Overview
Education as a Profession examines the history and philosophy underpinning educational theory as a basis for understanding the role of education in contemporary society. Students investigate the impact of social, cultural and economic change on the professionalism of educators and concepts of quality and effective practice in educational settings to understand the role of “teacher as learner”. They critically reflect on the contextual factors that influence what it means to be an educator in 21st century society and use Professional Standards and Codes of Ethics and/or Conduct relevant to the work of educators to develop an understanding of the relationship between social justice, ethical practice and professional identity. Students evaluate ways in which their own beliefs about teaching and learning affect professional practice and use ethical and professional standards to explain the rationale for ongoing professional learning and the implications for improved student learning. Students develop an understanding of the purpose of e-portfolios for documenting evidence of professional learning and create a personal response to key ideas about the purpose of contemporary education in the form of a digital artefact which is used to start the reflection process of maintaining and adding to the e-portfolio over the course of the course.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2017
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Course evaluations.
Positive comments were provided regarding the relevance and importance of content covered in this course
No major changes to be made to content, resources and activities.
No changes were made, but materials were up-dated where needed.
Feedback from Course evaluations and teaching staff self-evaluation.
Concerns raised regarding difficulties with Mahara as an e-portfolio tool within second assessment task.
Allow use of alternative programs, such as simple website creation tools, for Assessment Task 2.
Students were still required to use Mahara for their ePortfolio task.
- Identify social, cultural and economic changes that impact on the purposes and outcomes of education in 21st century Australian society.
- Reflect on self as learner and discuss the relevance of personal and professional lifelong learning for educational professionals.
- Reflect on the impact of personal perspectives of race, class, gender and identity formation on the professional role of educators.
- Evaluate contemporary perspectives on social justice and their relationship to Professional Standards and Codes of Ethics and Conduct for professional educators.
- Assess ways in which knowledge of educational contexts such as socioeconomic background, culture, identity and gender shape the decision-making of educators.
This unit incorporates essential professional behaviours embedded in the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. The development of an e-portfolio for demonstrating evidence of the standards at graduate level is introduced in this unit and can be used as the basis for registration, identification of professional learning needs and selection of evidence for professional folios for future employment interviews.
Successful completion of the unit Education as a Profession provides opportunities for students to demonstrate the following focus areas of the standards: 1.1, 1.3, 4.4, 6.1, 6.2, 6.4, 7.1 and 7.2. In addition, competency elements from the Diploma of Children's Services (Early Childhood Education and Care) including HLTHIR403C: 1 and 2; HLTHIR404D: 2; CHCCHILD401A: 1 and 3; and CHCCS400B: 1, 2, 3 and 4 are taught and assessed in this unit.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
1 - Written Assessment - 50% | |||||
2 - Portfolio - 50% |
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
1 - Communication | |||||
2 - Problem Solving | |||||
3 - Critical Thinking | |||||
4 - Information Literacy | |||||
5 - Team Work | |||||
6 - Information Technology Competence | |||||
7 - Cross Cultural Competence | |||||
8 - Ethical practice | |||||
9 - Social Innovation | |||||
10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures |
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
1 - Written Assessment - 50% | ||||||||||
2 - Portfolio - 50% |
Textbooks
Teaching: making a difference
Edition: 3rd edn (2015)
Authors: Churchill, R. et al
Wiley
Milton Milton , Queensland , Australia
ISBN: 9780730315452
Binding: Paperback
Additional Textbook Information
This text will be used for the Term 2 unit Curriculum Foundations and Decision-making and will be a valuable resource throughout the Bachelor of Education course.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 6th Edition (APA 6th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
a.ambrosetti@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Conceptions of teachers and teaching
Chapter
Course Resources Online - Groundswater-Smith et al. 2011, pp. 3-11
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Personal and professional identity
Chapter
Chapter 1
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Teacher responses to diversity
Chapter
Course Resources Online - Snowman, 2009, pp.142-152
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Discourses of schooling
Chapter
Chapter 2
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Education and social change
Chapter
Chapter 2 Course Resources Online - Frost 2008
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Schools and educational equity
Chapter
Course Resources Online - Marsh, 2011, Chapter 19
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Teaching as professional work
Chapter
Course Resources Online - Darling-Hammond, 2006
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Teachers as learners
Chapter
Course Resources Online - Lieberman & Mace, 2010 Ewing, Lowrie and Higgs, 2010
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Professional Standards for Teachers
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Codes of Ethics and Conduct for the teaching profession
Chapter
DETE, 2013 - Standard of practice
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Ethical and legal issues that affect the work of teachers
Chapter
Course Resources Online - Groundswater-Smith et al, 2011, pp. 27-40
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Review
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Written Assessment
Autobiography
You will construct an autobiography (2000 words) that highlights selected experiences from your life and own personal experience of schooling and identify how they have shaped your beliefs about teaching and learning. You will also reflect on the impact that your cultural identity and beliefs about education may have on the ways in which you respond to the diversity of learners in contemporary Australian educational and care settings.
Your autobiography should include both written text along with other modes for representing your experience (e.g., images and captions, concept maps, diagrams, cartoon strips). Group discussion, readings and reflection activities conducted throughout the course and a series of prompting questions outlined in the weekly topics on the moodle site will help you select and develop ideas for your autobiography.
Week 6 Monday (17 Apr 2017) 11:45 pm AEST
Feedback on this assessment response will be provided in sufficient time to allow for academic support and advice as necessary to inform students’ responses to the next assessment task.
Understanding of the influence of social, economic and political factors on education and the impact of diversity and change on the work of teachers in the 21st century
Ability to select and analyse personal experiences that underpin the formation of beliefs about learning and teaching
Ability to reflect on personal and professional perspectives through the chosen metaphor
Understanding of the need for ongoing professional learning for teachers
Professional levels of personal literacy
- Identify social, cultural and economic changes that impact on the purposes and outcomes of education in 21st century Australian society.
- Reflect on self as learner and discuss the relevance of personal and professional lifelong learning for educational professionals.
- Reflect on the impact of personal perspectives of race, class, gender and identity formation on the professional role of educators.
- Assess ways in which knowledge of educational contexts such as socioeconomic background, culture, identity and gender shape the decision-making of educators.
- Communication
- Critical Thinking
- Information Technology Competence
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
2 Portfolio
In this task, you will demonstrate your understanding of Professional Standards and Codes of Ethics and Conduct that guide the work of professional educators by creating a digital artefact (a digital file that you will upload to a digital portfolio; this artefact can be a diagram, mind map or combination of images and words) that responds to the question: What does it mean to be a professional educator in the 21st century? Your response to this assessment task will be used as the first entry in an e-portfolio which you will add to throughout your pre-service program to record your ongoing professional learning and demonstrate the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers at the Graduate Career Stage.
You are encouraged to be creative in the construction of a digital artefact which must clearly show the relationship between the goals of the Melbourne Declaration and the principles that shape professional practice and the decision-making of educators outlined in Professional Standards, frameworks for good teaching and Codes of Ethics for teachers.
Your artefact should be accompanied by a written annotation in the form of a critical reflection of 1500 words that:
(a) describes how your artefact represents key ideas about the impact of social, economic and cultural change on the purpose and outcomes of education in 21st century Australian society;
(b) explains how your artefact reflects the way in which educators' work is affected by issues of social justice, diversity and equity, and ethical decision-making; and,
(c) evaluates how Professional Standards and Codes of Ethics and Conduct guide the complex work of educators in contemporary educational settings and contribute to ongoing professional learning that improves outcomes for all learners. You will be expected to include references to course readings to support this annotation.
Exam Week Monday (12 June 2017) 11:45 pm AEST
Feedback on this final assessment response will be available after the date for Certification of Grades for the term.
Ability to analyse, evaluate and synthesise information from a range of sources to support a point of view
Knowledge and understanding of the range of factors influencing education policy
Ability to reflect critically on principles of equity, diversity and social justice and the relationship to teachers’ professionalism and the complexity of educational environments
Demonstrated understanding of the nature of teaching as professional work and the role of professional standards and codes of ethics in guiding educators’ decision-making
Application of academic conventions and personal literacy competence
- Identify social, cultural and economic changes that impact on the purposes and outcomes of education in 21st century Australian society.
- Reflect on the impact of personal perspectives of race, class, gender and identity formation on the professional role of educators.
- Evaluate contemporary perspectives on social justice and their relationship to Professional Standards and Codes of Ethics and Conduct for professional educators.
- Assess ways in which knowledge of educational contexts such as socioeconomic background, culture, identity and gender shape the decision-making of educators.
- Communication
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.