Unit Outline
EAL374
Teaching in Rural and Remote Locations
Semester 2, 2024
Philippa Morse
Faculty of Education
College of Arts, Law and Education
CRICOS Provider Code: 00586B

Unit Coordinator
Philippa Morse
Email: philippa.morse@utas.edu.au
 

What is the Unit About?
Unit Description
This unit is designed for students who wish to gain experience and skills to prepare them for teaching in rural locations within Tasmania, or remote locations in other Australian states or international locations, where schools may be small and classes comprised of students who have varied levels of prior education and experience. The unit is taught in 3 modules: Cultural and social dimensions of teaching in rural and remote communities, including language challenges and cultural adaptability; strategies for working effectively with the community; and differentiating curriculum for a diverse range of learners; and differentiating curriculum for multi-grade classrooms.
Intended Learning Outcomes
As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.
On completion of this unit, you will be able to:
1
identify and analyse practical and ethical issues related to a teachers work in socio-economically and culturally diverse communities, including remote indigenous communities.
2
discuss and evaluate key cultural features of community identity, including indigenous perspectives.
3
examine and apply a range of strategies to differentiate curriculum to meet the needs of a diverse range of students.
4
engage with the literature which informs the theoretical frameworks for leadership and learning in communities of inquiry and use multiple source types to evaluate different perspectives.
Alterations as a result of student feedback
 
 
 

Teaching arrangements
ATTENDANCE MODE
TEACHING TYPE
LEARNING ACTIVITY
CONTACT HOURS
FREQUENCY
Online
Independent Learning
Weekly online content with some Zoom classes throughout semester
10
Weekly
Attendance / engagement expectations
If your unit is offered On campus, it is expected that you will attend all on-campus and onsite learning activities. This is to support your own learning and the development of a learning community within the unit. If you are unable to attend regularly, please discuss the situation with your course coordinator and/or our UConnect support team.

If your unit is offered Online or includes online activities, it is expected you will engage in all those activities as indicated in the Unit Outline or MyLO, including any self-directed learning.

If you miss a learning activity for a legitimate reason (e.g., illness, carer responsibilities) teaching staff will attempt to provide alternative activities (e.g., make up readings) where it is possible.
 
 
 
 

How will I be Assessed?
 
For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.
Assessment schedule
ASSESSMENT TASK #
ASSESSMENT TASK NAME
DATE DUE
WEIGHT
LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:
Quiz
Week 6
5 %
LO1, LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 2:
Weekly Discussion Group Participation and Reflection
Week 8
45 %
LO1, LO2, LO4
Assessment Task 3:
Differentiated Lesson Planning
Week 13
50 %
LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
 
Assessment details
Assessment Task 1: Quiz
Task Description:
This task is a quiz that will help you to consolidate learning in relation to modules one, two, and three in the unit, in preparation for the development of your differentiated lesson plan in AT3. You will be required to complete the quiz in three parts over the semester at the culmination of each module.

Further details about this task will be available in the unit.

Completion of this Assessment Task relates to Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.5, 2.1, 3.4, 3.5, 6.3, 7.3, 7.4
Task Length:
500 word equivalent
Due Date:
Week 6
Weight:
5 %
 
CRITERION #
CRITERION
MEASURES INTENDED
LEARNING OUTCOME(S)
1
Consider student need in socio-economically and culturally diverse communities
LO1, LO2, LO3
2
Identify practical and ethical issues for
teaching in diverse communities
LO1
 
Assessment Task 2: Weekly Discussion Group Participation and Reflection
Task Description:
In this task you will be asked to reflect on your personal beliefs and values in combination with the knowledge gained in the first part of the unit (during modules 1 and 2). This task has two parts.

Part A: Each week you and your group members will respond to a question that will be posted on the MyLO discussion board in relation to cultural awareness, language, and community involvement.

Part B: At the conclusion of the discussion period, you should submit a reflection that considers your future teaching practice.

Completion of this Assessment Task relates to Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.4, 6.3, 7.1, 7.3
Task Length:
1500 words
Due Date:
Week 8
Weight:
45 %
 
CRITERION #
CRITERION
MEASURES INTENDED
LEARNING OUTCOME(S)
 

1
Reflect on personal beliefs and values,
combined with new knowledge and
understanding, and consideration of the
implications this has for professional
practice (30%)
LO1, LO2
2
Engage with peers to extend knowledge (30%)
LO1, LO2
3
Explore teacher impact in schools and in the wider community (30%)
LO4
4
Demonstrate professional language and literacy skills, using appropriate academic writing conventions and APA referencing (10%)
LO4
 
Assessment Task 3: Differentiated Lesson Planning
Task Description:
Within your current or intended curriculum area, you are to utilise the backwards lesson planning scaffold to design a teaching sequence The plan should be based on a class scenario involving students. N.B. This task will be modified as appropriate for students who are not in a teaching role.

Completion of this Assessment Task relates to Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST)
1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.5, 4.1, 7.1
Task Length:
2000 words
Due Date:
Week 13
Weight:
50 %
 
CRITERION #
CRITERION
MEASURES INTENDED
LEARNING OUTCOME(S)
1
Respond to the diverse needs of students to differentiate learning (30%)
LO2, LO3
2
Apply consideration of practical and ethical issues for teaching in diverse communities (30%)
LO1
3
Justify range of teaching strategies (30%)
LO1, LO2, LO3
4
Demonstrate professional language and literacy skills, using appropriate academic writing conventions and APA referencing (10%)
LO4
 
 
 

How your final result is determined
To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.
Submission of assignments
Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.
Academic integrity
Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see
Important Guidelines & Support.
Requests for extensions
If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.
 
A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.
 
The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.
Late penalties
Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.
Review of results and appeals
You are entitled to ask for a review of the marking and grading of your assessment task if there is an irregularity in the marking standards or an error in the process for determining the outcome of an assessment. Details on how to request a review of a mark for an assignment are outlined in the Review and Appeal of Academic Decisions Procedure.
 
 

 
 

Required Resources
Required reading materials
Weekly readings available in MyLO
 
Recommended reading materials
Carrington, S., & MacArthur, J. (Eds.). (2012). Teaching in Inclusive School Communities. Milton, QLD: John Wiley & Sons Australia. 
Bondie, R., & Zusho, A. (2018). Differentiated instruction made practical: engaging the extremes through classroom routines. Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group. 
Driscoll, C., Darian-Smith, K., & Nichols, D. (2017). Cultural Sustainability in rural communities: rethinking Australian Country towns. Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group. 
Emmitt, M., Zbaracki, M., Komesaroff, L., & Pollock, J. (2015). Language and learning: an introduction for teaching. Oxford University Press. 
Harrison, N., & Sellwood, J. (2016). Teaching and learning in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education (2nd ed.). South Melbourne, Vic: Oxford University Press. 
Schafft, K. & Jackson, A. (Eds.). (2010). Rural education for the twenty-first century: Identity, place and community in a globalizing world (pp. 17-33). University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press. 
Tomlinson, C.A., & Imbeau, M.B. (2010). Leading and managing a differentiated classroom. Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.
 
Other required resources