The four pillars task is an early formative task, meaning that is low risk and simply designed to provide you some preliminary feedback early in semester. You will prepare a concept map articulating your current understanding of the topic ‘education’. Consider the four pillars:

• The purpose of education (a philosophical consideration)
• How students learn (a psychological consideration)
• The educational context (a sociological consideration)
• How education has changed over time (a historical consideration)

This task requires you to write an academic essay about the topic ‘constructivism’. Constructivism is a philosophy heavily debated within education, as it has significant implications for both teaching and learning. Your essay should include an introduction and conclusion, and should make reference to other scholarly work (including peer-reviewed journal articles). There are three topics to choose from:

1. Fox (2001) argues that constructivism “is in danger of becoming a general term of approbation with but little content and an incoherent underlying epistemology” (p. 23). Discuss with reference to the underlying epistemology of constructivism. Is this epistemology incoherent? Can constructivism be anything more than “a general term of approbation?” Support your claims with argument.
2. Where behaviorism views knowledge as resulting from a finding process, constructivism views knowledge as the natural consequence of a constructive   process. Where behaviorism views learning as an active process of acquiring knowledge, constructivism views learning as an active process of constructing knowledge. Finally, where behaviorism views instruction as the process of providing knowledge, constructivism views instruction as the process of supporting construction of knowledge (Bichelmeyer & Hsu, 1999, p. 4). Discuss the relation between behaviourism and constructivism. Which is the more persuasive position? Support your discussion with argument.
3. According to Von Glasersfeld (1995 p. 1) radical constructivism “is an unconventional approach to the problem of knowledge and knowing.” Why does Von Glaserfeld believe his version of constructivism is so unconventional? Can this radical form of constructivism provide a fruitful model of teaching in your discipline area? Discuss with reference to both the underlying model of knowledge of radical constructivism and the methods of your home discipline?

This task requires you to select one of the four articles from weeks 9 -11 to critically review (the articles are available on iLearn):

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

• Mills, C. (2015). Implications of the My School Website for disadvantaged communities: A Bourdieuian analysis. Educational Philosophy and Theory: Incorporating ACCESS, 47, 146-158, DOI: 10.1080/00131857.2013.793927

• Munns, G., Zammit K. & Woodward, H. (2008). Reflections from the riot zone: The Fair Go Project and student engagement in a besieged community. Journal of Children and Poverty, 14, 157-171, DOI: 10.1080/10796120802335888

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

To complete your critical review of your selected article you will identify and evaluate the key arguments and theoretical approaches of the article, and critically reflect on their significance in the current educational environment.

Your creative response is oriented around the theme “21^st century teachers should…” You may choose to complete a podcast, video, webpage, or academic poster (note that this is not a typical wall poster!). Internal students must present their response at the Knowledge Fair, Monday, 10.00am – 12.00. External students will be given the option to instead post their presentation to the class online, however, are strongly encouraged to attend in person if possible. The Fair encourages discussions about issues currently facing the teaching profession, in a supportive learning community. You may choose to work in pairs or threes for your response, but must complete your justification individually. You will be marked on both your ability to present your response in an engaging manner and the quality of your justification.

In your response you must make clear to the audience what it is that you are suggesting that 21^st century teachers should do, and why. Your creative response will be accompanied by a 1,000 word justification citing scholarly research evidence. The justification should:

• Clearly define the topic/area of focus for your creative response using current, relevant research;
• Justify the significance of this topic/area by situating it within the current, broader landscape of education;
• Indicate the actual or potential merits and outcomes of your topic/area of focus.

Extra guidance and assistance will be provided to assist in the production of creative responses. Note, however, that podcast, video and webpage submissions must be contained within 1 file/link and in a readily accessible format (e.g. QuickTime, YouTube, .wmv). It is your responsibility to ensure this.