EDUC 4519A - English Curriculum & Methodology A (UG)

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2014

The course aims to present information on a range of methodologies and develop a variety of pedagogical skills to help students to be better prepared for the start of their teaching career.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code EDUC 4519A
    Course English Curriculum & Methodology A (UG)
    Coordinating Unit School of Education
    Term Semester 1
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact 2 hours per week, in addition to a 2 hour common lecture focussing on Planning and Teaching
    Prerequisites Pass in 4 courses of English literature
    Restrictions Available to B Teaching students only
    Course Description The course aims to present information on a range of methodologies and develop a variety of pedagogical skills to help students to be better prepared for the start of their teaching career.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Ms Alison-Jane Hunter

    Alison-Jane Hunter
    Office: 324j, Engineering South
    Email: alison-jane.hunter@adelaide.edu.au

    Course Timetable

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

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes

    AITSL Standards Covered
    1

    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
    1.4 Strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
    1.5 Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs across the full range of abilities
    Strategies to support full participation of students with disability
    2 2.1 Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area
    2.2 Content selection and organisation
    2.3 Curriculum, assessment and reporting
    2.4 Understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians
    2.5 Literacy and numeracy strategies
    2.6 Information and Communication Technology
    3 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
    3.7 Engage parents/carers in the educative process
    4 4.1 Support student participation
    4.2 Manage classroom activities
    4.3 Manage challenging behaviour
    4.4 Maintain student safety
    4.5 Use ICT safely, responsibly and ethically
    5 5.1 Assess student learning
    5.2 Provide feedback to students and their learning
    5.3 Make consistent and comparable judgements
    5.4 Interpret student data
    5.5 Report on student achievement
    6 6.1 Identify and plan professional learning needs
    6.2 Engage in professional learning and improve practice
    6.3 Engage with colleagues and improve practice
    6.4 Apply professional learning and improve student learning
    7 7.1 Meet professional ethics and responsibilities
    7.2 Comply with legislative, administrative and organisational requirements
    7.3 Engage with the parents/carers
    7.4 Engage with professional
    Attendance at all classes on time is compulsory. 10% of the total course marks are allocated for attendance. Assignment 1 is 30% of the total marks. Assignment 2 is worth 60% of the total marks.
    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)
    Knowledge and understanding of the content and techniques of a chosen discipline at advanced levels that are internationally recognised. All
    The ability to locate, analyse, evaluate and synthesise information from a wide variety of sources in a planned and timely manner. 3,4
    An ability to apply effective, creative and innovative solutions, both independently and cooperatively, to current and future problems. 2
    Skills of a high order in interpersonal understanding, teamwork and communication. Intergral to Program
    A proficiency in the appropriate use of contemporary technologies. Integral to Program
    A commitment to continuous learning and the capacity to maintain intellectual curiosity throughout life. NA
    A commitment to the highest standards of professional endeavour and the ability to take a leadership role in the community. Intergral to Program - teacher leadership
    An awareness of ethical, social and cultural issues within a global context and their importance in the exercise of professional skills and responsibilities. 4
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    Alison-Jane Hunter (2014) All New Great Ideas for the Middle School Classroom SAETA Norwood

    Available from AATE at English House, Kensington or from the course tutor at the first class
    Recommended Resources
    You will be advised of readings throughout the course.
    You will need to complete your first task through My Uni.
    You will be expected to read the named texts in the course, as well as around these texts.
    You are not required to buy these additional texts, but you should ensure you have access to the texts and have read them in advance of the lesson in which they will figure. Many text suggestions are made in the textbook, so you are not alone!
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    The classes will predominantly take the form of interactive workshops. Please ensure you bring a notebook and pen with you to all classes or a laptop/iPad if you happen to have access to either of these.

    There will be a 1 x 120 minute workshop for per week for this course. Students are expected to engage with MyUni for some online components, lecture information and readings.
    Workload

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

    There are 2 hours’ contact time for eight weeks in semester one. Students should expect that an additional 6 - 7 hours will be required for preparation. At the peak time of assessment, students can expect an increased time commitment.
     
    Learning Activities Summary
    Schedule
    Week 1 Basic Functional/Systemic Grammar for Years 8-10. Language, Literacy and Literature: making sense of the AC:E strands.
    Building a glossary of technical terms for Year 8.
    Teaching Poetry in Year 8: P.10.
    Weekly discussion board: what poetry would work in Year 8?
    (Please Note that ICT strategies are integral to each element in this program)
    AITSL All 3 2.3 2.3, 2.5, 3.4
    Week 2 Nominalisation and Morphemic Spelling strategies. P. 73. Understanding purpose and audience. Genre and Register. The Holiday Project. P.55.
    Weekly discussion board: read and find a pair text for a SHIP class studying ‘Flowers for Algernon’. P.53.
    AITSL All 2, 3.4, 3.7 4.1, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5 2.3, 2.5, 3.2
    Week 3 Punctuation for effect.
    P. 46. Grammar exercises attached to ‘The Snow Spider’.
    Teaching a novel in Year 8.
    P.46. ‘The Snow Spider.
    ‘A Story to Tell’ and ‘Noongar Mambara Bakitj’ P.27. Teaching Indigenous Literature.
    Weekly discussion board: create a one page worksheet on an aspect of grammar covered. Share and discuss.
    Assignment Due: Monday 7 April.
    Students must take an active part in the weekly discussions, providing around 300 words per week of lively and thoughtful discussion on the set topic.
    AITSL 1.4, 1.5, 2.4 2.4, 1.3, 3.4, 4.1 2.2, 3.3, 3.4
    Week 4 Teaching cohesion:
    Theme and rheme. P. 46.
    P. 142. ‘All my friends are superheroes’.
    Teaching satire.
    Teaching summary skills and cohesion.
    Weekly discussion board: what strategies could you use to enable students to move from theoretical technical knowledge to practical use of that knowledge?
    AITSL 2.5, 4.1, 2.2 1.3, 1.5, 2.5, 3.3 1.3, 2.1, 2.2
    Week 5
    P. 109 ‘The Happiest Refugee’. Teaching Asian Literature. 
    What else could we use? What principles for text selection are you using?
    P. 140 ‘I am Malala’. What would you do with this in class? How could you use it to prepare your students for the NAPLAN tests? Weekly discussion board. Read ‘This song could save your life’. What kinds of project could you teach in conjunction with this text?
    AITSL 2.2, 3.1, 3.4 1.5, 1.6, 2.2 1.6, 3.4, 2.6,
    Week 6 P. 126. ‘Tintin’. Teaching a film study.
    Technical language.
    Creating Writing frames.

    P. 212. ‘That Untraveled Road’.
    What is Australian fiction? Should it be taught

    P.118. ‘Witness’. Teaching culture through film.
    Weekly discussion board: Consider which films might be suitable for Year 9 and give reasons for your ideas
    AITSL 1.3, 3.1, 3.4 1.3, 3.1, 3.4 3.1, 3.4, 2.2
    Week 7 P. 210. ‘Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress.
    Preparing students for the Senior Years. Looking at links between the AC:E and SACE.
    P. 212. ‘That Untraveled Road’.
    What is Australian fiction? Should it be taught differently from European texts? Why?
    Weekly discussion board. Find a pair for both of these texts. Discuss the type of class which might enjoy this pairing and give reasons for your decisions.
    AITSL 1.3, 2.2, 2.6, 3.1 2.3, 3.2, 3.3 2.3, 3.2, 3.3
    Week 8 Teaching Shakespeare in Year 10. What texts are suitable? How would you teach them? How would you deal with the language issues? How would you ensure the students understood the text as a play for performance? P. 228. ‘The Hare with the Amber Eyes’. How might you use art objects in the classroom to stimulate ideas?
    Teaching using P4C.
    Arranging the classroom: considering the Harkness model.
    Weekly discussion board. Students love to read Matthew Reilly, John Green and other, similar writers. Are their works suitable for the classroom? Should classes have text books that they would read anyway? How many works of classic fiction should be used in the classroom? Assessment Task:
    Create a fully articulated Unit of Work for a Year 8, 9 or 10 class. What text(s) will you use and how will it/they move the young people’s learning forward for either NAPLAN or the transition to Years 11 and 12? Assignment Due: Monday 5 May.
    AITSL 2.3, 3.2, 3.3 2.3, 3.2, 3.3
    Small Group Discovery Experience
    This will be the focus of the workshop approach.  
  • 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
    Assignment Due: Monday 7 April.
    Students must take an active part in the online weekly discussions, providing around 300 words per week of lively and thoughtful discussion on the set topic.

    Assessment Task:
    Create a fully articulated Unit of Work for a Year 8, 9 or 10 class. What text(s) will you use and how will it/they move the young people’s learning forward for either NAPLAN or the transition to Years 11 and 12? Assignment Due: Monday 5 May
    Assessment Related Requirements
    The two tasks are mandatory.
    Attendance will cover 10% of the course mark, Assignment 1 is worth 30%. Assignment 2 is worth 60%.  
    Assessment Detail
    For Assignment 1:
    Make sure you read the named texts in advance. They are all listed with a leading question in the course outline, so you should be able to get ahead. You must take part in the discussion board every week. You need to contribute about 200 words per week. You will need to read around each text and judge them as classroom texts: it’s not enough to talk about them as your own reading: you need to apply your thinking to the Year 8-10 teaching context. We will discuss them in class as well and I will make suggestions of other texts to help you at that point. The strongest students will make the reading their own by showing that they are developing their knowledge and responses across the course, which is why I will do the marks at the end of the course when you’ve had a chance to learn, think and grow as teachers. I will base the mark on your best input. It is essential that you read a wide variety of books and establish great reading stamina before you start teaching: your students deserve the best, most engaged and knowledgeable teachers and that is what I am looking to foster in each and every one of you. I do not ask anything of you that I do not ask of myself. You need to respond to this challenge and develop in the safe space of the university classroom. I am looking for your thinking and opinions in this task, more than academic references. Not being sure and raising interesting questions is absolutely fine: they are evidence of thought and engagement. I urge you to read around the book recommendations in the course book, along with the film suggestions: they are an excellent start. If you find this hard, ask for help in class, email me questions or arrange to meet me in my office (324j in Mechanical Engineering for an additional chat. I’m intending to bring in a wide selection of texts so you can have a look at some of my library too.

    For Assignment 2:
    Include an outline of the class, including details of any students with special needs and how you intend to address those needs. Create details. Remember that units do not stand alone: you will need to outline the learning context, the location of the unit in the full year plan and what will follow and build on what you have taught in this unit. Give a list of resources required. Outline your rationale for text and task choices. Make sure you teach every element you wish your students to learn: the ideas, the form, the language, every element of the marking criteria... The best students will show how they will differentiate the plans for the top, middle and bottom of the class, even if the major differentiation is through outcome. Show how your unit fits in with the ACARA requirements and the ACARA outcomes for the exact year level you have chosen. Be creative, dedicated and detailed. Include work sheets, homework, tasks and as much of the teaching as you can. Use the four part lesson plan I will teach you in class. There are ideas for starters, developments, shared and individual writing, grammar and plenaries in the course book – get to know it well. Remember the texts in there are the right level, so they are good ideas. Note that some are marked as particularly suitable for SHIP classes: if you’re going to attempt to prepare purely for a SHIP class, you should talk to me about how to do this effectively as there are some strategies that work particularly well for these classes. Make sure you include the full unit and all teaching plans. Notice that I specifically require you to show how this unit will move the young people forward in their learning: busywork has no place in the contemporary classroom. I will not count words: successful units usually come in at about 6-12 pages, depending on the way you set them out. Length is not a guarantee of success but units which are only a couple of pages long rarely contain sufficient detail to access the highest grades. Unit cover sheets are not essential but they do look professional. Again, do your best and seek help early. I am not sympathetic to late requests for extensions. That said, you must tell me if you have a serious problem so I can help you work around it.
     
    Submission
    Task 1 is online.
    Task 2 should be submitted via the Hub of the Professions on the due date in hard copy.

    Late work without prior permission will attract a penalty of 10% mark loss per day.  
    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.

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