EDSE20017 - Learning and Teaching in Junior Secondary

General Information

Unit Synopsis

The focus of this unit is on preparing pre-service teachers to teach in junior secondary school contexts (Years 7 – 9). In this unit, emphasis is placed on helping you understand strategies and processes to ensure the bridge between primary and secondary school is safe, strong and consistent for all students. Teaching in junior secondary school contexts requires a particular pedagogical approach where learned information must be meaningful and links to the world beyond the classroom are made. You will engage with the six guiding principles of junior secondary school teaching, namely, distinct identity; quality teaching; student wellbeing; parent and community involvement; leadership; and, local decision-making. Within this context, the role secondary school teachers have in developing effective, useful and efficient strategies that can be used in any discipline area to increase student understanding and improve overall achievement and motivation will be explored.

Details

Level Postgraduate
Unit Level 9
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, CG72 or CG93 OR Admission to CL05.

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 1 - 2024

Term 1 - 2024 Profile
Online
Term 1 - 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. Written Assessment 50%
2. Online Quiz(zes) 25%
3. Critical Review 25%

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 60.00% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 18.18% 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: Student feedback and Unit coordinator
Feedback
Update e-reading list in line with changes in Moodle site
Recommendation
e-reading list be updated to include readings in weekly topics.
Action Taken
The reading lists were updated to reflect the readings in the Moodle site
Source: Unit coordinator
Feedback
Continue to refine resources where necessary so they are up to date and reflect current policy and teacher experience
Recommendation
Update materials in line with current policy and teacher experience in schools.
Action Taken
Learning material are in line with current policy and teacher experiences in schools.
Source: Student feedback Markers feedback
Feedback
A higher number of students focused their Task 1 assessment responses on adolescents and youth rather than the specified age group of 'junior secondary'.
Recommendation
Include the words 'junior secondary school students' in place of the word 'youth' in Task 1 description.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: Student feedback and Unit Coordinator feedback
Feedback
Quizzes
Recommendation
Change either the questions asked in the quizzes, or the whole assessment approach.
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes

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

  1. Examine the complex nature of teaching in junior secondary school contexts through the analysis of issues facing students with respect to their social, emotional, physical and cognitive development
  2. Define and scrutinise the principles that underpin junior secondary school teaching including research into how students learn and the implications for teaching
  3. Challenge contemporary thinking about teaching junior secondary students including issues associated with their bodies, health, physicality, personal development, creativity, expression, well-being and connections to community
  4. Evaluate the role secondary school teachers have in developing effective, useful and efficient strategies that can be used to increase student understanding and improve overall achievement and motivation
  5. Engage in professional learning to improve personal practice and student learning.

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

1.4 Strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students

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

3.5 Use effective classroom communication

3.6 Evaluate and improve teaching programs

4.1 Support student participation

4.4 Maintain student safety

6.2 Engage in professional learning and improve practice

6.4 Apply professional learning and improve student learning

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Written Assessment • • • •
2 - Online Quiz(zes) •
3 - Critical Review • • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Professional Level
• Advanced Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
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