Unit Outline

This unit is a theoretical and practical exploration of ethics in relation to education and teacher identity. It encourages you to consider how particular philosophical ideas inform educational values, how they relate to your identity as a teacher, and how they might be articulated in your own teaching practice. You will think critically and creatively about these ideas and evaluate their impact on educational practices, including those explored in previous and subsequent units. The units rationale is that your teaching practice is strongly informed by your ethical stance on education, children, and professionalism, and the practical implications that flow from this, taking into account key professional and legislative imperatives. The unit focuses on three integrated areas: (1) the development of critical reasoning skills, which will underpin and be woven through your approach to (2) educational ethics and their relation to your professional identity as a teacher, as well as inform your understanding of (3) key contemporary issues in the philosophy of education, and the practical implications that flow from these. You will explore key ideas by engaging critically with lectures on philosophical theory, critical reflection, close reading of relevant material, ethical reasoning, tutorial and peer discussion, and your assessment tasks.

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.	reflect critically on the extent to which educations character and purpose give rise to ethical duties for teachers.
2.	decide how best to apply ethical reasoning principles in relation to your teaching practice, taking into account compliance with professional codes of ethics and relevant legislative and regulatory imperatives.
3.	critique the ethical dimension of a teachers engagement with parents and carers, justifying the importance of sensitivity and confidentiality when negotiating strategies to foster their children's learning and well-being.
4.	evaluate the impact of recent developments in education ethics and philosophy on teaching, and explain how these might inform the formation of your own professional practice.

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Concurrent Pre-requisite	EMT502

Alterations as a result of student feedback

1. Integrated tutorial and online discussion activity tasks into the assessment preparation approach;
2. Integrated more explicit instruction of critical thinking techniques early in the semester.

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:	Essay	Week 5	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO4
Assessment Task 2:	Case Study	Week 13	50 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 3:	Contributing to the Professional Learning Community	Week 13	10 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Essay

Task Description:

What is education for and how do its purpose and value give rise to a teacher’s ethical duties?
Drawing from Marples’ and Hand’s outlines of the debate surrounding educational aims (Bailey, 2010) and other relevant sources, critically examine the aims of education and their implications for teachers:
a. Critically discuss the purpose and value of education in the Australian context; then,
b. Explain the ethical obligations for teachers that arise from the view for which you argue.
It is important that you contextualise your argument in relation to key Australian imperatives elucidated in, e.g. The Alice Springs Declaration (2019), the Australian Curriculum, The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.

Completion of this Assessment Task relates to Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) 2.1, 7.1, 7.2

Task Length:

1600-1800 words

Due Date:

Week 5 (28/Mar/2024)

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Articulate a considered, scholarly discussion of the aims of education, taking a range of views into account. Discussion is contextualised by reference to scholarly and professional resources and valid reasons provided to support the writer's view.	LO1, LO4
2	Present an insightful, scholarly discussion of the ethical obligations of teachers in light of the account of educational aims. Valid reasons are given to support the writer’s promotion of a particular view, contextualised with relevant literature.	LO1, LO2, LO4
3	Write to Masters standard (AQF9), consistent with scholarly writing conventions, presenting a well-structured argument and work that is free of errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation.	LO1, LO2, LO4
4	Employ references from scholarly and professional literature that are thoughtfully chosen and well-integrated to support and illustrate the essay’s argument, and use error-free APA referencing.	LO1, LO2, LO4

Assessment Task 2: Case Study

Task Description:

The final assessment task for this unit will allow you to demonstrate your capacity to apply and communicate your knowledge of key areas of ethical reasoning and professional decision-making, explored in relation to two education-relevant case studies.

The first case study will require you to consider a broad range of ethical and professional imperatives and develop a cohesive argument in relation to Australian Professional Standards for Education 7 (and other relevant standards).

The second case study will require you to engage critically with legal imperatives pertaining to education, including issues concerning duty of care and negligence.

As the case studies will be derived from your coursework throughout the unit, further information (and the case studies themselves) will be provided within MyLO throughout the semester.

Completion of this Assessment Task relates to Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) 1.3, 3.2, 3.7, 4.4, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3

Task Length:

2300 words

Due Date:

Week 13 (29/May/2024)

Weight:

50 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Take a critical position on the given topic or situation that demonstrates advanced understanding of its nature and implications, and defend this with a sophisticated argument that synthesises scholarly literature and other relevant sources.	LO2, LO3, LO4
2	Apply a rationally-defensible decision making framework to address complex ethical problems as they appear in the case studies.	LO2, LO3, LO4
3	Write to Masters standard (AQF9), consistent with scholarly writing conventions, presenting a well-structured argument and work that is free of errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation.	LO1, LO2, LO4
4	Employ references from scholarly and professional literature that are thoughtfully chosen and well-integrated to support and illustrate the essay’s argument, and use error-free APA referencing.	LO1, LO2, LO4

Assessment Task 3: Contributing to the Professional Learning Community

Task Description:

Your participation and engagement throughout the semester is part of the formal assessment for this unit.

In Week 13, you will reflect on your own engagement in this unit. You will subsequently complete and submit the ‘Participation and Engagement Assessment Form’ (see Assessment Resources in MyLO).

Completion of this Assessment Task relates to Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) 1.3, 2.1, 3.2, 3.7, 4.4, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3

Task Length:

250 words maximum

Due Date:

Week 13 (30/May/2024)

Weight:

10 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Attendance in tutorials and/or online learning experiences.	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
2	Preparation for and engagement in tutorials and/or online learning experiences.	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
3	Collegiality of engagement with colleagues.	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

Bailey, R. (Ed). (2010). The philosophy of education: An introduction. London:
Bloomsbury.