Overview
Service Learning challenges you to reflect on and understand the principles of equity and social justice that underpin contemporary social policy through active participation in a sustained period of service to communities characterised by diversity and disadvantage. The unit uses inquiry-based instruction methods and experiential learning to promote your understanding of the concept of "hidden curriculum" and the social, economic and environmental injustices and personal biases that affect your own teaching practice and implementation of the curriculum in diverse classroom settings. You will engage in action research to investigate, identify and collaborate in partnership with community organisations that have the potential for promoting understanding of the social realities of communities, families and students in primary school settings. You will actively participate in service appropriate to your level of skill development. and reflect on your experiences; your own previous understandings of teaching and learning; and your preconceived notions about students from diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. Through personal critique and evaluation of the service learning experience, pre-service teachers are equipped with strategies for involving parents and communities in the educative process and are positioned to acknowledge, appreciate and respond to the "funds of knowledge" and diverse characteristics that students bring to educational settings.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 3 - 2026
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Student Feedback
Assessment tasks
Review and clarify the assessment tasks.
Feedback from Unit coordinator reflection
Moodle materials
Develop interactive Moodle materials to further scaffold the content