Students

SPED8250 – Effective Instruction in Numeracy

2020 – Session 1, Fully online/virtual

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update

Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, any references to assessment tasks and on-campus delivery may no longer be up-to-date on this page.

Students should consult iLearn for revised unit information.

Find out more about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and potential impacts on staff and students

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and lecturer
Professor Rebecca Bull
Contact via email
29 Wally's Walk Rm 218
5-6pm every Wednesday. Others by appointment only
Kathleen Tait
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to GradCertLearnDiffSuppTeach or GradDipSpecEd or MSpecEd or (EDST8301 and admission to MEd)
Corequisites Corequisites
SPED821 or SPED8210
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit focuses on providing students with the information and skills necessary to guide assessment, instruction and intervention of students at risk of failure in the area of numeracy. It addresses current research-based theoretical, conceptual and pedagogical aspects of numeracy.

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:

  • ULO1: Apply advanced discipline knowledge and scholarly understanding to evaluate student learning of numeracy concepts
  • ULO2: Draw on domain knowledge to critically reflect on your own professional knowledge and practice
  • ULO3: Apply domain knowledge and professional experience to examine and critically evaluate theories and research that underpin practice in the field of numeracy instruction
  • ULO4: Develop appropriate assessment, monitoring and intervention strategies to meet the needs of different learners
  • ULO5: Communicate and synthesise concepts effectively through written and oral communication

Assessment Tasks

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update

Assessment details are no longer provided here as a result of changes due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Students should consult iLearn for revised unit information.

Find out more about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and potential impacts on staff and students

General Assessment Information

Grading Procedures

Results for assessments will be reported as grades (i.e., HD, D, CR, P, F). Where grades are used to report results for assessment components with significant weighting, convenors may may also optionally add the suffixes of + (plus) or - (minus) to the generic descriptor in order to provide additional detail. In this case, a "Pass+" would indicate performance in the upper end of the pass range, a grade of "Pass" would indicate a mid-range pass and a "Pass-" would indicate performance at the lower end of the pass range. This principle is applied to all grade descriptors (HD, D, CR, P, F). In order to meet the unit outcomes and pass this unit, students must make a genuine attempt at all assessment tasks. Resubmission of an assessment task is not permitted.

Raw scores for all assessments will be moderated according to the University guidelines so that work judged to be of a given standard is awarded a moderated score within the following distribution: High Distinction 85-100; Distinction 75-84; Credit 65-74; Pass 50-64; Fail 0-49. The following generic grade descriptors provide university-wide standards for awarding final grades.

Grade

Description

High Distinction (HD)

85-100

Provides consistent evidence of deep and critical understanding in relation to the learning outcomes. There is substantial originality and insight in identifying, generating and communicating competing arguments, perspectives or problem solving approaches; critical evaluation of problems, their solutions and their implications; creativity in application as appropriate to the discipline.

Distinction (D)

75-84

Provides evidence of integration and evaluation of critical ideas, principles and theories, distinctive insight and ability in applying relevant skills and concepts in relation to learning outcomes. There is demonstration of frequent originality in defining and analysing issues or problems and providing solutions; and the use of means of communication appropriate to the discipline and the audience.

Credit (CR)

67-74

Provides evidence of learning that goes beyond replication of content knowledge or skills relevant to the learning outcomes. There is demonstration of substantial understanding of fundamental concepts in the field of study and the ability to apply these concepts in a variety of contexts; convincing argumentation with appropriate coherent justification; communication of ideas fluently and clearly in terms of the conventions of the discipline.

Pass (P)

50-64

Provides sufficient evidence of the achievement of learning outcomes. There is demonstration of understanding and application of fundamental concepts of the field of study; routine argumentation with acceptable justification; communication of information and ideas adequately in terms of the conventions of the discipline. The learning attainment is considered satisfactory or adequate or competent or capable in relation to the specified outcomes

Fail (F)

0-49

Does not provide evidence of attainment of learning outcomes. There is missing or partial or superficial or faulty understanding and application of the fundamental concepts in the field of study; missing, undeveloped, inappropriate or confusing argumentation; incomplete, confusing or lacking communication of ideas in ways that give little attention to the conventions of the discipline

Assessment Submission Guidelines

Online participation, reflection and feedback: For each module a number of discussion questions will be made available on iLearn on the Discussion Forum. All students can respond to these questions, start their own discussion topic, and read and respond to posts from other students. Topic discussion forums will close progressively through the semester in line with the recommended completion date for each module. You should participate in discussion for all five modules.

All other assessed work will be submitted through Turnitin in .doc format. A link will be provided on the iLearn website. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that all assessments are successfully submitted before the stated deadlines. Staff will not respond to requests to confirm that assignments have been correctly submitted. You will receive an email receipt on successful submission of your assignment. Make sure that this has been received and retain this receipt. No claims will be considered regarding missing assignments without this receipt. 

Assignment extensions and late penalties.

In general, there should be no need for extensions except through illness or misadventure that would be categorised as serious and unavoidable disruption according to the University definition of same, see: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/my-study-program/special-consideration

Applications for extensions must be made via AskMQ according to the Special Consideration policy. Extensions can only be granted if they meet the Special Considerations policy and are submitted via https://ask.mq.edu.au/. This will ensure consistency in the consideration of such requests is maintained.

Late submissions without extension will receive a penalty of 5% reduction of the total possible mark for each day late (including weekends and public holidays). You are reminded that submitting even just 1 day late could be the difference between passing and failing a unit. Late penalties are applied by unit convenors or their delegates after tasks are assessed.

No assessable work will be accepted after the return/release of marked work on the same topic. If a student is still permitted to submit on the basis of unavoidable disruption, an alternative topic may be set.

Students should keep an electronic file of all assessments. Claims regarding "lost" assessments cannot be made if the file cannot be produced. It is also advisable to keep an electronic file of all drafts and the final submission on a USB untouched/unopened after submission. This can be used to demonstrate easily that the assessment has not been amended after the submission date.

Appeals Against Grades for Individual Assessment Components

If you have evidence that your task has been incorrectly assessed against the grade descriptors you can request a re-mark. To request a re-mark you need to contact the unit convenor within 7 days of the date of return of the assignment and provide a detailed assessment of your script against the task criteria. Evidence from your assignment must be provided to support your judgements. Please note: The outcome of a re-mark may be a higher/lower or unchanged grade. Note that it is policy to double mark all failing assessments.

Appeals Against Final Grades

See the Policies and Procedures section for details on appeals against Unit grades.

Academic Honesty and Plagiarism

You must read the Academic Honesty Policy in the Policies and Procedures section of this guide. Important points:

  • Close paraphrasing of another persons' writing is considered plagiarism. You must express ideas using your own words
  • Claim of ignorance of the University policy on plagiarism is NOT a defence. If you do not understand the Academic Honesty Policy, please seek advise from a member of academic staff.

All students are encouraged to enrol in the Academic Integrity Module. The AIM iLearn module helps to develop honesty in academic practices and teaches students the key values of the new Macquarie University Academic Integrity Policy . You will find the Academic Integrity Module on your iLearn homepage under 'Student Support: Skill Building and Help Resources', or self-enrol using your OneID and password. The module will take approximately one hour to complete

 

Delivery and Resources

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update

Any references to on-campus delivery below may no longer be relevant due to COVID-19.

Please check here for updated delivery information: https://ask.mq.edu.au/account/pub/display/unit_status

Required text

Stein, M., Kinder, D., Rolf, K., Silbert, J., & Carnine, D. W. (2018). Direct instruction mathematics (5th ed.). Pearson.

This book is available in hard copy or as an e-book.

Additional reading

Additional reading will be provided for each module. These should all be directly available from the library or will be made available on the unit iLearn site.

Electronic Communication

It is the student's responsibility to check all electronic communication on a regular basis. Communication may occur via:

  • Official MQ student email address
  • The Dialogue function on iLearn
  • Other iLearn communication functions

Access and technical assistance

This unit uses an iLearn web site. You may access this site from https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/login/index.php

An iLearn quick guide for students is available from https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/tools-and-resources/ilearn/ilearn-quick-guides-for-students

For help with iLearn email ilearn.help@mq.edu.au

Please do NOT contact the Unit Convenor regarding iLearn technical help. No extensions will be given for any technical issues. Allow enough time for your submissions.

Assistance is available from IT Helpdesk ph: 1800 67 4357, or log a request at help.mq.edu.au. OneHelp is the online IT support service for both students and staff.  

Unit Schedule

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update

The unit schedule/topics and any references to on-campus delivery below may no longer be relevant due to COVID-19. Please consult iLearn for latest details, and check here for updated delivery information: https://ask.mq.edu.au/account/pub/display/unit_status

The following table gives as overview of topics covered in the unit and the suggested completion date.

Module

Release / recommended completion date

Content

Introduction

24th Feb 2020 / 1st March 2020

General introduction to the unit, expectations & assessments. Academic integrity and library resources.

Module 1

2nd March 2020 / 15th March 2020

Assessment, Instructional Approaches, and Evidence-Based Practice.

Module 2

16th March 2020 / 29th March 2020

Number Sense: Counting, Symbol Identification & Place Value

Module 3

30th March 2020 / 12th April 2020

Addition and Subtraction: Conceptual Understanding and Procedural Strategies

Module 4

27th April 2020 / 10th May 2020

Multiplication and Division: Conceptual Understanding and Procedural Strategies

Module 5

11th May 2020 / 24th May 2020

Problem Solving and Functional Mathematics

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/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/study/getting-started/student-conduct​

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) 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 or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@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 help you improve your marks and take control of your study.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

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

If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/

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