¾«¶«´«Ã½app

Staffing

Examiner:

Requisites

Pre-requisite: EDM5001

Rationale

The senior phase of learning is a significant juncture in the schooling of students in Australia and internationally. Providing learning about the distinct needs of learners in the senior years builds the capacity for pre-service teachers to understand and adopt strategies that will strengthen Year 11 and 12 student participation, engagement and attainment. Pre-service teachers must be prepared for teaching in the senior phase by identifying and investigating the external issues, initiatives, reforms and policies that can impact teaching practice focused on this important phase of learning. Pre-service teachers must analyse these influences and consider how to translate the changes inherent in major reforms into their pedagogical practices. These understandings can be developed through guiding student exploration of the intended curriculum through the use of syllabus documents and examining achievement and assessment processes. Pre-service teachers must be able to identify both broad and specific contextual implications for their practice and to apply knowledges, processes and skills for effective planning to teach. Building on this understanding of the senior curriculum, preservice teachers must consider explicit ways to develop approaches to meet the challenges inherent in teaching in this arena. Additionally, pre-service teachers should be supported to design and implement curricula for the multiple pathways and diverse student needs that create complexity in the contemporary senior school.

Synopsis

This course begins with building in-depth understanding for issues that impact the senior school and aims to give secondary educators increased understanding and confidence to deal with these senior schooling issues. Pre-service teachers also gain understanding and experience in responding to organisational requirements in order to apply these effectively in their teaching practice. Discussions and applications aim to develop their understanding for effective planning for effective teaching, covering mandated elements of curriculum and practice in designing units of work that create alignment of curriculum, assessment and pedagogy. The course continues to build knowledge and skills developed in the previous courses covering teaching and learning in the middle school. Pre-service teachers are asked to demonstrate an understanding of current curriculum policy in the senior phase and the implications for practice. This occurs through developing teaching strategies in their chosen disciplines and includes learning to adjust curriculum for explicit teaching in different sectors. Pre-service teachers learn to plan across school, unit and lesson levels, including sequencing learning experiences, integrating assessment for learning and providing feedback as a learning tool.

Objectives

Topics

Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed

Reference materials

Student workload expectations

Assessment details

Important assessment information

1. Attendance requirements:
   
   There are no attendance requirements for this course. However, it is the students’ responsibility to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.
   
   
2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
   
   To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks for that item. (Depending upon the requirements in Statement 4 below, students may not have to satisfactorily complete each assessment item to receive a passing grade in this course.)
   
   
3. Penalties for late submission of required work:
   
   Students should refer to the Assessment Procedure (point 4.2.4)
   
   
4. Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
   
   To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.
   
   
5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
   
   The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the aggregate of the weighted marks obtained for each of the summative items for the course.
   
   
6. Examination information:
   
   There is no examination in this course.
   
   
7. Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
   
   Not applicable.
   
   
8. ¾«¶«´«Ã½app Student Policies:
   
   Students should read the USQ policies: Definitions, Assessment and Student Academic Misconduct to avoid actions which might contravene ¾«¶«´«Ã½app policies and practices. These policies can be found at .
   
   

Assessment notes

1. Referencing in assignments must comply with the APA referencing system. This system should be used by students to format details of the information sources they have cited in their work. The APA style to be used is defined by the USQ library's referencing guide. This guide can be found at .
   
   
2. Students are required to demonstrate competence in and appropriate use of academic language and literacy, including spelling, grammar, punctuation, and referencing in all assessment responses. Marks allocated to the aforementioned criteria will be specified in the criteria for assessment of all assessment items.
   
   
3. Students are required to submit ALL assignments to evidence meeting or exceeding the mandatory requirements of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APSTs).
   
   

Evaluation and benchmarking

In meeting the ¾«¶«´«Ã½app’s aims to establish quality learning and teaching for all programs, this course monitors and ensures quality assurance and improvements in at least two ways. This course:
1. conforms to the USQ Policy on Evaluation of Teaching, Courses and Programs to ensure ongoing monitoring and systematic improvement.
2. forms part of the Master of Learning and Teaching and is benchmarked against the
o internal USQ accreditation/reaccreditation processes which include (i) stringent standards in the independent accreditation of its academic programs, (ii) close integration between business and academic planning, and (iii) regular and rigorous review.
o professional accreditation standards of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership, and the Queensland College of Teachers’ Board of Teacher Registration.

Other requirements

1. Students are required to have access to a personal computer, e-mail capabilities and Internet access to UConnect. Current details of computer requirements can be found at .
   
   
2. Students can expect that questions in assessment items in this course may draw upon knowledge and skills that they can reasonably be expected to have acquired before enrolling in this course. This includes knowledge contained in pre-requisite courses and appropriate communication, information literacy, analytical, critical thinking, problem solving or numeracy skills. Students who do not possess such knowledge and skills should not expect the same grades as those students who do possess them.