Overview
Professional Practice 4 provides you with opportunities for full immersion in all aspects of professional practice and critical reflection during your final supervised professional experience. You will undertake 30 days professional experience comprising five one day visits to prepare you for the continuous five week (25 day) teaching block in a classroom environment. Embedded in this unit is the Graduate Teacher Performance Assessment (GTPA), a culminating authentic assessment designed to enable you to demonstrate achievement of the professional standards and provide confirmation of your readiness for classroom practice. Your response to this task will be a reflection of your teaching practice including the elements of teaching, planning, assessing and reflecting through demonstrating your ability to use data to improve learning and teaching by aligning curriculum, pedagogy and assessment taking into consideration school contexts and learner diversity. The block placement culminates in the completion of the Final Professional Experience Recommendation form through measuring the standard that has been achieved by you through comparing it against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Graduate Career Stage). Achieving the Graduate Career Stage illustrates your readiness to enter the workplace. You must pass all assessment tasks to pass this unit.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Pre-requisite 1 - Students must have completed all coursework with the exception of (EDED14354 and EDFE14020) or (EDCU13021 and EDFE13034). Pre-requisite 2 - Students must have successfully completed both the Literacy and Numeracy components of the Literacy and Numeracy Tests for Initial Teacher Education (LANTITE) with a result of 'Standard Achieved' and have submitted a Placement Registration form on or prior to the closing date recorded on the form to be eligible to enrol in Professional Practice 4. Co-requisites - Students must be enrolled in both EDED14354 and EDFE14020 in the same term of study as this unit. For students in the Catholic Education strand, co-requisite units include EDCU13021 and EDFE13034.
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 2 - 2024
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 SUTE feedback
Release of GTPA results
Ensure that GTPA results are released so that all students receive this information at the same time.
Feedback from SUTE feedback
Support during placement
Review our support measure for distance students whilst on placement.
Feedback from SUTE feedback
Supportive unit
Continue to offer drop-in sessions whilst students are on placement.
Feedback from SUTE feedback
Reduce stress levels of the final term
Investigate ways to reduce the stress levels of the final term of study.
- Perform the role of a professional educator by creating and managing a supportive learning environment and using well-planned lesson sequences and effective teaching strategies to promote student engagement and learning
- Identify opportunities for students to purposefully and safely use ICTs to access, construct and communicate knowledge beyond the immediate environment
- Critically reflect on teaching practice, assessment data and information about students to create and implement inclusive learning experiences that cater for the needs of all students
- Maintain detailed records that monitor student learning outcomes and meet system reporting requirements
- Seek and apply constructive feedback to improve professional practice and student learning outcomes
- Reflect on professional standards and codes of ethics and conduct for the profession to determine personal learning goals.
Assessment in this unit is consistent with the Professional Experience Reporting Framework in Queensland. Pre-service teachers demonstrate the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Graduate Career Stage) during the placement for this unit. Additionally pre-service teachers will complete the written component of the Graduate Teacher Performance Assessment task based on their planning and teaching during the placement, which is explicitly aligned with the Professional Experience Reporting Framework.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Professional Practice Placement - 0% | ||||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 0% | ||||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 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 - First Nations Knowledges | ||||||
| 11 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
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.
a.ambrosetti@cqu.edu.au
Week 1
Begin Date: 08 Jul 2024Module/Topic
- Introduction to PP4 and the placement requirements.
- Day visit requirements.
- Introduction to the Graduate Teacher Performance task (GTPA).
Chapter
There is no new content in this unit, thus there are no readings listed.
Important Document: 5 x single day visit requirements (found in the PP4 requirements tile on Moodle).
Important Document: PP4 Information and Guidelines Booklet
Events and Submissions/Topic
Day Visit 1
Zoom session: Monday 4:30 - 6:30pm
Week 2
Begin Date: 15 Jul 2024Module/Topic
1. Graduate Teacher Performance Assessment task - focus on Practice 1.
Chapter
Important Document: The Graduate Teacher Performance Assessment task - handbook for preservice teachers (found in the GTPA tile on Moodle).
Events and Submissions/Topic
Day Visit 2
Zoom session: Monday 4:30 - 6:30pm
Week 3
Begin Date: 22 Jul 2024Module/Topic
1. Graduate Teacher Performance Assessment task - focus on Practice 2 and 3.
Chapter
Important Document: The Graduate Teacher Performance Assessment task - handbook for preservice teachers (found in the GTPA tile on Moodle).
Events and Submissions/Topic
Day Visit 3
Zoom session: Monday 4:30 - 6:30pm
Week 4
Begin Date: 29 Jul 2024Module/Topic
1. Graduate Teacher Performance Assessment task - focus on Practice 4 and 5.
Chapter
Important Document: The Graduate Teacher Performance Assessment task - handbook for preservice teachers (found in the GTPA tile on Moodle).
Events and Submissions/Topic
Day Visit 4
Zoom session: Monday 4:30 - 6:30pm
Week 5
Begin Date: 05 Aug 2024Module/Topic
1. 5 week block requirements
Chapter
Important Document: 5 Week block requirements (found in the PP4 requirements tile on Moodle).
Events and Submissions/Topic
Day Visit 5
Zoom session: Monday 4:30 - 6:30pm
Vacation Week
Begin Date: 12 Aug 2024Module/Topic
Five week block placement begins
Week 1 of 5 week block
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 1 of 5 week block
Zoom drop in session: Monday 4:30 to 5:30pm
Week 6
Begin Date: 19 Aug 2024Module/Topic
Week 2 of 5 week block
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 2 of 5 week block
Zoom drop in session: Monday 4:30 to 5:30pm
Week 7
Begin Date: 26 Aug 2024Module/Topic
Week 3 of 5 week block
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 3 of 5 week block
Zoom drop in session: Monday 4:30 to 5:30pm
Week 8
Begin Date: 02 Sep 2024Module/Topic
Week 4 of 5 week block
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 4 of 5 week block
Zoom drop in session: Monday 4:30 to 5:30pm
Week 9
Begin Date: 09 Sep 2024Module/Topic
Week 5 of 5 week block
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 5 of 5 week block
Zoom drop in session: Monday 4:30 to 5:30pm
Week 10
Begin Date: 16 Sep 2024Module/Topic
1. Writing up the GTPA
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Zoom session: Monday 4:30 - 6:30pm
Professional Practice Placement Due: Week 10 Friday (20 Sept 2024) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 11
Begin Date: 23 Sep 2024Module/Topic
1. GTPA Question and Answer session
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Zoom drop in session: Monday 4:30 to 5:30pm
Week 12
Begin Date: 30 Sep 2024Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Review/Exam Week
Begin Date: 07 Oct 2024Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Exam Week
Begin Date: 14 Oct 2024Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Professional Practice Placement
Professional Practice 4 is the final assessable placement and consists of 30 days: 5 single day visits plus a 25 day continuous block. Professional Practice 4 is designed to provide final year pre-service teachers with the opportunity to demonstrate the professional knowledge, skills, and engagement embedded in the focus areas of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers at the Graduate Career Stage. Pre-service teachers will immerse themselves in the role of a teacher and are expected to build towards continuous teaching by the beginning of week 3. The Professional Practice 4 Information and Guidelines booklet contains a weekly outline of tasks and requirements. Further information can be found on the PP4 Moodle site.
Working Portfolio
Pre-service teachers are required to keep and maintain a Working Portfolio for the duration of Professional Practice 4. The working portfolio will provide evidence of the demonstration of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers at the Graduate Career Stage and will document your learning journey.
Queensland Professional Experience Reporting Framework (QPERF)
Pre-service teachers will be assessed using the Queensland Professional Experience Reporting Framework by their mentor teacher at the end of the 5-week block. Prior to this, the interim report is to be completed by the mentor teacher at the end of week 3 of the blockso as to provide the pre-service teacher with an opportunity to identify strengths and areas for improvement. The interim report should be placed in the working portfolio and a copy provided to your university supervisor.
You are required to upload your attendance record into the task 1 Moodle link as further evidence of completing all 30 placement days.
The QPERF will be completed electronically by the supervising teacher and will be electronically signed by the pre-service teacher and university supervisor. This will occur through an email link sent from 'WIL-EDUARTS@cqu.edu.au'
Week 10 Friday (20 Sept 2024) 11:45 pm AEST
The final report will be completed via electronic means and should be completed immediately after the placement concludes. Upload a copy of your attendance record into the Task 1 link.
The final summative report will be finalised by your university supervisor and will then be available for download via the Sonia placement system.
Pre-service teachers will be assessed using the Queensland Professional Experience Reporting Framework (QPERF). A copy of the criteria (The Standards) can be found in the Professional Practice 4 Information and Reporting Guidelines.
- Perform the role of a professional educator by creating and managing a supportive learning environment and using well-planned lesson sequences and effective teaching strategies to promote student engagement and learning
- Identify opportunities for students to purposefully and safely use ICTs to access, construct and communicate knowledge beyond the immediate environment
- Critically reflect on teaching practice, assessment data and information about students to create and implement inclusive learning experiences that cater for the needs of all students
- Maintain detailed records that monitor student learning outcomes and meet system reporting requirements
- Seek and apply constructive feedback to improve professional practice and student learning outcomes
- Reflect on professional standards and codes of ethics and conduct for the profession to determine personal learning goals.
2 Written Assessment
As part of Professional Practice 4, you will complete the Graduate Teacher Performance Assessment which will provide explicit evidence of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (at graduate level). The Graduate Teacher Performance Assessment (GTPA) submission includes:
- The cover sheet confirming the inclusion of all required submission elements signed authenticity statement, and optional research permission (template provided);
- The professional experience context statement that presents characteristics of the school and classroom site where the GTPA was completed (template provided);
- The demonstration of competence in five interrelated practices: planning, teaching, assessing, reflecting, and appraising (approximately 5000 words);
- The profile of data collection and use (template provided);
- Evidence of moderation processes (template provided);
- A reference list of all materials (curriculum, school documents, policy, theory, and research) cited in your submission using APA (7th edition).
The submission must show the demonstrated connection between theory and practice and the discerning use of evidence that is illustrative of your practice. The evidence is to be integrated into your submission.
The demonstration of competence in five interrelated practices: planning, teaching, assessing, reflecting, and appraising (approximately 5000 words) is as follows:
Practice 1: Planning using data
This practice involves collecting and interpreting a range of data and evidence to inform your planning and teaching in order to establish students' learning needs and current levels of performance, desired levels of performance and strategies to progress learning. It will also demonstrate the alignment of curriculum, assessment, and pedagogy. This component will be no more than 1000 words, excluding evidence.
Practice 2: Teaching and learning
This practice involves the implementation and reporting on a range of suitably challenging and engaging teaching and learning strategies that connect to and build on students' prior learning, provide differentiation, teach general capabilities including literacy and numeracy, as well as your ability to make ongoing adjustments to teaching based on ongoing student data gathering and analysis. This component will be no more than 1000 words, excluding evidence.
Practice 3: Assessing, feedback and professional judgment
This practice involves reporting on the selection and use of a variety of assessment tools and practices, addressing fitness for purpose and principles of inclusion. The practice also involves providing feedback to learners to inform student self-assessment and goal setting, making judgments about student work and engaging in moderation. This component will be no more than 1000 words, excluding evidence.
Practice 4: Reflecting on teaching
This practice involves describing and analysing initial and ongoing data choices, identifying and describing differences between planned and enacted teaching, discussing the monitoring of student progress and the modification of teaching and assessment strategies, and identifying and justifying future teaching and assessment practices. This component will be no more than 1000 words, excluding evidence.
Practice 5: Appraising the impact of teaching
In this practice, you will appraise the impact of your teaching through the use of two scenarios that connect theory, enacted practice and the curated body of evidence, and you will examine and discuss teaching decisions. This component will be no more than 1000 words, excluding evidence.
Ensure that you access the 2024 GTPA Preservice Teacher Booklet and the resources on the PP4 Moodle site for further detail about this assessment task.
Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence agents (Gen AI)
Within this assessment, the use of Microsoft Copilot, Chat GPT or other Gen AI agents is as follows:
- No Gen AI can be used at any point during this assessment.
Week 12 Monday (30 Sept 2024) 11:45 pm AEST
Your GTPA is due on Monday September 30, 2024. The GTPA must be handed in as one curated document with your evidence embedded within each practice.
The GTPA will be returned once it has been marked and moderated.
The assessment criteria for this task are aligned to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers at the Graduate Career Stage. Please see the alignment table in the GTPA Pre-service Teacher Guidelines.
- Critically reflect on teaching practice, assessment data and information about students to create and implement inclusive learning experiences that cater for the needs of all students
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?
