EDEC28001 - Responding to Difference: Children, Families and Communities

General Information

Unit Synopsis

A growing body of research highlights the range of social, economic and political factors influencing the lives of children families and communities. This unit introduces legislation, policy frameworks and theories of human development that underpin inclusion and socially-just educational practice. You will reflect on the roles and responsibilities of teachers in catering for children and families with a diverse range of educational needs, including children from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds and learners with disability. You will appraise a range of perspectives on inclusive education and examine the impact of socioeconomic, cultural and religious backgrounds on the engagement of children and families in educational contexts prior to, and in the early years of formal schooling. Using this knowledge and carefully selected research, you will recommend approaches to teaching practice and relationship-building with families, community representatives and external professionals as sources of ongoing professional learning that support the transition of young children to formal schooling and improve access, equity and learning outcomes for all children including learners with diverse family backgrounds, characteristics and abilities.

Details

Level Postgraduate
Unit Level 8
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 1
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Completion of 72 credit points in CA10 or CG72 OR Admission to CM43.

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).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 3 - 2024

Term 2 - 2025 Profile
Online

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).

Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Postgraduate 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.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Reflective Practice Assignment 40%
2. Creative work 60%

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

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 2 - 2024 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 100.00% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 11.11% response rate.

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.

Source: Feedback
Feedback
Assessment clarity
Recommendation
Provide greater clarity about how to complete the assessment task.
Action Taken
Further clarification of assessment requirements was provided through tutorials.
Source: Student feedback
Feedback
Volume of content
Recommendation
Evaluate the volume of learning content included in each topic
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: Staff feedback
Feedback
Low level of attendance for live classes
Recommendation
Examine strategies to encourage greater attendance at Zoom sessions.
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Analyse the legislative and policy framework underpinning inclusive education in contemporary education and care settings
  2. Appraise perspectives and debates on the inclusion of students with disability to propose strategies and practices for creating safe and supportive learning environments that achieve the goals of inclusive education policy
  3. Reflect critically on the teacher’s role in establishing relationships with parents, carers, external professionals and community groups to support the safety, wellbeing and educative process for all children, including learners with diverse cultural and social needs, disability and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds
  4. Synthesise knowledge and understanding of bioecological theories of development to create a representation of practices, interactions and strategies for responding ethically and sensitively to family and community complexity
  5. Explicate and justify culturally responsive teaching practices that meet the needs of individuals and groups from diverse backgrounds, including children from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures
  6. Generate a framework for inquiry into teaching practice that shows an understanding of the impact of teachers’ professional learning on improved outcomes for children with diverse characteristics, backgrounds and learning needs
  7. Explain the impact of teachers' knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and languages on the creation of inclusive learning environments that promote respect and reconciliation.

Learning outcomes and assessment in this unit provide opportunities for students to engage with content and practices in the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Graduate 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

1.4 Strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students

1.6 Strategies to support full participation of students with disability

2.4 Understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians

3.7 Engage parents/carers in the educative process

4.4 Maintain student safety

6.2 Engage in professional learning and improve practice

6.4 Apply professional learning and improve student learning

7.2 Comply with legislative, administrative and organisational requirements

7.3 Engage with the parents/carers

7.4 Engage with professional teaching networks and broader communities

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 - Reflective Practice Assignment • • • •
2 - Creative work • • • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Professional Level
• Advanced Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 - Knowledge • • • •
2 - Communication • • • •
3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills • • • • •
4 - Research • •
6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility • • • • •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Professional Level
• Advanced Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8