Unit Outline

In this unit, you will explore teaching and schooling from a sociological perspective. The unit introduces you to the way schools are shaped by wider political contexts that enable and constrain what education is and what schooling can be. This broad context exerts considerable influence upon how teaching and learning is shaped and the identities of teachers and students. As a teacher, you need to be cognisant of the complexities of this context and its impact upon education, schools and teaching. The unit introduces you to key concepts and issues such as power, identity, equality and disadvantage. The unit builds your knowledge of the politics of education while developing your skills in culturally responsive teaching. It enables you to critically explore how schooling and teaching can contribute to a more equitable and just society. Modules in this unit provide a basis for you to understand the interconnections between contemporary issues in education, current research in schooling and key theories of sociology, your own experiences of learning and teaching and the professional work of teachers.

Teaching and learning strategies

This unit is driven by equity and social justice concerns as a central component of teaching and learning. The approach to teaching in this unit is informed by constructivist and inquiry-based learning frameworks. Students are asked to think beyond the familiar, to actively engage in looking for innovative approaches to their own teaching and learning practices, to engage with theories of power and identity when considering issues of teaching and schooling, and to take a reflexive and politically informed position on matters of equity and social justice in their roles as teachers.

In terms of assessment, continuous and summative assessment activities are tightly aligned to unit outcomes and the development of concepts and skills, with assessment tasks being designed to be rich and authentic.

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 the contemporary context of education and schooling from a sociological perspective
2.	communicate the theoretical concepts of educational sociology such as power, identity, equality and disadvantage that shape how schooling is practised and experienced by teachers and/or students
3.	apply key concepts and skills from the sociology of education to enact culturally responsive pedagogies
4.	exemplify attitudes and professional values to meet the needs of children and the education profession, including a commitment to social justice
5.	establish honest, ethical, professional conduct with colleagues and apply principles of ethics and conduct for the teaching profession in professional communication skills across a range of communication forums and apply constructive feedback to improve practice, where necessary.

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Pre-requisite	(EDU202 OR ESH202 OR EAL211 OR EAL201) AND (EAL110 OR EDU190 OR ESH390)

Alterations as a result of student feedback

The School of Education is committed to the improvement of all units and courses and welcomes the perspectives of students, including insights gained through the University’s student evaluation of teaching and learning (eVALUate). In light of this feedback, the following changes have been made to this Unit to improve student learning:

Assessment tasks have been updated

Additional online zoom sessions added.

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:	Online MyLO Quizzes (2)	See the MyLO site for the due date	30 %	LO1, LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 2:	Pedagogical stories from the classroom	See the MyLO site for the due date	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5
Assessment Task 3:	Professional Engagement	Week 8	30 %	LO4, LO5

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Online MyLO Quizzes (2)

Task Description:

Assessment Task 1.
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 the unit materials available on MyLO. Each quiz will be randomly constructed for every student.
The quiz must be taken at a time of your choice before the designated due date.

Quiz 1: Influences of identity on schooling experiences
Quiz 2: Supporting diverse learners

Completion of this Assessment Task relates to Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 4.1

Task Length:

2 x 45 minutes

Due Date:

See the MyLO site for the due date

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Demonstrates a critical understanding of the political contexts that influence how teaching and learning is shaped and the identities of teachers and students.	LO1
2	Demonstrates a critical understanding of the key concepts of educational sociology taught in the unit (such as religion and ethnicity) and applies this knowledge by accurately describing the operation of these concepts in practice.	LO2
3	Demonstrates a critical understanding of the culturally responsive pedagogies taught in the unit and applies this knowledge by accurately describing the operation in practice.	LO3

Assessment Task 2: Pedagogical stories from the classroom

Task Description:

Assessment Task 2.
This assessment is a purposeful collection of ‘pedagogical stories’ that provide evidence of your continuous learning in EDU305. The pedagogical stories are taken directly from weekly topics. Key ‘tasks’ included in weekly materials form the base of the pedagogical story activities. In this sense, assessment is closely aligned to the weekly teaching and learning activities and are designed to measure your attainment of the learning outcomes.

In practical terms, the assessment includes (but is not limited to) text, images, sound files and video that demonstrates your learning of the core practices of culturally responsive teaching.

What types of media can I include?
Unless specified in the study task, there is no preferred option as to the type of text/multimedia you can use to create your pedagogical stories. The sky is the limit. If you want to dance to express meaning, please film it. If you want to draw a diagram to demonstrate your learning and the core practice under consideration, please do so. If you wish to present your work in more traditional ways, this is okay too. Please refer to the marking criteria to understand how these choices may affect your grade. Be sure to choose the option that best allows you to showcase your knowledge and skills.

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, 2.4, 3.2, 3.5, 4.1, 6.3, 7.1

Task Length:

3500 words equivalent

Due Date:

See the MyLO site for the due date

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Differentiates for the learning needs of students with diverse cultural, linguistic, socio-economic and religious backgrounds.	LO2, LO3, LO4
2	Reflections demonstrate a critical understanding of power and identity, of both the teacher and/or student. Planning demonstrates ability to translate theoretical understandings into effective classroom/schooling practice.	LO2, LO4
3	Demonstrates the ability to plan/practice effective teaching and learning experiences in relation to power and identity. Deploys effective pedagogy in this area.	LO1, LO2, LO3
4	Demonstrates scholarly presentation through literate and academic writing/presentation that is appropriately referenced.	LO5

Assessment Task 3: Professional Engagement

Task Description:

Assessment Task 3.
In this assessment, you will work in a team over the course of the semester to collaboratively design an action plan that fosters inclusivity, diversity, and culturally responsive practice in the school community as a response to an identified equity issue.

Completion of this Assessment Task relates to Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) 7.1

Task Length:

10 minutes

Due Date:

Week 8 (25/Feb/2024)

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Strategies reflect professional attitudes and values and are appropriate for a school community.	LO4, LO5
2	Engages in honest, ethical, professional conduct with colleagues and applies principles of ethics and conduct for the teaching profession. Demonstrates professional communication skills in collaborations.	LO4, LO5

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.