Students

EDST2500 – Practice of Teaching: Cultural and Linguistic Diversity

2025 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor/lecturer/tutor
Dr Sue Ollerhead
susan.ollerhead@mq.edu.au
Contact via email
25 Wallys Walk, Building B, Room 520
please email for an appointment
Lecturer
A/Prof Alice Chik
alice.chik@mq.edu.au
Contact via email
25 Wallys Walk, Building B, Room 714
Lecturer, tutor
Dr Nicole Jamison
nicole.jamison@mq.edu.au
Contact via email
25 Wallys Walk, Building B, Room 615
Convenor (PEX)
Anna Margaret Grogan
annamargaret.grogan@mq.edu.au
Contact via email
by appointment
Tutor
Scott Smith
scott.smith@mq.edu.au
Contact via email
by appointment
Tutor
Diane Alperstein
di.alperstein@mq.edu.au
Contact via email
by appointment
Tutor
Miriam Barnes
miriam.barnes@mq.edu.au
Contact via email
by appointment
Tutor
Maria Lobytsyna
maria.lobytsyna@mq.edu.au
Contact via email
by appointment
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
80cp at 1000 level or above including (EDST1500 or EDST1000 or EDST100) and admission to (BEd(EC) or BEd(EC and Prim) or BEd(Prim) or BEd(Sec) or BTeach(ECE) or BABEd(Prim) or BA)
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit will provide students with the theoretical and pedagogical foundations they need to use children/primary and secondary students' cultural funds of knowledge and home languages as a resource for learning, while simultaneously supporting their English language development across the curriculum. Students will learn how to design and evaluate differentiated teaching strategies that meet the learning needs of children/primary and secondary students from diverse backgrounds within an inclusive environment that recognises and affirms their cultural and linguistic identities. This unit includes structured observation in school and early childhood education settings.  

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: Demonstrate critical understanding of cultural and linguistic diversity in contemporary Australian and global societal and educational contexts. 
  • ULO2: Explain the value of children/primary and secondary students' cultural funds of knowledge and home languages for supporting learning in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms. 
  • ULO3: Identify and evaluate research-informed pedagogies for teaching students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
  • ULO4: Develop and evaluate resources, including ICT, that engage culturally and linguistically diverse children/primary and secondary students in their learning.  
  • ULO5: Design teaching and learning activities with differentiated tasks to meet the learning needs of children/primary and secondary students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
  • ULO6: Demonstrate the capacity to work professionally in an early childhood setting or school.

General Assessment Information

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 (see: https://policies.mq.edu.au/document/view.php?id=3). 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.  

To attain a pass or higher grade in Professional Experience a student must obtain a satisfactory in both the Professional Experience component and a pass or higher grade in the academic component. For Professional Experience units the Professional Experience Evaluation Report is marked as Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory. The Macquarie Teaching Performance Assessment (MQTPA - in final WIL/PEx units) is marked as Not met, Met or Exceeds. 

 

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
Case study 50% No 09/04/2025
Observation report and reflection 50% No 28/05/2025
Professional Experience Evaluation Report 0% Yes 05/06/2025

Case study

Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: 09/04/2025
Weighting: 50%

 

Using a chosen EAL/D case study, students will create a multimodal presentation outlining strategies and resources to support learning success

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate critical understanding of cultural and linguistic diversity in contemporary Australian and global societal and educational contexts. 
  • Explain the value of children/primary and secondary students' cultural funds of knowledge and home languages for supporting learning in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms. 
  • Identify and evaluate research-informed pedagogies for teaching students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
  • Develop and evaluate resources, including ICT, that engage culturally and linguistically diverse children/primary and secondary students in their learning.  

Observation report and reflection

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: 28/05/2025
Weighting: 50%

 

Students will complete an in-depth, analytical report on the culturally and linguistically responsive strategies and approaches that they have observed during their 5-day professional experience placement. They will reflect on the skills, knowledge and dispositions that they have developed with regard to teaching in culturally and linguistically diverse contexts.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Explain the value of children/primary and secondary students' cultural funds of knowledge and home languages for supporting learning in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms. 
  • Identify and evaluate research-informed pedagogies for teaching students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
  • Develop and evaluate resources, including ICT, that engage culturally and linguistically diverse children/primary and secondary students in their learning.  
  • Design teaching and learning activities with differentiated tasks to meet the learning needs of children/primary and secondary students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
  • Demonstrate the capacity to work professionally in an early childhood setting or school.

Professional Experience Evaluation Report

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 0 hours
Due: 05/06/2025
Weighting: 0%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)

 

Supervising Teacher completes Evaluation Report.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • 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

Resources 

 

Recommended texts

Adger, C., Snow, C. & Christian, D. (2018). What teachers need to know about language. 2nd edition.  Multilingual Matters. Bristol. 

Heugh, K., French, M., Armitage, J. Taylor-Leech, K., Billinghurst, N. & Ollerhead, S. (2019). Using multilingual approaches: moving from theory to practice. British Council. London. https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/Using_multilingual_approaches.pdf

Moloney, R., Harbon, L. & Oguro, S. (2024). Teaching for linguistic diversity in schools. Student Wellbeing and Achievement. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.

 

Information about the unit iLearn site   

This unit has a full web presence through iLearn. 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. Assistance is available from IT Helpdesk: via email onehelp@mq.edu.au or Ph: 9850 4357 or 1800 67 4357. On Campus: Ground floor at 18 Wally’s Walk. 

Unit Schedule

Please see iLearn for details

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.

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. 

 

Fitness to practice in a Professional Experience unit 

Macquarie University operates under a ‘Fitness to Practice’ model as specified in the University's Academic Progression Policy.  For this unit, this means that, when undertaking a placement, a student is declaring that they are able to demonstrate professional competence, acceptable professional behaviour, freedom from impairment, and compliance with program specific requirements needed for a student to practice properly and safely throughout their Practical, Clinical or Professional program or unit. It is the responsibility of the student to determine whether they are fit to undertake a placement. Therefore, if a student is feeling unfit to undertake a placement, they should not do so. For more information Academic Progression Policy.  

 

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 (mq.edu.au) 

 

Attendance at all synchronous activities, completion of non-synchronous formative/diagnostic class tasks and involvement in professional forums is  expected as the Bachelor of Education 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. 

 

Infrequent Attendance Students 

Information about the dates of the on-campus sessions can be found in the university timetable. Creating your timetable - Enrolling | Macquarie University, Sydney (mq.edu.au) 

  • The on campus sessions are essential to student engagement and learning and attendance is expected. Failure to attend or not to have an approved Special Consideration may result in a Fail grade.  

  • Prior to the on campus sessions, students should have read the prescribed readings and listened to the lectures, summarise the main points, and make notes of the key terms and definitions. Prepare any discussion questions of your own that you wish to share. 

  • Please make effective use of the online component of the unit and access iLearn regularly. Keep up to date with listening to the lectures on a weekly basis. 

  • Further details and any updates about times and locations will be posted on iLearn as an Announcement during first half of the semester. 

Professional Experience Unit Expectations [only for PEx units (UG & PG)] 

  • Important Professional Experience information can be found on Education Commons – see iLearn for details of how to self-enrol in Education Commons 

  • 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. 

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.

Changes since First Published

Date Description
24/02/2025 Update of tutor details

Unit information based on version 2025.06 of the Handbook