Overview
Professional Practice 1 introduces pre-service teachers to the teaching profession and work-integrated learning in school settings through tutorial workshops and a school placement comprising 20 days of practical experience under the guidance of a supervising teacher. Placements take the form of 5 non-assessable contextual days and 5 assessable day visits throughout the term followed by a 2-week block period of assessable practice at the end of the term. During the placement, pre-service teachers apply knowledge gained throughout the first year to practise the skills of planning, teaching, managing the learning environment, and assessing and recording student learning and they are assessed against the relevant focus areas of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers by their supervising teachers. Pre-service teachers maintain professional records of their practice in the form of a working portfolio and compile evidence of their demonstration of aspects of the Standards in an e-portfolio. A major emphasis of this course is the development of the disposition for ongoing professional learning through reflection on the professional role and responsibilities of teachers and evaluation of effective teaching practice to improve student learning.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Students must have successfully completed at least three first year units in the Bachelor of Education course in which they are enrolled to be eligible for enrolment in this unit and placement in an educational setting for completion of the practical component.
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 2 - 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 Student unit evaluation Personal communication from students
Return of the first assessment task was slow.
Reconsider the due date of the first assessment task along with the marking timeline.
Feedback from Student unit evaluation
The Moodle site was well designed and easy to navigate. The course learning materials were comprehensive and relevant to the placement requirements.
Continue to use this format, however update materials as required.
Feedback from Student unit evaluation Staff feedback
Reduce the amount of templates to be used throughout the course.
Streamline the templates to be used for lesson planning, observations and reflections.
- Interpret and apply the key responsibilities of educators with regard to duty of care and codes of conduct for the sector.
- Collect and organise profiling data on individual strengths, interests and learning needs across a range of domains.
- Observe teaching and learning to identify how teachers structure learning experiences and use communication and teaching strategies that promote engaged learning and on-task behaviour.
- Plan and implement learning experiences that set clearly identified goals that meet learners’ needs, and include a well-structured introduction, body and conclusion, a variety of teaching strategies and strategies for assessing and monitoring the learning.
- Trial the use of non-verbal and verbal communication skills that establish effective relationships with learners and promote positive attitudes to learning in preventive and non-intrusive ways.
- Respond to feedback and self-evaluation to reflect on and suggest improvements to planned learning experiences.
- Reflect on own teaching and the roles and responsibilities of educators to identify evidence of professional standards, improve practice and set goals for ongoing professional learning.
Learning outcomes for the unit Professional Practice 1 - Introduction to Teaching explicitly reflect the knowledge and understanding of the three domains of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers at a level suitable for first year pre-service teachers. In addition, the unit learning outcomes promote understanding of the complex nature of teaching in diverse settings and the application of reflection processes essential for engaging in a cycle of continuous professional learning to improve practice. Competency elements from the Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care are also embedded in this unit and demonstrated through practice in an authentic setting . The assessment reports for the professional practice placement should be retained by pre-service teachers for inclusion in a professional portfolio for employment interviews and selected artefacts from the working portfolio maintained throughout the placement should be added to an e-portfolio which has a focus on evidence of standards and the identification of professional learning needs.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | |
1 - Written Assessment - 50% | |||||||
2 - Professional Practice Placement - 0% | |||||||
3 - Portfolio - 50% |
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | |
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 - Professional Practice Placement - 0% | ||||||||||
3 - Portfolio - 50% |
Textbooks
Teaching: Making a Difference
Edition: 3rd (2016)
Authors: Churchill, Godinho, Johnson, Keddie, Letts, Lowe, Mackay, McGill, Moss, Nagel, Shaw, Ferguson, Nicholson & Vick
Wiley
Milton Milton , Queensland , Australia
ISBN: 9780730315452
Binding: Paperback
Additional Textbook Information
This text is utilised in several other first year units and previous editions of the text are suitable for use.
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
Chapter
1. Professional Practice Handbook
2. Professional Practice 1 Information and Guidelines for the Supervision and Assessment of Pre-service Teachers
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
The Art of Observing and Reflecting
Chapter
Churchill et al. Chapter 13
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Planning and Teaching: The Teaching and Learning Cycle
Chapter
Churchill et al. Chapter 7
Events and Submissions/Topic
Contextual day visit (1)
Module/Topic
Planning and Teaching: The Curriculum
Chapter
Churchill et al. Chapter 6
Events and Submissions/Topic
Contextual day visit (2)
Module/Topic
Planning and Teaching: Lesson planning (part 1)
Chapter
1. Churchill et al. pp.220-226
2. CRO - Clarke and Pittaway pp149-165
3. CRO - Fetherston pp. 78-102
Events and Submissions/Topic
Contextual day visit (3)
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Contextual day visit (4)
Module/Topic
Planning and Teaching: Lesson planning (part 2)
Chapter
CRO - Fetherston pp.257 -281
Events and Submissions/Topic
Contextual day visit (5)
Module/Topic
Planning and Teaching: Assessing Learning
Chapter
Churchill et al.pp.422-428
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessable day visit (6)
Written Assessment Due: Week 7 Friday (1 Sept 2017) 11:45 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Managing the Learning Environment:
Chapter
1. CRO - Spooner-Lane pp.19-36
2. Churchill et al. pp.356 - 385
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessable day visit (7)
Module/Topic
Managing the Learning Environment
Chapter
1.Churchill et al. pp.385 - 411
2. CRO - Brady pp.13-20
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessable day visit (8)
Module/Topic
The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers and the ePortfolio
Chapter
AITSL website https://www.aitsl.edu.au/australian-professional-standards-for-teachers
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
The two week block
Chapter
1. Professional Practice Handbook
2. Professional Practice 1 Information and Guidelines for the Supervision and Assessment of Pre-service Teachers
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessable day visit (9)
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessable day visit (10)
The two week block begins on October 16.
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Written Assessment
Part A:
Choose a lesson taught by your supervising teacher that you have observed during your day visits and record the following information on the observation template provided for this assessment task (found on the PP1 Moodle site):
· What was the learning goal of the lesson?
· How did the teacher introduce the lesson and make the purpose of the intended learning clear to students?
· What strategies or activities did the teacher use to help students understand the content or practise the skills that were the focus for learning?
· How did the teacher finish the lesson and check for student understanding or achievement of the learning goal?
Part B:
Based on the lesson you have observed (and used for Part A), imagine that your supervising teacher has identified a small group of students who did not achieve the intended learning goal. Your supervising teacher asks you to plan and implement a follow up lesson to reteach the knowledge or skills that were the focus for learning.
Use the lesson plan template to clearly identify the learning goal for your follow-up lesson and outline the instructional steps you would follow to teach the content to the small group of students that the supervising teacher has identified. Your lesson must include an introduction, body and conclusion where you plan to:
(a) clearly state the purpose of the lesson,
(b) reteach the content and provide opportunities for students to practice or use the knowledge they have learnt; and
(c) summarise the learning and check for students’ understanding and achievement of the lesson’s goal.
Write a 250 word justification that explains why you think your teaching strategies will have an impact on student learning and how you will know if you have been successful in achieving the lesson’s goal. Ensure that you use the unit materials to reference your justification (approximately 1-2 references).
Upload your observation, lesson plan and 250 word justification into the assessment task 1 link on Moodle.
NOTE: This assessment task provides opportunities for students to demonstrate aspects of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers in authentic professional learning contexts. The task demonstrates evidence of working towards the focus areas of 1.2, 2.3, 3.3, 6.1 and 6.4 .
Week 7 Friday (1 Sept 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.
1. Identification of strategies that impact on student learning and engagement
2. Knowledge and application of key components of lesson planning that organise teaching and learning activities into a logical sequence
3. Knowledge and application of strategies for assessing and monitoring student learning
4. Personal and academic literacy
- Communication
- Critical Thinking
- Observe teaching and learning to identify how teachers structure learning experiences and use communication and teaching strategies that promote engaged learning and on-task behaviour.
- Plan and implement learning experiences that set clearly identified goals that meet learners’ needs, and include a well-structured introduction, body and conclusion, a variety of teaching strategies and strategies for assessing and monitoring the learning.
- Trial the use of non-verbal and verbal communication skills that establish effective relationships with learners and promote positive attitudes to learning in preventive and non-intrusive ways.
- Reflect on own teaching and the roles and responsibilities of educators to identify evidence of professional standards, improve practice and set goals for ongoing professional learning.
2 Professional Practice Placement
Undertake a 20 day supervised placement in a school setting as detailed below and complete all tasks outlined in the Information and Reporting Booklet for Professional Practice 1. The placement consists of:
· 5 contextual days (non-assessable)
· 5 assessable days (both the contextual and assessable days are completed one day per week throughout the term)
· 10 day continuous assessable block
An up-to-date working portfolio which records all observations, reflections and planning must be maintained throughout the placement. At the end of Week 1 (of the two week continuous block), an Interim Report will be completed by the Supervising Teacher to identify progress towards demonstrating the identified aspects of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. Based on the Interim Report, pre-service teachers will outline a minimum of 2 professional goals to be achieved by the end of the final week of the block.
The final summative report will be completed by the Supervising Teacher on the final day of the two week continuous block.
NOTE: This assessment task provides opportunities for students to demonstrate aspects of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers in authentic professional learning contexts. The task demonstrates evidence of working towards the focus areas of 1.1, 1.3, 1.5, 2.2, 3.1, 3.3, 3.5, 3.6, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2, 5.4, 6.1, 6.3 and 7.1.
On completion of the two week block.
Feedback on this assessment will be provided by the Supervising Teacher using the reporting documents for Professional Practice 1.
Assessment criteria are outlined in detail in the Information and Reporting booklet and are drawn from the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Graduate Level).
- Communication
- Critical Thinking
- Team Work
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
- Interpret and apply the key responsibilities of educators with regard to duty of care and codes of conduct for the sector.
- Collect and organise profiling data on individual strengths, interests and learning needs across a range of domains.
- Observe teaching and learning to identify how teachers structure learning experiences and use communication and teaching strategies that promote engaged learning and on-task behaviour.
- Plan and implement learning experiences that set clearly identified goals that meet learners’ needs, and include a well-structured introduction, body and conclusion, a variety of teaching strategies and strategies for assessing and monitoring the learning.
- Trial the use of non-verbal and verbal communication skills that establish effective relationships with learners and promote positive attitudes to learning in preventive and non-intrusive ways.
- Respond to feedback and self-evaluation to reflect on and suggest improvements to planned learning experiences.
- Reflect on own teaching and the roles and responsibilities of educators to identify evidence of professional standards, improve practice and set goals for ongoing professional learning.
3 Portfolio
You are required to select examples from the planning, teaching and assessment tasks you completed during your placement for the purpose of evaluating your classroom practice and the impact your decisions had on student learning.
Your selected artefacts should include the following:
- A sequence of two lesson plans on the same topic, concept or skill. The sequence of lessons can come from any learning area and may be for a small group or whole class.
- A sample of students’ work from the lessons you have selected that shows whether the students met the intended learning goals. Samples may include worksheets, tasks completed by the learners or records of learners’ responses to questions you used to check for learning.
- Copies of classroom observations completed by your supervising teacher at least one of which should be related to the lesson plans you have chosen for analysis.
Write a commentary on your selected artefacts that responds to the following questions. Your commentary should make explicit links to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers that you have engaged with to plan, teach and assess student learning in your chosen lessons and should be no more than 750 words in length. Your commentary should be referenced using the unit learning materials from Moodle. Use the following questions to guide your commentary.
- What knowledge, understanding and skills were the focus for teaching and learning in your lessons?
- How did you sequence the instructional steps in your lessons to support students’ understanding and demonstration of the intended learning goals?
- What strategies did you use to check for understanding? Did these strategies provide you with enough information to know whether the learning goals had been met?
- What evidence do the work samples show of student learning and achievement?
- How did you use the assessment information from lesson 1 to plan for the follow-up lesson in the sequence?
- What would you change or do differently next time to enhance your teaching practice and improve student learning?
This assessment task is to be submitted no later than one week after the conclusion of your placement for Professional Practice 1. The portfolio should be created using iTunes U (Instructions regarding iTunesU will be located on the PP1 Moodle website).
You should upload a word document to the link for Assessment Task 3 on Moodle with your iTunesU course name and access code so that your lecturer can view and mark your ePortfolio.
NOTE: This assessment task provides opportunities for students to demonstrate aspects of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers in authentic professional learning contexts. The task demonstrates evidence of working towards the focus areas of 6.1 and 6.2 .
One week after completion of the block placement - 3 November, 2017
Feedback on the final assessment task will be provided following moderation.
1. Knowledge and understanding of the Standards as a framework for evaluating teaching practice
2. Knowledge and understanding of the relationship between learning goals, teaching and learning and assessment
3. Application of assessment information to future planning
4. Evaluation of teaching practice and identification of strategies to improve student learning
5. Personal and academic literacy
- Communication
- Critical Thinking
- Information Technology Competence
- Respond to feedback and self-evaluation to reflect on and suggest improvements to planned learning experiences.
- Reflect on own teaching and the roles and responsibilities of educators to identify evidence of professional standards, improve practice and set goals for ongoing professional learning.
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.