Unit rationale, description and aim
The contemporary Catholic school is a complex, interdependent, multi-faith and multicultural community. The challenge for leaders within this profile is to engage with their immediate and wider community, operate in harmony with mission, and nurture informed, committed, professional and engaged personnel within a distinctive educational philosophy. Social and emotional learning, as well as the emergence of health and well-being as critical components of school education, presents new challenges for school leaders in Catholic and other faith-based contexts. Holistic and integrated approaches to education embrace well-being support for students, teachers, and the wider community.
This unit is for all who are engaged directly or indirectly in the governance, leadership and educative practices in Catholic schools and other faith-based contexts. The unit expands on professional practice as shaped by Catholic Christian foundations, explores this through spirituality, mission and leadership, and promotes ministry that integrates professional practices supported through the formation of generic capabilities.
The aim of this unit is to assist educators to recast these contemporary priorities in light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
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 historical and contemporary dev...
Learning Outcome 01
'EDLE656 - Leading Communities of Care and Wellbeing - Graduate Capabilities v2 - '
Interpret and critically reflect on how cultural m...
Learning Outcome 02
'EDLE656 - Leading Communities of Care and Wellbeing - Graduate Capabilities v2 - '
Evaluate how young people perceive the Gospel and ...
Learning Outcome 03
'EDLE656 - Leading Communities of Care and Wellbeing - Graduate Capabilities v2 - '
Interpret the notion of ‘educating’ young people i...
Learning Outcome 04
'EDLE656 - Leading Communities of Care and Wellbeing - Graduate Capabilities v2 - '
Content
Topics will include:
- Critical analysis of Australian societal changes, the national goals for Australian education, and their impact on Catholic schools.
- Knowledge and appreciation of Second Vatican Council and other Church documents and their vision for contemporary Catholic education.
- Critique of influences and forces on the generation of school culture and the culture of the contemporary Catholic school so as to determine how leaders should respond authentically and effectively.
- A critical appraisal of the Catholic school in secular, pluralist cultures and the place of Catholic Social Teachings and the New Evangelisation is responding to them.
- The importance of social and emotional approaches to learning, well-being priorities for both students and staff, and holistic responses to these in light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment tasks for this unit are designed for students to demonstrate achievement of each of the learning outcomes. Assessment tasks build on each other through a developmental and applied approach and provide students with the opportunity to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes and professional standards and criteria consistent with University assessment requirements.
Assessment 1 identifies key texts and concepts that ground the learning in a knowledge body relevant to the context of a student’s school (or other professional setting). This knowledge then forms the basis for critical reflection on, and evaluation of, contemporary developments in health and well-being.
Across the graded assessments, students progress from descriptive analysis of key texts and literature to critical analysis and then culminate in the evaluation of professional practice in light of their new understanding.
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: Analysis From your reading of...
Assessment Task 1: Analysis
From your reading of Church documents and other scholarly literature, describe the purpose of contemporary Catholic (or other faith-based) education in your school context and identify the challenges faced in achieving this purpose; Students from other faith traditions are encouraged to locate and draw from relevant documents in their own tradition
50%
Assessment Task 2: Evaluation Evaluate how Catho...
Assessment Task 2: Evaluation
Evaluate how Catholic (and other faith-based) schools can authentically respond to contemporary priorities of nourishing faith, social and emotional learning, mental health, and well-being in children and young people.
50%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit may be offered in online, on campus or in multimode, for the equivalence of 150 hours of study. The use of the Learning Management System will be integral to the unit in exploring concepts and testing understandings and propositions. Lectures, scholarly readings, and other online artefacts ground the unit in core knowledge of Vatican teachings and wider educational policy positioning. Student forums and online interactive strategies (e.g., video/audio content and response, questionnaire/polls, other H5P tools) provide opportunity to develop critical insights to their own contexts, as well as draw from insights of other students. Students are consistently challenged throughout the unit to apply content and critical insights to their unique leadership context.
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: