EUN108 Science and Sustainability Education
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: | EUN108 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Timetable | Details in HiQ, if available |
| Availabilities |
|
| CSP student contribution | $555 |
| Domestic tuition unit fee | $2,976 |
| International unit fee | $4,020 |
Unit Outline: Semester 1 2024, Kelvin Grove, Internal
| Unit code: | EUN108 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Coordinator: | Reece Mills | reece.mills@qut.edu.au |
Overview
Science is necessary for understanding and caring for the world around us. From birth onwards, children actively explore their environment and try to make sense of their world. You will enhance your content knowledge in the areas of biology, chemistry, physics and earth and space science, through your participation in inquiry-based and hands-on learning. This learning will be integrated with pedagogical content and curriculum knowledge to strengthen your repertoire of instructional approaches for teaching all learners. This unit will build on theories of teaching and learning from previous units including literacy, numeracy, and digital literacies, and will provide you with the knowledge and skills to develop and implement differentiated science and sustainability learning experiences.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Explain and express science and sustainability concepts (CLO1).
- Demonstrate science inquiry skills and processes (CLO1).
- Apply science and sustainability education theory and research to inform and justify practice and planning, including unit plans (CLO2).
- Identify strategies to support inclusive student participation and engagement in science and sustainability tasks (CLO3).
- Plan innovative ways to embed sustainablity with science education (CLO4).
Content
This unit provides an understanding of:
- science content knowledge relevant to early childhood and primary science education
- education for sustainability
- the nature and development of science, and its use and influence in society
- inquiry skills, including questioning, planning, analysing and evaluating data, and communicating findings
- learning theories and teaching approaches relevant to early childhood and primary science education
- learning and curriculum frameworks relevant to early childhood and primary science education, i.e., Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guideline, the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia, and the Australian Curriculum: Science
- planning of science learning experiences and lessons
- managing the science learning environment
- diagnostic, formative, and summative assessment and evaluation in science education
- teaching strategies for embedding ICT in science education.
Learning Approaches
This unit is taught via a blended learning framework that provides interactive face-to-face and online lectures, workshops, and independent study for internal and online students. The lectures will deliver content, pedagogical and curriculum knowledge relevant to early childhood and primary science, while the workshops will provide illustrative hands-on innovative learning experiences. Lectures and workshops will consider the real-world applications of science and sustainability concepts to demonstrate the necessity of establishing an authentic context for children's learning in science, and they will enhance your capacity to embed literacy, numeracy and ICTs in your science teaching practice.
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
Feedback in this unit is provided to you in the following ways:
- verbal feedback during workshops
- comments on summative assessment in addition to criteria sheets.
Assessment
Overview
Assessment in this unit is both formative and summative. Formative assessment will be provided through peer and tutor feedback on science content knowledge developed in workshops. Summative assessment will consist of a Professional Plan and Poster Presentation.
Literacy and numeracy standards as required by the profession are an inherent requirement of this unit.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Presentation
A digital presentation (e.g., Powerpoint with recorded audio) of a science inquiry investigation (i.e., your question for investigation, approach to data collection and analysis, and findings) related to a sustainability topic. You will discuss the value of investigations for child/student learning in science and present how your inquiry investigation could be enacted in a learning setting. Give consideration to safety, resources, timing, and to developing ICTs capabilities.
EU30 pre-service teachers are encouraged to focus this assessment task in prior-to-school early childhood contexts.
This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.
Relates to learning outcomes
Course Learning Outcomes: 1, 2, 3
APST: 1.5, 1.6, 2.1, 2.6, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 4.1, 4.2, 4.4.
Assessment: Professional Plan
The development of a science unit plan and a scholarly rationale. The topic of your unit plan will be related to sustainability. Your unit plan will consider the main science curriculum concept/s and how the learners' understanding will be assessed and reported. You will incorporate teaching strategies that use ICT to expand learning opportunities and approaches to differentiate learning to cater to the needs of learners of all abilities. Your plan will draw on a range of resources, including the safe, responsible and ethical use of ICT to engage learners.
This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.
Relates to learning outcomes
Course learning outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4
APST: 1.5, 1.6, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.6, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 4.1, 4.5, 5,1,5.4
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
Resource Materials
Recommended text(s)
Fleer, M. (2015). Science for children (4th ed.). Melbourne, VIC: Cambridge University Press.
Skamp, K. & Preston, C. (2020). Teaching primary science constructively (7th ed.). Melbourne, VIC: Cengage Learning.
Other
Department of Education and Training (2017). National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education and Care, Early Years Learning Framework.
Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (2019). Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guideline.
Risk Assessment Statement
There are no out-of-the-ordinary risks associated with the general conduct of this unit. Workplace Health and Safety protocols in relation to computer use will apply.
This unit may entail working in sites where potentially hazardous materials are used. To participate in these activities you must follow any instructions given by your tutor/lecturer and you must abide by the regulations set out in the Health and Safety Student Guide (including compulsory covered footwear and no eating or drinking in science laboratories). It is your responsibility to ensure that you have a copy of this booklet and that you have read the contents of the document.
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
- Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities
Relates to: Presentation, Professional Plan - Strategies to support full participation of students with disability
Relates to: Presentation, Professional Plan
2 Professional Knowledge: Know the content and how to teach it
- Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area
Relates to: Presentation, Professional Plan - Content selection and organisation
Relates to: Professional Plan - Curriculum, assessment and reporting
Relates to: Professional Plan - Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
Relates to: Presentation, Professional Plan
3 Professional Practice: Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning
- Establish challenging learning goals
Relates to: Professional Plan - Plan, structure and sequence learning programs
Relates to: Professional Plan - Use teaching strategies
Relates to: Presentation, Professional Plan - Select and use resources
Relates to: Presentation, Professional Plan - Use effective classroom communication
Relates to: Presentation, Professional Plan - Evaluate and improve teaching programs
Relates to: Presentation
4 Professional Practice: Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments
- Support student participation
Relates to: Presentation, Professional Plan - Manage classroom activities
Relates to: Presentation - Maintain student safety
Relates to: Presentation - Use ICT safely, responsibly and ethically
Relates to: Professional Plan
5 Professional Practice: Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning
- Assess student learning
Relates to: Professional Plan - Interpret student data
Relates to: Professional Plan
Course Learning Outcomes
This unit is designed to support your development of the following course/study area learning outcomes.EU30 Master of Teaching (Early Childhood)
- Knowledgeable: Demonstrate comprehensive professional knowledge of learning areas, learners and learning.
Relates to: ULO1, ULO2, Presentation, Professional Plan - Scholarly: Reflect critically on the ways in which educational theory and research informs and impacts teaching practice.
Relates to: ULO3, Presentation, Professional Plan - Inclusive: Synthesise various knowledges to create safe, supportive, caring, inclusive and positive learning environments.
Relates to: ULO4, Presentation, Professional Plan - Innovative: Lead and create innovative future-focused learning.
Relates to: ULO5, Professional Plan
EU40 Master of Teaching (Primary)
- Knowledgeable: Demonstrate comprehensive professional knowledge of learning areas, learners and learning.
Relates to: ULO1, ULO2, Presentation, Professional Plan - Scholarly: Reflect critically on the ways in which educational theory and research informs and impacts teaching practice.
Relates to: ULO3, Presentation, Professional Plan - Inclusive: Synthesise various knowledges to create safe, supportive, caring, inclusive and positive learning environments.
Relates to: ULO4, Presentation, Professional Plan - Innovative: Lead and create innovative future-focused learning.
Relates to: ULO5, Professional Plan
Unit Outline: Semester 1 2024, Online
| Unit code: | EUN108 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
Overview
Science is necessary for understanding and caring for the world around us. From birth onwards, children actively explore their environment and try to make sense of their world. You will enhance your content knowledge in the areas of biology, chemistry, physics and earth and space science, through your participation in inquiry-based and hands-on learning. This learning will be integrated with pedagogical content and curriculum knowledge to strengthen your repertoire of instructional approaches for teaching all learners. This unit will build on theories of teaching and learning from previous units including literacy, numeracy, and digital literacies, and will provide you with the knowledge and skills to develop and implement differentiated science and sustainability learning experiences.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Explain and express science and sustainability concepts (CLO1).
- Demonstrate science inquiry skills and processes (CLO1).
- Apply science and sustainability education theory and research to inform and justify practice and planning, including unit plans (CLO2).
- Identify strategies to support inclusive student participation and engagement in science and sustainability tasks (CLO3).
- Plan innovative ways to embed sustainablity with science education (CLO4).
Content
This unit provides an understanding of:
- science content knowledge relevant to early childhood and primary science education
- education for sustainability
- the nature and development of science, and its use and influence in society
- inquiry skills, including questioning, planning, analysing and evaluating data, and communicating findings
- learning theories and teaching approaches relevant to early childhood and primary science education
- learning and curriculum frameworks relevant to early childhood and primary science education, i.e., Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guideline, the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia, and the Australian Curriculum: Science
- planning of science learning experiences and lessons
- managing the science learning environment
- diagnostic, formative, and summative assessment and evaluation in science education
- teaching strategies for embedding ICT in science education.
Learning Approaches
This unit is taught via a blended learning framework that provides interactive face-to-face and online lectures, workshops, and independent study for internal and online students. The lectures will deliver content, pedagogical and curriculum knowledge relevant to early childhood and primary science, while the workshops will provide illustrative hands-on innovative learning experiences. Lectures and workshops will consider the real-world applications of science and sustainability concepts to demonstrate the necessity of establishing an authentic context for children's learning in science, and they will enhance your capacity to embed literacy, numeracy and ICTs in your science teaching practice.
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
Feedback in this unit is provided to you in the following ways:
- verbal feedback during workshops
- comments on summative assessment in addition to criteria sheets.
Assessment
Overview
Assessment in this unit is both formative and summative. Formative assessment will be provided through peer and tutor feedback on science content knowledge developed in workshops. Summative assessment will consist of a Professional Plan and Poster Presentation.
Literacy and numeracy standards as required by the profession are an inherent requirement of this unit.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Presentation
A digital presentation (e.g., Powerpoint with recorded audio) of a science inquiry investigation (i.e., your question for investigation, approach to data collection and analysis, and findings) related to a sustainability topic. You will discuss the value of investigations for child/student learning in science and present how your inquiry investigation could be enacted in a learning setting. Give consideration to safety, resources, timing, and to developing ICTs capabilities.
EU30 pre-service teachers are encouraged to focus this assessment task in prior-to-school early childhood contexts.
This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.
Relates to learning outcomes
Course Learning Outcomes: 1, 2, 3
APST: 1.5, 1.6, 2.1, 2.6, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 4.1, 4.2, 4.4.
Assessment: Professional Plan
The development of a science unit plan and a scholarly rationale. The topic of your unit plan will be related to sustainability. Your unit plan will consider the main science curriculum concept/s and how the learners' understanding will be assessed and reported. You will incorporate teaching strategies that use ICT to expand learning opportunities and approaches to differentiate learning to cater to the needs of learners of all abilities. Your plan will draw on a range of resources, including the safe, responsible and ethical use of ICT to engage learners.
This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.
Relates to learning outcomes
Course learning outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4
APST: 1.5, 1.6, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.6, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 4.1, 4.5, 5,1,5.4
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
Resource Materials
Recommended text(s)
Fleer, M. (2015). Science for children (4th ed.). Melbourne, VIC: Cambridge University Press.
Skamp, K. & Preston, C. (2020). Teaching primary science constructively (7th ed.). Melbourne, VIC: Cengage Learning.
Other
Department of Education and Training (2017). National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education and Care, Early Years Learning Framework.
Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (2019). Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guideline.
Risk Assessment Statement
There are no out-of-the-ordinary risks associated with the general conduct of this unit. Workplace Health and Safety protocols in relation to computer use will apply.
This unit may entail working in sites where potentially hazardous materials are used. To participate in these activities you must follow any instructions given by your tutor/lecturer and you must abide by the regulations set out in the Health and Safety Student Guide (including compulsory covered footwear and no eating or drinking in science laboratories). It is your responsibility to ensure that you have a copy of this booklet and that you have read the contents of the document.
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
- Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities
Relates to: Presentation, Professional Plan - Strategies to support full participation of students with disability
Relates to: Presentation, Professional Plan
2 Professional Knowledge: Know the content and how to teach it
- Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area
Relates to: Presentation, Professional Plan - Content selection and organisation
Relates to: Professional Plan - Curriculum, assessment and reporting
Relates to: Professional Plan - Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
Relates to: Presentation, Professional Plan
3 Professional Practice: Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning
- Establish challenging learning goals
Relates to: Professional Plan - Plan, structure and sequence learning programs
Relates to: Professional Plan - Use teaching strategies
Relates to: Presentation, Professional Plan - Select and use resources
Relates to: Presentation, Professional Plan - Use effective classroom communication
Relates to: Presentation, Professional Plan - Evaluate and improve teaching programs
Relates to: Presentation
4 Professional Practice: Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments
- Support student participation
Relates to: Presentation, Professional Plan - Manage classroom activities
Relates to: Presentation - Maintain student safety
Relates to: Presentation - Use ICT safely, responsibly and ethically
Relates to: Professional Plan
5 Professional Practice: Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning
- Assess student learning
Relates to: Professional Plan - Interpret student data
Relates to: Professional Plan
Course Learning Outcomes
This unit is designed to support your development of the following course/study area learning outcomes.EU30 Master of Teaching (Early Childhood)
- Knowledgeable: Demonstrate comprehensive professional knowledge of learning areas, learners and learning.
Relates to: ULO1, ULO2, Presentation, Professional Plan - Scholarly: Reflect critically on the ways in which educational theory and research informs and impacts teaching practice.
Relates to: ULO3, Presentation, Professional Plan - Inclusive: Synthesise various knowledges to create safe, supportive, caring, inclusive and positive learning environments.
Relates to: ULO4, Presentation, Professional Plan - Innovative: Lead and create innovative future-focused learning.
Relates to: ULO5, Professional Plan
EU40 Master of Teaching (Primary)
- Knowledgeable: Demonstrate comprehensive professional knowledge of learning areas, learners and learning.
Relates to: ULO1, ULO2, Presentation, Professional Plan - Scholarly: Reflect critically on the ways in which educational theory and research informs and impacts teaching practice.
Relates to: ULO3, Presentation, Professional Plan - Inclusive: Synthesise various knowledges to create safe, supportive, caring, inclusive and positive learning environments.
Relates to: ULO4, Presentation, Professional Plan - Innovative: Lead and create innovative future-focused learning.
Relates to: ULO5, Professional Plan