Year
2024Credit points
30Campus offering
Prerequisites
100 credit points of Education Studies Units including EDFX348 Engaging Student Learning Through Reflective Practice AND LNTE111 Literacy and Numeracy Test OR LNTE100 LANTITE - Literacy Test for Initial Teacher Education Students AND LNTE101 LANTITE - Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education Students
Unit rationale, description and aim
This unit facilitates the pre-service teacher’s induction into the profession and provides opportunities for school-based critical inquiry. It enables pre-service teachers to reinforce and expand their professional knowledge and practice of the different roles of a teacher and their capacity to transform student learning. Pre-service teachers will use a critical enquiry framework to further develop capacities in the alignment of curriculum, assessment, learning and teaching. They will collect data on their own teaching, to support quality teaching practices.
This unit aims to provide pre-service teachers with a substantial block of extended reflective professional experience that approximates the realities of everyday teaching; extends pre-service teachers’ repertoire of pedagogical skills in the planning, delivery and assessment of appropriate teaching and learning programs; and develops pre-service teacher’s understanding of the teachers’ role within the school and broader educational community.
This unit includes the GTPA as a capstone experience drawing on all components of the course culminating in a final, sustained and embedded professional experience of a minimum of 45 continuous days.
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.
| Learning Outcome Number | Learning Outcome Description | Relevant Graduate Capabilities |
|---|---|---|
| LO1 | Profile achievement of the Australian Teacher Professional Standards at a graduate level and demonstrate readiness to transition into the profession based on multiple sources of evidence (APST 6.1, 6.3) | GC1, GC2, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC11 |
| LO2 | Design and implement a critical enquiry, applying appropriate codes of ethics, into a pedagogical focus that promotes continued professional learning for improved student learning (APST 1.2, 3.6, 6.2, 6.4, 7.1) | GC1, GC2, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC10, GC11 |
| LO3 | Collect, examine and interpret multiple sources of evidence, including feedback from supervisors and student assessment data to modify teaching practice (APST 5.1, 5.4, 6.3) | GC1, GC2, GC7, GC8, GC9 |
| LO4 | Self-reflect on the enquiry process and the collected evidence of learning and teaching for transforming and improving student learning and the pre-service teacher’s professional learning and practice (APST 1.2, 3.6) | GC1, GC2, GC3, GC7, GC8, GC9 |
| LO5 | Understand and critique the role of education systems, school philosophies and mission statements, strategic cross-sectorial policy developments, curriculum construction and management decisions in quality learning and teaching practices as a member of a collaborative learning community of professional educators (APST 6.2, 6.4, 7.1, 7.2) | GC1, GC2, GC6, GC7, GC8, GC9 |
| LO6 | Demonstrate effective teaching that promotes learning, and readiness to teach (APST 1.1, 1.3, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.5, 2.6, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 6.3, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3). | GC1, GC2, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC10, GC11, GC12 |
AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS - GRADUATE LEVEL
On successful completion of this unit, pre-service teachers should be able to:
1.1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students and how these may affect learning. |
1.2 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of research into how students learn and the implications for teaching. |
1.3 Demonstrate knowledge of teaching strategies that are responsive to the learning strengths and needs of students from diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds. |
1.5 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of strategies for differentiating teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities. |
2.1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the concepts, substance and structure of the content and teaching strategies of the teaching area. |
2.2 Organise content into an effective learning and teaching sequence. |
2.3 Use curriculum, assessment and reporting knowledge to design learning sequences and lesson plans. |
2.5 Know and understand literacy and numeracy teaching strategies and their application in teaching areas. |
2.6 Implement teaching strategies for using ICT to expand curriculum learning opportunities for students. |
3.1 Set learning goals that provide achievable challenges for students of varying abilities and characteristics. |
3.2 Plan lesson sequences using knowledge of student learning, content and effective teaching strategies. |
3.3 Include a range of teaching strategies. |
3.4 Demonstrate knowledge of a range of resources, including ICT, that engage students in their learning. |
3.5 Demonstrate a range of verbal and non-verbal communication strategies to support student engagement. |
3.6 Demonstrate broad knowledge of strategies that can be used to evaluate teaching programs to improve student learning. |
3.7 Describe a broad range of strategies for involving parents/carers in the educative process. |
4.1 Identify strategies to support inclusive student participation and engagement in classroom activities. |
4.2 Demonstrate the capacity to organise classroom activities and provide clear directions. |
4.3 Demonstrate knowledge of practical approaches to manage challenging behaviour. |
4.4 Describe strategies that support students’ well-being and safety working within school and/or system, curriculum and legislative requirements. |
4.5 Demonstrate an understanding of the relevant issues and the strategies available to support the safe, responsible and ethical use of ICT in learning and teaching. |
5.1 Demonstrate understanding of assessment strategies, including informal and formal, diagnostic, formative and summative approaches to assess student learning. |
5.2 Demonstrate an understanding of the purpose of providing timely and appropriate feedback to students about their learning. |
5.3 Demonstrate understanding of assessment moderation and its application to support consistent and comparable judgements of student learning. |
5.4 Demonstrate the capacity to interpret student assessment data to evaluate student learning and modify teaching practice. |
5.5 Demonstrate understanding of a range of strategies for reporting to students and parents/carers and the purpose of keeping accurate and reliable records of student achievement. |
6.1 Demonstrate an understanding of the role of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers in identifying professional learning needs. |
6.2 Understand the relevant and appropriate sources of professional learning for teachers. |
6.3 Seek and apply constructive feedback from supervisors and teachers to improve teaching practices. |
6.4 Demonstrate an understanding of the rationale for continued professional learning and the implications for improved student learnings. |
7.1 Understand and apply the key principles described in codes of ethics and conduct for the teaching profession. |
7.2 Understand the relevant legislative, administrative and organisational policies and processes required for teachers according to school stage. |
7.3 Understand strategies for working effectively, sensitively and confidentially with parents/carers. |
Content
Topics will include:
- Knowledge and understanding of research into how students learn and the implications for teaching.
- Broad knowledge and understanding of legislative requirements and teaching strategies that support participation and learning of students with disability
- Knowledge and understanding of the concepts, substance and structure of the content and teaching strategies of the teaching area
- Organisation of content into an effective learning and teaching sequence
- Setting learning goals that provide achievable challenges for students of varying abilities and characteristics
- Planning lesson sequences using knowledge of student learning, content and effective teaching strategies
- Identifying a range of inclusive teaching strategies
- Broad knowledge of strategies that can be used to evaluate teaching programs to improve student learning.
- Identify strategies to support inclusive student participation and engagement in classroom activities.
- Knowledge of practical approaches to manage challenging behaviour
- Understanding of assessment strategies, including informal and formal, diagnostic, formative and summative approaches to assess student learning.
- Strategies for interpreting student assessment data to evaluate student learning and modify teaching practice.
- Ethical professional practice for engaging with data and evidence for enquiry into and critical reflection of teaching and learning in school contexts.
- Critical reflection and collaborative interaction with other teachers and other professionals to improve teaching, assessment and professional judgement.
- Understand the relevant and appropriate sources of professional learning for teachers.
- Ways of seeking and applying constructive feedback from supervisors and teachers to improve teaching practices.
- Understanding of the rationale for continued professional learning and the implications for improved student learning.
- The writing and presentation of an enquiry-based capstone report.
- Reflective practices and their place in life-long learning and development of teachers.
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
The key genre of this unit will be enquiry-based. The pre-service teacher engages in the GTPA as a capstone experience in the school context/
The enactment of this unit will be predominantly classroom/industry focussed as the pre-service teacher engages in the sustained role of teacher (0.8) in a classroom/school setting undertaking the diverse duties of a practising teacher, including: planning, teaching, assessment, differentiated engagement with students, department/year-level/school meetings, collaborative team planning sessions, supervision, moderation of learning, and other duties required within the setting. Further, the pre-service teacher will engage in a capstone experience of significance in the class/school setting and complete of the GTPA. The pre-service teacher will engage in the activities collegially with a mentor teacher and will spend one day per week (0.2) formally engaging in feedback discussions and proactive planning with both the mentor teacher and the university academic. The unit will close with an individual presentation of the e-portfolio and the findings of the action research project.
This unit will be enacted in a workplace learning context. Student cohorts will network either face to face or online during the semester.
Assessment strategy and rationale
The professional experience included in this unit represents the culmination of the pre-service teacher’s development towards readiness for the profession. The assessment comprises two culminating pieces of evidence of professional readiness; i) the final report of Professional Experience Assessment; and ii) the Graduate Teacher Performance Assessment (GTPA). Pre-service teachers must achieve a pass in both assessments to satisfactorily complete this unit.
An ungraded pass or fail grade will be awarded for the completion of this unit. The University will award the final grade based on the two pieces of evidence collated about the student’s attainment of the Australian Professional Standards of Teachers: Graduate. Students must meet the graduate level requirements for both tasks/pieces of evidence to pass this unit.
If a fail grade is determined for either assessment requirement, regardless of the outcome of the other, this will result in a fail for the entire unit. Pre-service teachers who fail this unit will be asked to ‘show cause’ and their enrolment in the course will be terminated if the unit is failed twice.
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
Assessment Task 1: Assessment (GTPA) Learning outcomes for this unit will also be demonstrated by completion of the Graduate Teacher Performance Assessment (GTPA). The GTPA asks pre-service teachers to reflect critically on a teaching, learning and assessment cycle and its impact on student learning. It must be accompanied by documentary evidence of the teaching, learning and assessment cycle and of student learning. The GTPA is a common, culminating assessment used across multiple ITE programs and providers. Information about the specific requirements of the GTPA is detailed in the guideline materials supplied via the Canvas site of this unit. | Pass/Fail | LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6 |
Assessment Task 2: Professional Experience Assessment The summative Professional Experience is assessed in consultation with a supervising teacher and a university academic over the placement. The pre-service teacher must demonstrate attainment of the Australian Professional Standards of Teachers: Graduate within the context of classroom/school setting practices. Refer to the Unit Professional Experience Guidebook for interim and final reports.
| Pass/Fail | LO5, LO6 |
Representative texts and references
Alber, S. (2011). A tool kit for action research. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Bullough, R.V. (2014). Toward reconstructing the narrative of teacher education: A rhetorical analysis of preparing teachers. Journal of Teacher Education, 65(3) pp. 185-194.
Cairns, L. (2011). Learning in the workplace: Communities of practice and beyond. In M. Malloch, L. Cairns, K. Evans, & B.N. O’Connor (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of workplace learning (pp. 73-85). London: Sage.
Elliot, J. (Ed) (2012). Reconstructing teacher education: Teacher development. London: Routledge.
Fichtman, D.F., & Yendol-Hoppey, D. (2014). The reflective educator's guide to classroom research: Learning to teach and teaching to learn through practitioner inquiry (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Johnson, A.P. (2012). Short guide to action research (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Kemmis, S., McTaggart, R., & Nixon, R. (2014). The action research planner: Doing critical participatory action research. Singapore: Springer Singapore.
Koshy, V. (2010). Action research for improving educational practice: A step-by-step guide (2nd ed.). London: Sage.
Macintyre, C. (2012). The art of action research in the classroom. London: David Fulton Publishers Ltd.
Shagoury, R., & Miller-Power, B. (2012). Living the questions: A guide for teacher-researchers (2nd ed.). United States: Stenhouse Publishers.