This task contains two parts: Part A and Part B as described below. You must complete both parts of the task.

Part A: Throughout the period of your final professional experience placement and Internship, collect evidence that illustrates your understanding of the defining features of Catholic schools.

The evidence you select should demonstrate your knowledge of Church and local documents related to teaching religion as well as highlight the ways in which the nature and purpose of religious education as outlined in the Teaching and Learning Framework (Rockhampton Diocese) are enacted and made visible at your placement school.

Suitable evidence could include images, photographs of icons, extracts from the school mission statement as well as records of staff meetings, professional development sessions, observation notes from school liturgies and other school / community practices and experiences, or interviews and discussions with key staff involved in the design and delivery of religious education (e.g. the APRE).

Write a brief annotation of no more than 25 words for each piece of evidence you have selected that explains how it contributes to your understanding of the roles and responsibilities of teachers in Catholic schools.

Your selected artefacts should be organised and presented as a single file (e.g. document in word or pdf format, PowerPoint, or any other suitable electronic format)

Part B

Maurice Ryan (1997, p. 2) in “Foundations of Religious Education in Catholic Schools” poses the question: “Is the (Catholic) school meant to be a place of nurture for people in the Christian faith, or is it meant to teach an understanding of Christianity in particular and religion in general?”

Write a critical reflection that explains and evaluates your understanding of the role and responsibilities of teachers in the Catholic Education system. Your reflection should be written to include your emerging personal professional philosophy as a future teacher within this system.

The reflection should answer / respond to the question framed by Ryan and make specific reference to the evidence you have included in Part A and the guidance provided for teachers in the Teaching and Learning Framework and Church documents that shape the identity and purpose of contemporary Catholic schools.

Length: Word limits do not apply to the collection of evidence given the multimodal format. Annotations should be no more than 25 words for each piece of evidence included.

The reflection should be 1000 words in length.

This task provides opportunities for you to demonstrate the following Australian Professional Standards for Teachers at Graduate Level: 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3 and 7.4

Understanding of teachers’ professional roles in achieving the purposes of Catholic education (APST 6.4, 7.1)

Knowledge of human, physical and information resources and networks that support teachers’ professional learning and contribute to improved teaching practice and engagement with Catholic school communities (APST 6.2, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4)

Critical reflection on the ethical, institutional, collegial and community responsibilities of teachers in the Catholic schooling system (APST 6.3, 7.1, 7.2, 7.4)

Please note: This task description includes an alternative to the internship placement. This option is available ONLY in the event of school closures or the inability of a school in a student's region or state to support the placement as a direct result of COVID-19 restrictions.

Internship Placement for Professional Practice 5

Professional Practice 5 comprises a 5 week (25 day) continuous internship completed under an “Internship Authorisation” issued by the Queensland College of Teachers. Throughout the placement, negotiate with the Supervising Teacher to adopt up to but not exceeding 50% of the teaching load for his/her allocated class and engage in co-planning, team teaching, assisting, observing and other professional experiences for the remaining 50% of the placement.

Self-Reflective Statement

Using the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Graduate Career Stage) as a guide for meeting the professional responsibilities of an effective educator, submit evidence of the impact of your practice on student outcomes and the school community in the form of a self reflective statement (maximum 1000 words) to your supervising teacher / mentor in Week 3 of the Internship.

(The statement may integrate self reflection on your role and responsibilities within the Catholic Education system that you are developing for Assessment Task 1 for this unit, but must also include reflection on classroom practice and your professional role by making explicit links to all aspects of Professional Knowledge, Professional practice and Professional Engagement as outlined in the Standards.)

Verification of Practice

The supervising teacher / mentor will verify the self-reflective statement using the verification form in the Internship Guidelines booklet by the end of Week 4. An electronic copy of the Verification form will be provided to the Supervising Teacher.

At the end of the Internship, the Supervising Teacher will complete the Internship Statement. An electronic copy of the Internship Statement of Completion will be provided to the Supervising Teacher. Full details of the placement are outlined in the Information and Guidelines Booklet for Professional Practice 5.

Alternative Practical Assessment (To be completed in the event of school closures and/or a school's inability to support a placement)

You will create a 20-minute oral presentation that showcases the 3 components below (parts 1, 2 and 3). You will present to a panel of Education academics over Zoom at a time negotiated with the unit coordinator. Additionally, there will be 10 minutes of questions posed to you by the panel based on your research topic.

Part 1: Research of a current issue

You will be allocated one of the following issues that is currently impacting the schooling environment as the focus for research:

· Health and wellbeing

· Learner engagement in an online environment

· Working with parents and carers

Specific details about the focus and requirements of your research will be provided on the moodle site for this unit.

Part 2: You as a teacher: Reflective practice

Based on the research you have undertaken for part 1, reflect specifically on your own knowledge, skills and abilities in this area. Use the following questions to guide your reflection:

· What knowledge and skills are needed to ensure effective practice in the classroom?

· How does this relate to teaching and learning cycle?

· What professional development (both formal and informal) could you undertake to build and/or further your capabilities in this?

Part 3: You as a teacher: Practical enactment

As a beginning teacher in a changed world, classrooms will not just be a physical space, but will include online platforms and virtual spaces. Thus, the roles you undertake as a teacher and the way that you operate will incorporate different types of classroom environments. Focusing on the research undertaken for part 1, make links to the graduate career stage of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers through an analysis of your final placement (PP4) and respond to the following questions:

· How can you practically apply your knowledge and skills in both a traditional face to face classroom and an online learning environment? What would your approach to teaching and supporting your learners look like, sound like and feel like?

· What will change in your current practice due to your increase in knowledge and how will ensure that you are both flexible and innovative?

· How you will communicate with students, parents and other school personnel?

Assessment criteria are outlined in detail in the Internship Information and Guidelines booklet.

Prepare a final ePortfolio that demonstrates evidence against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) (Graduate Career Stage).

The ePortfolio should address all focus area of the APST and should be a carefully considered selection of key materials and examples directly related to demonstrating the practical application of the Standards and the impact of your practice on student learning and engagement. Please note that a single piece of evidence may demonstrate more than one focus area of the APST e.g. a single lesson plan may demonstrate 1.5, 2.1, 3.1, 3.4, etc. Relevant annotations / commentary should clearly show how your chosen examples link to and demonstrate achievement of specific focus areas of the APST.

The ePortfolio will be created using iTunesU. You must ensure that the eportfolio is accessible to a marker by checking all boxes required to allow enrolment in your iTunesU course. The access code for your course should be recorded on a word document that includes your name, student number and the unit code and uploaded into the assessment task 3 Moodle link.

Knowledge of the purpose of Standards frameworks for critical reflection on practice and improved outcomes for student learning (APST 6.1)

Knowledge and understanding of the professional knowledge, professional practice and professional engagement domains of the APST (All focus areas at Graduate level)

Selection of evidence that demonstrates impact of teaching practice on student learning and engagement (APST graduate level standards)