Students

EDST3500 – Practice of Teaching: Reimagining Indigenous Education

2025 – Session 1, Online-scheduled-weekday

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor
Dakota Jericho Smith
dakota.smith@mq.edu.au
Contact via Email
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
120cp at 1000 level or above including (EDST2500 or EDST2010 or EDST201 or ECHP222 or EDST2501 or EDST2000)
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit will deepen students’ understandings of the practices of settler colonial education and the impact of colonialism in mainstream schooling. Lectures and tutorials discuss research-informed and relational approaches to effectively teach Indigenous students, embed Indigenous perspectives and build respectful and reciprocal relationships with Indigenous communities. Students will engage with Indigenous scholarship to rethink deficit perspectives and develop an understanding of the complexities involved in ‘Indigenous education’ in relation to policies, curriculum, resources and pedagogies. At its core, this unit will require students to critically reflect on their own positionality and knowledges to overturn the harm of schooling for many Indigenous children and young people. This unit incorporates a professional experience placement where students apply and are assessed on their understanding of 'Indigenous Education’.

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: Use research-informed pedagogical approaches to embed Indigenous perspectives.
  • ULO2: Engage with Indigenous scholarship to challenge deficit perspectives that are present in policies, curriculum and practices.
  • ULO3: Understand the ongoing impacts of colonialism in schooling and the importance of teachers’ critical self-awareness in order to build respectful and reciprocal relationships with Indigenous communities.
  • ULO4: Critically reflect on own bias, positionality and knowledges in the context of colonialism and Indigenous sovereignty.
  • ULO5: Demonstrate the capacity to work professionally in an early childhood setting or school.

General Assessment Information

Important Assessment Information

Please note that there are three (3) weighted Assessments for this unit. The Research Portfolio is separated into two assessments (see due dates above). Students will submit one prior to their placement, and complete the second half of the assessment after their placement. More detail and specific guidelines will be available on iLearn.

General Submission Information

Please format assessments using 12-point font and 1.5 spacing. All assessments must be submitted electronically. Turnitin plagiarism detection software is used to check all written assessments. It is the responsibility of all students to ensure that their submitted work is in a format compatible with Turnitin software for plagiarism checking. Submissions must meet the required file type and formatting specifications outlined in the assessment guidelines. Failure to submit work in an acceptable format may result in delays in processing your submission and potential penalties for non-compliance with assessment requirements. If you are unsure about the file format or have technical difficulties, it is your responsibility to seek assistance before the submission deadline. Students should be careful to check that they submit the correct file for an assessment as no re-submissions will be accepted after the due date and time, including instances where students upload an incorrect file. It is not the responsibility of unit staff to contact students who have failed to submit assessments. If you have any missing items of assessment, it is your responsibility to contact the unit convenor. Students can use Turnitin’s Originality Report as a learning tool to improve their academic writing if this option is made available in the unit. Word limits are strictly applied. Work above the word limit will not be marked.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Students should be aware of and apply the University policy on academic integrity. Any student suspected of using unauthorised AI in an assignment will be referred to the Faculty of Arts Discipline Committee. Penalties can include reduced marks for an assessment, being awarded '0' for a task, failing an entire unit, being excluded from a course of study. Please see each assessment task description/rubric for expectations about AI.

Special Consideration / Late Penalties

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day an assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends) (see: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/assessment-exams/special-consideration). Applications for extensions must be made via Service Connect. After the 7th day, a mark of 0 (zero) will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11:55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue. This late penalty will apply to non-timed sensitive assessments (incl. essays, reports, posters, portfolios, journals, recordings etc). Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs etc) will only be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special Consideration application. A Special Consideration outcome may result in a new question or topic.

Marking

All assessments are marked using a rubric. Marking of all assessments is moderated by the Unit Convenor.

University Policy on Grading

Assignments will be awarded grades ranging from HD to F according to guidelines set out in the University's Grading System and University Assessment Policy. 

Results

Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed because 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 Service Connect.

Withdrawing from this unit

If you are considering withdrawing from this unit, please seek academic advice via Service Connect before doing so as this unit may be a co-requisite or prerequisite for units in the following sessions and may impact your course progression.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Standpoint statement 50% No 23/03/2025
Resource portfolio 50% No 13/04/2025; 08/06/2025
Professional Experience Evaluation Report 0% Yes 08/06/2025

Standpoint statement

Assessment Type 1: Media presentation
Indicative Time on Task 2: 12.5 hours
Due: 23/03/2025
Weighting: 50%

 

Students present an individual standpoint statement supported by academic research, outlining who they are and why critical self-awareness and reflection are integral in Indigenous education. 1500 words.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Understand the ongoing impacts of colonialism in schooling and the importance of teachers’ critical self-awareness in order to build respectful and reciprocal relationships with Indigenous communities.
  • Critically reflect on own bias, positionality and knowledges in the context of colonialism and Indigenous sovereignty.

Resource portfolio

Assessment Type 1: Portfolio
Indicative Time on Task 2: 0 hours
Due: 13/04/2025; 08/06/2025
Weighting: 50%

 

Prior to placement students compile a selection of Indigenous resources to utilise in their teaching, justifying their choices with links to policy requirements, applicability of the resource to their KLAs, and reliability and appropriateness of the resource. After placement students will reflect on their Professional Experience placement and their abilities or challenges to embed Indigenous perspectives in their teaching. Students are expected to link their experiences to policy and current research. 2000 words.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Use research-informed pedagogical approaches to embed Indigenous perspectives.
  • Engage with Indigenous scholarship to challenge deficit perspectives that are present in policies, curriculum and practices.
  • Understand the ongoing impacts of colonialism in schooling and the importance of teachers’ critical self-awareness in order to build respectful and reciprocal relationships with Indigenous communities.

Professional Experience Evaluation Report

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 0 hours
Due: 08/06/2025
Weighting: 0%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)

 

Complete 15 days Professional Experience placement

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Use research-informed pedagogical approaches to embed Indigenous perspectives.
  • Engage with Indigenous scholarship to challenge deficit perspectives that are present in policies, curriculum and practices.
  • Understand the ongoing impacts of colonialism in schooling and the importance of teachers’ critical self-awareness in order to build respectful and reciprocal relationships with Indigenous communities.
  • Critically reflect on own bias, positionality and knowledges in the context of colonialism and Indigenous sovereignty.
  • Demonstrate the capacity to work professionally in an early childhood setting or school.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Delivery

EDST3500 is divided into modules and delivered through the following items:

  • a weekly, one-hour pre-recorded lecture. Please note: it is a requirement that students watch the assigned lecture prior to attending tutorials each week.
  • a weekly 1.5 hour tutorial. Please note: it is important for students to check whether they are enrolled in a face-to-face or online tutorial.
  • weekly prescribed readings
  • supplementary learning activities on iLearn

EDST3500 is a Professional Experience unit and students will undertake a three (3) week placement. Please see more information about this in the Policies and Procedures section of this Unit Guide.

Further information about the nature and content of unit delivery is available on ilearn.

Resources

Prescribed readings, as well as a curated list of scholarly publications authored (or co-authored) by Indigenous academics will be available on Leganto via a link on iLearn.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

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

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/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 connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

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

Academic Success

Academic Success provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

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

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

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.

School of Education Procedures

In addition, the following policies and procedures for the Macquarie School of Education apply to this unit.

Academic Progression Policy

This unit is a part of a professional course listed on Schedules 2 and 3 of the Academic Progression Policy. This course has additional requirements that are applicable for the full duration of the course, including course-specific Inherent Requirements, Fitness to Practice requirements and other compulsory course requirements. It also has rigorous academic progression standards. Inability to meet these requirements may result in a withdrawal of offer of admission and/or permanent exclusion from the course in accordance with the General Coursework Rules.

Communication

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

  • Official MQ Student Email Address
  • The Dialogue function on iLearn
  • Other iLearn communication functions

Attendance and Participation

See the University timetable for information about when classes begin in this unit. Creating your timetable - Enrolling | Macquarie University, Sydney.

Attendance at all synchronous activities, completion of non-synchronous formative/diagnostic class tasks and involvement in professional forums is expected as the Degree is a professional qualification. Activities completed during weekly tutorials (DAY or ONLINE DAY mode) or on campus days (INFQ mode) are essential for building the core knowledge and/or skills required to demonstrate the learning outcomes of this unit and to meet the AITSL Graduate Teacher Standards and/or ACECQA requirements. Attendance at all tutorials and/or on campus days is expected and will be recorded. Make up tasks may be given if attendance is missed to ensure all content is covered to meet accreditation requirements.

Students are required to attend the tutorial in which they are enrolled. Any changes to tutorial enrolments must be completed officially through e-Student. Please do not contact the unit convenor to request a change.

Professional Experience Unit Expectation

  • Important Professional Experience information can be found on Education Commons – see iLearn for details of how to self-enrol in Education Commons
  • Students must be able to present evidence of completion of mandatory requirements prior to session census date (or as otherwise advised) to receive a placement for Professional Experience. Please check your email from the Work Integrated Learning (WIL) Office. Requirements are outlined here: https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/professional-learning/pl-resources/pre-service-teacher-resources/induction-for-pre-service-teachers/mandatory-pre-requisites-for-pre-service-teachers-participating-
  • Students must have submitted all written assessment tasks and/or completed associated unit requirements scheduled prior to the commencement of the block.
  • Students who are completing a unit offered by another Department are expected to inform and negotiate with that unit convenor about their professional experience block dates and discuss how that unit's requirements can be met. For some situations it may mean that a student is enrolled externally for that unit so that attendance for tutorials for that unit is not impacted.
  • Feedback from Placement Support Team and/or Tertiary Supervisors and/or Supervising Teachers is of a general nature. It is incumbent on the student to check the requirements of any assessments or Professional Experience written tasks prior to submission.
  • Students may not be able to commence their placement until all alleged academic honesty breaches have been investigated and resolved.
  • The timing of placements can vary. For placements early in the session, fail grades may be approved by the university prior to the end of session for students who do not meet the placement expectations of the unit.
  • If a Student is identified as being In Need of Additional Support (INAS) for Professional Practice and/or Professional Experience written tasks, the Macquarie School of Education’s ‘Additional Support’ procedure will be activated.

LANTITE Information

To enrol in EDST3500 PEx Unit you must have met the standard for both the Literacy and Numeracy tests prior to commencing the unit. Enrolling in this unit while waiting for your results will not be accepted. You will be required to unenrol.

Unit information based on version 2025.03 of the Handbook