CQUniversity Unit Profile.

This task contains two parts (Part A and Part B). You must complete both parts of the task as detailed below.

Part A:  Descriptive account of three (3) examples of literacy teaching practice

Using the knowledge that you have gained in this unit about Literacy as a General Capability in the Australian Curriculum and evidence-based practices that promote literacy learning across the curriculum, you will construct three (3) written accounts that describe the teaching and learning practices you would use in each of the three examples numbered from 1 to 3 below.

Example 1:  Teaching new vocabulary or terminology that students will need to know to understand the information they will read about in a text used as a lesson resource / activity.

Example 2: Teaching students how to use the layout or organisational features of a lesson resource to locate specific information about a topic or content they are learning.

Example 3:  Teaching students how to interpret visual elements that are used individually or combined with print to communicate information.  (The visual elements may be diagrams, graphs, tables, timelines, symbols, or drawings / images / photographs with or without labels and captions).  

For each of your examples, you should choose a year level that is appropriate for your Master of Teaching course (e.g. Early Childhood – Prep to Year 2; Primary – Prep to Year 6; Secondary – Years 7-10 in your approved teaching areas).

Each example should be presented on the template provided on the moodle site and must describe in detail what the teacher does and says to scaffold learners’ abilities to learn the literacy skill and practise using it to understand the text and its vocabulary or language features.   You should include copies of any resources that the teacher uses or that you expect the students to use as they practice the skill (e.g. a table or worksheet that students are expected to fill in or complete as an activity, an example of a diagram drawn on the whiteboard by the teacher, etc).  These resources will help the reader of your teaching examples to visualise how the lesson excerpt would unfold in the classroom.  (Examples that illustrate the expected detail and structure of your three examples of literacy teaching practice will be provided on the moodle site for this unit.) 

A word limit of 500 words per teaching example applies to the section of the template labelled “Descriptive account of Teaching and Learning Practices”.

Part B:  Justification of the teaching approach

Using reference support from unit readings and independent research, write a 1000-word rationale that justifies the teaching approach and design of learning activities and resources illustrated in your examples of literacy teaching practice.  Your justification should achieve the following purposes:

(a)    identify why your chosen examples support the development of new literacy knowledge and skills for students in the chosen year level through reference to the content descriptors and achievement standards of relevant learning areas in the Australian Curriculum and the Literacy progression for this General Capability; and,  

(b)    explain ways in which the illustrated teaching practices draw on theories that explain how the brain learns, evidence-based approaches for reducing cognitive load and effective practices for building the literacy knowledge and skills of students from a diverse range of abilities and language needs, including learners with EAL/D and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds.

What you need to submit:

3 examples of teaching practice - one for each teaching focus described in Part A.  

1000 word justification of the practices illustrated in the examples using appropriate reference support

Use of Gen AI in this task

Within this assessment, the use of Gen AI agents is as follows:

Gen AI can be used for content editing

• Knowledge and application of the literacy demands of the curriculum
• Knowledge and understanding of theories of human cognition and evidence-based literacy teaching practices  
• Application of communication strategies and teaching approaches that support the development of discipline literacies 
• Knowledge of strategies that reduce cognitive load for students from a diverse range of abilities and backgrounds 
• Written communication demonstrating personal and academic literacy competence

This task comprises the construction of a series of observations and reflections (a portfolio) that shows your understanding of the ways in which learners’ linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds and physical, social and intellectual stages of development affect their learning and engagement in educational settings and influence teachers’ curriculum decision-making and professional goal setting.

Context for collating the portfolio

As the basis for constructing your portfolio, you will undertake a wider field experience to observe children and/or young people as they participate in activities or experiences in authentic settings. The structure of the field experience is dependent on your selected course in the Master of Teaching (Early Childhood, Primary or Secondary) as detailed below:

Master of Teaching (Early Childhood): You will complete 10 days in an early childhood education and care setting with a specific focus on children aged from birth to 35 months of age.

Note: Observations for students in the Early Childhood course are collected while attending an early childhood education and care setting for full days of work experience.

Master of Teaching (Primary) and Master of Teaching (Secondary): You will identify a range of settings for focused observation that comprise a minimum of 10 distinct (separate) observations.

You are not required to undertake these observations in a formal school setting.  The settings you choose may include observations taken as you participate in volunteer or paid work at schools such as hearing children read or coaching school sport but must cover a wider range of social and community settings where children and young people participate, interact with each other and/or learn.  The choice of settings should contribute to your understanding of the cognitive, physical, social and emotional characteristics of learners of  the age group you will be teaching in your future career.  Suitable community settings for observation include after school care, coaching, training or tutoring contexts, sporting clubs or community groups and organisations, private lessons in music, dance, art and drama, etc.

Note: Observations for students in the Primary and Secondary course are focused episodes that may occur over a variety of time periods.  They do not require attendance at the chosen site for a full day.

Selection and organisation of the wider field experience

You can organise your own location/sites for participating in the wider field experience but you will be required to submit a record of attendance showing times, locations and dates of your observations as part of your final assessment task submission.  This record of attendance is essential for verifying your participation in the wider field experience. 

(Please note:  For students in the Master of Teaching (Early Childhood) course, a minimum of 10 days experience with children aged birth to 35 months is a requirement for completing an approved early childhood qualification.)

What to include in the portfolio:

1. A signed and dated record of attendance and participation in the wider field experience. Note: A template for recording your attendance will be provided on the unit moodle site.

2. A series of 10 observations that informs your understanding of the characteristics, stages of development and diverse experiential backgrounds of children and young people; the ways in which these characteristics could affect their engagement, active participation and learning in educational settings; and the implications for teachers in knowing and understanding their learners and the wya they learn. 

• Each observation should be descriptive, objective and concise (no more than 200 words in length) and must be accompanied by an annotation of approximately 25 words that shows how the observation links to a specific focus area of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Graduate Level).

3. A critical reflection of 1500 words in length.  Your reflection should demonstrate evaluative thinking that makes explicit reference to the observations you have recorded and authoritative research about how students learn and the characteristics and circumstances that affect learning, motivation and engagement. Your reflection must also identify implications for your own professional learning and goal setting with reference to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers and codes of ethics and conduct for the teaching profession.  The focus should be on deepening your understanding of high quality teaching practices that are responsive to learners’ development and backgrounds and that have a positive impact on their learning outcomes.

The following questions may be useful in developing your critical reflection:  

• In what ways did your engagement in the wider field experience contribute to your understanding of the work of teachers described in the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Graduate Level) and in codes of ethics and conduct for the teaching profession?
• What did you see, hear and experience that helped you understand more about the impact of learners’ characteristics and backgrounds on their participation, engagement and learning in educational settings? How do these reflections align with the aims and goals of policy documents you have encountered in this unit?
• What knowledge have you gained from your field experience that would help you to respond positively to the needs of learners whose cultural, linguistic and socioeconomic backgrounds and experiences seem to ill equip them for participation in learning at school or early childhood education and care settings?
• What strategies could you incorporate into your daily practice to help all learners feel a sense of connection and belonging that would support their engagement, motivation and learning at school or in early childhood education and care settings?
• What strategies could help you build relationships with parents/carers, external professionals and community representatives to foster the creation of safe and supportive learning environments for all learners?
• What areas of knowledge and practice are specific goals for your own professional learning in readiness for your teaching career?

Scaffolding for this task

Further guidelines for structuring this assessment task will be provided on the unit Moodle site and the process of reflection and evaluative thinking will be scaffolded in tutorials throughout the term.  Please note that tutorials from Week 6 onwards will cover important professional knowledge that will help you focus your observations in this wider field experience.  

Use of Gen AI 

Within this assessment task, the use of Gen AI agents is as follows:

No Gen AI use at any point in this assessment

• Knowledge and understanding of the characteristics of learners that affect learning
• Knowledge and understanding of high quality practices that define teaching as professional work
• Application of policy, Standards frameworks and Codes for the profession to reflection and goal setting
• Ability to reflect critically on experience using reference support and written communication that demonstrates personal literacy competence.