Unit rationale, description and aim
Catholic schools have responsibility for the vision and mission of a faith-based education within an increasingly pluralistic, multicultural, and secular world. Theology, ecclesiology, history, spirituality practices, and charisms of Catholic education all contribute to the communal life of a Catholic school. Catholic educators and leaders are critical to realising this vision and mission. The authentic integration of these requires foundational knowledge and skill in applying this to a range of educational leadership contexts: aspiring, middle, senior, principal, or system leadership.
In this unit, students are challenged to develop personal and lived responses to these for their own professional practice in schools and wider Catholic education system roles. Educators and leaders in other faith-based educational contexts are invited to apply this approach in their own faith and professional context.
The aim of this unit is that students understand and articulate the function and purpose of Catholic schools as an expression of the mission of the Church. They learn to identify and how to apply appropriate leadership theories and practices within their particular context. It serves as a foundational unit which informs units across the entire course.
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.
Critically analyse the development of understandin...
Learning Outcome 01
'EDLE650 - Foundations: Vision and Mission of Catholic Education in the Contemporary World - Graduate Capabilities v2 - '
Critique contrasting and contested understandings ...
Learning Outcome 02
'EDLE650 - Foundations: Vision and Mission of Catholic Education in the Contemporary World - Graduate Capabilities v2 - '
Evaluate a range of perspectives in educational le...
Learning Outcome 03
'EDLE650 - Foundations: Vision and Mission of Catholic Education in the Contemporary World - Graduate Capabilities v2 - '
Propose practical actions in implementing the miss...
Learning Outcome 04
'EDLE650 - Foundations: Vision and Mission of Catholic Education in the Contemporary World - Graduate Capabilities v2 - '
Content
Topics will include:
- Mission and purpose of Catholic schools
- Purpose and function of Catholic education and schooling
- Historical and contemporary perspectives
- Catholic schooling as mission
- “Leading learning” as mission
- Schools as communities of faith
- Catholic spiritual traditions
- Spiritualities as culture in Catholic schools
- Spirituality and Charism with Catholic schools
- Catholic social teaching and social justice and its emergence from biblical justice through to recent Church documents
- Biblical justice
- Catholic social teaching
- Catholic identity
- Historical and contemporary approaches to educational leadership, management and administration, including but not exclusively, popular adjectival leadership (e.g., transformational, servant, authentic), biographic and reflective approaches, emancipatory approaches, school effectiveness and school improvement or successful schools (including instructional leadership), and the Indigenous management movement.
- Practical application of these approaches and perspectives in Catholic and faith based educational organisations.
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment tasks for this unit are designed for students to demonstrate achievement of each learning outcome. Assessment tasks build on each other through a developmental and applied approach, provide students the opportunity to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes and professional standards and criteria consistent with University assessment requirements. Assessment 1 establishes the knowledge base of the vision and mission of Catholic education, and Assessment 2 critiques the field of educational leadership in light of this knowledge base. Assessment 2 requires students to develop practical responses to both areas of study, drawing on insights they develop throughout the semester in the form of a reflective journal (the journal itself is not assessed) and from wider literature. In order to pass this unit, students are required to successfully complete both assessment tasks regardless of their mode of enrolment.
Overview of assessments
Assessment Task 1: Critical Analysis Critically ...
Assessment Task 1: Critical Analysis
Critically analyse two church documents (or documents relevant to other professional settings) to identify leadership priorities that address contextually-based mission challenges.
50%
Assessment Task 2: Personal Manifesto of Professi...
Assessment Task 2: Personal Manifesto of Professional Practice
Students keep a reflective journal of their learning across the semester; at least one entry per week is expected. Drawing from insights developed through the journal, and the theological, ecclesial, and scholarly literature encountered through the semester, create a personal manifesto of professional practice.
50%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit is offered in multi-mode (i.e., delivered online and in face-to-face contexts) and uses an active learning approach. It uses an integrated curriculum design model and process with two major areas of study: vision and mission of Catholic education, and educational leadership, Students examine a range of theological, ecclesial, and historical documents, then advanced concepts in the application of these to schools. The second area of study reviews and critiques approaches to educational leadership, management, and administration (both historical and contemporary. Students then develop personal practice implications in response to the integration of the two areas of study. Key concepts are introduced through lectures and seminars, complemented by various modes of collaborative discussion (online tutorials/discussion groups, forums, face-to-face seminars – as relevant). A reflective journal is kept throughout the unit and contributes to the final assessment.
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 across the teaching period, comprising directed tasks and self-study.
Australian Professional Standards for Teachers - Lead
In connection to the learning outcomes, on successful completion of this unit, students should have developed the following industry specific knowledge based on the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers - Lead standards:
Australian Professional Standard For Principals - Professional Practice
In connection to the learning outcomes, on successful completion of this unit, students should have developed the following industry specific knowledge based on the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers - Professional Practice standards: