Contemporary Issues in Educational Settings

Overview

This unit prepares students to use best-practice evidence to approach a range of contemporary issues relevant to the practice of educational and developmental psychologists. Topics will span across psychological practice with a diverse range of clients in rural, remote, and metropolitan areas, as well as pre-school, primary, secondary, and tertiary education settings. The unit prepares students to provide equitable support to all members in an educational community to promote whole educational-setting wellbeing and positive student learning outcomes, applying anti-oppressive, culturally safe, and ethical practices to address individual and systemic challenges. Supporting educational communities during and after a crisis, and implementing the key principles of effective critical incident management, is an important skill learned in this unit. Students will also develop skills in collaborating with professionals from other disciplines, making appropriate referrals, and understanding the roles of relevant service providers. This unit features on-campus opportunities for students to practice their skills in responding to contemporary issues in educational settings and to hear from guest lecturers and experts working in the field.

Unit learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

1. Apply and evaluate evidence-based individual and group psychological interventions to support students, families and the broader educational community
2. Implement evidence-based critical incident management processes following a crisis or disaster to support educational communities
3. Collaborate effectively with colleagues and professionals from other disciplines, make appropriate referrals, and understand the roles of relevant service providers, to support educational communities
4. Critique contemporary issues in educational settings at individual and systemic levels, and apply anti-oppressive, culturally safe, and ethical practices to address these challenges

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Assessment

Content

• Contemporary student issues in pre-school, primary, secondary, and tertiary educational settings
• Mental health & wellbeing in educational settings
• Evidence-based approaches to address a range of contemporary individual and systemic issues in schools
• Anti-oppressive and culturally safe practice with marginalised students, with a particular focus on systemic issues, advocacy, and working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. 
• Capacity-building with schools, education professionals, communities, and families
• Risk assessment of suicide, self-harm, and harm to others (acute and chronic)
• Effective critical incident management 
• Graduate Attribute 1 (Communication 1 - Verbal Communication)
• Graduate Attribute 2 (Communication 2 - Communicating using different media)
• Graduate Attribute 3 (Teamwork 1 - Collaboration and negotiation)
• Graduate Attribute 4 (Teamwork 2 - Teamwork roles and processes)
• Graduate Attribute 5 (Digital Literacies 1 - Information literacy)
• Graduate Attribute 6 (Digital Literacies 2 - Technical literacy)