Introduction to Curriculum Planning and Assessment for Primary: Practicum 1

Overview

This is the first of four professional experience units for the Bachelor of Education (Primary). Pre-service teachers will undertake 20 days of professional experience in an approved Primary School setting, with children in a Foundation to Year 2 classroom under the supervision of approved mentors. The unit provides pre-service teachers with knowledge and skills needed to teach children effectively and gain knowledge about a variety of theoretical approaches to curriculum and assessment. Pre-service teachers become familiar with the relevant national and/or state or territory curriculum documents and demonstrate competence against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers appropriate to the course stage of this professional experience.

Unit learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

1. Identify and take observations of elements of the cultural, community and family contexts of children’s lives and their implications for curriculum, assessment and critical reflection
2. Define, plan and implement a variety of learning experiences using a range of pedagogical approaches to engage and monitor children's learning based on their abilities, demonstrating the capacity to articulate and evaluate aims, objectives, procedures and outcomes
3. Create rich and engaging learning environments which includes interacting and communicating effectively with young children with the main aims of building and strengthening relationships and supporting learning
4. Effectively integrate, into education programs, elements of the cultural identity and linguistic background of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students

Teaching methods

Swinburne Online

Assessment

It is a requirement that students achieve an overall pass grade for the Professional Experience Portfolio assessment task. This task is designed to evidence attainment of various Australian Professional Standards for Teachers and National Program Standards in line with external accreditation by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL).

Students who do not achieve an overall pass grade will, if feasible, be granted one additional opportunity to evidence their attainment of unmet requirements.

This requirement is aligned to the National Program Standard 5.4 that ensures providers work collaboratively with placement schools and systems to rigorously assess pre-service teachers against the Graduate Teacher Standards.

Content

• Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Graduate) Standards 1-7
• Code of Ethics
• How children learn in the Primary education context
• Teaching with intention 
• Expectations for young children 
• Self-assessment of teaching 
• Learning experiences 
• Promoting confidence and engagement in learning 
• Adapting teaching methods to young children’s skills, knowledge and interests 
• Demonstrating an awareness of children’s interest in contemporary technologies
• Recognising individual difference and supporting learning accordingly
• Engaging collaboratively with colleagues and contributing to reflective practice
• Planning for and assessing children’s learning 
• Creating and maintaining safe, healthy and challenging learning environments
• Using relevant documents to plan, implement and evaluate learning experiences
• Intervening effectively to encourage appropriate behaviour and deal with inappropriate behaviour
• Relevant national and/or state or territory curriculum  and framework documents
• Family partnerships-strategies for communication with families
• Links between theory, research and practice
• Graduate Attribute – Communication Skills: Verbal communication
• Graduate Attribute – Communication Skills: Communicating using different media
• Graduate Attribute – Teamwork Skills: Collaboration and negotiation
• Graduate Attribute – Teamwork Skills: Teamwork roles and processes
• Graduate Attribute – Digital Literacies: Information literacy
• Graduate Attribute – Digital Literacies: Technical literacy