Unit Outline

This unit introduces you to a range of theoretical approaches for facilitating learning, and relates these to contemporary educational practices. As a result of studying this unit, you will understand why contemporary education is focused on learning and understanding, rather than just educational delivery or training. This knowledge will help you to interpret a range of educational approaches, and appreciate the wider impact of education on both society and the individual. After reviewing various theories of learning and teaching, you will consider the implications for curriculum development, as well as the effect on educational structures. Enhanced knowledge of foundational and contemporary theories will help you to better define and express your philosophy of education, and appreciate both the impact of that philosophy on your teaching practices and the potential effect on students.

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.	critically analyse contemporary perspectives of learning.
2.	articulate your own learning and teaching philosophy, values and beliefs.
3.	create and theoretically justify a learning sequence for a group of adolescent or adult learners.
4.	apply professional and academic communication skills.

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Anti-requisite (mutual excl)	EAL502

Alterations as a result of student feedback

Content and readings have been updated.

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:	Developing a Learning and Teaching Philosophy Statement	See the MyLO site for the due date	20 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 2:	Perspectives on Learning	Week 9	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 3:	Reflecting our Philosophy of Teaching and Learning through Action Research	Week 13	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Developing a Learning and Teaching Philosophy Statement

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 learning and teaching philosophy in AT3. You will be required to complete the quiz in three parts over the semester at the culmination of each module.

Further information around this task will be provided in the unit.

Task Length:

500 words

Due Date:

See the MyLO site for the due date

Weight:

20 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Articulate your own teaching and learning philosophy, values and beliefs.	LO1
2	Analyse major theories of learning.	LO2
3	Plan teaching strategies that respond to the relationship between learning theory and the characteristics of adolescent/ adult learners.	LO3
4	Apply professional and academic communication skills.	LO4

Assessment Task 2: Perspectives on Learning

Task Description:

In this task, you will create a presentation using the Screencast-O-Matic application that will demonstrate your understanding of the psychological and social orientations to learning that we cover in Module Two.

The presentation will have a maximum of 12 slides, a running time of 12-15 minutes, and be positioned as if you were explaining these perspectives to new teachers in applied learning settings. Your presentation should include each of the following approaches to learning:
1. Behaviourism
2. Cognitivism
3. Humanism
4. Social Learning
In your presentation, the first slide will contain your name, student ID and title of your presentation. The second slide should contain a brief introduction to the presentation, your personal background, and what will follow in the presentation. This slide would also be a great place to briefly describe the characteristics of the adolescent or adult learner. Your last slide should contain your references (small font -12pt - is fine). The remaining slides will focus, in turn, on each theoretical perspective, concluding with a summary where you reflect on your current understandings, values and beliefs.

For each perspective, you will:
1. Outline the key theorists and their constructs.
2. Articulate how you believe learning could be achieved by drawing upon relevant aspects of the perspective. To do this, you should consider something that you teach and use it to demonstrate a construct described by the theorists that you have referred to in the presentation. For those not already teaching, think about skills that you teach in other areas, e.g., at work, or with your own or other’s children.
3. Reflect on your own experiences as a learner and provide an example of your own learning that illustrates each perspective in action.
4. Reflect on your own learning in the unit. How has your own learning been extended through a deeper understanding of these theories? How will this extend to your professional learning?
5. Support your claims with in-text citations (these should match your reference list).

There will be learning activities during the first module to assist you in joining Screencast-O-Matic and build your confidence in creating a presentation using this free application.

Task Length:

1500 words (or equivalent)

Due Date:

Week 9

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Analyse and reflect on the major theories of learning as they apply to your own and other’s learning (30%)	LO1, LO2, LO4
2	Identify strategies that respond to the relationship between learning theory and learner characteristics (30%)	LO1, LO3, LO4
3	Reflect on your current understandings, values and beliefs (30%)	LO1, LO2, LO4
4	Apply professional and academic skills to communicate and transfer knowledge to an intended audience (10%)	LO4

Assessment Task 3: Reflecting our Philosophy of Teaching and Learning through Action Research

Task Description:

This task is comprised of two parts. In the first part, you will present a learning and teaching philosophy statement. In the second part, you will describe a learning sequence that reflects this philosophy statement. The learning sequence will respond to your own critical analysis of a current teaching situation and demonstrate new teaching decisions in relation to the needs of your learners and the theoretical assumptions about learning that support these decisions.

In more detail:
In Part A, you will present a teaching and learning philosophy statement that incorporates a range of theoretical and other influences on your current way of thinking about teaching. You should do this by drawing on the perspectives of learning covered in Module 1 and 2 and the theoretical approaches to learning covered in Module 3.

In Part B, you will demonstrate how you translate your beliefs into action. In this part you will:
1. Outline a problem in your teaching.
2. Provide a lesson sequence that includes refined teaching strategies that respond directly to the problem and the needs of your learners in relation to this problem.
3. Include a justification for your chosen learning and teaching strategies. That is, you should describe why you chose to use particular strategies, and as part of this explanation, how they reflect the learning perspectives that we have covered in the unit, and how they respond to your learners needs.
4. Illustrate your beliefs about learning as outlined in your learning and teaching philosophy.
5. Support your work with in-text citations (these should match your reference list).
6. You should submit this task in a word document.

Task Length:

2000 words

Due Date:

Week 13

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Articulate your own teaching and learning philosophy, values, and beliefs (20%)	LO1, LO2, LO4
2	Critically analyse contemporary perspectives of learning (30%)	LO2, LO4
3	Select and justify a range of teaching strategies that respond to the relationship between learning theory and the characteristic needs of the learner (40%)	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
4	Apply professional and academic skills to communicate and transfer knowledge to an intended audience (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.

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

Gould, J. (2012). Learning theory and classroom practice in the lifelong learning sector (2nd ed.). London: Sage.

Reading Lists provide direct access to all material on unit reading lists in one place. This includes eReadings and items in Reserve. You can access the Reading List for this unit from the link in MyLO, or by going to the Reading Lists page on the University Library website.