Unit Outline

This unit will assist you to develop your understanding of working with children in the classroom in a support capacity. It will provide opportunities to engage in practical activities through work-integrated learning, online collaboration, and discussion. The unit has a specific focus on differentiated support and planning, and theory relevant to providing effective classroom support.

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	Evaluate effective practices in supporting learning.
2	Articulate the purpose of various teaching strategies and the theoretical base which underpins these.
3	Engage in action research to explore effective learning support.
4	Reflect on the application of skills and knowledge in supporting students and their learning.

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:	Identifying and Evaluating Theory in Practice	Week 5	20 %	LO1, LO2, LO4
Assessment Task 2:	Learning Support Activity (Design and Rationale)	Week 9	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 3:	Learning Support Activity (Implementation and Reflection)	Week 13	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Identifying and Evaluating Theory in Practice

Task Description:

Once you have engaged in and completed your weekly learning activities related to each of the overarching topics for Module 1 (Weeks 1-4 of the unit), you will be required to complete four (4) online quizzes. The quizzes will be embedded in the related weekly Learning Resources page in MyLO. The quizzes will be open book and will consist of a variety of multiple choice and true/false questions.

• You may attempt the quizzes as many times as you like to check your understanding of the weekly learning content. However, it is the result for your first attempt that will be counted towards this assessment task.
• Each quiz is worth 5% (in total, all four quizzes comprise AT1 and are 20% of the final overall mark for the unit).
• The topics for the quizzes are:

AT1a: Education support in the school, the classroom and beyond
AT1b: The essential inclusivity of education support work
AT1c: Fostering positive behaviours and well-being through effective education support
AT1d: Trauma Informed Practice and education support

Specific due dates for each quiz will be available via MyLO Assessment folder.

Task Length:

800 words equivalent

Due Date:

Week 5

Weight:

20 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Knowledge of the foundational theories related to education support	LO1, LO2, LO4

Assessment Task 2: Learning Support Activity (Design and Rationale)

Task Description:

This assessment task is designed to support you in developing your understanding of education support in practice. This task is comprised of two parts, each of which will be completed, and submitted, as a group task. Part A of this assessment task forms the basis of, and will be presented orally, as part of Assessment Task 3.

PART A
You are required, in your allocated group, to plan a twenty-minute learning activity for a small group of students. The plan must be based on the 5e model or the Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR) model and must include:
• One clear learning objective for the learning activity.
• One clear strategy that will be implemented to support the achievement of the learning objective.
• Relevant and appropriate resources to assist in the achievement of the learning objective.
• Relevant assessment and reporting procedures to monitor student progress/student achievement.

PART B
1. You are required, as a group, to write a rationale that explains the reasoning and theory underpinning the learning activity. In this section, you need to demonstrate your understanding of the key concepts in this unit. You must support your writing with relevant literature to demonstrate how your thinking and understanding has been informed.
2. Using the template provided, you are required to individually provide peer feedback in relation to each of your group members’ contribution to the planning and rationale-writing phase of this task.

Parts A and B are completed as group tasks. Groups will be allocated in MyLO.

Task Length:

1600 words maximum - Part A Plan design: 800 approx. words - Part B Rationale: 800 approx. words

Due Date:

Week 9

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Organisation and presentation of information (20%)	LO1, LO2, LO3
2	Capacity to make decisions about objectives, resources, strategies, and assessment based on the underpinning theory (40%)	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
3	Demonstrate ways to communicate and collaborate within a professional team (20%)	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
4	Use of language to communicate meaning and convey understanding, and adhere to APA conventions (20%)	LO2, LO3, LO4

Assessment Task 3: Learning Support Activity (Implementation and Reflection)

Task Description:

This assessment task is designed to support you in continuing to develop your understanding of education support in practice through implementation of the action research process. This task is comprised of two parts.

Part A is a group activity which will see your allocated group present an overview of the learning activity and rationale you developed for AT2 to another group, and the unit lecturers, via webinar (the action element of 'Action Research'). Peer feedback will be provided by the observing group. A feedback template will be provided in MyLO. Part B requires you to submit an individual refection on your experience of working as a group to prepare and present the learning activity and peer feedback process, and what this means for you going forward in your education support practice (the reflection element of 'Action Research).

PART A - Presentation and peer feedback - To be scheduled in Week 11 of semester
This activity requires your group to present the plan created in AT2 as a real-time twenty-minute presentation of the learning activity. Each group member must present a section of the plan and will be individually assessed for this component of the task.

PART B - Reflection - Submit in MyLO by Friday 25th October, 2024.
This part of the assignment is completed as an individual task and requires you to reflect on your presentation and peer feedback experiences as a group member through the lens of the 'Reflective Cycle' introduced in this unit. The reflection needs to encompass the following areas:

Provide a statement of intention for the planned learning activity and what the intended outcome for the session was, and a synopsis of the model chosen for the plan and how it was used?

Reflect on how well you communicated the learning objective/intention.

Connect your reflection to theory presented in this unit. How did your plan and presentation connect to your ideas about effective education support in practice?

Consider your strengths and weaknesses and areas for change/improvement in relation to your learning activity planning and presentation experience. What improvements could be made?

Task Length:

1600 words maximum Part A Implementation: 800 words equivalent - Group Task Part B Reflection: 800 words maximum - Individual Task

Due Date:

Week 13

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Application of communication and collaboration strategies within a professional team (20%)	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
2	Understanding of key theories, models and strategies that underpin effective education support (30%)	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
3	Capacity to reflect on own learning and the implications for your practice (30%)	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
4	Use of language to communicate meaning and convey understanding, and adhere to APA conventions (20%)	LO1, LO2, LO3, 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

Kearns, K. (2024). Supporting education (4th ed.). Cengage.

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.