GDE 3003 Planning and Teaching

STAFFING:

RATIONALE:

Teachers are grappling with significant changes in educational initiatives, curriculum, societal expectations and the concept of teaching in the 21st Century. Today's learners demand a curriculum which is relevant and learning activities that will enable them to gain skills which will be of use in the years beyond schooling. Teachers are working in increasingly complex contexts; they need to be sensitive to and skilled in responding to sociocultural diversity and students' unique skills and needs. They must be aware of the need for a permeable curriculum that bridges the social worlds of students with the culture of the education setting thus ensuring relevance of the curriculum for all students. Teachers must be skilled in observation and analysis of student behaviour to enable them to plan and implement learning experiences within an environment that equips all students for lifelong learning. Teachers must be able to articulate the key principles of their role in relation to enabling the learning of their students. Understanding learners and the ways in which they construct their understandings impacts directly on the teacher's behaviour, their planning, curriculum and authentic assessment practices. Beginning teachers require access to a framework for effective planning and teaching and to a suite of effective teaching strategies in order to be able to plan and implement meaningful educational experiences for and with their students. Teachers need an understanding of a variety of approaches to curriculum planning, including outcomes-based curriculum drawn from current syllabi, curriculum integrated and transdisciplinary approaches.

SYNOPSIS:

This course views teaching as intellectual work and enables students to build their own repertoires of teaching practice drawn from a framework for effective teaching, such as Productive Pedagogies (in the Queensland context) or other appropriate frameworks.. Students will reflect on their in-school experiences in the light of the relevant literature in the areas of curriculum development, planning and effective teaching strategies. Students will be engaged in systematic reflection as a key to the improvement of practice. Students will explore a range of planning styles, ranging from single lessons to integrated units, with provisions made for diversity among learners. The course aims to provide opportunities for students to develop their general teaching skills and pedagogical content knowledge, which is seen as an integration of content, learning and teaching. The course provides for a nominal 7.5 days of professional attachment to an identified school. During this period of attachment students will be immersed in the day-to-day operations of the school and in the work of a teacher, with a particular focus on the connections between that work and the issues covered in this course. IMPORTANT NOTE: Working with Children: State law in Queensland requires that all adults (including university students, pre-service educators, trainers, vocational teachers, industry educators) working with children under the age of 18, in the State of Queensland*, obtain approval before commencing such work. Many education courses include a practical component (professional experience, project work, research, assessment etc.) that may require engagement with children under the age of 18. It is your responsibility to ensure that you possess a current suitability card (Blue Card) before commencing any practical components of this course. DO NOT PARTICIPATE IN ANY PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE WITH CHILDREN UNDER 18 UNLESS YOU POSSESS A CURRENT 'BLUE CARD'. For further information: http://www.childcomm.qld.gov.au/employment/bluecard/informationSheets.html *If you are undertaking practical experience outside the State of Queensland, Australia you should check local requirements.

OBJECTIVES:

On completion of this course students will be able to:

1. plan short and long-term teaching episodes
2. implement plans for teaching and learning and reflect on these in a systematic fashion
3. apply a framework for effective teaching as a guideline for their own practice
4. select appropriate learning experiences from appropriate curriculum frameworks
5. communicate effectively with their students and their colleagues
6. demonstrate knowledge, understanding and application of appropriate ICT uses for teaching and learning
7. demonstrate knowledge, understanding and skill in the use of appropriate personal, professional and academic literacies
8. apply an understanding of planning and teaching in the professional attachment
9. articulate an example of how the key concepts encountered in this course can be applied in an educational setting.

TOPICS:

TEXT and MATERIALS required to be PURCHASED or accessed:

ALL textbooks and materials are available for purchase from USQ BOOKSHOP (unless otherwise stated). Orders may be placed via secure internet, free fax 1800642453, phone 07 46312742 (within Australia), or mail. Overseas students should fax +61 7 46311743, or phone +61 7 46312742. For costs, further details, and internet ordering, use the 'Textbook Search' facility at http://bookshop.usq.edu.au click 'Semester', then enter your 'Course Code' (no spaces).

GDE3003 USQ resource package.

REFERENCE MATERIALS:

STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS:

ASSESSMENT DETAILS:

NOTES:

1.

All assessment items will receive a grade. Assignment 1 - Part 1: Proposal.

2.

Assignment 1 - Part 2: Problem-Based Presentation.

IMPORTANT ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

1. Attendance requirements:
   It is the student's responsibility to attend and participate appropriately in the residential school and other scheduled learning activities (such as on-campus workshops and web-based activities) scheduled for them. Students must complete 7.5 days of professional attachment at an identified school site.
2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
   To complete each of the assessment items satisfactorily, students must obtain at least a grade of C- for each assessment item.
3. Penalties for late submission of required work:
   Students who fail to submit assignments by the due date without prior approval must apply to the course examiner for deferred assessment. The course examiner will consider each such application on its individual merits.
4. Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
   In order to gain a passing grade in the course, students must submit all items of assessment; complete all professional attachment requirements successfully; and attain a passing grade in all items. Normally, there will be no opportunity for the resubmission of failed or unsatisfactory items of assessment.
5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
   The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the weighted aggregate of the grades obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.
6. Examination information:
   There is no examination in this course.
7. Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
   There will be no Deferred or Supplementary examinations in this course.
8. University Regulations:
   Students should read USQ Regulations 5.1 Definitions, 5.6. Assessment, and 5.10 Academic Misconduct for further information and to avoid actions which might contravene University Regulations. These regulations can be found at the URL http://www.usq.edu.au/corporateservices/calendar/part5.htm or in the current USQ Handbook.

ASSESSMENT NOTES

OTHER REQUIREMENTS:

1. Students will require access to e-mail and Internet access to USQConnect for this course.
2. Students are to use a recognised referencing system as specified by the examiner.
3. IMPORTANT NOTE: Working with Children: State law in Queensland requires that all adults (including university students, pre-service educators, trainers, vocational teachers, industry educators) working with children under the age of 18, in the State of Queensland*, obtain approval before commencing such work. Many education courses include a practical component (professional experience, project work, research, assessment etc.) that may require engagement with children under the age of 18. It is your responsibility to ensure that you possess a current suitability card (Blue Card) before commencing any practical components of this course. DO NOT PARTICIPATE IN ANY PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE WITH CHILDREN UNDER 18 UNLESS YOU POSSESS A CURRENT 'BLUE CARD'. For further information: http://www.childcomm.qld.gov.au/employment/bluecard/informationSheets.html *If you are undertaking practical experience outside the State of Queensland, Australia you should check local requirements.