ECJ721 - Introduction to Teaching in the Middle Years

Unit details

Content

Topics to be addressed in this unit include:
Using the VIT Standards for Graduating Teachers as a frame of reference for understanding and accommodating your own needs as a beginning teacher, including:

An overview of:

• Contemporary theories of learning and adolescent development with a particular focus on how young people in the middle years learn best;
• Current research informing teaching and learning in the middle years of schooling;
• Contemporary issues and debates related to learning in the middle years, including: students’ engagement, inclusivity and diversity, and literacy and numeracy.

An exploration of middle years curriculum developments with a focus on:

• Current curriculum guidelines and how to access them;
• Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS) including core knowledge, ideas & skills; essential skills; personal & social skills etc);
• Overview of other curriculum frameworks used in the middle years, including the International Baccalaurate (IB) Middle Years program (MYP).

The organisation of educational institutions and systems:

• Structure and organisation of teaching services in Victoria;
• Structure and organisation of schools and other educational providers;

An introduction to working with young people as a teacher:

• Designing extended learning activities using applied learning and a range of activities and resources;
• Assessing students’ work in the middle years using formative and summative strategies;
• Creating safe and suitable learning environments and managing students’ behavior;
• Networking with teachers and others involved in the education of young people including support agencies and resource people for teachers;
• Legal issues, including duty of care;
• Working with individuals, small groups and large classes (classroom management);
• An exploration of strategies for understanding and communicating with the young adolescent learner;
• The role of information and communication technologies with students in the middle years.

Assessment

Task 1: Reflective Journal Report  1000 words  (25%)    

Students keep a journal based on their developing understanding of themselves as teachers within a youth-oriented teaching environment. The journal should then be used to prepare a report outlining a developing teaching philosophy, with reference to theoretical underpinnings and professional practices informed accordingly. The report will also focus on the teaching of students in the middle years of school education. Students are required to post at least three substantial reflections that draw from their journal and report.

Task 2:  Planning a learning activity  2000 words  (50%)

Plan an extended learning activity that draws on at least one of your specialist teaching areas. The plan will need to consider the possible teaching areas of your placement and be submitted to the study group for critical evaluation and improvement. Components of the plan should be delivered as part of the ALTE placement and a brief report on your progress should be shared with other members of the course through at least two CloudDeakin posting. You should also include feedback gained from your supervising teachers and discuss how you might improve the activity in response to this feedback.

Task 3: Situational Analysis  1000 words or equivalent (25%)    

Prepare a situational analysis of an educational institution locating the institution within the broader educational system. Identify resources that support the work of teachers and young people, protocols that guide professional practice and the organisational expectations of teachers and students. Students are required to describe the professional roles of teachers and educators in this institution and comment on the match between these and the student’s own professional aspirations as a teacher.

Prescribed texts

Groundwater-Smith, S, Brennan, S & McFadden, M 2007, Learning in the Middle Years: More than a Transition, Cengage, Australia. .
Marsh, C 2008, Becoming a Teacher: Knowledge, Skills and Issues, Pearson Education, Frenchs Forest, NSW.

Unit Fee Information

* Rate for all CSP students, except for those who commenced Education and Nursing units pre 2010
** Rate for CSP students who commenced Education and Nursing units pre 2010
Please note: Unit fees listed do not apply to Deakin Prime students.