EUB112 Child and Adolescent Development and Learning
To view more information for this unit, select Unit Outline from the list below. Please note the teaching period for which the Unit Outline is relevant.
| Unit code: | EUB112 |
|---|---|
| Equivalent(s): | LCB002 |
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Timetable | Details in HiQ, if available |
| Availabilities |
|
| CSP student contribution | $592 |
| Domestic tuition unit fee | $3,816 |
| International unit fee | $4,932 |
Unit Outline: Semester 1 2026, Kelvin Grove, Internal
| Unit code: | EUB112 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Equivalent: | LCB002 |
| Coordinator: | Sasha Lynn | sasha.lynn@qut.edu.au |
Overview
This introductory unit contributes to foundational knowledge for your pre-service teaching degree. This first-year unit facilitates understanding of developmental theory and how it applies to child and adolescent learners. The unit raises awareness of the physical, cognitive, social and emotional factors that influence development. The unit explores the links between developmental theory and the processes of learning, as well as learning experiences that facilitate positive learning outcomes for diverse learners. The unit contributes to your own professional development as a lifelong, autonomous learner, capable of reflection and high-level thinking, and of enabling you, as an educator, to promote similar development in your learners.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Explain physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students and how this may affect learning.
- Evaluate and enhance AI-generated outputs for their relevance, accuracy, and impact on child development and learning, ensuring alignment with educational goals and developmental needs.
- Propose strategies for colleagues and/or the wider community based on how developmental theories and characteristics of students apply to classroom practice.
Content
Content and learning activities in this unit include:
- research on how individuals develop and learn, and the implications for teaching.
- significant theoretical perspectives and current research relating to growth and development, focusing on genetic and environmental factors
- links between developmental theory and teaching and learning.
- the domains of development and how they affect learning
- physical development
- cognitive development, including mental models and schemas, brain development, executive functions, information processing, working memory, knowledge acquisition, including the function of memory and the concept of cognitive overload
- emotional development, and
- social development
- how knowledge of the domains of development can be used to support inclusive student participation and engagement in learning, including scaffolding, explicit instruction and the most appropriate stage to use self-directed approaches
- stages of development as children move from novice to expert and implications for practice
- biologically primary and secondary knowledge development
- knowledge acquisition, including the function of memory and the concept of cognitive overload
- common neuromyths, the evidence and the negative impact of their perpetuation through instructional choices
- utility of GenAI in supporting analysis of child development
Some example activities you will participate in are:
Discussion with peers about what it means to be a novice learner in comparison to an expert, including the difference in the process of knowledge acquisition in the brain of a novice versus an expert, with reference to the development of mental models and schemas. This includes understanding the features of biologically primary versus biologically secondary knowledge acquisition and the importance of teacher-led instruction for secondary knowledge, the foundations of how a student’s brain develops from early childhood through to young adulthood, including the development of executive functions and the implications for teaching, and the research evidence that shows why the use of self-directed approaches as a starting point for novices is ineffective and should be avoided.
Discussion with peers about the most efficient and effective processes of knowledge acquisition in the brain, including the function of memory and the concept of cognitive overload. This includes the cognitive process of learning—how the brain moves information through working memory into long-term memory—how to optimise this process, the potential barriers to learning, the limits of working memory, how cognitive overload occurs, and the most effective teaching practices to reduce it, such as explicit instruction, scaffolding, and clearly structured content that connects new information to prior learning.
Discussion with peers about common neuromyths related to education, such as multiple intelligences, left vs right brain, learning styles, and the myth that we only use 10% of our brain. This includes how to identify these myths, the evidence that disproves them, and the negative impacts of making instructional choices based on neuromyths, particularly how they conflict with current understandings of how the brain learns.
All activities in this unit including role plays, debates, game play, case study scenarios, and presentations will be informed by evidence-based key resources such as the recommended texts Bergin et al., (2023) and McDevitt et al., (2020) and the resource Australian Education Research Organisation. (2023). How students learn best.
https://www.edresearch.edu.au/resources/how-students-learn-best.
CC: 1.1, 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3, 1.1.4, 1.2, 1.2.1, 1.2.2, 1.2.3, 1.4, 1.4.1, 1.4.2
Learning Approaches
In this unit, you will learn through engaging in the following learning experiences:
- Lectures and readings corresponding to chapters in your textbook;
- Tutorials that are structured to promote interaction and reflective discussions;
- Learning activities that require you to reflect on theory, research and teaching practices and apply learnings to an educational context.
- Activities using GenAI for developing prompting skills and critiquing outputs
You are expected to actively engage with unit materials and resources to build your professional knowledge, understandings and skills required to demonstrate the unit learning outcomes.
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
Feedback in this unit is provided to you in the following ways:
- feedback from peers during group discussions
- unit coordinator and tutor comments to the cohort
- comments and marking rubric from summative assessment tasks.
Assessment
Overview
There are two assessment tasks in this unit:
- Workbook: Child development analysis - this task draws on knowledge of the features and processes of child development to build a developmental profile with the assistance of GenAI.
- Developmental Audit Portfolio - This task connects your learning about child and adolescent development theories and approaches to your classroom practice.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Workbook: Child development analysis
You will complete a series of tasks in the workbook provided. You will create a developmental profile of a child with AI support. Based on the profile, you will respond to a series of questions to demonstrate your understanding of child and adolescent development and learning to teaching practice, including:
- The impact of physical development on learning
- Stages of development as children move from novice to expert and implications for practice
- Knowledge acquisition, including the function of memory and the concept of cognitive overload
- Common neuromyths and the impact of their perpetuation
The ethical and responsible use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is authorised in this assessment. See the relevant assessment details in Canvas for specific guidelines.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
National Quality Standards
NQS - 1
TEEP 1.1, 1.2, 1.4
Assessment: Presentation of teacher developmental resource
You will observe a video recording of a classroom simulation, and identify stages of development as children move from novice to expert and implications for practice. Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory can be used to contextualise your analysis. Drawing on your analysis, develop a practical tip sheet or poster for teachers to guide classroom strategies that support your chosen developmental domain and present to colleagues explaining your rationale in a professional discussion.
The use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is prohibited during this assessment.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.
The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.
You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.
Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.
Resources
The following resource materials are used throughout the unit.
Resource Materials
Recommended text(s)
Bergin, C., Bergin, D., Walker, S., Daniel, G., Fenton, A., & Subban, P. (2023). Child and adolescent development for educators (2nd ed.). Sydney, Australia: Cengage Learning.
McDevitt, T., Ormrod, J, Cupit, G., Chandler, M., & Aloa, V. (2020). Child development and education. Melbourne, Australia: Pearson Australia.
Risk Assessment Statement
There are no out-of-the-ordinary risks associated with general participation in this unit. Workplace Health and Safety protocols associated with computer use will apply.
Standards/Competencies
This unit is designed to support your development of the following standards\competencies.
Australian Professional Standards for Teachers
1 Professional Knowledge: Know students and how they learn
- Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students
Relates to: Workbook: Child development analysis, Presentation of teacher developmental resource - Understand how students learn
Relates to: Workbook: Child development analysis, Presentation of teacher developmental resource - Students with diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds
Relates to: Workbook: Child development analysis, Presentation of teacher developmental resource - Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities
Relates to: Presentation of teacher developmental resource
3 Professional Practice: Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning
- Use teaching strategies
Relates to: Presentation of teacher developmental resource
4 Professional Practice: Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments
- Support student participation
Relates to: Presentation of teacher developmental resource - Manage challenging behaviour
Relates to: Presentation of teacher developmental resource
Course Learning Outcomes
This unit is designed to support your development of the following course/study area learning outcomes.ED49 Bachelor of Education (Primary)
- Knowledgeable: Apply professional knowledge of learning areas, learners and learning.
Relates to: ULO1, ULO3, Workbook: Child development analysis, Presentation of teacher developmental resource - Scholarly: Consider the ways in which educational theory and research inform and impact teaching practice.
Relates to: ULO2, Workbook: Child development analysis, Presentation of teacher developmental resource - Collegial: Collaborate and connect with professional networks and the wider community.
Relates to: ULO3, Presentation of teacher developmental resource - Communicative: Engage and communicate effectively and professionally.
Relates to: Workbook: Child development analysis, Presentation of teacher developmental resource
ED59 Bachelor of Education (Secondary)
- Knowledgeable: Apply professional knowledge of learning areas, learning and learners.
Relates to: ULO1, ULO3, Workbook: Child development analysis, Presentation of teacher developmental resource - Scholarly: Consider the ways in which educational theory and research informs and impacts teaching practice.
Relates to: ULO2, Workbook: Child development analysis, Presentation of teacher developmental resource - Collegial: Collaborate and connect with professional networks and the wider community.
Relates to: ULO3, Presentation of teacher developmental resource - Communicative: Engage and communicate effectively and professionally.
Relates to: Workbook: Child development analysis, Presentation of teacher developmental resource
Unit Outline: Semester 1 2026, Online
| Unit code: | EUB112 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Equivalent: | LCB002 |
Overview
This introductory unit contributes to foundational knowledge for your pre-service teaching degree. This first-year unit facilitates understanding of developmental theory and how it applies to child and adolescent learners. The unit raises awareness of the physical, cognitive, social and emotional factors that influence development. The unit explores the links between developmental theory and the processes of learning, as well as learning experiences that facilitate positive learning outcomes for diverse learners. The unit contributes to your own professional development as a lifelong, autonomous learner, capable of reflection and high-level thinking, and of enabling you, as an educator, to promote similar development in your learners.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Explain physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students and how this may affect learning.
- Evaluate and enhance AI-generated outputs for their relevance, accuracy, and impact on child development and learning, ensuring alignment with educational goals and developmental needs.
- Propose strategies for colleagues and/or the wider community based on how developmental theories and characteristics of students apply to classroom practice.
Content
Content and learning activities in this unit include:
- research on how individuals develop and learn, and the implications for teaching.
- significant theoretical perspectives and current research relating to growth and development, focusing on genetic and environmental factors
- links between developmental theory and teaching and learning.
- the domains of development and how they affect learning
- physical development
- cognitive development, including mental models and schemas, brain development, executive functions, information processing, working memory, knowledge acquisition, including the function of memory and the concept of cognitive overload
- emotional development, and
- social development
- how knowledge of the domains of development can be used to support inclusive student participation and engagement in learning, including scaffolding, explicit instruction and the most appropriate stage to use self-directed approaches
- stages of development as children move from novice to expert and implications for practice
- biologically primary and secondary knowledge development
- knowledge acquisition, including the function of memory and the concept of cognitive overload
- common neuromyths, the evidence and the negative impact of their perpetuation through instructional choices
- utility of GenAI in supporting analysis of child development
Some example activities you will participate in are:
Discussion with peers about what it means to be a novice learner in comparison to an expert, including the difference in the process of knowledge acquisition in the brain of a novice versus an expert, with reference to the development of mental models and schemas. This includes understanding the features of biologically primary versus biologically secondary knowledge acquisition and the importance of teacher-led instruction for secondary knowledge, the foundations of how a student’s brain develops from early childhood through to young adulthood, including the development of executive functions and the implications for teaching, and the research evidence that shows why the use of self-directed approaches as a starting point for novices is ineffective and should be avoided.
Discussion with peers about the most efficient and effective processes of knowledge acquisition in the brain, including the function of memory and the concept of cognitive overload. This includes the cognitive process of learning—how the brain moves information through working memory into long-term memory—how to optimise this process, the potential barriers to learning, the limits of working memory, how cognitive overload occurs, and the most effective teaching practices to reduce it, such as explicit instruction, scaffolding, and clearly structured content that connects new information to prior learning.
Discussion with peers about common neuromyths related to education, such as multiple intelligences, left vs right brain, learning styles, and the myth that we only use 10% of our brain. This includes how to identify these myths, the evidence that disproves them, and the negative impacts of making instructional choices based on neuromyths, particularly how they conflict with current understandings of how the brain learns.
All activities in this unit including role plays, debates, game play, case study scenarios, and presentations will be informed by evidence-based key resources such as the recommended texts Bergin et al., (2023) and McDevitt et al., (2020) and the resource Australian Education Research Organisation. (2023). How students learn best.
https://www.edresearch.edu.au/resources/how-students-learn-best.
CC: 1.1, 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3, 1.1.4, 1.2, 1.2.1, 1.2.2, 1.2.3, 1.4, 1.4.1, 1.4.2
Learning Approaches
In this unit, you will learn through engaging in the following learning experiences:
- Lectures and readings corresponding to chapters in your textbook;
- Tutorials that are structured to promote interaction and reflective discussions;
- Learning activities that require you to reflect on theory, research and teaching practices and apply learnings to an educational context.
- Activities using GenAI for developing prompting skills and critiquing outputs
You are expected to actively engage with unit materials and resources to build your professional knowledge, understandings and skills required to demonstrate the unit learning outcomes.
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
Feedback in this unit is provided to you in the following ways:
- feedback from peers during group discussions
- unit coordinator and tutor comments to the cohort
- comments and marking rubric from summative assessment tasks.
Assessment
Overview
There are two assessment tasks in this unit:
- Workbook: Child development analysis - this task draws on knowledge of the features and processes of child development to build a developmental profile with the assistance of GenAI.
- Developmental Audit Portfolio - This task connects your learning about child and adolescent development theories and approaches to your classroom practice.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Workbook: Child development analysis
You will complete a series of tasks in the workbook provided. You will create a developmental profile of a child with AI support. Based on the profile, you will respond to a series of questions to demonstrate your understanding of child and adolescent development and learning to teaching practice, including:
- The impact of physical development on learning
- Stages of development as children move from novice to expert and implications for practice
- Knowledge acquisition, including the function of memory and the concept of cognitive overload
- Common neuromyths and the impact of their perpetuation
The ethical and responsible use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is authorised in this assessment. See the relevant assessment details in Canvas for specific guidelines.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
National Quality Standards
NQS - 1
TEEP 1.1, 1.2, 1.4
Assessment: Presentation of teacher developmental resource
You will observe a video recording of a classroom simulation, and identify stages of development as children move from novice to expert and implications for practice. Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory can be used to contextualise your analysis. Drawing on your analysis, develop a practical tip sheet or poster for teachers to guide classroom strategies that support your chosen developmental domain and present to colleagues explaining your rationale in a professional discussion.
The use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is prohibited during this assessment.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.
The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.
You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.
Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.
Resources
The following resource materials are used throughout the unit.
Resource Materials
Recommended text(s)
Bergin, C., Bergin, D., Walker, S., Daniel, G., Fenton, A., & Subban, P. (2023). Child and adolescent development for educators (2nd ed.). Sydney, Australia: Cengage Learning.
McDevitt, T., Ormrod, J, Cupit, G., Chandler, M., & Aloa, V. (2020). Child development and education. Melbourne, Australia: Pearson Australia.
Risk Assessment Statement
There are no out-of-the-ordinary risks associated with general participation in this unit. Workplace Health and Safety protocols associated with computer use will apply.
Standards/Competencies
This unit is designed to support your development of the following standards\competencies.
Australian Professional Standards for Teachers
1 Professional Knowledge: Know students and how they learn
- Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students
Relates to: Workbook: Child development analysis, Presentation of teacher developmental resource - Understand how students learn
Relates to: Workbook: Child development analysis, Presentation of teacher developmental resource - Students with diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds
Relates to: Workbook: Child development analysis, Presentation of teacher developmental resource - Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities
Relates to: Presentation of teacher developmental resource
3 Professional Practice: Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning
- Use teaching strategies
Relates to: Presentation of teacher developmental resource
4 Professional Practice: Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments
- Support student participation
Relates to: Presentation of teacher developmental resource - Manage challenging behaviour
Relates to: Presentation of teacher developmental resource
Course Learning Outcomes
This unit is designed to support your development of the following course/study area learning outcomes.ED49 Bachelor of Education (Primary)
- Knowledgeable: Apply professional knowledge of learning areas, learners and learning.
Relates to: ULO1, ULO3, Workbook: Child development analysis, Presentation of teacher developmental resource - Scholarly: Consider the ways in which educational theory and research inform and impact teaching practice.
Relates to: ULO2, Workbook: Child development analysis, Presentation of teacher developmental resource - Collegial: Collaborate and connect with professional networks and the wider community.
Relates to: ULO3, Presentation of teacher developmental resource - Communicative: Engage and communicate effectively and professionally.
Relates to: Workbook: Child development analysis, Presentation of teacher developmental resource
ED59 Bachelor of Education (Secondary)
- Knowledgeable: Apply professional knowledge of learning areas, learning and learners.
Relates to: ULO1, ULO3, Workbook: Child development analysis, Presentation of teacher developmental resource - Scholarly: Consider the ways in which educational theory and research informs and impacts teaching practice.
Relates to: ULO2, Workbook: Child development analysis, Presentation of teacher developmental resource - Collegial: Collaborate and connect with professional networks and the wider community.
Relates to: ULO3, Presentation of teacher developmental resource - Communicative: Engage and communicate effectively and professionally.
Relates to: Workbook: Child development analysis, Presentation of teacher developmental resource