GDE3003 Planning and Teaching

Contents

• Staffing
• Rationale
• Synopsis
• Objectives
• Topics
• Texts
• Reference materials
• Student workload
• Assessment details
• Important assessment information
• Other requirements
• Production date
• PDF version

STAFFING

RATIONALE

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. 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.

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: the integration of content, learning and teaching. The course provides for 30 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 the first four courses in the Graduate Diploma program. A 30 day professional experience placement is attached to this course. NOTE: Minimum enrolment numbers apply to this offering. Should enrolments not reach the minimum number required for on-campus study, students may be transferred to the EXT or WEB offering and advised of this change before semester commences.

OBJECTIVES

The course objectives define the student learning outcomes for a course. The assessment item(s) that may be used to assess student achievement of an objective are shown in parenthesis. On completion of this course students will be able to:

1.

plan short and long-term teaching episodes (Assignment 2 and Professional Attachment)

2.

design plans for teaching and learning and reflect on these in a systematic fashion (Assignment 2 and Professional Attachment)

3.

apply a framework for effective teaching as a guideline for their own practice (Assignment 2 and Professional Attachment)

4.

plan appropriate learning experiences from appropriate curriculum frameworks (Assignment 2 and Professional Attachment)

5.

demonstrate knowledge of appropriate ICT uses for teaching and learning (Assignments 1 and 2 and Professional Attachment)

6.

demonstrate knowledge, understanding and skill in the use of appropriate personal, professional and academic literacies (Assignments 1 and 2 and Professional Attachment)

7.

articulate an example of how the key concepts encountered in this course can be applied in an educational setting (Assignments 1 and 2)

8.

demonstrate competence in and appropriate use of language and literacy, including spelling, grammar, punctuation and bibliographic referencing (All assessment items).

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).

Fetherston, T 2006, Becoming an effective teacher, Thomson Learning, South Melbourne.

REFERENCE MATERIALS

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.

Whether you are on, or off campus, the USQ Library is an excellent source of information http://www.usq.edu.au/library. The gateway to education resources is here... http://www.usq.edu.au/library/faculties/education/default.htm

Arthur, L, Beecher, B, Death, E, Dockett, S & Farmer, S 2005, Programming and planning in early childhood setting, Thomson Social Sciene Press, Southbank, Victoria.

Eggen, P & Kauchak, D 2006, Strategies and models for teachers: teachng content and thinking skills, 5th edn, Pearson Education, Boston.

Frangenheim, E 2006, Reflections on classroom thinking strategies, 8th edn, Rodin Educational Consultancy, Loganholme.

Kellough, R 2007, A resource guide for teaching K-12, 5th edn, Pearson/Merrill/Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.

Killen, R 2007, Effective teaching strategies: lessons from research and practice, 4th edn, Thomson Social Science Press, South Melbourne, VIC.

Whitton, D, Sinclair, C, Barker, K, Nanlohy, P & Nosworthy, M 2004, Learning for teaching: teaching for learning, Thomson Social Science Press, Southbank, Vic.

STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS

ASSESSMENT DETAILS

NOTES

1.

APA style is the referencing system required in this course. Students should use APA style in their assignments to format details of the information sources they have cited in their work. The USQ library provides advice on how to format information sources using this system. http://www.usq.edu.au/library/help/ehelp/ref_guides/apastyle/default.htm The examiner is to advise the due dates for the professional attachment. To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course and must satisfactorily complete the sector-based professional experience component/s and the combined academic component/s.

IMPORTANT ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

1. Attendance requirements:
   It is the students' responsibility to attend and participate appropriately in all activities scheduled for them, and to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration. It is the student's responsibility to attend and participate appropriately in the residential school.
2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
   To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks.
3. Penalties for late submission of required work:
   If students submit assignments after the due date without (prior) approval of the examiner then a penalty of 5% of the total marks gained by the student for the assignment may apply for each working day late up to ten working days at which time a mark of zero may be recorded. No assignments will be accepted after model answers have been posted.
4. Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
   To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course and must satisfactorily complete the sector-based professional experience and the combined academic component/s.
5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
   The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the aggregate of the weighted marks 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:
   As there are no examinations in this course, 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

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.

This version produced 11 Dec 2009.