Literacy Leadership Research Project

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2012:

240 hours

At least 37.5 points in the Master of Literacy course

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

Participants in the subject will work with their school to identify a major issue related to
literacy facing their school or their local network, and then investigate the issue in the
professional and academic literature, plan a strategy or intervention, implement it, and
evaluate the outcomes. Participants will draw on the knowledge acquired in the other
subjects to explore the literacy issue they are working on, including drawing on the
work in the leadership subject to work with other members of the school or network in
implementing their strategy or intervention. Each participant will be assigned to a
group of course participants who are investigating a similar topic for support and
sharing of resources and experiences. Each of these groups will be led by an
academic who will be the supervisor of the projects being undertaken within the group.

On completion of this subject students will be able to:

• Define a researchable problem of practice in their school context;
• Undertake a literature review to investigate an educational issue;
• Develop a research design through which an educational issue can be investigated;
• Use research processes with due regard to ethical procedures
• Demonstrate a capacity to engage in reflective, critical discussion of the area of particular interest.

A project proposal (1000 words), due halfway through first semester (10%);

A research report (9000 words), due in the end-of-year examination period (90%).

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

This subject will develop the kills to enable students to:

• Be skilled communicators who can effectively articulate and justify relationships between theory, research and teaching
• Be flexible and able to adapt to change through knowing how to iresearch a problem of practice;
• Understand the significance of developing their practice on the basis of research evidence;
• Work in teams with skills in cooperation, communication and negotiation to engage in reflective and critical discussion of research in education;
• Be independent of mind, responsible, resilient, self-regulating.