EDUC 1001OL - Schools and Society

Online - Summer - 2021

This course will help students develop an understanding of the role of teaching and of schooling in society. Students will discover the broader context of schooling in Australia and its impact on culture, socioeconomic and gender equality, education, work and wellbeing. Students will understand the legal and professional framework for teaching and grasp how impactful and important teachers really are. Students will critically evaluate schools and consider their role as emerging teachers in the profession. All Bachelor of Teaching (Middle) and Bachelor of Teaching (Secondary) students commencing from 2019 will participate in the School of Education's eLearning Program, that requires students to own an iPad with pencil and keyboard. The University of Adelaide will assist students with procurement upon enrolment.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code EDUC 1001OL
    Course Schools and Society
    Coordinating Unit School of Education
    Term Summer
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s Online
    Units 3
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange N
    Course Description This course will help students develop an understanding of the role of teaching and of schooling in society. Students will discover the broader context of schooling in Australia and its impact on culture, socioeconomic and gender equality, education, work and wellbeing. Students will understand the legal and professional framework for teaching and grasp how impactful and important teachers really are. Students will critically evaluate schools and consider their role as emerging teachers in the profession.

    All Bachelor of Teaching (Middle) and Bachelor of Teaching (Secondary) students commencing from 2019 will participate in the School of Education's eLearning Program, that requires students to own an iPad with pencil and keyboard. The University of Adelaide will assist students with procurement upon enrolment.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Dr Walter Barbieri

    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    On successful completion of this course students will be able to: APST (Graduate)
    1 Identify and critically analyse key aspects of the social, political, economic and legal policy contexts of education. 1.3, 1.4, 3.7, 6.1, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4
    2 Compare and contrast the influence on educational participation and outcomes of social class, gender, ethnicity, rurality, local, global, economic and political structures. 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 3.6, 6.2, 7.3, 7.4
    3 Utilise the research on learning and teaching contexts in: understanding students and teaching students; creating and maintaining safe and challenging learning environments; using a range of teaching strategies and resources; reflecting on, evaluating and improving professional knowledge; being active members of the teaching profession. 1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4
    4 Develop team work, high-order critical analysis and problem solving skills, advanced written, multimedia and oral communication. 3.7, 6.2, 6.4, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4
    5 Employ a range of theoretical models to analyse educational policy contexts and thereby provide more effective teaching. 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4
    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)
    Deep discipline knowledge
    • informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies
    • acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1
    • accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)
    1, 2, 3
    Critical thinking and problem solving
    • steeped in research methods and rigor
    • based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development
    • demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment
    1, 2
    Teamwork and communication skills
    • developed from, with, and via the SGDE
    • honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies
    • encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning
    4
    Career and leadership readiness
    • technology savvy
    • professional and, where relevant, fully accredited
    • forward thinking and well informed
    • tested and validated by work based experiences
    3, 4
    Intercultural and ethical competency
    • adept at operating in other cultures
    • comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts
    • able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes
    • demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges
    1, 2
    Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
    • a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal
    • open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers
    • able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate
    1, 2, 3, 4
  • Learning Resources
    Online Learning
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    The course has the following components each of which students need to successfully complete.

    1. Online Modules/lectures

    2. Online quiz

    3. SGDE Log (exercise)

    4. Final Examination

     
    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    This is an online course except for the final examination.

    Learning Activities Summary
    No TOPICS APSTs
     1 The profession of teaching 7.4
     2 Teachers and the law 7.1; 7.2
     3 Effective teachers and effective schools 6.2; 6.4
     4 Schooling, the economy, work and curriculum 7.4; 7.1
     5 School choice 1.1; 1.3; 7.3
     6 Teachers, schools and communities 7.1; 7.3
     7 Families and schooling 1.1; 1.3; 1.4; 3.7; 7.3
     8 Gender and schooling 1.1; 1.2; 1.3
     9 Rural education 1.3; 1.4
    10 Making a difference 3.6; 6.1; 6.2; 6.4
    11 School policy documents 7.1; 7.2
    12 Course review
    TUTORIAL TOPICS
    1

    Course Requirements and Other Administrative Matters

    Establishing eLearning requirements instrumental for course completion.
     
    Each week as well as reading the material provided on MyUni watch an episode of one of the series also posted on MyUni.

    2 The World of Teachers and Teaching

    From your reading and film series list 6 issues that are important to you as a teacher.

    (Also look at The South Australian Teaching Profession Code of Ethics and other Codes of Conduct on Week 1 on MyUni).

    Discuss these as a group and create a visual summary of these.
    3 Teachers and the Law

    Carefully read the Law Handout Pack PDF on MyUni Week 2 Resources/Schools and the Law/Reading Resources (10.77mb)

    Considerlegal issues that are important to you as a teacher.

    Discuss these as a group And present a board summary of your reflections.
    4 Life Inside and Outside of School

    List 3 main aspects of popular and youth culture.

    How do they fit in with Values for Australian Schooling? (For this see Week 3 on MyUni).
    5 Education, Work and the Curriculum

    List the main characteristics of work in the world in which we live.

    What is work in the future likely to involve?

    What won’t it involve?

    Take the recruitment section for a large city newspaper on the day most careers are advertised and list 6 broad generic skills that the world of work now demands?

    Or better still go to Seek job search or Career One on-line. Search under various career categories and list 6 broad generic skills that the advertised jobs demand. It is more useful for this exercise if you do not search under teaching careers.

    What school curriculum areas teach these skills?

    How has the school curriculum changed to reflect the world of work?
    6 School Choice

    Research the Gonski 2.0 Report and find out why this was/is important.

    List the different types of private schools and reasons for attendance at each type.
    7 Parents and Education

    Read the Home School Communication Manual. Go to MyUni Week 6 Reading Material/Reading Resources (3.36MB). From this list as many ways as possible that we can involve parents and community in our schools.
    8 Family Background

    List the ways that families influence education.

    Go to a school web page and see how schools accommodate various families.
    9 Gender and Education

    What are the main aspects of the current debates?

    What does the history of the University of Adelaide tell us about these debates?

    What do staff directory photo boards in each School building at Adelaide University tell us?

    Go to the University of Adelaide web page and find out the gender composition of staff and students in various Faculties and Schools. What do these statistics tell us?
    10 Rural Education

    Read one rural case study provided on MyUni Week 9 [and please read a different one from your friends]. For this go to the 6 individual Readings/ Downloads. Note the name of the book from where the case study came. More than an education.

    What does your case study tells us about teaching in rural areas? How have the school and teachers there made a difference?
    11 Making a Difference

    Does education make a difference for all South Australians?

    For which groups and what kind of a difference?

    Research figures for South Australia like the ones we discussed in this lecture but for areas in South Australia. Professor Glover has done work on social deprivation in Adelaide and South Australia so you may wish to see what his work tells us. If you explore social atlases for Adelaide this may help. If you want a fascinating look at Great Britain google Danny Dorling at Sheffield University. He has developed a social atlas for Great Britain and if you type in a post code it will display a whole range of social indicators for you. Fascinating!
    12 Bringing it all together at the school level: school policy documents

    Obtain a School Staff Manual/First Year Teacher Survival Guide or similar document/s. You can search for these on line or obtain one from the school you will be doing your school placement at or another school. 

    The School Policies I will use are on MyUni but you need to locate your own.

    Tutorial Activity

    1. What areas are covered in the School Staff Manual? What are the most important issues for you as a beginning teacher? What issues appear to be of concern to staff at this school?

    2. How does the school deal with legal issues such as duty of care, legal responsibilities of teachers, legal responsibilities of the school and issues such as mandatory reporting? Is there a legal code of practice document? How are teachers kept informed of their legal responsibilities?

    3. What is the school climate or the institutional bias of the school? How has this been built up? How is this fostered and maintained, for example, via school buildings, staff, curriculum, sporting and cultural events, ceremonies and rituals? What is special about this school?

    4. How does the school prepare students for the world of work? How does it monitor changes in employment and how are these changes then reflected in the curriculum that the school provides? What school/work place links and programs does the school offer?

    5. How does the school involve its community in the various parts of its activities? Is it community involvement or community participation? What parts of the school community are involved? Does the school have any programs to try and foster greater involvement by a greater sector of the school community? Why does the school involve the community?

    6. What family structures are represented at the school? How has the school responded to the change in family structures? How have changes in family structures challenged the way the school operates? What issues have changes in family structures posed for teachers in their teaching, in other parts of their role?

    7. Does the school have any special programs for either males or females? Do teachers find that they modify their teaching practices for male as opposed to female classes? ‘What about the boys is the current ‘catchphrase? Is it at this school? If so what responses have the school made?

    8. Does the school have information on why students attend it as opposed to other schools? What does this information tell them? Does the school actively market itself and to which niche market? What strategies does it use? How does the school see itself compared to other schools, which might be viewed as competitors? Does the school have a corporate plan, which involves a marketing component?
    Small Group Discovery Experience

    Topic Educational and school policy in real classrooms.
    Task
    In groups of four drawn from your small group discovery class monitor the implementatio of various policies in real classrooms as presented in current selected documentaries that are provided to you. Full details of how to do this are provided on MyUni and outlined in the first class.

  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Assessment Task Task Type Due Weighting Learning Outcome APST (Graduate)
    SGDE Log Summative

    9 Feb 2019

    10% 6 1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 2.4,  6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4
    First Assignment Summative 3 Feb 2019 30% 1,4,5,6 1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 2.4,  6.1, 6.2, 6.3
    End of Semester Exam Summative TBA 60% 1,2,3,4,5,6 1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 2.4,  6.1, 6.2, 6.3
    Requirements
    The overall mark required to pass is 50%. Students need to attempt and pass each of the three components that is sgde/ tutorials, essay and examination.

    SGDE Preparation Log worth 10 % [outcome 6]. For each unprepared and or missed or unsatisfactory tutorial deduct 2 marks. Please see the instructions above on what to do for missed tutorials.

    First assignment worth 30% due 3 February 2019.

    End of Semester Examination 60% [outcome 1-5]. Examinations are controlled by Central Administration and so the date and time of this is set by this office. Accordingly the date and time of these are outside my control. The Examination Period is normally June and July  inclusive. You need to be available to sit examinations during this time in Adelaide. Please do not schedule other activities in this period as we are unable to schedule examinations at other times and in other places.

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    1.Identify and critically analyse key aspects of the social, political, economic and legal policy contexts of education and thereby increase teaching effectiveness.
    2 Employ a range of theoretical models to analyse educational policy contexts and thereby provide more effective teaching.
    3 Compare and contrast the influence on educational participation and outcomes of social class, gender, ethnicity, rurality, local, global, economic and political structures and thereby provide more effective teaching.
    4 Evaluate the impact of key social, economic and political reforms on education and schooling and thereby more adequately respond to changing teaching and learning environments.
    5 Utilise the research on learning and teaching contexts in: understanding students and teaching students; creating and maintaining safe and challenging learning environments; using a range of teaching strategies and resources; reflecting on, evaluating and improving professional knowledge; being active members of the teaching profession.
    6 Develop team work, high order analytic and problem solving skills, advanced written and oral communication
    Assessment Detail

    No information currently available.

    Submission

    No information currently available.

    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

    As a result of student feedback and new teaching initiatives at the University of Adelaide the following changes have been made:
    1. The refinement of the Video Analysis to include a collaborative assessment
    2. Longer tutorial times in order to allow for full scope of discussion and activities
    3. Assessment activities have increased in variety
    4. Technology is integrated meaningfully in all aspects of the course
    5. Longer word-length / time for assignments in order to allow students to convey their learning in greater depth.
  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

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