EUB270 Professional Experience: Creating Positive Learning Environments


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 Outline: Semester 2 2026, Kelvin Grove, Internal

Unit code:EUB270
Credit points:12
Pre-requisite:(EUB170 or EUB171 or EUB172 or EUB242 or EUB242-2 or EUB140) and a recorded result (Achieved or Not Achieved) of both components of LANTITE
Equivalent:EUB444 or EUB444-2
Coordinator:Bessie Stone | bessie.stone@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 focus on developing positive and safe learning environments through developing classroom processes and procedures, communicating expectations, and research-based strategies that limit the incidence and impact of challenging classroom behaviours. In preparation for professional experience, the unit will cover evidence-based classroom strategies that focus on preventative practices and practical skills to maintain safe, orderly, and inclusive environments for the whole class, small groups, and addressing student diversity.

You will participate in 20 days of professional experience. Learning in this unit will be related to preparing for and reflecting on the time you will spend in a school. This professional experience includes an opportunity for ED39 preservice teachers to complete observations of an upper primary class.

 

This is a designated unit which is essential to your course progression. Designated units include professional experience units, units requiring the development of particular skills, and units requiring demonstration of certain personal qualities. If you fail to achieve a satisfactory level of performance in a designated unit, you may be excluded from enrolment or will be put on academic probation. If you fail a designated unit twice within your course, you may be excluded. Supplementary assessment is not available on designated units.

Learning Outcomes

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

  1. Construct a plan for responding to challenging behaviour and building safe, supportive, inclusive and positive learning environments.
  2. Select appropriate classroom management policies, theories and academic and professional literature to justify approaches to managing behaviours.
  3. Reflect on your expectations and behaviours in relation to responding to challenging behaviours in practice using theory-practice understandings of teacher wellbeing.
  4. Plan ways to communicate professionally with teachers, staff and parents/carers to discuss student behaviour and classroom management.
  5. Conduct yourself ethically and professionally in line with the code of ethics for teachers and codes of conduct.
  6. Seek and apply constructive feedback from supervisors, teachers and peers to improve teaching practices.
  7. Demonstrate planning, teaching, and management of safe and supportive learning environments, assessing and recording learning, and professional conduct during professional experience.

Content

This unit will focus on the knowledge and skills for building positive learning environments. Content and learning activities in this unit include: 

  • positively and effectively managing a safe and organised classroom, including, ways to respond to challenging behaviour
  • awareness of policies & legislation of ICT in schools including the safe and ethical use of emerging technologies, including AI 
  • strategies that support students’ wellbeing and safety working within school and/or system, curriculum and legislative requirements.
  • proactive strategies of giving clear instructions and setting classroom expectations, including rules and routines
  • verbal and non-verbal communication skills
  • building positive relationships with students
  • proactive planning and strategies that are responsive to the learning strengths and needs of students who have experienced trauma, would benefit from differentiation, and those who are from diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds.
  • the feedback and questioning cycle, including setting achievable student goals.
  • whole school behaviour policies and frameworks, and individual student behaviour plans
  • developing communication and relationships with parents/carers to support positive relationships with students
  • preparing for placement - setting professional expectations, developing relationships and networks, professional conversations, personal organisation, setting personal and professional goals for while on placement, and
  • QCT values and Code of Conduct
  • the research evidence for proactive strategies in creating positive learning environments

Some example activities you will participate in are:

Discussion with peers about how to develop and use effective rules and routines that create learning habits, when and how pre-service teachers can practise these in professional settings, the research showing their impact on reducing wasted learning time, and specific examples of effective routines for different lesson phases and activities, such as lesson reflections and structured group protocols.This includes the discussion of research evidence that shows the impact of developing and reinforcing clear and well-defined rules and routines and why rules and routines need to be explicitly taught and reinforced to students to be effective. 

Discussion with peers about the research showing the positive impact of clear and high expectations on student behaviour and achievement, the link between effective pedagogical practices and increased positive behaviour, and the use of structured lessons, explicit instruction, effective questioning that encourages participation, reducing cognitive load, and specific positive feedback to prevent misbehaviour and disengagement. 

Discussion with peers about how to set ambitious and achievable goals collaboratively with students, the importance of consistent reinforcement, the research on the impact of positive teacher-student relationships on behaviour and outcomes, and how to create a predictable and safe classroom environment through consistent use of space, prompts, and visible routines. 

Discussion with peers about the research supporting calm, consistent and proportional responses to behaviour, how to model desired behaviours and explicitly reference them to reinforce expectations, and how to pre-plan and rehearse early intervention techniques such as prompts, pre-corrections and verbal feedback, with opportunities to practise these in a practicum setting. 

Discussion with peers about examples of common whole-school behaviour frameworks and how teachers can engage effectively with these approaches to support positive behaviour across the school.

The prescribed text Churchill et al., (2025), Teaching: Making a Difference (6th ed), will be used as a key resource to support the discussion of research evidence that underpins the content, learning activities, and reflective tasks outlined in this unit.

 

CC: 3.1, 3.1.1, 3.1.2, 3.1.3, 3.1.4, 3.2, 3.2.1, 3.2.2, 3.2.3, 3.3, 3.3.1, 3.3.2, 3.3.3, 3.4, 3.4.1, 3.4.2, 3.4.3, 3.5, 3.5.1

Learning Approaches

Professional experience units explicitly teach and practise course content prior to the commencement of placement. The varied length of placements is dependent on the course requirements. QUT teaching staff ensures each professional experience unit accommodates the teaching and practising of content with regard to the timing of placements as outlined on the Professional Experience, the QUT Semester calendars, and the unit overview.

A range of teaching and learning strategies including lectures, workshops, online materials, as well as participation in large-group discussions and small group interactions will be utilised. Your learning will be enhanced by professional readings and recordings. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander approaches to teaching and learning will be included in this unit.

Professional experience will involve 20 days of supervised teaching practice, formal observations and integration with schooling.

To support your success in Assessment Task 2, a PowerPoint scaffold for your video presentation will be provided, and each week a step of the assessment task will be explored to build familiarity with the process.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

Feedback in this unit is provided to you in the following ways:

  • professional experience reports (interim and final)
  • comments and feedback from your University Partner and Supervising Teacher
  • feedback from peers during group discussions
  • unit coordinator and tutor comments to the cohort
  • professional conversations through online tools
  • formative assessment task - early in the teaching period you will complete a class activity outlining your initial planning for Assessment Task 2. You will be provided with the opportunity to engage in a feedback process with peers and academic staff.

Assessment

Overview

There are two assessment tasks in this unit:

  1. Professional Experience Report - This will require you to connect the learning from this unit and your course about creating positive learning environments to professional experience.
  2. Reflection and Classroom Management Plan Video Showcase - This will require you to reflect on your Professional Experience and draw on your understanding of proactive practices and whole-school behaviour frameworks for managing a classroom, responding to and managing challenging behaviour, and developing a classroom management plan. You will demonstrate your ability to apply calm, consistent and proportional responses, behaviour modelling and feedback techniques that focus on desired behaviours.

You must receive a passing grade (Satisfactory) on each assessment task to successfully pass this unit. Since this is a Professional Experience unit, special conditions of assessment apply to the second assessment task in the unit— Reflection and Classroom Management Plan Video Showcase. A resubmission of the assessment task within 72 hours of the release of results for that task may be permitted if your assessment mark falls within a 10% margin of insufficiency. It is your responsibility as a student to (i) resubmit your complete assignment should your unsatisfactory attempt fall within this margin of insufficiency and (ii) notify your Unit Coordinator via email of your submission.

Unit Grading Scheme

S (Satisfactory) / U (Unsatisfactory)

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Professional Placement

You will practise your skills related to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers in preparation for meeting the requirements of the final report. 
 
 
Please refer to your course information. Non-compliance with course requirements relating to professional experience may prevent you from undertaking your professional experience placement.

Threshold Assessment:

You must achieve a passing grade (satisfactory) on each individual assessment task to successfully pass this unit.

Weight: 0
Length: 20 days professional experience
Individual/Group: Individual
Due (indicative): Last day of professional experience
Related Unit learning outcomes: 5, 6, 7

Assessment: Reflection and Classroom Management Plan Video Show Case

A: While on your Professional Experience, you will practise and apply techniques that effectively manage behaviour, including calm, consistent, and proportional responses, as well as behaviour modelling and feedback that emphasises desired behaviours. Drawing on research evidence, you will explore why consistent and proportional responses to student behaviour, when paired with verbal and non-verbal calm, expected, and escalating responses, are most effective in reinforcing expectations and maintaining safety. By observing and modelling desired behaviours such as respectful interactions, being organised, and punctuality, you will learn how to explicitly point out these actions to encourage positive behaviour and reinforce expectations.

Additionally, you will pre-plan and rehearse responses, incorporating early intervention techniques like simple prompts, pre-corrections, and verbal feedback, all of which help to reinforce high expectations in the classroom while focusing on the expected behaviours.

B: After professional experience, you will present a 12-minute video in which you will:

 

  1. Reflect on your professional experience to identify the research-based ways in which teachers organise structured, safe, and positive classroom environment and manage student behaviour, including the role of rules and routines for learning activities and transitions. You will also reflect on your own experiences during professional experience to explore what worked well, challenges and opportunities for improvement. Use this reflection to identify professional learning needs, relevant and appropriate sources of professional learning for your work as a teacher and align with research evidence and the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. Also reflect on how working with external professionals and community representatives may broaden your professional knowledge in creating positive learning environments.
  2. Develop a classroom management plan based on your teaching and learning philosophy and aligned with the key principles described in codes of ethics and conduct for the teaching profession. Your classroom management plan will identify strategies to implement proactive practices in preventing misbehaviour and disengagement, including the role of collaborative and positive relationships, high expectations, instructions, consequences, and pedagogical practices such as questioning and feedback. Your plan will also focus on using structured lessons to create predictable and safe environments for positive student behaviour and goal achievement, while ensuring the safe and accountable use of ICTs. You will consider practical approaches to managing challenging behaviour and strategies teachers use to communicate with colleagues and parents/carers about student behaviours. Additionally, you will explain how your plan aligns with research evidence, and relevant legislative and organisational policies and whole-school positive behaviour approaches.

CC: 3.1, 3.1.1, 3.1.2, 3.1.3, 3.2, 3.2.1, 3.2.2, 3.2.3, 3.3, 3.3.1, 3.3.2, 3.3.3, 3.4, 3.4.1, 3.4.2, 3.4.3, 3.5, 3.5.1 

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

Threshold Assessment:

You must achieve a passing grade (satisfactory) on each individual assessment task to successfully pass this unit. Resubmission of Assessment Task 2 may be permitted. See 'Assessment Overview' above.

Weight: 0
Length: 10-12 minute video
Individual/Group: Individual
Due (indicative): Week 13
Related Unit learning outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4

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.

Requirements to Study

Requirements

Meet, and show evidence of, the public health or employment vaccination mandates/requirements of your state jurisdiction.

Blue Card

A blue card is required to complete this unit. A blue card confirms that you have passed a screening of your criminal history (the Working with Children Check) and have been approved to work with children and young people. For more information on the blue card and how to apply please visit the QUT website.

Costs

There may be costs related to immunisations.

Resources

The following text will be used throughout this unit.

Resource Materials

Prescribed text(s)

Churchill et al., (2025) Teaching: Making a Difference (6th Ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Milton, Qld.

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.

Managing the risk associated with your professional experience is bound in an agreement with the systemic employment bodies and individual sites where necessary. The Workplace Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld) places duties of care on everyone to ensure the health and safety of themselves and others in the workplace.

Students should be aware of and comply with the QUT work integrated learning policy under QUT's Assessment Policy is at MOPP C/4.4.

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 Placement
  2. Students with diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds
    Relates to: Professional Placement, Reflection and Classroom Management Plan Video Show Case
  3. Strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
    Relates to: Reflection and Classroom Management Plan Video Show Case
  4. Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities
    Relates to: Professional Placement, Reflection and Classroom Management Plan Video Show Case
  5. Strategies to support full participation of students with disability
    Relates to: Professional Placement

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

  1. Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area
    Relates to: Professional Placement
  2. Content selection and organisation
    Relates to: Professional Placement
  3. Curriculum, assessment and reporting
    Relates to: Professional Placement
  4. Literacy and numeracy strategies
    Relates to: Professional Placement
  5. Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
    Relates to: Professional Placement

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

  1. Establish challenging learning goals
    Relates to: Professional Placement
  2. Plan, structure and sequence learning programs
    Relates to: Professional Placement
  3. Use teaching strategies
    Relates to: Professional Placement
  4. Select and use resources
    Relates to: Professional Placement
  5. Use effective classroom communication
    Relates to: Professional Placement
  6. Evaluate and improve teaching programs
    Relates to: Professional Placement

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

  1. Support student participation
    Relates to: Professional Placement, Reflection and Classroom Management Plan Video Show Case
  2. Manage classroom activities
    Relates to: Professional Placement, Reflection and Classroom Management Plan Video Show Case
  3. Manage challenging behaviour
    Relates to: Professional Placement, Reflection and Classroom Management Plan Video Show Case
  4. Maintain student safety
    Relates to: Professional Placement, Reflection and Classroom Management Plan Video Show Case
  5. Use ICT safely, responsibly and ethically
    Relates to: Professional Placement, Reflection and Classroom Management Plan Video Show Case

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

  1. Assess student learning
    Relates to: Professional Placement
  2. Provide feedback to students on their learning
    Relates to: Professional Placement
  3. Make consistent and comparable judgements
    Relates to: Professional Placement
  4. Interpret student data
    Relates to: Professional Placement
  5. Report on student achievement
    Relates to: Professional Placement

6 Professional Engagement: Engage in professional learning

  1. Identify and plan professional learning needs
    Relates to: Reflection and Classroom Management Plan Video Show Case
  2. Engage in professional learning and improve practice
    Relates to: Reflection and Classroom Management Plan Video Show Case
  3. Engage with colleagues and improve practice
    Relates to: Professional Placement, Reflection and Classroom Management Plan Video Show Case

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

  1. Meet professional ethics and responsibilities
    Relates to: Professional Placement, Reflection and Classroom Management Plan Video Show Case
  2. Comply with legislative, administrative and organisational requirements
    Relates to: Professional Placement
  3. Engage with the parents/carers
    Relates to: Professional Placement, Reflection and Classroom Management Plan Video Show Case
  4. Engage with professional teaching networks and broader communities
    Relates to: Professional Placement, Reflection and Classroom Management Plan Video Show Case

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, ULO7, Professional Placement, Reflection and Classroom Management Plan Video Show Case
  2. Scholarly: Consider the ways in which educational theory and research inform and impact teaching practice.
    Relates to: ULO2, Reflection and Classroom Management Plan Video Show Case
  3. Inclusive: Plan for culturally secure, supportive, caring, inclusive and positive learning environments.
    Relates to: ULO1, ULO7, Professional Placement, Reflection and Classroom Management Plan Video Show Case
  4. Responsive: Interpret data, policy and legislative requirements to inform professional decisions about practice.
    Relates to: ULO7, Professional Placement
  5. Collegial: Collaborate and connect with professional networks and the wider community.
    Relates to: ULO6, ULO7, Professional Placement
  6. Reflective: Reframe challenges into opportunities for capacity building and learning.
    Relates to: ULO3, ULO7, Professional Placement, Reflection and Classroom Management Plan Video Show Case
  7. Ethical: Engage ethically and respectfully with learners, colleagues, parents/carers and community from diverse backgrounds.
    Relates to: ULO5, ULO7, Professional Placement
  8. Communicative: Engage and communicate effectively and professionally.
    Relates to: ULO4, ULO7, Professional Placement, Reflection and Classroom Management Plan Video Show Case

ED49 Bachelor of Education (Primary)

  1. Knowledgeable: Apply professional knowledge of learning areas, learners and learning.
    Relates to: ULO1, ULO7, Professional Placement, Reflection and Classroom Management Plan Video Show Case
  2. Scholarly: Consider the ways in which educational theory and research inform and impact teaching practice.
    Relates to: ULO2, Reflection and Classroom Management Plan Video Show Case
  3. Inclusive: Plan for culturally secure, supportive, caring, inclusive and positive learning environments.
    Relates to: ULO1, ULO7, Professional Placement, Reflection and Classroom Management Plan Video Show Case
  4. Responsive: Interpret data, policy and legislative requirements to inform professional decisions about practice.
    Relates to: ULO7, Professional Placement
  5. Collegial: Collaborate and connect with professional networks and the wider community.
    Relates to: ULO6, ULO7, Professional Placement
  6. Reflective: Reframe challenges into opportunities for capacity building and learning.
    Relates to: ULO3, ULO7, Professional Placement, Reflection and Classroom Management Plan Video Show Case
  7. Ethical: Engage ethically and respectfully with learners, colleagues, parents/carers and community from diverse backgrounds.
    Relates to: ULO5, ULO7, Professional Placement
  8. Communicative: Engage and communicate effectively and professionally.
    Relates to: ULO4, ULO7, Professional Placement, Reflection and Classroom Management Plan Video Show Case

ED59 Bachelor of Education (Secondary)

  1. Knowledgeable: Apply professional knowledge of learning areas, learning and learners.
    Relates to: ULO1, ULO7, Professional Placement, Reflection and Classroom Management Plan Video Show Case
  2. Scholarly: Consider the ways in which educational theory and research informs and impacts teaching practice.
    Relates to: ULO2, Reflection and Classroom Management Plan Video Show Case
  3. Inclusive: Plan for culturally secure, supportive, caring, inclusive and positive learning environments.
    Relates to: ULO1, ULO7, Professional Placement, Reflection and Classroom Management Plan Video Show Case
  4. Responsive: Interpret data, policy and legislative requirements to inform professional decisions about practice.
    Relates to: ULO7, Professional Placement
  5. Collegial: Collaborate and connect with professional networks and the wider community.
    Relates to: ULO6, ULO7, Professional Placement
  6. Reflective: Reframe challenges into opportunities for capacity building and learning.
    Relates to: ULO3, ULO7, Professional Placement, Reflection and Classroom Management Plan Video Show Case
  7. Ethical: Engage ethically and respectfully with learners, colleagues and parents/carers and community from diverse backgrounds.
    Relates to: ULO5, ULO7, Professional Placement
  8. Communicative: Engage and communicate effectively and professionally.
    Relates to: ULO4, ULO7, Professional Placement, Reflection and Classroom Management Plan Video Show Case