QDAB203 Indigenous Contemporary Issues

10 cp

This unit examines contemporary Indigenous Australian societies by analysing the development and impact of current policies in areas such as health, education, employment and family. The unit also examines the impact of contemporary developments in the Australian Indigenous visual and performing arts, film, music and literature in redefining the contemporary Australian identity.

 

QDAB300 Australian History in an Indigenous Context

10 cp

This unit will provide a wider historical context for some of the other indigenous studies units by dealing with important trends in Australian history since 1788. It will focus on the impact of these trends on Indigenous communities and the contribution Indigenous people have made to Australian society and culture. The periods studied will encompass the land wars, Federation, the pastoral industry, the two World Wars, the White Australia Policy and the development of policies of cultural diversity.

 

QDAB304 Indigenous Teachers in Australian Education

10 cp

This unit examines the history and development of education policies and practices, in particular in relation to Indigenous education and the impact of policy on educational practices in different settings and on different school systems. It informs students as they learn to take on roles as teachers and leaders.

 

QDAC117 Social Justice and Legal Issues

10 cp

This unit gives students a greater understanding of the philosophy and practice of social justice particularly as it applies to the rights of people with disabilities. It also examines the way in which the human rights movement has led to both social and legislative changes. Responses of service providers, community organisations and individuals working in the area of community education are also examined.

 

QDAR102 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.

 

QDAR422 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.

 

QDCU300 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.

 

QDCU301 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.

 

QDDR100 Creative Arts Education: Drama/Dance

10 cp

This unit is designed to develop students’ appreciation and understanding of the role of drama and dance in children’s education. The unit content will enable students to increase their awareness of the body as an effective means of communication and to develop knowledge, skills and strategies related to teaching and learning in drama and dance. (Emphasis given to the two components of this unit, that is drama and dance, may vary according to the resources available on each campus).

 

QDFD112 Children at Risk

10 cp

This unit will focus on the identification and provision of services for those children and young people considered to be at risk of harm and prepare you as a mandatory notifier of child abuse. It is intended that participants in this unit will have an understanding of the importance of child protection and personal safety programs and their implementation at the classroom and whole school level.

 

QDFD204 Catholic Education and Schooling

10 cp

This unit provides students with the opportunity to explore the nature of Catholic education and schooling in Australia. It draws upon theological, philosophical, historical, and sociological understandings of Catholic education and schooling. The unit will emphasise skills of critical analysis and argument consistent with the interdisciplinary nature of the unit.

 

QDFD212 Professional Ethics in Education

10 cp

This unit is designed to help students examine ethical issues that arise in the professional field of education. Students will learn principles, values and habits of thought relevant to the moral situations that arise in educational contexts. A central aim of the unit is to integrate education and teaching with helpful theoretical, analytical and problem solving skills - these are important abilities in the mature moral thinker and competent professional. This unit will enhance the application of Christian ethical principles to moral dilemmas in the school context.

 

QDFD220 Teaching and Managing Learning Environments

10 cp

This unit is designed to provide students with an introduction to theories and practices informing teaching and learning environments. They will investigate theoretical perspectives of teaching practice and implementation to establish and maintain effective learning environments. Students will develop a critical understanding of approaches to teaching and learning through engaging with research, scholarship and school-based professional experience. Students will critically address the complexities of teacher performance, classroom management strategies, planning processes, teaching strategies and social contexts that inform learning environments and evaluate online learning environments. They will identify issues relating to their safe and ethical use and develop web-based learning resources. The implementation of communication and interpersonal skills will be addressed within various school, classroom and community contexts. Through various perspectives of teaching practice students will develop an understanding of productive pedagogy with particular reference to the importance of creating quality learning environments.

 

QDFD221 Creating Inclusive, Safe and Supportive Schools

10 cp

This unit is the fifth in a six unit study sequence in the Education Studies Major This education unit focuses on a commitment to social justice, inclusive schooling and a teacher’s duty of care. Within the context of the National Framework for Values Education and National Safe Schools Framework, teaching for social justice is used to further develop students’ knowledge of gifted children, children with special needs and a teacher’s duty of care. It develops the student teacher’s knowledge and skills to meet relevant professional requirements, communication and interpersonal skills in working with students, parents and colleagues through a spirit of service and care of children in schools and community. Professional requirements include reference to Commonwealth Parliament Reports on Disability Standards for Education 2005 and 2001 Senate Report on Education of Gifted Children.

 

QDFD413 Philosophy of Education

10 cp

Our philosophy of education, including our view of the nature of the human person, influences many of the choices and decisions we make in education. This philosophy needs to be made explicit and critiqued. Catholic schools have their own philosophy, and decisions we make should reflect this philosophy. In this unit, in the light of maturity and experience, students will review the contribution philosophy makes to educational theory. It will focus, in particular, on Catholic philosophy and schooling.

 

QDFD437 Reflective Education

10 cp

This unit introduces the philosophy and methods of reflective practice through a process of examining the development, implementation and critiques of reflective practice strategies. Utilising reflective practice methodology and field-based research, students will investigate current educational and social justice issues that impact on the planning, delivery and evaluation of educational strategies in various settings. Through the process of reflective practice students will examine their own values and attitudes related to identified issues as a tool to analyse causes and effects of the issues. The final stage in the reflective process is identifying and implementing change within their own personal context and consequently evaluating its effectiveness in terms of learning/teaching success.

 

QDFD452 Transition into the Profession

10 cp

This unit is the sixth in a six unit study sequence in the Education Studies Major. This unit is designed to synthesis theories and practices addressed in previous education, professional and curriculum units to explore the nexus between curriculum development and pedagogical practice. Students in this unit are typically finalising their pre-service education and are preparing to undertake a final professional experience. Students are consolidating and developing an autonomous approach to reflective practice in teaching and learning experiences. This unit aims to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of theoretical frameworks of classroom management to facilitate effective management implementation in the classroom. Students will develop a mastery approach for understanding and implementing teaching strategies to develop and design effective teaching and learning experiences. Teaching as a profession will be investigated to provide students with an understanding of a variety of professional forums that inform educational practice. Students will develop knowledge and skills to produce their digital portfolio as evidence of their professional practice.

 

QDFD457 Action Research as a Reflective Practice

10 cp

This unit is designed to introduce students to using action research as a means of enabling reflective practice thus informing their teaching and learning. The unit focuses particularly on the practical implementation of reflective processes through field based research where students will face several teaching problems or issues. They will make a choice to investigate one of these, formulating a research question focused on improving or developing their practice. They will then design and implement a research project to further their understanding of their own teaching and learning within this focus area, and evaluate the outcomes of the research finding and the impact of the selected strategies used. The unit encourages students to develop an understanding of themselves as teachers through reflecting on the findings from their research. This unit emphasises the students’ development of self-regulatory strategies that provide a scaffold for continued use of reflective practices throughout their teaching career.

 

QDFD458 Catering for Diversity in the Classroom

10 cp

An ongoing challenge for schools is how to meet the educational needs of every student. This unit brings together the learning and teaching of mathematics and literacy with a clear focus on the diverse backgrounds and needs of children in the primary classroom. The aim of this unit is to develop students’ knowledge, understandings and skills in creating inclusive classrooms and schools to meet the educational needs of all students effectively. Students will explore effective teaching practices designed specifically to take account of a range of factors that impinge on children’s learning in literacy and mathematics, such as cultural backgrounds, learning difficulties, attitudes and abilities. The focus on diverse student backgrounds is developed from a human rights perspective and is based on a social justice paradigm of equal educational opportunity for all children within the regular class. Students will extend their studies of a variety of methods and teaching strategies to accommodate learning differences.