F. (2025). Enhancing summative assessment and pedagogy of senior secondary dance education through digital technologies. Technology, Pedagogy and Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/1475939X.2025.2566726
Gardner, S., & Millard, O. (2021). Teaching the dance subject in Australian high schools. Journal of Dance Education, 21(2), 103–113. https://doi.org/10.1080/15290824.2019.1705305
Gose, R., & Siemietkowski, G. (2018). A collaboration in care: Re-visioning teacher–student dialogue in dance education. International Journal of Education & the Arts, 19(14). https://doi.org/10.18113/P8ijea1914
Kerby, M., Lorenza, L., Dyson, J., Ewing, R., & Baguley, M. (2021). Challenges, implications and the future of the Australian Curriculum: The Arts. The Australian Educational Researcher, 48(5), 901–922. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-021-00488-y
Koff, S. R. (2021). Dance education: A redefinition. Bloomsbury.
Leonard, A. E. (2022). Taking on the challenges of our present: Dance education for children and youth. Journal of Dance Education, 22(3), 141–143. https://doi.org/10.1080/15290824.2022.2095792
Meiners, J. (2021). Towards a socially just dance curriculum entitlement. The Australian Educational Researcher, 48(5), 837–856. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-021-00487-z
Nielsen, C. S., & Burridge, S. (Eds.). (2015). Dance education around the world: Perspectives on dance, young people and change. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315813578
Sango, P. N., & Pickard, A. (2024).Building a sense of belonging in dance with adolescents: A systematic review. Adolescents, 4(3), 335–354. https://doi.org/10.3390/adolescents4030024
Schupp, K. (2024).Rethinking the pedagogy of dance pedagogy. Research in Dance Education, 25(3), 254–267. https://doi.org/10.1080/14647893.2022.2083596