Unit Outline

This unit is the second of a pair of units that present the theory, methods and practice of teaching mathematics and numeracy in the secondary years. EMT527 addresses the Year 7-9 curriculum and its implementation. (EMT525 addresses the Year 7-12 curriculum and its implementation, with a particular focus on teaching and learning issues on key topic areas of Years 7-10, with some coverage of years 11 and 12 as appropriate.)

Curriculum documents will be a major focus (including the Australian Curriculum, in particular), alongside implementation strategies, related resources and expected learning outcomes. Significant topics include the teaching and learning of rational and irrational numbers, and integer arithmetic; proportional reasoning; early algebra learning; probability; statistics; geometry; principles of lesson planning; and consideration of student understanding.

Teaching and learning experiences involve participation in practical activities as well as an analysis of the issues related to mathematics education.
The broad aims for this unit are to:
• Develop personal competence, understanding, and confidence with the mathematical concepts, knowledge, and skills that are essential for the curriculum at the level of teaching anticipated.
• Acquire knowledge and develop skills relating to the progression and development of the topics in the Mathematics curriculum from Year 7 to Year 12 (EMT525) or from Year 7 to Year 9 (EMT527).
• Engage in discussions and develop well-founded understanding about current issues in mathematics and numeracy education and the secondary years of schooling.
• Build understanding of variations in students' progression through the curriculum

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	Demonstrate an understanding of mathematical ideas, skills, knowledge, and appropriate communication conventions of secondary mathematics.
2	Exhibit knowledge of and skills in current curriculum content and contemporary teaching practices in secondary mathematics education.
3	Demonstrate the ability to plan, develop, implement, analyse and reflect upon worthwhile mathematical teaching experiences that incorporate appropriate pedagogical principles.
4	Analyse students’ understanding of mathematics, identify how this links to the curriculum, and devise strategies for students’ further learning.

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Concurrent Pre-requisite	EMT502

Alterations as a result of student feedback

Teaching arrangements


ATTENDANCE MODE	TEACHING TYPE	LEARNING ACTIVITY	CONTACT HOURS	FREQUENCY
On Campus	Lecture (On Campus)	Lecture presentation/s (view in own time). It is recommended that you view these after the weekly face-to-face workshop.	1	Weekly
On Campus	Workshop	Face-to-face workshop to engage in high school maths teaching activities. Due to the scheduling of this activity and the planned structure of learning, this workshop can be completed prior the the lecture presentations.	3	Weekly
Online	Lecture (Online)	Recorded lecture presentations that can be viewed in your own time. These align with the weekly Zoom workshop and probably work best if viewed before the workshop or as guided by what is on MyLO.	1	Weekly
Online	Workshop (Online)	Zoom workshop to engage in high school maths teaching activities. This session will allow us to discuss and engage in some of the material supplied on MyLO. It will usually be a good idea to have viewed the associated presentation/s before this workshop, but follow the guidance on MyLO.	2	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:	AT1 Decimals Interview Task	Week 4	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 2:	AT2 Planning to Teach a Maths Lesson	Week 15	50 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 3:	AT3 Content Tests	Refer to Assessment Description	10 %	LO1

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: AT1 Decimals Interview Task

Task Description:

For this task you will need to arrange access to two children, aged between 10 and 15, for about half an hour each. You will use an interview protocol with two students to examine their understanding of decimals. You will also be supplied with the interview results of a third student. You will evaluate the three students’ understanding of decimals, determine their misconceptions, and plan for future learning.

In addition, you will be required to determine how “decimal understanding” fits in with the rest of the mathematics curriculum. Full details of the assignment, including the interview protocol, are available on MyLO. Please read the instructions very carefully.

Completion of this Assessment Task relates to Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) 1.2, 1.5, 2.1

Task Length:

1800 words

Due Date:

Week 4

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Proper conduct of the student interviews (10%)	LO1, LO3, LO4
2	Correct classifications of the interviewed students' performance on the Decimal Comparison Test (Q1) (15%)	LO3, LO4
3	Correct identification of and explanation for the interviewed students' misconceptions (30%)	LO3, LO4
4	Alignment of a student’s understanding with the curriculum (10%)	LO1, LO4
5	Appropriateness of suggested activities to foster one of the students' further learning (35%)	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
6	Personal understanding of decimals (incorporated in the above)	LO1

Assessment Task 2: AT2 Planning to Teach a Maths Lesson

Task Description:

This task involves planning a lesson to teach an aspect of secondary school mathematics from Years 7 to 9 for EMT527 students (and from Years 10 to 12 for EMT525 students), including classroom activities and questioning. Full details will be available on the MyLO site and MUST be followed.

Completion of this Assessment Task relates to Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.5, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 4.1

Task Length:

2200 words

Due Date:

Week 15

Weight:

50 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	The educational effectiveness of the overall sequence of the lesson (14%)	LO2, LO3
2	The quality of the teaching activity, including how well it is matched to the intended content, how engaging it is, how correct it is, how evident the mathematics content is within the activity, and how clearly described the activity is (18%)	LO2, LO3, LO4
3	The quality of the pedagogical analysis of the activity, including appropriate justification of the choices, attention to maths concepts, and explanations of areas of care and difficulty (10%)	LO2, LO3, LO4
4	The appropriateness of the worked example, and the correct identification of critical points (8%)	LO1, LO3
5	The appropriate choice and sequencing of exercises/tasks/problems to focus on mathematics and conceptual development, and the correctness and quality of the solutions (13%)	LO1, LO2, LO3
6	The quality of the pedagogical analysis of the exercises/tasks/ problems, with a clear focus on mathematics and conceptual development (10%)	LO2, LO3, LO4
7	The quality of the three questions, including their appropriateness, clear justification for reasons for asking, and discussion of expected answers (10%)	LO2, LO3, LO4
8	The depth and quality of reflection of personal professional growth (14%)	LO3

Assessment Task 3: AT3 Content Tests

Task Description:

There will be a number of small content tests covering mathematics content to Year 10 level. Due dates and other requirements will be advised during the semester.

Important note: Satisfactory performance on AT3 may require a mark significantly above 50%, as you need to demonstrate competence on high school mathematics content.

Completion of this Assessment Task relates to Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) 2.1

Task Length:

Each test will be about 15-20 minutes’ duration

Due Date:

Refer to Assessment Description

Weight:

10 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Demonstrated understanding of mathematics content and the conventions of mathematical communication	LO1

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

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (2022). The Australian Curriculum: Mathematics F-10 (Version 9, 16 Dec 2016). Sydney, NSW: Author. (downloadable from https://v9.australiancurriculum.edu.au/downloads/learning-areas)
Goos, M., Stillman, G., & Vale, C. (2016). Teaching secondary school mathematics: Research and practice for the 21st century. Crows Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin. [The 2007 edition will be fine if you have access to it.]