EDAR100 Creative Arts Education: Visual Arts

10 cp

This unit is designed to provide students with a basic understanding of the role of the visual arts in both an educative and societal context. It provides an introduction to the various theoretical models and strategies that underpin the role and function of the visual arts in teaching and learning. The unit also aims to increase students’ knowledge, skills and appreciation of the role of the artist as maker, presenter and critic, through the provision of practical experiences and opportunities for personal expression. This unit enables students to establish links between theoretical components and classroom practices in school settings.

EDAR102 Integrated Creative Arts Education 2

10 cp

An understanding of the nature of the creative arts, the creative process and children’s artistic development is essential if a balanced curriculum is to be achieved. The creative arts are a basic part of the child's environment. Therefore, a child's ability to understand, interpret, criticise and express themselves in art forms is fundamental. Teachers need personal experience in the skills and processes that go into the making, experiencing and interpreting of the arts.

EDAR305 Creative Arts Education: Visual Arts and Music

10 cp

Arts-learning is an essential part of a well rounded education. This core unit complements learning aspects that are developed in Learning Theory and Teaching and Classroom Management and in the other key learning areas. The unit examines assumptions held about the nature and value of the arts in education of the child and encourages an understanding of their significance in a personal, social and cultural context. The unit is designed to facilitate the student’s understanding of the ways in which children perceive, respond to and create in the arts. It provides an introduction to the various theoretical models and strategies that underpin the role and function of the arts in teaching and learning.

EDAR308 Creative Arts Education 1

10 cp

This unit is designed to provide students with an introduction to the field of the creative arts in education. Introductory experiences in the areas of visual arts, music, dance, drama and media education (where applicable) develop students’ foundational knowledge and understandings of the distinctive nature of subject disciplines. Students will develop a critical appreciation of the unique contributions the arts make to society and how these contributions can be engaged with and interpreted in the primary school classroom. Pedagogical principles, theoretical components and practice within music and/or visual arts and/or drama and/or dance and/or media are examined and applied in the design and implementation of classroom practices in school settings. This unit provides foundational understandings and experiences that will inform students’ choices in areas of specialisation in EDAR422 Creative Arts Education 2.

EDAR406 Aesthetics and Visual Literacy

10 cp

This unit broadens students’ appreciation of the importance of communicating ideas, emotions and experiences through visual forms. The content of the unit will extend students’ knowledge of the elements and principles of visual expression and enable teachers to plan and integrate visual education in the classroom.

EDAR416 Visual Arts Curriculum and Teaching 1

10 cp

This unit is designed to create and extend a knowledge base for visual arts education that will develop competence and ability in the planning of experiences in visual arts for middle school students within the context of relevant state curriculum documents. The unit is also designed to develop students’ understanding of visual arts education within a discipline-based tradition of aesthetics, art criticism, art history, and art production. Identification of appropriate content is investigated in order to facilitate middle school students’ achievement of standards. Emphasis is given to the contribution of visual arts education to whole language curriculum and also the way in which visual arts facilitates thinking through the processes of conceptualisation, inquiry and reflection.

EDAR417 Visual Arts Curriculum and Teaching 2

10 cp

This unit is designed to create and extend a knowledge base for visual arts education that will develop competence and ability in the planning of experiences in visual art for senior secondary school students within the context of the relevant state curriculum documents. Emphasis is placed on visual arts education as an interdisciplinary way of knowing as well as a discipline-based domain. Students are introduced to the processes of assessment, reporting and curriculum evaluation in the senior art classroom. Contemporary issues affecting visual arts education are also addressed in the unit.

EDAR418 Visual Arts Curriculum and Teaching 3

10 cp

This unit provides opportunities to study curriculum issues and teaching and learning strategies related to art practice. A variety of curriculum models, including from local, national and international contexts will be examined in terms of their representation of art practice, research and the role of the teacher. Students will critically evaluate discipline-based art education (DBAE) and other approaches to program design and classroom teaching practice. Such inquiry provides a means of exploring the cultural context of visual arts practice and the contribution that public and community arts resources can make to enrich the secondary student’s experience of learning within the arts curriculum. Engagement with museums, public and community art, as well as, exploring new forms of visual research, visual analysis and image-making form part of the studies in the unit.

EDAR419 Visual Arts Curriculum and Teaching 4

10 cp

This unit focuses on the nature of aesthetic experience. Students are introduced to different perspectives of aesthetics: historical, philosophical, social and cultural. Studies of cognition and research on knowing in art are considered in relation to recent research in conceptual development in art and frameworks of understanding in the aesthetic domain. The unit examines the place of aesthetic education in the visual arts curriculum.

EDAR422 Creative Arts Education 2

10 cp

In this unit, students elect to engage in an in-depth study of Music, Visual Arts, Dance, Media and/or Drama in an educative and societal context. The unit aims to increase students’ knowledge, skills and appreciation of the role of arts practitioners through the provision of practical experiences. Unit content encourages an understanding and appreciation of the practices and conventions of an area of one or more arts subject disciplines as applied to the primary classroom. This unit enables students to develop a comprehensive understanding of the relationships between pedagogical principles, theoretical components and practice within a particular arts discipline and how this informs the research, design and implementation of authentic arts practices in school settings.

EDAR504 Creative Arts Curriculum

10 cp

This unit is designed to provide students with an introduction to the field of the creative arts in education. Introductory experiences in the areas of visual arts, music, dance, drama and media education (where applicable) develop students' foundational knowledge and understandings of the distinctive nature of disciplines in the creative arts. Students will develop a critical appreciation of the unique contributions the arts make to society and how these contributions can be engaged with and interpreted in the primary school classroom. Pedagogical principles, theoretical components and practice within music and/or visual arts and/or drama and/or dance and/or media are examined and applied in the design and implementation of classroom practices in school settings.

EDAR602 Visual Arts Curriculum Studies: Advanced Professional Practice

10 cp

This unit is designed to provide primary teachers with knowledge and skills relevant to teaching visual arts. Through the investigation of pedagogical principles, theoretical components and practical workshops within visual arts education, students build an understanding of the unique nature of teaching visual arts, and how this relates to their knowledge as a generalist teacher in the primary classroom. Students build skills in visual arts, visual arts pedagogy and curriculum development within the visual arts.

EDCU101 Early Childhood Education 1 – Early Childhood Pedagogy and Curriculum

10 cp
Prerequisites This unit builds from the Year 1 Education Studies strand, with the focus on learning, development and understanding children in context.

High quality early childhood programs are significant in nurturing the young children’s holistic development and establishing strong foundations for their continuing success as lifelong learners. This unit critically examines the principles and perspectives underpinning contemporary early childhood curriculum and uses this framework to explore the integrative nature of its key components. Pedagogy that actively engages children in play and other worthwhile contexts for learning is critically considered from multiple perspectives. These include the broader ecological, social and cultural contexts of teaching; the diversity of experiences; the relationships that shape young children’s lives; and the nature and needs of young learners.

EDCU202 Early Childhood Education 4 – Building Curriculum Connections and Continuities

10 cp
Prerequisites This unit builds on understandings from the first three units in the Early Childhood sequence, and units in the Curriculum and Education Studies strands.

Early childhood education has focus on building continuities that support holistic learning and that nurture the child as a lifelong learner. Socially constructivist and critical perspectives acknowledge children as capable learners and emphasise the need for curriculum continuities that create connections between children’s prior experiences and their current and future leaning. The unit uses a critical learning paradigm that is consistent with the ACU National Mission to view the role of the early childhood educator through multiple lenses. Students are challenged to reflect on these roles and to articulate a vision for their teaching that embodies respect for human dignity in all dimensions of their personal lives and professional practice.

EDCU300 Early Childhood Education 1

10 cp

This unit focuses on the nature of the curriculum in early childhood settings (ages 3-8), particularly on children’s learning in the preschool years. Perspectives and principles underlying contemporary approaches to quality early childhood education are considered in terms of developmentally appropriate practice and socio-cultural influences on learning. The foundation areas of learning, play and pedagogy are explored. This unit will build on and extend the student’s knowledge about child development, the sociology of childhood, and curriculum development.

EDCU301 Early Childhood Education 2

10 cp

This unit focuses on the early years of schooling. Students are provided with the opportunity to gain an understanding of the national, state and system policies that influence decision making in schools. Various policy documents that relate to the curriculum planning and assessment are examined and critically analysed against contemporary scholarly views on the components of a quality, inclusive curriculum and practices in schools and preschools. The need for teacher professionalism and accountability is emphasised.