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 - 2020
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 Unit Evaluation and informal student comments.
Unit delivery
Maintain an interactive element to all classes, including online sessions.
Feedback from Unit Evaluation.
Unit content
Ensure staff emphasise relevance of unit content and assignment requirements.
Feedback from Unit evaluation and comments from new staff members.
Moodle site navigation
Retain structure of Moodle site.
- 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.
Successful completion of this unit provides opportunities for students to engage with the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Graduate Career Stage) focus areas of:
1.1 Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students
1.3 Students with diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds
4.4 Maintain student safety
6.1 Identify and plan professional learning needs
6.2 Engage in professional learning and improve practice
6.4 Apply professional learning and improve student learning
7.1 Meet professional ethics and responsibilities
7.2 Comply with legislative, administrative and organisational requirements
In addition, competency elements from the Diploma of Children's Services (Early Childhood Education and Care) 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: 4th (2019)
Authors: Churchill, Godinho, Johnson, Keddie, Letts, Lowe, Mackay, McGill, Moss, Nagel, Shaw & Rogers
Wiley
Milton Milton , Qld , Australia
ISBN: 9780730363453
Binding: Paperback
Additional Textbook Information
This text is available in both paper and eBook format. Paper texts can be purchase from the CQUni Bookshop here: http://bookshop.cqu.edu.au
eBooks are available directly from the publisher here: https://www.wileydirect.com.au/buy/teaching-making-a-difference-4th-edition/
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.
s.murket@cqu.edu.au
r.j.fisher@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Conceptions of teachers and teaching
Chapter
Reading: Corrigan, 2016
Reading: Ewing et al., 2020, pp 2-8
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Personal and professional identity
Chapter
Textbook: Churchill et al., 2019, Chapter 1 and pp. 69-73
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Teachers as learners
Chapter
Reading: Mohamed, Valcke & De Wever, 2017
Reading: Ewing, Lowrie and Higgs, 2010, pp. 31-40
Textbook: Churchill et al., 2019, pp. 518-522
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Education and social change
Chapter
Textbook: Churchill et al., 2019, pp. 40-52; 592-599
Reading: Mission Australia, 2019
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Diversity in the educational context
Chapter
Textbook: Churchill et al., 2019, pp. 149-157; 166-173
Reading: McKay, 2016
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Reflective Autobiography
Reflective Autobiography Due: Vacation Week Tuesday (14 Apr 2020) 11:45 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Schools and educational equity
Chapter
Reading: Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration
Textbook: Churchill et al., 2019, pp. 158-186; 559-562; 581-604
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Teaching as professional work
Chapter
Textbook: Churchill et al., 2019, pp. 545-554
Reading: Winch, Oancea & Orchard, 2015
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Discourses of schooling
Chapter
Textbook: Churchill et al., 2019, pp. 53-68
Reading: Hayes, 2017
Reading: Hinz, 2018
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Professional Standards for Teachers
Chapter
Reading: Marsh, Clarke & Pittaway, 2014, Chapter 20
Textbook: Churchill et al., 2019, pp. 554-557
Reading: Australian Professional Standards, 2017
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Codes of Ethics and Conduct for the teaching profession
Chapter
Reading: Forster, 2012
Reading: Code of Ethics from your State Authority
Reading: Code of Conduct from your State Authority
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Ethical and legal issues that affect the work of teachers
Chapter
Textbook: Churchill et al., 2019, pp. 563-571; 600-607
Reading: Professional boundaries: A guide for Queensland teachers, 2017
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Assignment workshop
Chapter
No new readings this week.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Multimodal Response
Multimodal Response Due: Week 12 Friday (5 June 2020) 11:45 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Written Assessment
In 2000 words, elaborate on your developing views of teaching in the following way:
a) summarise selected experiences from your schooling and for each one indicate how your experiences have shaped your beliefs about teaching and learning;
b) select an image or symbol that depicts your metaphor of a professional educator. Use the metaphor to explain the complex role of educators in 21st century Australian society. Any image or symbol can be used except book/movie/etc characters;
c) identify recent social, cultural and economic changes within Australia that have impacted educational and care contexts. Analyse, with examples, how knowledge of these changes shapes the decision-making of educators; and
d) list several specific professional learning goals for yourself that show how you intend to respond to the identified social, cultural and economic changes. Give reasons for each goal.
Each section has equal weighting.
It is expected that you will embed references from the weekly readings found on the moodle site into your discussion.
First person (e.g. “I remember”, “my teachers”, etc) is appropriate for this assignment. If possible, upload the metaphor image as an appendix.
Please note: The word count is considered from the first word of the introduction to the last word of the conclusion. It excludes the cover page, abstract, contents page, reference page and appendices. It includes in-text references and direct quotations.
Vacation Week Tuesday (14 Apr 2020) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 8 Monday (4 May 2020)
Feedback on this assignment response will be provided in sufficient time to inform students' responses of the next assessment task.
Ability to select and analyse personal experiences that underpin the formation of beliefs about teaching and learning.
Demonstration of the complex role of contemporary educators through the chosen metaphor.
Articulation of recent social, cultural and economic influences on the decision-making of educators.
Selection of appropriate professional learning goals for contemporary educational contexts.
Demonstration of 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
Respond to the question: What does it mean to be a professional educator in the 21st century? You are required to use a multimodal approach that combines images or symbols with words.
Part A: You will create an original representation of the relationship between the goals of the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration and the principles that guide the work and decision-making of educators as found in documents studied this term.
Key ideas from documents such as the AITSL Professional Standards, plus the Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct for teachers published by your State Authorities must be incorporated. Please note: Part A equates to one quarter of the overall mark for this assignment.
Part B: An essay (1500 words) that:
(a) determines how the purpose and outcomes of education in 21st century Australian society is impacted by recent social, economic and cultural change;
(b) explores current issues of social justice, diversity and equity as they relate to educators' work and ethical decision-making; and,
(c) evaluates how effectively the Professional Standards and Codes of Ethics and Conduct guide the work of educators in contemporary educational settings and contribute to ongoing professional learning that improves outcomes for all learners as promoted by the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration.
References from this unit’s textbook and weekly readings to support your argument are expected. Any relevant images or symbols you used in Part A that may help convey your ideas can be mentioned in the essay.
Please note: The word count is considered from the first word of the introduction to the last word of the conclusion. It excludes the cover page, abstract, contents page, reference page and appendices. It includes in-text references and direct quotations.
Week 12 Friday (5 June 2020) 11:45 pm AEST
Will be returned to students 3 weeks after the assignment is due.
Original multimodal representation of expectations and professional obligations of educators in the 21st century.
Knowledge and understanding of the range of factors influencing the current purpose and outcomes of education.
Explanation of the impact of social justice, diversity and equity, and ethical decision-making on educators’ practice.
Evaluation of the role of professional standards and codes of ethics and conducts in guiding educators’ practice and their ongoing professional learning.
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.
What can you do to act with integrity?
