Learning Area A1

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2015:

170 hours

Participants must meet the minimum academic study requirements for teaching in specialist areas, in accordance with the Victorian Institute of Teaching's Specialist Area Guidelines, for entry into this subject.

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

Learning Area subjects assist participants to develop both the knowledge base and the skills of professional practice to enable them to effectively educate all students in their specific learning areas and to work effectively within school contexts.

Participants are supported to develop knowledge and skills related to curriculum content, best practice pedagogy and assessment in their specific teaching areas. They are encouraged to adapt and apply this knowledge according to the needs of their learning community and to link their classroom practice to key theory and research into the effective teaching of their subject areas.

Particular attention will be paid to developing familiarity with relevant curriculum standards and frameworks. Participants will be expected to use an evidence-base to inform their planning and sequencing of lessons, in the creation of units of work and in the use of a broad range of teaching strategies and tools, including the use of ICT.

In these subjects participants learn to use multiple assessment processes as evidence of student learning, to differentiate their teaching in order to facilitate all students’ progress and as feedback on the effectiveness of their teaching. Participants are supported to become critical, informed members of the school community who are able to reflect on their school’s curriculum policies and provision as well as the resources and infrastructure available for their Learning Areas.

On completion of this subject, participants should be able to:

• Understand the nature and scope of the learning areas as they are taught in secondary schools and demonstrate competence in the teaching of concepts, knowledge and skills in their learning area
• Collect information about students’ background, interests, strengths and difficulties and to use evidence and professional judgment to set learning goals that provide achievable challenges for students of varying abilities and characteristics including students with disabilities and EAL learners
• Apply theoretical knowledge to develop coherent learning sequences and programs, in accordance with curriculum frameworks
• Select and use a wide repertoire of instructional strategies and resources including ICT in order to provide effective learning experiences for students,
• Create and maintain supportive, safe and high quality learning environments
• Use a range of tools appropriate to the learning area to assess and provide feedback on student learning
• Reflect on the effectiveness of their practices, programs and resources on student learning outcomes and identify the implications for future planning and professional learning.

• A discussion of the design of purposeful learning activities for Learning Area A1 (2,000 words) due May, 50%
• Design and development of a unit of work for Learning Area A1 (2,000 words) due November, 50%

Hurdle Requirement – Participation in five online tasks due throughout the year

Attendance at all classes (tutorial/seminars/practical classes/lectures/labs) is obligatory. Failure to attend 80% of classes will normally result in failure in the subject.

Loughran, J. J. (2010). What expert teachers do: Teachers' professional knowledge of classroom practice. Sydney: Allen & Unwin and London: Routledge.

Discipline-specific reading will be available online via the LMS.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

On completion of this subject, participants will have the knowledge, skills and understanding to enable them to:

• be skilled communicators who can effectively articulate and justify their practices as knowledgeable agents of change
• be flexible and able to adapt to change through knowing how to learn
• understand the significance of developing their practice on the basis of research evidence
• work in teams with skills in cooperation, communication and negotiation
• be independent of mind, reasonable, resilient, self-regulating
• have a conscious personal and social values base.