Year
2024Credit points
10Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unitPrerequisites
Nil
Unit rationale, description and aim
To ensure excellence and equity in primary and secondary education, teachers need a developed understanding of the theoretical foundations for education that are drawn from multiple disciplines.
This unit provides an overview of the theoretical foundations of the discipline of Education. These fundamental building blocks serve as pillars that underpin the work of teachers and draw on key ideas generated within the areas of educational psychology, sociology, philosophy, ethics, policy studies and governance. A key thread within this unit is blending knowledge derived from theories of child and adolescent development with understandings of how ethical and cultural contexts impact upon the education systems, and by default on educational opportunity. This unit begins by introducing pre-service teachers to seminal bodies of knowledge from educational sociology and psychology that have framed the profession of teaching and helped educators describe the role of schools and how they connect with society. The unit then moves on to unpack key historical and contemporary educational debates occurring in Australia and the tensions existing around contested notions of equity, quality, efficiency and parental choice.
The aim of this unit is to build professional knowledge and understanding of the complexities of Education, with a particular focus on issues of equity and excellence, for it is only through an awareness of the interrelated nature of the discipline are you be able to respond in an informed, ethical and professional manner as a primary and secondary school teacher.
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 | Investigate the key features of the Australian educational system and demonstrate this understanding in solving problems likely to confront graduate teachers (APST 1.3, 1.4, 6.4) | GC1, GC2, GC4, GC5, GC8, GC9, GC10, GC11, GC12 |
| LO2 | Understand and draw connections between Australian educational policy issues, including that of equity and excellence, and relate these to a variety of audiences associated with schooling, including students, other teachers, parents and the wider community (APST 1.4, 3.7, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3) | GC1, GC2, GC5, GC6, GC7, GC11 |
| LO3 | Apply foundational theories in the discipline of education to practical problems involving curriculum, teaching and learning. (APST 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.4, 4.4, 6.1, 7.1, 7.2) | GC1, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC11 |
| LO4 | Synthesise a personal and professional view of what constitutes excellence and equity in education, informed by foundations of the discipline of Education. (APST 1.1, 1.2, 1.3) | GC2, GC3, GC5, GC6, GC7, GC9, GC11 |
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. |
1.4 Demonstrate broad knowledge and understanding of the impact of culture, cultural identity and linguistic background on the education of students from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds. |
2.4 Demonstrate broad knowledge of, understanding of, and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and languages. |
3.7 Describe a broad range of strategies for involving parents/carers in the educative process. |
4.4 Describe strategies that support students’ well-being and safety working within school and/or system, curriculum and legislative requirements. |
6.1 Demonstrate an understanding of the role of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers in identifying professional learning needs. |
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:
- a range of educationally relevant theories and concepts drawn from psychology/learning, philosophy/ethics, and sociology/cultural studies
- educational policy and governance in advanced liberal societies
- contemporary education issues and debates in Australian education
- working with students, parents and the wider community in diverse contexts in order to facilitate cultural awareness and sensitivities
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit may be offered on-campus, online or in a blended mode. 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. An emphasis is placed on pre-service teachers as adult learners with responsibility for their own learning and who are capable of problem solving. The learning in this unit is enquiry-based, learner-focused and student-centred.
The unit will be delivered through a combination of lectures, tutorials, audio/visual resources and various online activities during the teaching period. This combination ensures that participants can engage with critical literature pertinent to learning outcomes and explore and develop critical understanding by engaging in critical conversations with students to promote learning through a theory-to-practice approach that will be responsive and relevant to the diversity of participants’ current knowledge and ongoing contextual experiences with a key component being the reflexive link between theoretical knowledge and previous/subsequent professional experience placements. Regular engagement with peers and tutors through a range of collaborative activities is essential to achieve the learning outcomes, as successful achievement of the learning outcomes is likely to require participants to challenge pre-conceived notions of education and gain exposure to alternative perspectives generated by collaborators in their learning processes within the unit.
Developmentally, the unit will first engage participants with a range of theoretical perspectives across multiple disciplines that shape the foundations for education in general and within it, the specific discipline of teaching, drawn out of both seminal literature and contemporary research. They will then begin to situate these perspectives in an analysis of educational issues, both broadly (by exploring contemporary issues in education) and specifically (by analysing the specific context of a school). The unit culminates with the participants synthesising their understanding of the content, shaped into a view of educational equity and excellence, informed by the theoretical bases they have studied within the unit, their own personal critical reflections, and their more recent direct experiences engaging in a relevant school context.
Assessment strategy and rationale
A range of assessment procedures are used to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes and professional standards and criteria consistent with University assessment requirements.(http://www.acu.edu.au/policy/student_policies/assessment_policy_and_assessment_procedures).
Each assessment item will require pre-service to consider the interrelated foundations inherent within the discipline of Education. This will involve applying theories of psychology, sociology and philosophy to the issue under examination and the implications these have for teaching practice as a graduate teacher. The assessment strategy used allows pre-service teachers to demonstrate knowledge related to literature and data analysis in a theoretical and practical manner. Each assessment task and associated weighting will allow the pre-service teacher to progressively demonstrate their success in terms of achieving the stated learning outcomes. The initial task provides both an opportunity to demonstrate a broad understanding of the theoretical foundations that inform and influence teaching, with the use of a group presentation to ensure participants develop a peer-informed understanding of the diverse and complex perspectives that teachers must draw upon to make informed pedagogical judgments in tandem with an individual school case study that enables participants to apply this knowledge more explicitly to the context in which theory meets practice, a school. The final task provides the opportunity to synthesise a broad understanding of education, informed not only by the theoretical foundations established within the unit, but also their experiences analysing and applying learning to practical issues and school contexts. The assessment tasks are designed in sequence to allow for feedback and progressive development across the unit. A range of assessment procedures are used to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes and professional standards and criteria consistent with University assessment requirements.
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
Assessment Task 1: Report on school case study Choose a theory, policy or issue that relates to equity and excellence in contemporary Australian Schools and impacts on graduate teachers. Conduct an in-depth analysis of how a specific school addresses/implements the chosen theory/policy/issue through the contrasting lenses of psychology and sociology. | 50% | LO1, LO2, LO3 |
Assessment Task 2 Critical Reflection on Educational Equity and Excellence Develop and articulate a vision for excellence and equity in education. This vision must: a) draw connections between foundational theories in the discipline of education and practical problems involving curriculum, teaching and learning. b) examine how equity and excellence relates to students, other teachers, parents and the wider community c) incorporate personal reflection and professional experiences to date. | 50% | LO2, LO3, LO4 |
Representative texts and references
Barr, A., Gillard, J., Firth, V., Scrymgour, M., Welford, R., Lomax-Smith, J., & Constable, E. (2008). Melbourne declaration on educational goals for young Australians. Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs. PO Box 202 Carlton South Victoria, 3053, Australia.
Bruning, R. H., Schraw, G. J., & Norby, M. M. (2018). Cognitive psychology and instruction (5th ed.). Pearson.
Cahn, S. (2009). Philosophy of Education: The Essential Texts. New York: Routledge.
Campbell, C., & Proctor, H. (2014). A History of Australian Schooling. Melbourne: Allen & Unwin.
Campbell, E. (2008). The ethical teacher. Open University Press.
Carl, J. & Baker, S. (2012). Think sociology. Frenchs Forrest, NSW: Pearson Australia.
Graham, L. Berman, J. & Bellert, A. (2015). Sustainable learning: Inclusive practices for 21 st century classrooms. Port Melbourne, Vic: Cambridge University Press
Labaree, D. F. (1997). Public goods, private goods: The American struggle over educational goals. American educational research journal, 34(1), 39-81.
McInerney, D. M. (2018). Educational psychology: Constructing learning (6th ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Education Australia.
Tait, Gordon (2016). Making sense of mass education. (2nd ed.) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.