Overview
In Professional Practice 3, you will participate in tutorials, practical workshops and an assessable classroom placement. The placement comprises a 20-day continuous block to enhance your ability to design, adapt and implement teaching sequences that cater to the diverse needs of learners in mainstream classrooms. You will develop an understanding of the use of assessment for learning as integral to informed curriculum decision-making and differentiation practices. You will apply this knowledge in classroom contexts to modify lesson plans and learning sequences in all curriculum learning areas in response to class profiling data that accurately records the strengths, needs and preferred learning styles of individuals and groups. Alongside this, you will develop formative and summative assessment strategies for monitoring student learning and achieving alignment between curriculum, pedagogy and assessment. During this placement, you will practise the use of a range of teaching strategies including questioning techniques and the provision of timely descriptive feedback to build effective relationships with learners and improve student outcomes.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Prerequisite:- Students must have successfully completed either EDFE12042 or EDFE11039.
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 - 2025
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).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a pass/fail (non-graded) unit. To pass the unit, you must pass all of the individual assessment tasks shown in the table above.
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 and Self-Reflection
Inclusion of placement preparation resources
Review Moodle site to include section for Professional Practice preparation each week.
Feedback from Student Feedback and Self-Reflection
Update Moodle resources
Review Moodle site to ensure inclusion of recent resources and research regarding differentiation.
Feedback from Student Feedback, Self-Reflection and Staff Feedback (Markers)
Review written assessment tasks
Review written assessment tasks and ensure tasks are clear with aligned criteria, reflect current practices and application of unit learning outcomes.
Feedback from Student Feedback, Self-Reflection
Review Quiz
Review clarity of compulsory quiz questions and associated settings.
- Formulate assessment activities for the purpose of monitoring student achievement
- Apply strategies that modify learning sequences, pedagogy, content and assessment in response to individual and class profiling data
- Appraise the content of a proposed learning sequence to plan activities that overcome possible difficulties or make links to the prior knowledge of students with varying abilities
- Select teaching methods with an appropriate level of teacher control and student responsibility to scaffold learning for students and groups of varying ability levels
- Write explicit learning goals and task-specific standards for the purpose of explicit instruction and making consistent judgments on the quality of students’ work
- Analyse work samples and assessment information to support the delivery of feedback and design interventions to address specific learning issues
- Participate in collegial partnerships to improve practice and formulate responsive approaches to identified learning needs
- Critically reflect on professional learning using feedback, self-evaluation and the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.
Successful completion of this unit provides opportunities for students to engage with the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Graduate Career Stage) focus areas of:
1.1 Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students
1.2 Understand how students learn
1.3 Students with diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds
1.5 Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities
2.1 Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area
2.2 Content selection and organisation
2.3 Curriculum, assessment and reporting
2.5 Literacy and numeracy strategies
2.6 Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
3.1 Establish challenging learning goals
3.2 Plan, structure and sequence learning programs
3.3 Use teaching strategies
3.4 Select and use resources
3.5 Use effective classroom communication
3.6 Evaluate and improve teaching programs
4.1 Support student participation
4.2 Manage classroom activities
4.4 Maintain student safety
4.5 Use ICT safely, responsibly and ethically
5.1 Assess student learning
5.2 Provide feedback to students on their learning
5.3 Make consistent and comparable judgements
5.4 Interpret student data
5.5 Report on student achievement
6.1 Identify and plan professional learning needs
6.2 Engage in professional learning and improve practice
7.4 Engage with professional teaching networks and broader communities
6.3 Engage with colleagues and improve practice
6.4 Apply professional learning and improve student learning
7.1 Meet professional ethics and responsibilities
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
| 1 - Professional Practice Plans (learning plans) - 0% | ||||||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 0% | ||||||||
| 3 - Online Quiz(zes) - 0% | ||||||||
| 4 - Professional Practice Placement - 0% | ||||||||
| 5 - Reflective Practice Assignment - 0% | ||||||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
| 1 - Communication | ||||||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | ||||||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | ||||||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | ||||||||
| 5 - Team Work | ||||||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | ||||||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | ||||||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | ||||||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | ||||||||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||||||
Textbooks
Rigor and Differentiation in the Classroom: Tools and Strategies
Edition: 1 (2019)
Authors: Barbara R Blackburn
Routledge - Taylor & Francis Group
New York New York , America
ISBN: 9781351185905
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
m.elsmore@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
What is Differentiation?
Chapter
Chapter 1 – Differentiation: An Overview - Tomlinson, C. A. (2013) in Assessment and student success in a differentiated classroom
Part 1: A Brief Primer on Differentiation - Tomlinson, C. A. (2002) in Differentiation in Practice.
Chapter 1: Rigor & Differentiation Blackburn, B. R. (2018) in Rigor and Differentiation in the Classroom: Tools and Strategies.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
How Students Learn Best - Learning Theories, Profiles, Interests, and Readiness
Chapter
Chapter 9 – Understanding your Students. Jennifer Howell, (2014) in Teaching & learning : building effective pedagogies.
Chapter 2: Learning Portraits. Blackburn, B. R. (2018) in Rigor and Differentiation in the Classroom: Tools and Strategies.
Geake, J. (2008). Neuromythologies in education. Educational Research (Windsor), 50(2), 123–133.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Differentiation - Students' Learning Environment and Curriculum Alignment
Chapter
Chapter 6: Managing the Rigorous, Differentiated Classroom Blackburn, B. R. (2018). Rigor and Differentiation in the Classroom: Tools and Strategies
Chapter 8: Pedagogy: the agency that connects teaching with learning. Sections 8.3 & 8.4 Churchill, R. (Ed.). (2022) in Teaching : making a difference (5th edition.)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Differentiation and Assessment
Chapter
Chapter 2 - Assessment and Differentiation: A Framework for Understanding Tomlinson, Carol Ann., and Tonya R. Moon (2013), in Assessment and Student Success in a Differentiated Classroom.
Chapter 5: Differentiating a Rigorous Demonstration of Learning Blackburn, B. R. (2018) in Rigor and Differentiation in the Classroom: Tools and Strategies.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Engaging students in the learning
Chapter
Chapter 4: Understanding and motivating students Churchill, R. (Ed.). (2022) in Teaching : making a difference (5th edition.)
Chapter 4: Differentiating Instructional Support to Increase Rigor Blackburn, B. R. (2018). Rigor and Differentiation in the Classroom: Tools and Strategies
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
No Tutorial this week - Assessment Due
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
University Closure - Happy Holidays
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
University Closure - Happy New Year
Module/Topic
Placement Preparation - Unit Planning and pre-moderation
Chapter
Develop a teaching and learning plan. Australian Education Research Organisation (March, 2025)
Shared resources embedded in Moodle materials.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Placement Preparation - Lesson Planning, evaluations and evidence of learning
Chapter
Shared resources embedded in Moodle materials
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Placement Preparation - Observations, Daily Professional Reflections, Daily and Weekly Planning
Chapter
Shared resources embedded in Moodle materials
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Reflection on Evidence of Learning
Chapter
Shared resources embedded in Moodle materials
Events and Submissions/Topic
Tutorial will be held on Tuesday 27th January due to Australia Day Public Holiday
Module/Topic
No Tutorial
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Professional Practice 3 - Block placement commences
1 Professional Practice Plans (learning plans)
The University's Work Integrated Learning Policy and Procedure requires all students to complete the Student Placement Declaration and Confidentiality Agreement on an annual basis. The Agreement outlines expectations for your participation in this unit and for the appropriate conduct of students when representing the University in professional workplaces. The form requires your acknowledgement of the expectations.
You will access the electronic agreement under the Forms tab in Sonia. You should respond to all statements and submit the form by the due date (Friday, 21st November, 2025). Failure to submit the form by this date may result in cancellation of your enrolment in this unit.
You will be able to save a copy of the completed form to your desktop by clicking on the printer icon at the top of the form and select "Save as pdf". A copy of the completed form should be uploaded to the Moodle site for EDFE13032 Professional Practice 3 - Managing the Differentiated Classroom, through the link for submission of Assessment Task 1.
Week 2 Friday (21 Nov 2025) 11:45 pm AEST
No Assessment Criteria
- Critically reflect on professional learning using feedback, self-evaluation and the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.
2 Written Assessment
This assessment task has two components.
Part A Create a differentiation resource that:
- identifies selected teaching strategies,
- describes how the strategies differentiate for a range of learners,
- identifies when these strategies could be effectively used, and
- provides contextual examples of what this could look like in two different Key Learning Areas.
Ensure that you include a minimum of 6 strategies (2 strategies each for content, process and product) that can be used effectively and inform pedagogical practices and assessment. Use the provided template available in Moodle to guide your format and, if you wish, you can create your own format. This resource is one that you can continue to add to during your placement and use as a future resource. The examples included in the shared template in Moodle for this assessment task, cannot be used in your submission.
Part B requires you to develop your philosophy about differentiation to demonstrate:
- knowledge of what differentiation is,
- how differentiation is embedded within the teaching and learning cycle, and the
- integral nature differentiation plays in supporting students in the classroom.
You are required to use references to support your understanding of differentiation, and what this means for teaching, learning and assessment.
AI Tool Scale Level: Level 2 - You may use AI for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas. Any misuse or lack of disclosure regarding the use of AI tools will be considered a breach of academic integrity.
Word Count - 1 000 words (Part B)
Word count for written assessments: The word count is considered from the first to the last word of the written response. It excludes the cover page, abstract (where required), contents page, reference page and appendices (where required). It includes in-text references and direct quotations.
Week 6 Wednesday (17 Dec 2025) 11:45 pm AEST
Your assessment will be returned once moderation has occurred.
- Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of differentiation for teaching, learning, and assessing to cater for a wide range of diversity within a classroom. (APST 1.2, 1.5, 3.3, and 4.1)
- The development of a teaching philosophy about differentiation to demonstrate knowledge of what differentiation is, how differentiation is embedded within the teaching and learning cycle and the integral nature it plays in supporting students in the classroom. (APST 1.1 and 5.1)
- Personal written competencies in communicating an appropriate assessment response demonstrates use of unit materials, academic references, practices and conventions.
- Formulate assessment activities for the purpose of monitoring student achievement
- Apply strategies that modify learning sequences, pedagogy, content and assessment in response to individual and class profiling data
3 Online Quiz(zes)
This quiz will be available from week 8 onwards (January 13, 2026).
This quiz consists of 15 questions and you will need to achieve 100% (that is 15 from 15 questions). You are able to take this quiz as many times as needed to achieve 100%.
Please note that the quiz draws from a large bank of questions and no two quizzes will be the same.
In order to proceed to your placement, you must complete the quiz and score 100%.
1
Other
Week 9 Friday (23 Jan 2026) 11:45 pm AEST
No Assessment Criteria
- Apply strategies that modify learning sequences, pedagogy, content and assessment in response to individual and class profiling data
- Select teaching methods with an appropriate level of teacher control and student responsibility to scaffold learning for students and groups of varying ability levels
- Critically reflect on professional learning using feedback, self-evaluation and the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.
4 Professional Practice Placement
You are required to undertake a 20 day supervised placement in a school setting and complete all tasks outlined in the Professional Practice 3 Information and Guidelines Booklet.
These tasks include, but are not limited to:
- the development of a class profile to be used for modifying teaching sequences to cater for the needs of all
learners, - design and implement a range of learning sequences across the curriculum,
- design (where possible) and implement formative and summative assessment to monitor learning,
- interpret assessment data in order to differentiate and cater for learning needs,
- make judgments on the quality of learners' work, reflect on practice, and
- observe your supervising teacher (and others) to develop your pedagogical abilities.
Application of curriculum, pedagogical and technological knowledge across a range of learning areas will also be key features of the professional practice block where you will be expected to engage in observation, team teaching and continuous teaching as the placement progresses. The placement is scheduled as per the Professional Practice calendar and all components of the placement must be
completed.
An up-to-date working portfolio must be maintained throughout the placement and include all observation, planning, assessment instruments and records, a full class profile, classroom management plan, evaluation and reflection conducted throughout the placement. Refer to the Professional Practice 3 Information and Guidelines Booklet for further detail regarding the working portfolio.
This task addresses aspects of the following Australian Professional Standards for Teachers:
1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.5, 2.6, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 4.1, 4.2, 4.4, 4.5, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 6.1, 6.2, 6.3,6.4, 7.1, and 7.4.
Your final report will be completed by your supervising teacher via an online form once the placement is completed. Please upload your Attendance Form and Working Portfolio Check as evidence of full completion of the mandatory number of days, no later than one week after the completion of your placement. Please note that the date due in Moodle will be reflective of your last day of your placement. You will have one week after this date to upload your Attendance Form.
You will be assessed using the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers as identified in the Information and Guidelines Booklet for a third year placement. Your supervising teacher will complete the final report via an online form once the placement is complete. An example of this report can be found in the Information and Guidelines Booklet.
- Formulate assessment activities for the purpose of monitoring student achievement
- Apply strategies that modify learning sequences, pedagogy, content and assessment in response to individual and class profiling data
- Appraise the content of a proposed learning sequence to plan activities that overcome possible difficulties or make links to the prior knowledge of students with varying abilities
- Select teaching methods with an appropriate level of teacher control and student responsibility to scaffold learning for students and groups of varying ability levels
- Write explicit learning goals and task-specific standards for the purpose of explicit instruction and making consistent judgments on the quality of students’ work
- Analyse work samples and assessment information to support the delivery of feedback and design interventions to address specific learning issues
- Participate in collegial partnerships to improve practice and formulate responsive approaches to identified learning needs
5 Reflective Practice Assignment
To complete this task, you will select artefacts (samples of evidence) from the working portfolio that you maintained throughout your professional experience placement to describe and explain your teaching practice and pedagogical decision-making in one learning sequence. You will reflect on the evidence to analyse the impact of your practice on student learning.
The artefacts that you select should focus on a sequence of learning/unit on a specific topic/concept/curriculum descriptor leading to a culminating point (summative assessment) where a judgement could be made on student learning. The artefacts should be annotated to identify the ways in which they exemplify each stage of the teaching and learning cycle outlined below. The selected examples should be embedded within a commentary of no more than 250 words for each practice that responds to the self-reflection prompts provided and that evaluates the effectiveness of your enacted practice and its impact on student learning.
Practice 1: Planning
Using excerpts of your planning from a learning sequence (e.g. unit overview or lesson plans) implemented during your placement (and other artefacts such as class profiles, diagnostic assessment, work samples, etc.), explain how you:
(a) planned for alignment between curriculum, teaching and learning, and assessment in the sequence of lessons or learning experiences
(b) collected readiness and profiling information on students’ learning needs and prior knowledge of the content of the learning sequence to inform your planning
(c) set learning goals and planned instructional steps throughout the lesson sequence to cater for learners with different abilities and characteristics
Practice 2: Teaching
Using selected artefacts (e.g. excerpts or examples from lessons you planned, taught and evaluated during the chosen teaching and learning cycle), describe and explain how you:
(a) used a range of teaching strategies to scaffold learning and support student engagement
(b) selected and used resources and differentiated your teaching to support the diverse learning needs in your class
(c) reflected on the impact of your planning decisions on student learning to make ‘in the moment’ adjustments to lessons or learning experiences and plan for ‘next steps’ teaching throughout the learning sequence (i.e. What changes did you make to your initial planning during teaching and why did you make these changes? How did you use information from one or more lessons in the sequence to adapt or modify follow-up lessons?)
Practice 3: Assessing and recording learning
Using selected artefacts (e.g. samples of student work, examples of formative assessment or checks for learning in lessons, lesson reflections, records of student responses to questioning, etc.), analyse the impact of your planning and teaching on student learning outcomes by explaining how you:
(a) embedded checks for learning or formative assessment strategies into your planning and teaching to monitor student learning
(b) interpreted data and assessment information to adjust or modify lessons to improve learning outcomes for students of different abilities and characteristics
(c) provided feedback to students on their progress and achievement of learning goals. (Where possible, link your commentary for this practice to evidence of achievement in both formative and summative assessment.)
AI Tool Scale Level: Level 2 - You may use AI for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas. Any misuse or lack of disclosure regarding the use of AI tools will be considered a breach of academic integrity.
Word Count - The commentary/written response - 750 words. The evidence from placement used in your assessment response should be screenshot, annotated and inserted as a picture, therefore will not impact your word count.
Word count for written assignments: The word count is considered from the first to the last word of the written response. It excludes the cover page, abstract (where required), contents page, reference page and appendices (where required).
Your Reflection of Evidence of Practice is due 1 week after your 4 week block is completed.
Feedback on the task will be provided following moderation.
- Demonstrated ability to profile learners and interpret data to develop differentiated teaching and learning. (APST 1.5, 5.2, 5.4)
- Demonstrated capacity to plan for and implement teaching and assessment strategies that are responsive to learners' learning needs. (APST 2.1, 3.1, 3.2, 3.4, 5.1)
- Demonstrated ability to interpret formative assessment data and provide valid and appropriate feedback to learners. (APST 5.2, 5.4)
- Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of how students learn. (APST 1.2)
- Personal written competencies in communicating an appropriate assessment response demonstrates use of evidence from placement, unit materials, academic references, practices and conventions.
- Critically reflect on professional learning using feedback, self-evaluation and the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
