EUB207 Inclusive Education: Teaching Diverse Learners


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Unit Outline: Semester 1 2024, Kelvin Grove, Internal

Unit code:EUB207
Credit points:12
Equivalent:LCB005, EAB514
Coordinator:Sofia Mavropoulou | sofia.mavropoulou@qut.edu.au
Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of the teaching period.

Overview

This unit will cover the fundamental concepts underpinning inclusive education and your obligations under national legislation, with an emphasis on evidence-based universal strategies for use in inclusive classrooms and prior-to-school settings. The learning in this unit will develop your understanding of quality differentiated teaching practice to support the engagement, participation, and achievement of diverse learners in inclusive settings. The unit aims to build your pedagogical agility and ethical practice for creating safe and supportive inclusive learning environments. It will enhance your responsiveness to the learning strengths, rights and requirements of diverse learners and your knowledge of universal strategies to teach diverse learners in inclusive settings.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

  1. Explain policy and educators' legal obligations for implementing inclusive practices for diverse learners including students with disability.
  2. Discuss and analyse fundamental concepts and theoretical perspectives underpinning inclusive education for diverse learners.
  3. Apply and reflect on evidence-based universal strategies to support diverse learners' engagement and achievement in an inclusive environment.
  4. Plan ways to collaborate effectively with other professionals and parents/carers to support a diverse range of learners.
  5. Communicate professionally, ethically and respectfully about disability and inclusive education.

Content

In this unit, you will learn about:

  • the evolution of inclusive education;
  • the fundamental concepts underpinning inclusive culture, policy and practice in education and care settings;
  • educators' obligations under international and national legislation and policy for inclusion;
  • how to address common barriers to learner engagement and participation;
  • differentiating teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities;
  • universal evidence-based strategies to effectively teach diverse learners in supportive and safe prior-to-school and primary school inclusive environments;
  • a broad range of strategies for involving parents/carers in the educative process in a sensitive, respectful and at times, confidential manner.

Learning Approaches

In this unit, you will learn through engaging in the following:

  • Recorded lectures;
  • Weekly readings;
  • Online activities including discussion forums;
  • Recorded conversations with guest speakers including professionals from the field;
  • Individual and small group tutorial activities related to the application of unit content and preparation for assessment items; and
  • Authentic assessment tasks for applying your scholarly knowledge of the unit content in real-world scenarios.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

In this unit, formative and summative feedback will be provided as follows:

  • feedback from your peers and your tutor on class activities;
  • formative self-assessment through online quizzes with automated feedback; and
  • timely and constructive feedback on your assessment items.

Assessment

Overview

There are two assessment tasks In this unit:

1. Professional Development Resource - in this assessment you will explain your understanding of policy and legislation in a professional development video for educators.

2. Portfolio - in this assessment you will analyse frameworks and theories, and apply evidence-based strategies and adjustments to inclusive environments. You will also demonstrate your ability to communicate professionally about disability and inclusive education.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Professional Development Resource

You will create a professional development resource that can be used in schools to inform educators about:

  • fundamental concepts and theoretical perspectives underpinning inclusive practice;
  • policy, legislative requirements and educators' obligations; and
  • the practical ways to enact the educators' obligations for supporting inclusive participation and engagement of all students with classroom activities.

The resource will be a short video. It will need to engage the audience and include professional and respectful communication of disability and inclusive education.

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

Weight: 40
Length: 4-5 minutes
Individual/Group: Individual
Due (indicative): Week 5
Related Unit learning outcomes: 1, 2, 5

Assessment: Portfolio

You will undertake a range of activities across the unit and present some of these as portfolio tasks.

In the activities you will explain, apply and reflect on evidence-based strategies for including diverse learners, with a focus on disability. The activities will include:

  • identifying potential barriers to achieve successful outcomes for diverse learners
  • planning ways to consult with learners with disability
  • applying evidence-based universal strategies (quality differentiated teaching practice)
  • planning ways to collaborate with relevant professionals and parents/carers of students with disability, and
  • drawing on fundamental concepts, policy and legislation relating to inclusive education

You will be expected to communicate professionally and respectfully about disability and inclusive education.

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

Weight: 60
Length: 2000 words
Individual/Group: Individual
Due (indicative): Week 14
Related Unit learning outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.

Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.

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.

Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Resources

The following resource materials will be used throughout this unit. 

Resource Materials

Prescribed text(s)

Graham, L., (Ed) (2023). Inclusive education for the 21st century: Theory, policy and practice (2nd ed.). Routledge. 

Recommended text(s)

Cologon, K., & Mevawalla, Z. (Ed.). (2023). Inclusive education in the early years: Right from the start (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.

Gargiulo, R.M., & Metcalf, D. (2022). Teaching in today's inclusive classrooms: A universal design for learning approach (4th ed.). Cengage.

Other

QUT Readings as advised. 

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

  1. Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students
    Relates to: Professional Development Resource, Portfolio
  2. Understand how students learn
    Relates to: Professional Development Resource, Portfolio
  3. Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities
    Relates to: Professional Development Resource, Portfolio
  4. Strategies to support full participation of students with disability
    Relates to: Professional Development Resource, Portfolio

3 Professional Practice: Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning

  1. Use teaching strategies
    Relates to: Portfolio
  2. Engage parents/carers in the educative process
    Relates to: Portfolio

4 Professional Practice: Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments

  1. Support student participation
    Relates to: Professional Development Resource, Portfolio

5 Professional Practice: Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning

  1. Assess student learning
    Relates to: Portfolio

7 Professional Engagement: Engage professionally with colleagues, parents/carers and the community

  1. Comply with legislative, administrative and organisational requirements
    Relates to: Professional Development Resource, Portfolio
  2. Engage with the parents/carers
    Relates to: Portfolio

Course Learning Outcomes

This unit is designed to support your development of the following course/study area learning outcomes.

ED39 Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood)

  1. Knowledgeable: Apply professional knowledge to learning areas, learning and learners.
    Relates to: ULO1, Professional Development Resource, Portfolio
  2. Scholarly: Consider the ways in which educational theory and research inform and impact teaching practice.
    Relates to: ULO2, Professional Development Resource, Portfolio
  3. Inclusive: Plan for culturally secure, supportive, caring, inclusive and positive learning environments.
    Relates to: ULO3, Portfolio
  4. Collegial: Collaborate and connect with professional networks and the wider community.
    Relates to: ULO4, Portfolio
  5. Ethical: Engage ethically and respectfully with learners, colleagues, parents/carers and community from diverse backgrounds.
    Relates to: ULO5, Professional Development Resource, Portfolio
  6. Communicative: Engage and communicate effectively and professionally.
    Relates to: ULO5, Professional Development Resource, Portfolio

ED49 Bachelor of Education (Primary)

  1. Knowledgeable: Apply professional knowledge of learning areas, learners and learning.
    Relates to: ULO1, Professional Development Resource, Portfolio
  2. Scholarly: Consider the ways in which educational theory and research inform and impact teaching practice.
    Relates to: ULO2, Professional Development Resource, Portfolio
  3. Inclusive: Plan for culturally secure, supportive, caring, inclusive and positive learning environments.
    Relates to: ULO3, Portfolio
  4. Collegial: Collaborate and connect with professional networks and the wider community.
    Relates to: ULO4, Portfolio
  5. Ethical: Engage ethically and respectfully with learners, colleagues, parents/carers and community from diverse backgrounds.
    Relates to: ULO5, Professional Development Resource, Portfolio
  6. Communicative: Engage and communicate effectively and professionally.
    Relates to: ULO5, Professional Development Resource, Portfolio