EES245 - Primary Science Education 1

Unit details

Year:

2024 unit information

Enrolment modes:

Trimester 1: Burwood (Melbourne), Warrnambool, Waurn Ponds (Geelong), Community Based Delivery (CBD)*

Credit point(s):1
EFTSL value:0.125
Unit Chair:Trimester 1: Seamus Delaney
Cohort rule:This unit is only available to students enrolled in E200, E330, E359
Prerequisite:

Students enrolled in course E359 must have passed 5 credit points at level 1

Students enrolled in course E200 must have passed at least 2 units from EAD110, EAD111 and EAD113

Students enrolled in course E330, NIL

Corequisite:Nil
Incompatible with: EES240, EES345
Typical study commitment:

Students will on average spend 150-hours over the teaching period undertaking the teaching, learning and assessment activities for this unit.

This will include educator guided online learning activities within the unit site.

Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - on-campus unit enrolment:

1 x 3-hour seminar per week

Note for E359 accelerated cohorts: campus-based and online learning activities available during ETP300 placement.

Note:

*Community Based Delivery (CBD) is for National Indigenous Knowledges, Education, Research and Innovation NIKERI Institute students only.

Content

This unit introduces students to contemporary principles and issues in the teaching of science, and extends their understandings and critical appreciation of science and its importance in primary school education. The unit will consist of content sequences designed to support students learning to clarify their own understandings of the nature of science and their own dispositions towards science learning, and to plan and implement effective teaching sequences. Engagement with children in small group teaching situations will occur at points designed to support and extend their understandings and skills in planning and teaching science.

The content will include:

  1. Key concepts in science drawn from physical, chemical, biological and earth sciences; investigative processes in science; and approaches to supporting students learn these concepts at different stages of primary schooling.
  2. Components of contemporary Australian science curricula and how these can be interwoven to design activity sequences that lead to quality learning in science.
  3. Science for a sustainable future; socially responsible scientific literacy; science-society-technology-environment interactions.
  4. Contemporary theories of learning in science including constructivist and conceptual change perspectives; the role of representation and modelling; scientific reasoning; and the nature of science.
ULO These are the Learning Outcomes (ULO) for this unit. At the completion of this unit, successful students can: Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes
ULO1

Demonstrate a knowledge of contemporary theories of science education, sustainability and inquiry

GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities

ULO2

Present the results of inquiry, research and teaching experiences effectively via oral, written or electronic forms

GLO2: Communication

ULO3

Use a range of digital teaching and learning resources competently and assess their effectiveness in teaching and learning situations

GLO3: Digital literacy

ULO4

Analyse, evaluate and reflect on their own teaching and learning practices; and perform evidence based judgements of students work

GLO4: Critical thinking

GLO7: Teamwork

ULO5

Work with a partner to create, develop and trial innovative and engaging curriculum design in primary science education that caters for individual students learning needs

GLO5: Problem solving

GLO7: Teamwork

ULO6

Teach using an inquiry approach, modelling the process of conducting a scientific inquiry and drawing conclusions based on evidence

GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities

GLO2: Communication

Assessment

Assessment Description Student output Grading and weighting
(% total mark for unit)
Indicative due week
Assessment 1 - Seminar Tasks 800 words
or equivalent
20% Information not yet available
Assessment 2 - Lesson Plan 1200 words
or equivalent
30% Information not yet available
Assessment 3 - Research Report 2000 words 50% Information not yet available

The assessment due weeks provided may change. The Unit Chair will clarify the exact assessment requirements, including the due date, at the start of the teaching period.

Learning Resource

The texts and reading list for the unit can be found on the University Library via the link below: EES245 Note: Select the relevant trimester reading list. Please note that a future teaching period's reading list may not be available until a month prior to the start of that teaching period so you may wish to use the relevant trimester's prior year reading list as a guide only.

Unit Fee Information

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