EUN120 Curriculum and Pedagogy: Foundations


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Unit Outline: Semester 1 2026, Kelvin Grove, Internal

Unit code:EUN120
Credit points:12
Pre-requisite:Admission into EU50 Master of Teaching (Secondary)
Coordinator:Jill Willis | jill.willis@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

The curriculum and pedagogy suite of units prepares you with necessary knowledge and skills to design and teach engaging and meaningful learning experiences for your students. This unit develops introductory-level knowledge of curriculum theory, of the Australian Curriculum's intentions and organisation, principles that underpin pedagogical practices; and will develop skills in the planning of learning experiences aligned to the intentions and content of the Australian Curriculum. You will begin to translate important ideas, learnt into planned classroom practice and will learn with a group of peers from a variety of discipline backgrounds. You will develop an appreciation of the complexity and inter-relatedness of the different learning areas and of the potential for designing learning experiences to address broader imperatives. You will become familiar with curriculum documents relating to your chosen teaching areas, especially in Years 7-10.

Learning Outcomes

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

  1. Identify the key components of the Australian Curriculum documents, curriculum and pedagogical theories and practices (CLO1).
  2. Apply and reflect on theories of curriculum, pedagogy and assessment to plan for practice (CLO2).
  3. Select and recommend classroom organisation and management strategies to facilitate positive learning environments (CLO3).
  4. Create innovative teaching activities progressing to the development of a lesson plan which includes various teaching and formative assessment strategies (CLO4).
  5. Articulate learning goals in planning for practice (CLO8).

Content

Content and learning activities in this unit include:

  • The role of the teacher and the values of teaching from a curriculum and pedagogical perspective, including values and beliefs that inform curriculum and pedagogy in secondary schools
  • Research about how students learn and the implications for teaching including the effective processes for learning, the function of memory, the limits of working memory and how to reduce cognitive overload.
  • Theories of curriculum design and their manifestation in curricula encountered in school settings, in particular, the Australian Curriculum.
  • The organisation of the Australian Curriculum, including the over-arching intentions, the General Capabilities, the Cross-Curriculum Priorities and the Learning Areas.
  • Pedagogical frameworks commonly encountered in Australian schools.
  • Planning principles and techniques, including developing learning goals and planning learning experiences that are achievable challenges for students of varying abilities and characteristics, including how to sequence lessons that include:
    • Explicit instruction and scaffolding towards mastery.
    • Strategies to promote retention of information.
    • Moving from scaffolded practice to independent practice.
    • Developing and using worked examples.
    • Drawing on prior knowledge to approach problem solving, including the evidence and contexts, when independent problem solving should not represent a large proportion of teaching and learning time, and when and how problem solving can be developmentally supported.
    • Safe and supportive learning communities.
    • Literacy and numeracy teaching strategies
    • Designing an introductory lesson by identifying where a student is in their learning drawing on Assessment for Learning/formative assessment strategies.
    • Classroom organisation and management strategies, including identifying the information required by students to effectively participate, and how it will be effectively communicated to students for group-work, project-based learning, managing classrooms to ensure positive learning environments for all students and 
    • Safe and responsible use of ICTs.
  • The foundations of critical reflexivity for teachers as part of their professional agency within the generic plan-teach-assess-reflect cycle, and its use to continuously improve teaching and learning.

Some example activities you will participate in are: 

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. This includes a discussion of designing for accessibility in instruction and assessment by designing out cognitive overload as a barrier to learning: 

Discussion with peers about the most efficient and effective processes of knowledge acquisition in the brain, will include how the brain applies attained knowledge to solve problems by accessing memory or combining and re-combining memory to generate possible solutions. This includes a discussion how the curriculum planning process is adapted as a student’s familiarity with the knowledge of a subject increases, including when to move from scaffolded practice to independent practice, and why this is important. This leads to a consideration of why independent problem-solving should not represent a large proportion of teaching and learning time, particularly in the early stages of knowledge acquisition when cognitive load is high and guidance is essential. The importance of worked examples for students who are unfamiliar with a subject, followed by more challenging problem-solving activities as students become more familiar with the knowledge of a subject is explored through lesson planning. The role of coordinated planning for the three attentional networks of the brain for adolescent development is explored through discussion of neuroscience research:

Discussion with peers about the research base supporting explicit teaching, modelling and scaffolding practices as one of the prevailing cultural views of knowledge, will be prompted by the epistemic and research basis for the views. How to begin instruction with clear, chunked explanations and well-defined goals, the importance of presenting all necessary information at once to reduce cognitive overload, how to model new skills using worked examples followed by gradual removal of scaffolding, how to deliver appropriately challenging recall practice, and how independent problem-solving builds on foundational skills as students approach proficiency. This includes a discussion of Fisher et al. (2021). 

CC: 1.2, 1.2.1,1.2.2, 1.2.3, 1.3,1.3.1,1.3.2 ,1.3.3 ,2.1.1, 2.2, 2.2.1,2.2.4, 2.2.5, 2.2.6, 2.3.1,2.3.2 

Learning Approaches

This unit will provide you with opportunities to engage with both theory and practice. As an adult learner you will be expected to be an active agent in your own learning. There will be opportunities for both independent and collaborative learning.

Learning will include a range of the following activities:

  • reading various academic, institutional and professional articles (provided via the QUT Readings system).
  • synchronous learning activities (i.e. lectures and workshops).
  • asynchronous learning activities (e.g., contribution to online discussion forums). These activities will contribute to on-campus and virtual workshops.
  • modelling of evidence-based theories regarding secondary school curriculum and pedagogy in which you will have the opportunity to participate. These will allow you to experience and reflect upon effective teaching and learning in secondary school settings.
  • self-directed learning (e.g., reading more broadly than the prescribed texts) to extend or deepen your understanding of the unit's content.
  • reflecting on your developing professional knowledge of curriculum, pedagogy and assessment.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

Feedback about your learning and your achievement of the unit's learning goals will be provided to you in a variety of ways:

  • Discussions during learning activities (face-to-face or virtual) will provide opportunities for questioning and formative feedback.
  • Summative assessment criteria sheets, aligned to the unit's learning outcomes, will be provided at the beginning of the semester. Also, additional guidance for interpreting these criteria sheets in relation to each of the summative assessment tasks will be provided throughout the semester.
  • The assessment criteria sheets will be used as the basis for providing feedback about each of the summative assessment tasks. Additionally, qualitative comments/feedback may be directly attached to each of your summative assessment submissions.
  • Generic comments/feedback provided to the entire cohort will be distributed via the Canvas system.

Assessment

Overview

Summative assessment in this unit is comprised of two items. The first item is a lesson observation through which you will demonstrate your knowledge of the Australian Curriculum and your skill at applying your knowledge of curriculum and pedagogical theory to critically analyse teaching and learning episodes. The second is a workbook that will collectively represent your ability to plan a learning experience that is aligned to the Australian Curriculum in one of your teaching areas.
Literacy and numeracy standards as required by the profession are an inherent requirement of the unit.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Lesson Observation

You will write a critical, reflexive lesson observation from classroom videos shared in the unit. Choose moments from the videos that prompted development of your professional knowledge and understanding. Analyse the Australian Curriculum elements that were evident in terms of year group, content descriptor(s), concept(s) skills, general capabilities or cross curricular priorities. Refer to research on how students learn to evaluate what made the observed practices effective.

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

Relates to learning outcomes
Course learning outcomes: 1, 2, 4, 8
APST: 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.6, 5.1

Weight: 40
Length: 1500 words
Individual/Group: Individual
Due (indicative): Week 8
Related Unit learning outcomes: 1, 2, 4, 5

Assessment: Workbook

You will develop a lesson plan accompanied by an explanatory workbook for your discipline for a given learning context. Your choices will reflect your knowledge and research about curriculum and pedagogy theory, the Australian curriculum, and effective teaching practices. You need to demonstrate in the lesson plan and explain in your workbook your choices behind 1) curriculum aligned learning goals for students of varying abilities and characteristics, 2) literacy or numeracy teaching strategies, 3) knowledge of effective processes for learning progression towards mastery including the function of memory, the limits of working memory, and strategies to reduce cognitive overload, 4) explicit teaching, modelling and scaffolding practices to support student’s learning, 5) classroom organisation and management strategies and 6) formative assessment suitable for use in a secondary school classroom. You will discuss your plan with a peer, and include evidence of how you have adjusted your plan in response to their feedback. 

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

Relates to learning outcomes
Course learning outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 8
APST: 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.6, 5.1

CC: 1.2, 1.3, 2.2

Weight: 60
Length: 3000 words
Individual/Group: Individual
Due (indicative): Week 13
Related Unit learning outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

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 will be used throughout this unit.

Resource Materials

Prescribed text(s)

Clarke, M., Pittaway, S., & Marsh, C. (2014) Marsh's becoming a teacher (6th Ed.). Australia: Pearson Education - also available as an ebook

Other

Details of specific readings to be completed as a part of the structured learning activities will be provided via the QUT Readings system, accessible via Canvas or at readings.library.qut.edu.au.

You will regularly access the Australian Curriculum website.

the Queensland Curriculum, Assessment Authority (QCAA) website

Risk Assessment Statement

There is no out-of-the-ordinary risk associated with the general conduct of this unit. Workplace health and safety protocols in relation to computer and/or laboratory 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. Understand how students learn
    Relates to: Lesson Observation, Workbook
  2. Students with diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds
    Relates to: Lesson Observation

2 Professional Knowledge: Know the content and how to teach it

  1. Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area
    Relates to: Lesson Observation, Workbook
  2. Content selection and organisation
    Relates to: Lesson Observation, Workbook
  3. Curriculum, assessment and reporting
    Relates to: Lesson Observation, Workbook
  4. Understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians
    Relates to: Lesson Observation, Workbook
  5. Literacy and numeracy strategies
    Relates to: Lesson Observation, Workbook
  6. Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
    Relates to: Lesson Observation, Workbook

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

  1. Establish challenging learning goals
    Relates to: Lesson Observation, Workbook
  2. Plan, structure and sequence learning programs
    Relates to: Lesson Observation, Workbook
  3. Use teaching strategies
    Relates to: Lesson Observation, Workbook
  4. Select and use resources
    Relates to: Lesson Observation, Workbook
  5. Evaluate and improve teaching programs
    Relates to: Lesson Observation, Workbook

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

  1. Assess student learning
    Relates to: Lesson Observation, Workbook

Course Learning Outcomes

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

EU50 Master of Teaching (Secondary)

  1. Knowledgeable: Demonstrate comprehensive professional knowledge of learning areas, learners and learning.
    Relates to: ULO1, Lesson Observation, Workbook
  2. Scholarly: Reflect critically on the ways in which educational theory and research informs and impacts teaching practice.
    Relates to: ULO2, Lesson Observation, Workbook
  3. Inclusive: Synthesise various knowledges to create safe, supportive, caring, inclusive and positive learning environments.
    Relates to: ULO3, Workbook
  4. Innovative: Lead and create innovative future- focused learning.
    Relates to: ULO4, Lesson Observation, Workbook
  5. Communicative: Engage and communicate effectively and professionally.
    Relates to: ULO5, Lesson Observation, Workbook

MV01 Bachelor of Mathematics

  1. Demonstrate emergent professional knowledge of learners and learning, and the application of that knowledge to curriculum and pedagogy in mathematical sciences.
    Relates to: Lesson Observation, Workbook