Unit Guide

General Information

Unit convenor and teaching staff	Unit convenor and teaching staff Lecturer/tutor Norman McCulla norman.mcculla@mq.edu.au Contact via norman.mcculla@mq.edu.au Unit Convenor David Saltmarsh david.saltmarsh@mq.edu.au Contact via david.saltmarsh@mq.edu.au Lecturer Mitch Parsell mitch.parsell@mq.edu.au Contact via mitch.parsell@mq.edu.au
Credit points	Credit points 3
Prerequisites	Prerequisites 12cp or EDUC105 or EDUC106 or admission to BEd(Prim) or BEd(Sec)
Corequisites	Corequisites
Co-badged status	Co-badged status
Unit description	Unit description This unit builds on understandings gained in EDUC106 and provides students with a critical understanding of the importance of education in contemporary society. Initially, the unit considers a range of perspectives in education according to various educational theorists. The unit examines the policy context of education and the ways in which policy is socially constructed, analyses the importance of policy in the teaching profession and classroom pedagogy, and in the context of a constantly modernising and globalising society. The impact of the markets on the symbolic economy of educational institutions (prospectuses, web sites, advertising) is also explored. Also analysed are the everyday cultures of schooling. A particular focus of this analysis is the spatial and temporal practices of schools, as exhibited in their architecture and timetabling.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

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

Apply critical thinking and research skills in education
Understand the genealogy of modern educational practices
Apply appropriate levels of ITC and writing skills
Display ability to communicate ideas in oral, screen and written modes
Work collaboratively, respectfully in teams
Reflect upon and have the ability to articulate their learning accomplishments
Understand key ideas and theories underpinning contemporary educational theory and practice
Appreciate the importance of social justice discourses in education

Assessment Tasks

Name	Weighting	Due
Short essay	10%	19 March
Group presentation	50%	Weeks 5 - 15
Exam	40%	Exam period

Short essay

Due: 19 March
Weighting: 10%

Write a 500 word essay on the link between one or more perspectives in education (as outlined in the lectures two - six), and education policy.

Assessment in EDUC264 begins with a low-risk, early assessment task, but this does not mean that the task is unimportant. Here we take the opportunity to identify, at an early stage in the unit, how capably you can locate scholarly material, how well you understand the arguments contained in scholarly writing, and how effectively you can form and express a position in relation to these arguments.

1. Locate and read the articles listed below:

Blackmore, J. (2010). Policy, practice and purpose in the field of education: a critical review. Critical Studies in Education, 51:1, 101-111, DOI: 10.1080/17508480903450257

Kenway, J. (2013) Challenging inequality in Australian schools: Gonski and beyond, Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 34:2, 286-308, DOI: 10.1080/01596306.2013.770254

McLeod, J. (2012). Vulnerability and the neo-liberal youth citizen: a view from Australia. Comparative Education, 48:1, 11-26, DOI: 10.1080/03050068.2011.637760

Yates, L. (2013) Revisiting curriculum, the numbers game and the inequality problem, Journal of Curriculum Studies, 45:1, 39-51, DOI: 10.1080/00220272.2012.7549492. After reading the articles, write a 500-word essay explaining your position on an approach to education discussed in one or more of these articles.

2. After reading the articles you are asked to write a 500-word essay explaining the link between the perspectives in education discussed in lectures and education policy.

These articles have been selected because while they all comment on education policy formation they do so in different ways drawing on different theoretical material. The authors also comment on issues (citizenship, curriculum, globalisation, inequality, markets, social justice, etc.) that will be discussed later in the unit.

On successful completion you will be able to:

Apply critical thinking and research skills in education
Understand the genealogy of modern educational practices
Display ability to communicate ideas in oral, screen and written modes
Reflect upon and have the ability to articulate their learning accomplishments
Understand key ideas and theories underpinning contemporary educational theory and practice

Group presentation

Due: Weeks 5 - 15
Weighting: 50%

In the presentation, you will be working in groups of three or four, depending on the size of the class. Presentations will commence in Week 5 (in Module Two) and continue through to the end of the semester (Week 13), and one group will present in tutorials. External students will form into groups on OCD1 and present on OCD2.

The presentations for week 5, educational consumerism, and week 6, education and social justice, have questions to address in the Program of Lectures and Tutorials.

The questions to guide presentations for weeks 11 – 15 are included in the relevant sections of OECD (2013), Trends Shaping Education 2013. This book has five chapters:

The global world
Living well
Labour and skill demands
Modern families
Infinite connection

Each of these chapters is further divided into seven key aspects of the policy issue, and at the end of these sections are three focus questions in a box headed, And education? Groups are expected to nominate a chapter to present on in the tutorial, then select an aspect and address one of the questions.

The purpose of the presentation is to provide a discussion of:

Background to the issue raised in the question
Relevant perspectives to understand the issue
Approaches and solutions to the issue
Outcomes, consequences and implications of this issue.

There will be three elements to the assessment. The first is the group’s presentation (15%), including the use of presentation tools such as PowerPoint slides. The presentation material (eg PPTX slides), including the names of the group members, is to be submitted. Each group should designate one member who will submit the presentation material to the ‘workshop’ link on the unit website in the relevant week.

The second element is a 1000 word report (20%) on the policy issue presented. The reports are to be written and submitted individually by each member of the group.

Thirdly, a further 5% of the overall mark will be derived from peer-reviews of the presentation. Students are expected to participate in reviewing their peers and will receive 10% for their efforts.

Groups are encouraged to use other resources such as videos or other media including website material/resources. But the use of such media should not occupy too much of the tutorial’s time. Presentations should run for no more than 20 minutes (including time take to show any videos), followed by approximately 10 minutes for discussion of issues. Marks will be deducted for inappropriate management of time.

On successful completion you will be able to:

Apply critical thinking and research skills in education
Apply appropriate levels of ITC and writing skills
Display ability to communicate ideas in oral, screen and written modes
Work collaboratively, respectfully in teams
Reflect upon and have the ability to articulate their learning accomplishments
Understand key ideas and theories underpinning contemporary educational theory and practice
Appreciate the importance of social justice discourses in education

Exam

Due: Exam period
Weighting: 40%

An exam comprising multiple choice questions, short answer and short essay questions covering the content of the entire unit

On successful completion you will be able to:

Apply critical thinking and research skills in education
Display ability to communicate ideas in oral, screen and written modes
Understand key ideas and theories underpinning contemporary educational theory and practice
Appreciate the importance of social justice discourses in education

Delivery and Resources

All reading and reference material required for this unit is available online through the Macquarie University, there is no required or recommended text for you to purchase. This material is identified in the Program of Lectures and Tutorials, below. The text used in EDUC106 Tait (2013) Making sense of mass education) would also be useful for this unit.

The suggested journal articles have been specifically chosen. The articles are recently published, are mostly written by scholars working in Australian universities, and about research conducted in Australia. But more than just providing insights into familiar locations and settings, this work has been chosen because the articles use a range of theoretical frames to help us understand policy differently.

Students are expected to locate and read the material set for discussion in tutorials.

Unit Schedule

Program of Lectures and Tutorials

The content of this unit is divided into three modules:

Perspectives in education
Policy and markets in education
Trends shaping education

The first module considers the perspectives that underpin much of the current educational policy. It also provides a good foundation for understanding how education has changed over time and why this has happened. The second module deals more directly with current education policy and the economic contexts that shape policy. The third module looks global trends shaping education and contemporary schooling.

Module One: PERSPECTIVES IN EDUCATION

Week One

Lecture 1 (24 February)

Introduction

Lecturer: David Saltmarsh

An overview of the objectives of the unit and how they will be achieved

Lecture 2 (25 February)

Education versus schooling

Lecturer: Mitch Parsell

There is much more to education than schools, much more to schooling than teachers and students. There is a need to see education as a broad cultural phenomenon that is central to the operations of a modern society, and which is practised in a range of institutions. Is education, schooling?

Tutorials commence in week one

This first tutorial will give an opportunity to clarify any issues to do with assessment and to review techniques for locating information using electronic databases.

Tutorial presentation groups will also be organized at this week.

Week Two

Lecture 3 (3 March)

Perspectives in education: Conservative schooling

Lecturer: Mitch Parsell

As an idea education divides into conservative and radical perspectives. The conservative perspective sees education as a system of social and cultural reproduction, assisting to replicate society as it is not what it might be or ought to be, which radical perspectives tend to emphasise.

Reading for discussion in tutorial

McLeod, J. (2012). Vulnerability and the neo-liberal youth citizen: a view from Australia. Comparative Education, 48:1, 11-26, DOI: 10.1080/03050068.2011.637760

This reading is also one of the pieces to be read for the low-risk, early assessment task, so locate and read the article before the tutorial.

Suggested readings

Plato (1972) The Republic, trans. H. D. P. Lee, Harmondsworth: Penguin.

Lecture 4 (4 March)

Perspectives in education: Liberal perspective

Lecturer: Mitch Parsell

Some educationalists have questioned the very foundations of schooling and argued that its disciplinary features are counterproductive and need transcending. Others have seen freedom as the key to schooling, and have argued that schooling should be non-disciplinary, be as free as possible.

Suggested reading

Darling, J. (1992) “A. S. Neill on democratic authority: a lesson from Summerhill?” Oxford Review of Education, 18 (1), pp. 45-57.

lllich, I. (1971) Deschooling society, Harmondsworth: Penguin.

http://www.arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/DESCHOOLING.pdf

Neill, A. S. (1972) Summerhill, Harmondsworth: Penguin.

http://www.summerhillschool.co.uk

For an Australian analogue of Summerhill, see “The School that John Built” (Australian Story, first shown on ABC in 2007).

http://www.abc.net.au/austory/specials/schooljohnbuilt/default.htm

Week Three

Lecture 5 (10 March)

Perspectives in education: Progressive perspective

Lecturer: Mitch Parsell

There is a widespread view derived from Marxist and social reconstructionist views that education should be used to transform rather than conserve society, and that schooling should be part of a programme of social change.

Reading for discussion in tutorial

Kenway, J. (2013) Challenging inequality in Australian schools: Gonski and beyond, Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 34:2, 286-308, DOI: 10.1080/01596306.2013.770254

Suggested reading/viewing

Freire, P. (1974) Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Harmondsworth: Penguin.

Paulo Freire’s last interview (1996)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFWjnkFypFA

Kincheloe, J. (2005) Critical pedagogy: a primer, New York: Peter Lang.

McLaren, P. & Kincheloe, J. L. (Eds) (2007) Critical pedagogy: where are we now? New York: Peter Lang.

Peter McLaren’s website

http://pages.gseis.ucla.edu/faculty/mclaren/

Lecture 6 (11^th March)

Perspectives in education: Radical perspectives

Lecturer: Mitch Parsell

A group of educational theorists, including Paul Goodman, Jules Henry, John Holt, Everett Reimer and Neil Postman (now more famous for his criticisms of the media), became known as radical educators. These scholars wrote in the 1960s and 1970s and saw education as a foundation stone of a free, democratic society.

Suggested reading/viewing/listening

Libertarian educators

http://www.libed.org.uk/

John Holt on crises in education (How children fail)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQM6rHoP-5Q

Discussion of homeschooling

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/backgroundbriefing/home-schooling/3792578

Module two: POLICY & MARKETS IN EDUCATION

Week 4

Lecture 7 (17 March)

Policy and education

Lecturer: Norman McCulla

It has been said that policy—the instrument government has at its disposal to engineer change—has replaced theory as a catalyst of educational change. However, policy is rarely a cause and effect matter. Many policies are actively resisted by the teaching profession, and often produce unexpected consequences.

Suggested reading

Blackmore, J. (2010). Policy, practice and purpose in the field of education: a critical review. Critical Studies in Education, 51:1, 101-111, DOI: 10.1080/17508480903450257

Lingard, B. (2010): Policy borrowing, policy learning: testing times in Australian schooling, Critical Studies in Education, 51:2, 129-147, DOI: 10.1080/17508481003731026

Lecture 8 (18 March)

The curriculum: the knowledge most worth having

Lecturer: Norman McCulla

The curriculum is a major issue of contention for all teachers, at all levels of the educational endeavour, particularly the matter of determining the content of what is taught. This is a matter of perennial debate, and reflects issues to do with educational power, as to whose voice counts in the educational decision making process. Recently, conservatives have struck back, and have expressed concern about the school curriculum being the “hostage of political correctness”.

Suggested reading

Tanner, D. (2013) Race to the top and leave the children behind, Journal of Curriculum Studies, 45:1, 4-15, DOI: 10.1080/00220272.2012.754946

Yates, L. (2013) Revisiting curriculum, the numbers game and the inequality problem, Journal of Curriculum Studies, 45:1, 39-51, DOI: 10.1080/00220272.2012.754949

Week Five

Lectures 9 & 10 (24 & 25 March)

Educational consumerism: Public versus private

Lecturer: Norman McCulla

Lectures 10 (25 March)

Educational consumerism: Cultivating consumers

Lecturer: Norman McCulla

Arguments about educational funding are at the forefront of the policy debates at the moment. Neo-liberalist policy has generally favoured the user-pay principle, which is a shift from the post-war settlement that supported government outlay for public education. Yet as Marginson points out, non-government education, particularly in its most exclusive forms, is heavily subsidized by the government. Examine this paradox.

Group 1 tutorial presentations:

Suggested reading

Ball, S. & Vincent, C. (2001) “New class relations in education: the strategies of the ‘fearful’ middle classes”, in Demaine, J. (Ed.) Sociology of education today, Basingstoke: Palgrave.

Campbell, C., Proctor, H. & Sherrington, G. (2009) School choice: how parents negotiate the new school market, St Leonards, NSW: Allen and Unwin.

Campbell, C. & Sherrington, G. (2006) “The market”, The comprehensive public high school, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Gottschall, K., Wardman, N., Edgeworth, K., Hutchesson, R. & Saltmarsh, S. (2010) “Hard lines and soft scenes: constituting masculinities in the prospectuses of all-boys elite private schools”, Australian Journal of Education, 54(1) pp. 18-30

Kenway, J. (2013) Challenging inequality in Australian schools: Gonski and beyond, Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 34:2, 286-308, DOI: 10.1080/01596306.2013.770254

Marginson, S. & James, R. (Eds) (2009) Education, science and public policy: Ideas for an education revolution, Carlton, Vic.: Melbourne University Press.

Ritzer, G. (1996) The McDonalidization of society: an investigation into the changing character of society. Thousands Oak, CA: Pine Forge Press.

Ritzer, G. (1996) Enchanting a disenchanted world: revolutionising the means of consumption. Thousands Oak, CA: Pine Forge Press.

Schor, J. (2002) “Captive audiences: the commercialization of public schools”, Born to buy, New York: Scribner.

Spring, J. (2003) Educating the consumer citizen: a history of the marriage of schools, advertising, and media, Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Week Six

Lecture 11 & 12 (31 March & 1 April)

Education and social justice

Lecturer: Norman McCulla

Much contemporary policy in education, as for government activity in general, has been informed by social justice concerns. These concerns have to a large extent centred on making schooling more inclusive, and in improving the provision of schooling to the most disadvantaged members of society.

Group 2 tutorial presentations:

Suggested reading

Gale, T. & Densmore, K. (2000) “Playing fair: who gets what and why”, Just schooling: Explanations in the cultural politics of teaching, Buckingham: Open University Press.

Hickling-Hudson, A. (2011) Teaching to disrupt preconceptions: education for social justice in the imperial aftermath, Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 41:4, 453-465, DOI: 10.1080/03057925.2011.581513

Power, S. & Taylor, C (2013) Social justice and education in the public and private spheres, Oxford Review of Education, 39:4, 464-479, DOI: 10.1080/03054985.2013.821854

Reid, A. (2002) Public education and democracy: a changing relationship in a globalizing world, Journal of Education Policy, 17:5, 571-585, DOI: 10.1080/02680930210158320

Weeks Seven & Eight

Mid-Semester Break (6 April — 17 April)

Tuesday 14 April On-campus Day

Weeks Nine & Ten

(20 April — 1 May)

No lectures or tutorials, students on School Experience Placements

Module Three: TRENDS SHAPING EDUCATION

Week Eleven

Lectures 13 (5 May)

Global world: Migration & mobility

Lecturer: David Saltmarsh

Lectures 14 (6 May)

Global world: Affluence & poverty

Lecturer: David Saltmarsh

Globalisation takes many forms; it is not just an economic phenomenon. It has had impact on education in many domains, not the least of which is the policy making domain, where education policy is increasingly framed and articulated by international agencies, e.g. OECD, UNESCO, World Bank, IMF.

Group 3 tutorial presentations:

The global world

Required reading

OECD (2013), Trends Shaping Education 2013, OECD Publishing. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/trends_edu-2013-en

Suggested reading

Appadurai, A. (2001). Grassroots globalization and the research imagination. In A. Appadurai (Ed.), Globalization. Durham: Duke University Press.

Bagnall, N. (2010) “Globalisation”, in Connell, R., Campbell, C., Vickers, M., Welch, A., Foley, D. & Bagnall, N. (Eds) Education, change and society, Oxford University Press.

Connell, R. (2007). Southern theory: The global dynamics of knowledge in social science. Crows Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin.

Reid, A. (2002) Public education and democracy: a changing relationship in a globalizing world, Journal of Education Policy, 17:5, 571-585, DOI: 10.1080/02680930210158320

Week Twelve

Lectures 15 (12 May)

Living well: Urban life and the megacity

Lecturer: David Saltmarsh

Lectures 16 (13 May)

Living well: The ballot box

Lecturer: David Saltmarsh

Australia is a highly urbanised country and this brings with it a range of questions regarding citizenship, community, and risk. How do the changing demographics influence education? Influxes of migrants and refugees often raise questions about social cohesion. How are schools affected and what roles do they play in addressing cohesion?

Group 4 tutorial presentations:

Living well

Required reading

OECD (2013), Trends Shaping Education 2013, OECD Publishing. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/trends_edu-2013-en

Suggested readings

McLeod, J. (2012). Vulnerability and the neo-liberal youth citizen: a view from Australia. Comparative Education, 48:1, 11-26, DOI: 10.1080/03050068.2011.637760

Week Thirteen

Lectures 17 (19 May)

Labour & skills: Women in the workplace

Lecturer: David Saltmarsh

Lectures 18 (20 May)

Labour & skills: Knowledge economies

Lecturer: David Saltmarsh

In modern economies the role of schools in preparing future members of the workforce is often stressed. To what extent should employers determine what schools teach and to what extent should other community members have a say?

Group 5 tutorial presentations:

Labour & skills

Required reading

OECD (2013), Trends Shaping Education 2013, OECD Publishing. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/trends_edu-2013-en

Suggested reading

Brunila, K. & Ylöstalo, H. (2013): Challenging gender inequalities in education and in working life – a mission possible?, Journal of Education and Work, DOI: 10.1080/13639080.2013.806788

Lingard, B. (2010): Policy borrowing, policy learning: testing times in Australian schooling, Critical Studies in Education, 51:2, 129-147, DOI: 10.1080/17508481003731026

Reid, C & Young, H. (2012) The new compulsory schooling age policy in NSW, Australia: ethnicity, ability and gender considerations, Journal of Education Policy, 27:6, 795-814, DOI: 10.1080/02680939.2012.664287

Week Fourteen

Lectures 19 (26 May)

Modern families: Changing families

Lecturer: David Saltmarsh

Lectures 20 (27 May)

Modern families: Great expectations

Lecturer: David Saltmarsh

One of the most notable changes to take place in society in recent times has been to families. Not only have families become smaller, but parents have been having children later. Parents have also developed greater aspirations for their children in education.

Group 6 tutorial presentations:

Modern families

Required reading

OECD (2013), Trends Shaping Education 2013, OECD Publishing. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/trends_edu-2013-en

Suggested reading

Connell, R. (2013) The neoliberal cascade and education: an essay on the market agenda and its consequences, Critical Studies in Education, 54:2, 99-112, DOI: 10.1080/17508487.2013.776990

Saltmarsh (2015) Michel de Certeau, everyday life and policy cultures: the case of parent engagement in education policy, Critical Studies in Education, 56:1, 38-54, DOI: 10.1080/17508487.2015.961166

te Riele, K. (2012) Challenging the logic behind government policies for school completion, Journal of Educational Administration and History, 44:3, 237-252, DOI: 10.1080/00220620.2012.683394

Week Fifteen

Lecture 22 (3 June)

Infinite connection

Lecturer: David Saltmarsh

The Internet and the world-wide-web have altered almost all aspects of life, and education, significantly in the past 20 years.

Group 7 tutorial presentations

Infinite connections

Required reading

OECD (2013), Trends Shaping Education 2013, OECD Publishing. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/trends_edu-2013-en

Suggested reading

Cooper, N., Lockyer, L. & Brown, I. (2013) Developing multiliteracies in a technology-mediated environment, Educational Media International, 50:2, 93-107, DOI: 10.1080/09523987.2013.795350

Orlando, J. (2014) Educational technology: a presupposition of equality?, Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 42:4, 347-362, DOI: 10.1080/1359866X.2014.956049

Lecture 22 (3 June)

Revision Lecture

Lecturer: David Saltmarsh

Review of the lecture topics and exam preparation

Learning and Teaching Activities

Lectures

Two lectures per week

Tutorials

One tutorial per week

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html

Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html

Grading Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html

Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html

Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html

Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.

In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/

Results

Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/.

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Graduate Capabilities

Creative and Innovative

Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

Display ability to communicate ideas in oral, screen and written modes
Work collaboratively, respectfully in teams

Assessment task

Group presentation

Capable of Professional and Personal Judgement and Initiative

We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

Understand the genealogy of modern educational practices
Apply appropriate levels of ITC and writing skills
Work collaboratively, respectfully in teams
Reflect upon and have the ability to articulate their learning accomplishments
Appreciate the importance of social justice discourses in education

Assessment task

Group presentation

Commitment to Continuous Learning

Our graduates will have enquiring minds and a literate curiosity which will lead them to pursue knowledge for its own sake. They will continue to pursue learning in their careers and as they participate in the world. They will be capable of reflecting on their experiences and relationships with others and the environment, learning from them, and growing - personally, professionally and socially.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

Apply appropriate levels of ITC and writing skills
Reflect upon and have the ability to articulate their learning accomplishments

Assessment task

Group presentation

Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills

Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

Apply critical thinking and research skills in education
Understand the genealogy of modern educational practices
Reflect upon and have the ability to articulate their learning accomplishments
Understand key ideas and theories underpinning contemporary educational theory and practice
Appreciate the importance of social justice discourses in education

Assessment tasks

Short essay
Group presentation
Exam

Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

Apply critical thinking and research skills in education
Reflect upon and have the ability to articulate their learning accomplishments
Understand key ideas and theories underpinning contemporary educational theory and practice

Assessment tasks

Group presentation
Exam

Problem Solving and Research Capability

Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

Apply critical thinking and research skills in education
Work collaboratively, respectfully in teams
Reflect upon and have the ability to articulate their learning accomplishments

Assessment tasks

Short essay
Group presentation
Exam

Effective Communication

We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

Apply appropriate levels of ITC and writing skills
Display ability to communicate ideas in oral, screen and written modes
Work collaboratively, respectfully in teams

Assessment tasks

Short essay
Group presentation
Exam

Engaged and Ethical Local and Global citizens

As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate to help create a wiser and better society.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

Understand key ideas and theories underpinning contemporary educational theory and practice
Appreciate the importance of social justice discourses in education

Assessment tasks

Group presentation
Exam

Socially and Environmentally Active and Responsible

We want our graduates to be aware of and have respect for self and others; to be able to work with others as a leader and a team player; to have a sense of connectedness with others and country; and to have a sense of mutual obligation. Our graduates should be informed and active participants in moving society towards sustainability.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

Apply appropriate levels of ITC and writing skills
Appreciate the importance of social justice discourses in education

Assessment tasks

Group presentation
Exam

Changes from Previous Offering

The basic structure of EDUC264 remains the same (modules on Perspectives, Policy, and Policy themes), but the way the Policy themes module is organised is different. For this iteration the OECD document Themes that shape education, 2013 will underpin the second half of the unit. The assessment has also changed, dropping a long essay (1500 words) and increasing the assessment weighing of the group presentation from 30% to 50%, and increasing the assessment weighing of the final exam from 30% to 40%.