Assessment Presentation and Submission Guidelines

Please follow these guidelines when you submit each assignment:

• Allow a left and right-hand margin of at least 2cm in all assignments.
• Please type all assignments using 12-point font and 1.5 spacing.
• All assessments must be submitted through Turnitin in .doc or .pdf format
• It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that all assessments are successfully submitted through Turnitin.
• Faculty assignment cover sheets are NOT required.

Draft Submissions & Turnitin Originality Reports

• Students may use Turnitin’s Originality Report as a learning tool to improve their academic writing if this option is made available in the unit.
• Students are strongly encouraged to upload a draft copy of each assessment to Turnitin at least one week prior to the due date to obtain an Originality Report.
• The Originality Report provides students with a similarity index that may indicate if plagiarism has occurred. Students will be able to make amendments to their drafts prior to their final submission on the due date.
• Generally, one Originality Report is generated every 24 hours up to the due date.

Please note:

• Students should regularly save a copy of all assignments before submission.
• Students are responsible for checking that the correct file has been uploaded, that their submission has been successful, and that it has been submitted by the due date and time.

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: Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply - 10/100 marks of credit (10% of the total assessment weighting) will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted seven days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessment - e.g., quizzes, online tests. A zero result for the assignment will be recorded after the late submission period has ended if no task has been received.

• 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.

Requesting a re-assessment of an assignment

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.

Note:

• Please do not request a re-mark for a Failed assessment as they are all double-marked as a part of the moderation process.
• The outcome of a re-mark may be a higher/lower or unchanged grade.
• Grades are standards referenced and effort is NOT a criterion.

Units with Quiz Assessments

Online quizzes are an individual assessment task and MUST BE COMPLETED by each student individually. Similarities in responses between students will be checked and investigated for possible collusion.

University policy on grading

Criteria for awarding grades for assessment tasks

Assignments will be awarded grades ranging from HD to F according to guidelines set out in the University's Grading Policy. The following descriptive criteria are included for your information.

Descriptive Criteria for awarding grades in the unit

In order to meet the unit outcomes and successfully pass this unit, students must make a genuine attempt at all assessment tasks. Where any submitted assessment task is considered to be unsatisfactory in this regard, the highest possible final grade that can be awarded for the unit will be 45.

Students will be awarded grades ranging from HD to F according to guidelines set out in the policy: https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/assessment-in-effect-from-session-2-2016

The following generic grade descriptors provide university-wide standards for awarding final grades.

Note: If you fail a unit with a professional experience component, the fail grade will be on your transcript irrespective of the timing of the placement.

Withdrawing from this unit

If you are considering withdrawing from this unit, please seek academic advice via https://ask.mq.edu.au before doing so as this unit may be a co-requisite or prerequisite for units in the following sessions and may impact on your progression through the degree.

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.

Compulsory Texts

Fellowes, J. & Oakley, G. (2020). Language, literacy and early childhood education (3^rd ed.). Oxford University Press.

Derewianka, B. (2011). A new grammar companion for teachers. (2^nd ed.). Primary English Teaching Association.

Recommended Readings

Callow, J. (2018). Classroom assessment and picture books: Strategies for assessing how students interpret multimodal texts. Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 41(1), 5–20.

Cavanagh, M. & Prescott, A. (2021). Your professional experience handbook: A guide for preservice teachers (2^nd ed.). Pearson. This is highly recommended as it is relevant to all your professional experience units of study.

Christie, F. (2005). Language education in the primary years. UNSW Press.

Derewianka, B. (2020). Exploring how texts work (2^nd ed.) Primary English Teaching Association Australia (PETAA).

Derewianka, B & Jones, P. (2016). Teaching language in context (2^nd ed.). Oxford University Press.

Emmitt, M., Zbaracki, M., Komesaroff, L. & Pollard, J. (2015) (6^th  edition). Language and learning: An introduction for teaching. Oxford University Press.

Ewing, R. (2001). What is a functional model of language? Primary English Teaching Association. (Original work published 1994)

French, R. (2017). 'The picture is pleading to us to help': Primary school children interpret a persuasive online video. Practical literacy: The early and primary years, 22(3), 29–31.

Hill, S. (2021). Developing early literacy. Assessment and teaching (3^rd ed.). Eleanor Curtain Publishing.

Humphrey, S., Droga, L., & Feez, S. (2012). Grammar and meaning (2^nd ed.). Primary English Teaching Association Australia (PETAA). ** Highly recommended. This book includes activities with answers, for developing and applying your grammar knowledge.

Humphrey, S. & Vale, E. (2020) Investigating model texts for learning. Primary English Teaching Association Australia (PETAA).

Kalantzis, M, Cope, B., Chan, E. & Dalley-Trim, L. (2016). Literacies (2^nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.

McLeod, S., & McCormack, J. (Eds) (2015). Introduction to speech, language and literacy. Oxford University Press.

Moats, L. (2020). Speech to print: Language essentials for teachers. Paul H. Brookes Pub. Co.

Murphy, S. (2021) Teaching poetry for pleasure and purpose. Primary English Teaching Association.

Tompkins, G.; Campbell, R.; Green, D. (2018). Literacy for the 21st Century: A balanced approach (3^rd ed.). Pearson Education Australia.

Walsh, M. (2011). Multimodal literacy. Researching classroom practice. Primary English Teaching Association.

Winch, G. (2013). The grammar handbook. Oxford University Press.

Winch, G., Johnston, R., March, P., Ljungdahl, L. & Holliday, M. (2020). Literacy: Reading, writing & children’s literature (6^th ed.). Oxford University Press.

Wing Jan, L. & Taylor, S. (2020). Write ways. (5^th ed.). Oxford University Press.

Yopp, H.K. & Yopp, R. H. (2009) Phonological awareness is child’s play. Young Children (YC), 64(1), 12–18, 21.

iLearn site    

This unit has a full web presence through iLearn.   

Students will need regular access to a computer and the internet to complete this unit.  

Weekly access to iLearn is compulsory for all students. Important assessment information will be posted there, as will other relevant unit notices and materials. 

Various activities and materials for discussion and tutorial preparation will be provided. Electronic links and suggested references will be included in the Leganto section, which is linked to the library. Please check the iLearn site for the unit regularly.  

Lectures

Lectures are available on the web through the Echo360 component. You must listen to and view all lectures. PowerPoint slides will also be available in the Echo360 component. You are encouraged to create your own notes rather than only downloading slides.  

Access and technical assistance  

Information for students about access to the online component of this unit is available at https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/login/index.php. You will need to enter your student username and password. 

Please do NOT contact the Unit Convenor regarding iLearn technical help.  

No extensions will be given for any technical issues. Allow enough time for uploading 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. 

This unit requires students to use several ICT and software skills: 

• Internet access: The iLearn site contains materials for this unit; it is also required for the online submission of all assessment tasks, and for the use of Turnitin submission for ALL tasks.
• Word processing, visual representations, and document formatting including formatting of tables: You are required to use an appropriate form of software to present your assignments.  
• Uploading of assessment tasks to iLearn. 

Structure 

The unit will be delivered using a combination of lectures and tutorials. There are 16 hours of lecture content, some of which is delivered in shorter mini-lectures although most are roughly 1-hour lectures. There is an average of 3 hours of lectures across each fortnight of the teaching weeks. All lectures will be recorded and made available in Echo360. 

Weekly 1.5-hour tutorials will be held across nine teaching weeks for students enrolled in the 'In-person - Weekday' attendance mode (total: 13.5 hours). 

For students enrolled in the 'In-person - Infrequent' attendance mode, there is a combination of online 1.5-hour tutorials (in Weeks 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9) and one half-day on-campus session (total: 13.5 hours, made up of 10.5 hours in online tutorials and 3 hours in the on-campus session).

In tutorials and at on-campus sessions (as relevant to their enrolment mode), students will discuss issues and questions arising from the lectures and prescribed readings. They are expected to base their arguments/discussions on evidence from published research and other relevant material. Students are required to participate in small group activities and whole class discussion, to read the weekly material in advance, and to complete brief tasks either as individuals or in pairs. Sometimes short 'homework' tasks will be set, which also need to be completed as tutorial preparation. The weekly program for the course with the accompanying readings/ preparation will be available on the unit iLearn site.

The on-campus session for this year is on:

Saturday 26/3/22

Further specific details and any updates about times and locations will be posted on iLearn as an Announcement.

The professional experience requirements for this unit have some additional specifications, to address NESA accreditation requirements. While students in previous offerings have likely undertaken these activities, the following are now explicitly required to be demonstrated in the unit's P.Ex.placement:

• "read to the children using quality children’s literature texts" and
• "demonstrate facility in using NSW Foundation Style handwriting when teaching".

The 5Rs Framework, developed by the School of Education at Macquarie University, is embedded throughout your teacher education course.

Your use of the 5Rs Framework will help you develop the capabilities that will make your teaching career sustainable and fulfilling.

In this unit, you will learn using the 5Rs framework in the following important ways:

• Resilience practised inside and outside of the classroom. 

Students will build resilience by engaging strongly with intellectually challenging content relevant to teaching. During teaching weeks and during the professional experience placement, students will draw on social and structural supports including meaningful interaction with a range of peers as well as teaching staff in the unit, tertiary supervisors, and staff in schools. They will build foundational skills of managing new and complex contexts during the professional experience placement, and practise resilience as they engage with feedback on their teaching practice.

• Reflexive in their teaching practice.

Students learn about the 'ladder of inference' as a tool for reflecting on practice from different standpoints and to prepare for making thoughtful classroom observations. Opportunities to develop professional reflexivity will be specifically afforded by the professional experience placement, in which students will reflect upon their own practice and make effective decisions in light of their own and supervising teacher evaluations.

Reflexivity is also developed across the assessment tasks, as students reflect upon feedback and then feed forward relevant advice, where possible, to subsequent assessment tasks and/or into their teaching practice in professional experience placements in this unit and in the future.

• Responsive to students, colleagues, parents and professional communities.

Students will understand and respect the roles adults play in children's literacy development, the importance of oral language as foundational for literacy success, and the development of reading, writing, and multimodal and critical literacy in homes/communities as well as in formal educational contexts. Students will begin to develop an understanding of the role of literacy education in promoting social justice for children experiencing difficulties in literacy learning, Indigenous learners, and EAL/D (English as an additional language or dialect) learners - and their responsibilities as educators in being responsive to student diversity.​

During the professional experience placement, students will demonstrate positive professional relationships with children, parents/families (as opportunity affords) and colleagues. Students will draw on their knowledge of curriculum content and how to teach it to promote children’s language and literacy development and to provide meaningful feedback as responsive teachers.

• Ready to learn.

Students will develop a foundational understanding of the role and value of language, literacy and children’s literature across the curriculum in school (K–6) contexts. They will demonstrate a basic working knowledge of aspects of language and literacies including phonology, grammar and text types including multimodal texts. This will form the basis for future learning in other units, that is, students are encouraged to see this unit as foundational and not an end point. Students will practise positive dispositions to professional learning, for example, they will come to tutorials prepared for learning, including having completed prior reading and preparatory tasks, and bringing their own questions and key understandings to share. They will engage in small group activities and discussions. They will cultivate positive attitudes towards lifelong professional learning about language, literacy education and literature.

• Research-engaged throughout their career.

Students will engage, individually and collaboratively, with research-informed lecture content, tutorials and scholarly readings. In assessment tasks, students will apply analytical skills to texts, which will provide practice for similarly informed analysis in future professional work e.g. understanding students' phonemic awareness skills; applying knowledge of language to texts for and by children. Weekly readings will engage students with research-informed principles and practices in English/literacies education.

During the professional experience placement, students will develop a tracking system for assessment purposes, collecting observations of at least 5 students per week. They will undertake observations to compile information which could be used for a mid-year report for 1 student by the completion of Professional Experience. These activities will develop understandings of how ‘small data’ from classroom assessment help to give us details about children’s learning and progress.