Unit Outline

This unit offers an introduction to curriculum frameworks and the associated range of pedagogies involved in teaching and learning. Curriculum documents are not value-neutral; they are constructed by people who have particular viewpoints, perspectives and ideologies about education and schooling, and are implemented in a context that is part of the social, political and economic structures of society (Brady & Kennedy, 2010, p. 3). These viewpoints affect the 'what' of the curriculum (as in, what to teach) as well as the 'how' (as in, how to teach). Through this unit you will develop a capacity to think critically about the way curriculum is constructed and the implications of this construction for your professional practice. This unit, therefore, is a mix of the theoretical and the practical as it is important to come to an understanding that teaching takes place within a broad social, political, and economic context. Throughout this unit, you will examine curriculum models and planning processes, as well as teaching strategies that fulfil particular purposes. You will apply this knowledge of curriculum, planning, and pedagogy to specific classroom contexts. This unit aims to foster innovation, professionalism, collegiality, and ethical and equitable practice in all 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	apply knowledge of curriculum frameworks and pedagogical practice to plan and design learning sequences
2	communicate how concepts of power, identity, equality and disadvantage are relevant to pedagogical practice and shape how schooling is practiced and experienced by teachers and students
3	describe the influence that stakeholders including community, teachers, students and policy have in the way curriculum is delivered within educational contexts
4	demonstrate academic and information literacy skills through the use of scholarly literature, APA referencing, punctuation, spelling and grammar in written and oral communication

Alterations as a result of student feedback

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:	1. Online MyLO Quizzes	Week 5	20 %	LO1, LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 2:	2. Essay: The Australian Curriculum	Week 7	35 %	LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 3:	3. Understanding Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Planning: Lesson Sequence	Week 13	45 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: 1. Online MyLO Quizzes

Task Description:

Students are required to complete TWO (2) online multiple choice and short answer quizzes. The online quizzes are designed to test your understanding of the key concepts covered in lectures, readings and tutorials throughout the semester. Each test will be randomly constructed for every student.

Completion of this Assessment Task relates to Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) 1.2, 1.3

Task Length:

10 questions (30 minute time limit) per quiz

Due Date:

Week 5

Weight:

20 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Demonstrates an understanding of the influence that stakeholders (including policy, community and globalization) had in the development of the current Australian Curriculum (40%)	LO3
2	Demonstrates an understanding of how the concept of power is relevant to understanding the Australian curriculum (40%)	LO2
3	Demonstrates an understanding of the influence that stakeholders including community, teachers, students and policy have in the way curriculum is delivered within educational contexts (20%)	LO1

Assessment Task 2: 2. Essay: The Australian Curriculum

Task Description:

In this task, you are asked to think deeply about what a curriculum is and the role that it plays in society. You are asked to think about what it means to 'know' and whose knowledge is endorsed as 'worthy' of knowing as determined by what's in and what's not in the Australian Curriculum.

Specifically, you are asked to reflect on the material from Module 1 and write a short essay that describes the Australian Curriculum.

In your response, you may find the following questions helpful to guide your thinking:
• What historical context has informed the current Australian Curriculum?
• What key policy documents inform the Australian Curriculum?
• What perspectives are privileged in the Curriculum (that is, whose ideas of what knowledge is worthy are represented in the curriculum and whose are not)?

Completion of this Assessment Task relates to Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) 1.2, 1.3, 3.5

Task Length:

1500 words

Due Date:

Week 7

Weight:

35 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Communicate the influence that stakeholders (including policy, community and globalization) had in the development of the current Australian curriculum (40%)	LO3
2	Explain how the concept of power is relevant to understanding the Australian curriculum (40%)	LO2
3	Apply academic and information literacy skills by using scholarly literature, APA referencing, punctuation, spelling and grammar (20%)	LO4

Assessment Task 3: 3. Understanding Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Planning: Lesson Sequence

Task Description:

Part A (approx. 1600 words)
Design a lesson sequence (3 lessons in total) utilising the Australian Curriculum documents. You will be required to demonstrate, and make links between, your knowledge of curriculum, pedagogy, and planning to design this lesson sequence suitable for implementation in a primary classroom. This is to be constructed as a portfolio in PebblePad.

Each lesson should be prepared using the lesson plan template available on MyLO.

Part B (approx. 3 x 1-minute videos) (400 words equivalent)
Prepare videos responding to the questions below. As a teacher professional, you need to be able to communicate with all the different stakeholders in educational contexts. In this part, you are asked to tailor your responses to each of the different audiences indicated in the questions. Your responses should be no more than 1 minute for each question.

Imagine you are talking to a fellow teacher and they ask you 'What pedagogies will you use in this lesson sequence and why?'
Imagine you are talking to a parent and they ask you 'Why is it important for my child to learn this?'
Imagine you are talking to one of your students in the class and they ask you 'How will you know that I have learnt that?'

For information: How can I access and learn to use PebblePad?
PebblePad is a personalised learning system provided by UTAS to help you develop your portfolio of evidence. You can access PebblePad directly via the ESDU103 MyLO page, or go to http://www.pebblepad.com.au (choose UTAS from the list of institutions and login with your UTAS username and password).

PebblePad has built-in support materials and UTAS has a Pebble support page at http://www.utas.edu.au/pebblepad. You can ask questions and get support for your PebblePad assessment construction at the School of Education The Portfolio MyLO page. We recommend that you ‘pin’ this page in your MyLO space. Go to MyLO, click view all courses and search on Portfolio. When you have The Portfolio, click on the three dots in the right hand corner and choose pin.

Completion of this Assessment Task relates to Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) 1.2, 2.3, 3.2, 3.3, 3.5

Task Length:

2000 words equivalent

Due Date:

Week 13

Weight:

45 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Develop a sequence of learning that is based on the Australian Curriculum (40%)	LO1
2	Select appropriate pedagogies for the learning outcomes listed in each of the lessons of the learning sequence (30%)	LO2
3	Communicate relevant aspects of curriculum, pedagogy, and planning to three different stakeholder groups (fellow teachers, parents and students) (20%)	LO3
4	Apply information literacy skills through the use of scholarly literature, APA referencing, punctuation, spelling and grammar appropriate to a poster presentation (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

Brady, L., & Kennedy, K. (2018). Curriculum construction (6th ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Australia*.

Perrin, R. (2021). Pocket guide to APA style (7th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning**.

*The 4th and 6th edition are also appropriate, including the e-book.

**Please note there is no requirement to purchase the Perrin text if you already have the previously required Faigley text.

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.