EDFE20034 - Professional Praxis 1: Understanding learning contexts

General Information

Unit Synopsis

The stages of development, characteristics and backgrounds of children and young people have a significant impact on their participation and learning in early years settings and P-12 schools. In this unit, you will deepen your understanding of the teacher’s role in responding to the diverse range of student learning needs through engagement with two distinct modules designed to encourage critical reflection on teaching practices that have a positive impact on student learning. In the first module, you will research and analyse socio-cultural definitions of literacy that recognise the multiple modes in which literacy practices are performed in the contemporary world and the multiple perspectives that affect learners’ comprehension of, and communication through language as a result of their social and cultural backgrounds. You will apply this knowledge to an analysis of curriculum documents and construct a series of vignettes that illustrate and justify teaching approaches and learning activities that make the language and literacy demands of the curriculum accessible for all students. In the second module, you will be introduced to the Australian Professional Standards as a framework for describing quality teaching practice in the 21st century. You will also participate in a wider field experience to record observations and critically reflect on the ways in which learners’ linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds and physical, social and intellectual stages of development affect their learning and engagement and influence teachers’ curriculum decision-making.

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 There are no pre-requisites for the 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).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 3 - 2024

Term 1 - 2025 Profile
Mixed Mode

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. Written Assessment 50%
2. Portfolio 50%

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 1 - 2024 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 72.00% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 22.94% 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: SUTE
Feedback
Structuring of tutorials
Recommendation
Tutorials will be structured to include more opportunities for student interaction and planned question time
Action Taken
Activities, group discussions and reflective questions were incorporated into all tutorials
Source: SUTE
Feedback
Volume of content
Recommendation
Distinguish between essential and recommended reading
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes

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

  1. Analyse contemporary theories and definitions of literacy to explain the impact of learners’ cultural and linguistic backgrounds, stages of development and characteristics on language learning and use
  2. Design learning activities that use resources and a range of verbal and non-verbal communication strategies to support students’ engagement and literacy development
  3. Recommend and justify approaches to teaching literacy and language use that cater for the needs of students from a diverse range of linguistic, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
  4. Document observations of learners, learning and teaching to identify strategies that support the inclusive participation and engagement of learners with diverse characteristics, abilities and stages of development
  5. Propose approaches to building relationships with external professionals, community representatives and parents and carers to support the educative process and promote student participation, engagement and learning in educational settings
  6. Use the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers and codes of ethics and conduct for the teaching profession to evaluate professional learning needs and identify sources of professional learning that improve teaching practice and responsivity to the needs of diverse groups of students.

Successful completion of this unit provides opportunities for students to demonstrate the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers focus areas of:

1.1 Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students

1.2 Understand how students learn

1.3 Students with diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds

1.5 Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities

2.1 Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area

2.5 Literacy and Numeracy strategies

3.3 Use teaching strategies

3.4 Select and use resources

3.5 Use effective classroom communication

3.7 Engage parents/carers in the educative process

4.1 Support student participation

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

7.3 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
1 - Written Assessment • • •
2 - Portfolio • • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Professional Level
• Advanced Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 - Knowledge • • • • • •
2 - Communication • • • • • •
3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills • • • • •
5 - Self-management • • • •
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