Year
2024Credit points
10Campus offering
Prerequisites
NilUnit rationale, description and aim
Contemporary approaches to understanding the many factors that affect the success of culturally diverse students – such as overall attitudes toward diversity, involvement of the community, and culturally responsive curriculum, are the focus of this unit. Cultural and linguistic diversity (CALD) is now the norm rather than the exception in Australian society, resulting in the need to cater to the socio-cognitive and developmental needs of all students. Migrants come from different racial, social, economic and linguistic backgrounds, so they have diverse needs and aspirations to fulfil in Australia. Many face discrimination in accessing opportunities and services on the basis of ethnicity, cultural customs and lack of English language skills. The unit investigates the impact of globalisation, in particular the social and psychological impact of migration experiences and the plight of refugees and cultural minorities along with the resulting tensions, barriers and problems of integration during the settlement process. Diversity in the educational system therefore creates challenges for teaching staff and for students and requires an understanding of the social and psychological background of students and refugees from various cultural backgrounds. Among the most critical factors are the provision of appropriate personal, pastoral and socio-cognitive support to students of CALD and refugee backgrounds. The unit considers the nature, challenges and benefits of diversity and its promotion and the socio-cultural and linguistic challenges faced by refugees.
This unit aims to assist pre-service teachers to identify and examine existing best-practice models of inclusive and multicultural education, including policies, pedagogies and educational resources, that can lead to more just, equitable and productive society.
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 | Understand the history and culture of students and their families from diverse backgrounds (APST 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 7.1, 7.3) | GC1, GC2, GC4, GC6, GC7 |
| LO2 | Engage in personal and professional self-awareness (APST 3.5, 3.6, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 5.1) | GC1, GC2, GC3, GC7, GC9 |
| LO3 | Be responsive to the needs of students with diverse cultural backgrounds and validate their cultural identities (APST 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 3.5, 3.6, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 5.1) | GC1, GC2, GC5, GC6, GC7, GC8 |
| LO4 | Identity, evaluate and develop effective inclusive pedagogical strategies to support students from refugee, CALD and migrant backgrounds (APST 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 5.1, 7.1, 7.3) | GC1, GC2, GC4, GC5, GC6, GC7, GC8 |
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. |
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. |
5.1 Demonstrate understanding of assessment strategies, including informal and formal, diagnostic, formative and summative approaches to assess student learning. |
7.1 Understand and apply the key principles described in codes of ethics and conduct for the teaching profession. |
7.3 Understand strategies for working effectively, sensitively and confidentially with parents/carers. |
Content
This unit has been developed around the following topic themes.
- Demonstrate a broad awareness and understanding of contemporary global issues from a cultural perspective
- investigate the rationale for current multicultural education, anti-racism, and ESL policies and related programs in the Australian context
- Appreciate and accommodate the similarities and differences among the students' cultures
- Develop strategies to build relationships with and between CALD students.
- Consider the impact of linguistic diversity on learning and cognition
- Understand and critically analyse cultural influences on key contemporary international political, educational and social issues relating to movement of people globally
- Develop knowledge of practical approaches to manage challenging behaviours presented by refugee and CALD students
- Focus on the ways students learn and observe students to identify their task orientations
- Create positive and safe learning environments for students from refugee backgrounds
- Self-reflection on own culture, attitudes, values, beliefs and experiences and how these affect the way their classroom works
- Use a variety of instructional strategies and learning activities
- Consider students' cultures and language skills when developing learning objectives and instructional activities
- Examine the impact of cultural assumptions, values and biases in teaching NESB and CALD students
- Demonstrate strategies for culturally and linguistically inclusive teaching practice
- Incorporate objectives for affective, social and personal development.
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
Pre-service teachers will be involved in a variety of teaching-learning strategies to progress and demonstrate their understandings in this unit. Participants will be involved in a variety of teaching-learning strategies to support learning, including: lectures, tutorials, independent research, and expert learning groups, self-directed reading, and online activities. Attention will be given to recognising pre-service teachers as adult learners who have responsibility for their own learning.
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 of the equivalent of 150 hours of study.
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment tasks and their weightings are designed to allow pre-service teachers to progressively demonstrate achievement against the unit learning outcomes and demonstrate attainment of professional standards.
Minimum Achievement Standards
The assessment tasks for this unit are designed to demonstrate achievement of each learning outcome. In order to pass this unit, students are required to participate in all assessment tasks.
The total assessment tasks will amount to the equivalent of 5,000 words
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
Assessment Task 1 (individual or group) Contemporary Issues Investigation. Conduct an in depth investigation into a contemporary issue about cultural and linguistic diversity. This paper should address social, cultural and educational aspects of the place of refugees in contemporary educational contexts in Australia | 50% | LO1, LO3, LO4 |
Assessment Task 2 Pedagogy of teaching, and behaviour management plan Identify an educational issue or problem relating to refugees, migrant families or children from CALD backgrounds in accessing and succeeding in the Australian educational context. Your project should demonstrate an understanding of the key principles and applications of multicultural education, including pedagogies, social integration, assessment and pastoral care. | 50% | LO1, LO2, LO3 |
Representative texts and references
Cox, R., & Durrant, C. (2015). Multilingualism in Australian educational contexts: Lessons from the research. Cambridge University Press.
Deaux, K., Snyder, M., & Benet-Martinez, V. (2012) Multiculturalism. In The Oxford Handbook of Personality and Social Psychology: Oxford Handbooks Online (Oxford University Press).
Forlin, C. (2010).Teacher education for inclusion : Changing paradigms and innovative approaches. Taylor & Francis.
Ladsen-Billings, G., & Gillborn, D. (2004). The Routledge Farmer reader in multicultural education. Routledge.
Mares, S., & Newman, L. (Eds.) (2007). Acting from the heart: Australian advocates for asylum seekers tell their stories. Finch.
May, S., & Sleeter, C. (2010). Critical multiculturalism: Theory and praxis. Routledge.
Omeri, A., & Raymond, L. (2010). Diversity in the context of multicultural Australia: Implications for nursing practice. In J.Daly, S. Speedy & D Jackson (Eds.), Contexts of nursing: An introduction, Ch. 19, (3rd ed.).Churchill Livingstone Elsevier.
Scott, R., & Keneally, T. (2013). A Country Too Far: Teacher's Edition (eBook). Penguin.
Shakespeare-Finch, J., & Wickham, K. (2009). Adaption of Sudanese refugees in an Australian context: Investigating helps and hindrances. International Migration, 48(1), 23-46. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-2435.2009.00561.
Refugee Council of Australia. (2010). Finding the right time and place: Exploring post-compulsory education and training pathways for young people from refugee backgrounds in NSW.
Refugee Council of Australia. (2010). Stories and video of personal stories of former refugees who have found a new life in Australia. Compiled by RCOA.