EUN262 Professional Experience: Creating Positive Learning Environments in School Contexts

Unit Outline: Semester 1 2024, Kelvin Grove, Internal

Overview

In this unit, you will develop knowledge of practical approaches to classroom and behaviour management that supports student learning and well-being.  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 behaviours.  In preparation for your second professional experience, you will learn about 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. This unit incorporates a 20-day professional experience in a primary or secondary school.

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. Select appropriate classroom management theories and strategies to address challenging behaviours in practice (CLO 1).
2. Evaluate the effectiveness of your classroom management plan through reflection on practice (CLO2).
3. Reflect critically on the ways theories of curriculum and pedagogy inform your personal teaching philosophy (CLO 2).
4. Synthesise theory related to classroom management intervention practices to create a safe and supportive learning environments (CLO3).
5. Seek and apply constructive feedback from supervisors and teachers to improve teaching practices (CLO5).
6. Analyse your expectations and behaviours in relation to responding to challenging behaviours in practice using theory-practice understandings of teacher wellbeing (CLO 6).
7. Conduct yourself ethically and professionally in line with the code of ethics for teachers and codes of conduct (CLO7).
8. Communicate professionally with teachers, staff and parents/carers to discuss student behaviour and classroom management (CLO8).

Content

Learning Approaches

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. 

This unit incorporates a 20-day professional experience in a primary (EU40) or secondary (EU50) school.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

Assessment

Overview

Assessment in the unit has two parts:

1. Professional Experience Final Report. You must obtain Developing adequately (D), Well developed (WD) level on all assessment items on the final report to be assessed as Satisfactory. Failure to do so will mean the failure of the unit.

2. Classroom Management Plan 

Non-compliance with those course requirements relating to professional experience may prevent you from undertaking your professional experience placement.

Literacy and numeracy standards as required by the profession are inherent requirements of this unit.

This unit is a designated unit, please see MOPP C/3.1 for more information. 

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— Classroom Management Plan. Assessment criteria for Assessment Task 2 number five. You must pass all five assessment criteria to pass the second assessment task. Where an attempt fails to meet any one (1) assessment criterion, a resubmission of the assessment task within 72 hours of the release of results for that task may be permitted. It is your responsibility as a student to (i) resubmit your complete assignment should your unsatisfactory attempt fall within this margin of insufficiency (i.e., of one criterion) and (ii) notify your Unit Coordinator via email of your submission.

Unit Grading Scheme

S (Satisfactory) / U (Unsatisfactory)

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Placement Performance

You must obtain Developing adequately (D), Well developed (WD) level on all assessment items on the final report to be assessed as Satisfactory. You will be assessed on:

• 20 continuous days of supervised professional experience in a primary or secondary school.

This will involve observing classroom practice and planning, teaching and assessing learning experiences for students.  

Professional Experience days are organised as per the Professional Experience Calendar

Relates to learning outcomes
Course learning outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7
APST: 1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4. 4.5, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 6.2, 6.3, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4

Threshold Assessment:

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

Assessment: Classroom Management Plan

This assessment task consists of two parts: 

1.  In the first part of the assessment task, you will develop a classroom management plan based on your teaching and learning philosophy.  Your classroom management plan will identify strategies and plans of action to implement preventative strategies and intervention practices that respond to challenging behaviours. You will include consideration of the organisation of classroom activities, the provision of clear directions, strategies to support students' well-being and safety working within school and/or system, curriculum and legislative requirements.

2. In the second part of the assessment task, you will critically reflect on the effectiveness of your classroom management plan and identify adjustments based on the implementation in an educational context.

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

Relates to learning outcomes
Course learning outcomes: 2, 5, 6, 7, 8
APST: 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 6.2, 6.3

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.

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.

Requirements to Study

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

You may incur additional costs while undertaking professional experience. For example: travel to and from teaching sites, potential vaccination requirements and the purchase of professional and safe attire appropriate for the teaching site, if necessary.

Resources

Resource Materials

Prescribed text(s)

Churchill, R., Godinho, S., Johnson, N. F., Keddie, A., Letts, W., Lowe, K., . . . Shaw, K. (2019). Teaching Making A Difference. John Wiley & Sons Australia Ltd.

Other

Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.

Department of Education and Training, Every student succeeding - State Schools Strategy.

Department of Education and Training. P - 12 curriculum, assessment and reporting framework.

Risk Assessment Statement

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

6 Professional Engagement: Engage in professional learning

1. Engage in professional learning and improve practice
   Relates to: Placement Performance, Classroom Management Plan
2. Engage with colleagues and improve practice
   Relates to: Placement Performance, Classroom Management Plan

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

1. Meet professional ethics and responsibilities
   Relates to: Placement Performance
2. Comply with legislative, administrative and organisational requirements
   Relates to: Placement Performance
3. Engage with the parents/carers
   Relates to: Placement Performance
4. Engage with professional teaching networks and broader communities
   Relates to: Placement Performance

Course Learning Outcomes

EU40 Master of Teaching (Primary)

1. Knowledgeable: Demonstrate comprehensive professional knowledge of learning areas, learners and learning.
   Relates to: ULO1, Placement Performance
2. Scholarly: Reflect critically on the ways in which educational theory and research informs and impacts teaching practice.
   Relates to: ULO2, ULO3, Placement Performance, Classroom Management Plan
3. Inclusive: Synthesise various knowledges to create safe, supportive, caring, inclusive and positive learning environments.
   Relates to: ULO4, Placement Performance
4. Collegial: Collaborate and connect with professional networks and the wider community.
   Relates to: ULO5, Placement Performance, Classroom Management Plan
5. Resilient: Reframe challenges and opportunities for capacity building and learning.
   Relates to: ULO6, Placement Performance, Classroom Management Plan
6. Ethical: Engage ethically and respectfully with learners, colleagues and parents/carers and community from diverse backgrounds.
   Relates to: ULO7, Placement Performance, Classroom Management Plan
7. Communicative: Engage and communicate effectively and professionally.
   Relates to: ULO8, Classroom Management Plan

EU50 Master of Teaching (Secondary)

1. Knowledgeable: Demonstrate comprehensive professional knowledge of learning areas, learners and learning.
   Relates to: ULO1, Placement Performance
2. Scholarly: Reflect critically on the ways in which educational theory and research informs and impacts teaching practice.
   Relates to: ULO2, ULO3, Placement Performance, Classroom Management Plan
3. Inclusive: Synthesise various knowledges to create safe, supportive, caring, inclusive and positive learning environments.
   Relates to: ULO4, Placement Performance
4. Collegial: Collaborate and connect with professional networks and the wider community.
   Relates to: ULO5, Placement Performance, Classroom Management Plan
5. Resilient: Reframe challenges and opportunities for capacity building and learning.
   Relates to: ULO6, Placement Performance, Classroom Management Plan
6. Ethical: Engage ethically and respectfully with learners, colleagues and parents/carers and community from diverse backgrounds.
   Relates to: ULO7, Placement Performance, Classroom Management Plan
7. Communicative: Engage and communicate effectively and professionally.
   Relates to: ULO8, Classroom Management Plan