Year
2024Credit points
10Campus offering
Prerequisites
Nil
Incompatible
EDFX140 Socio-Cultural Influences on Education Community Engagement
Unit rationale, description and aim
Pre-service teachers must develop an awareness of the increasingly complex contexts in which they will work as well as be conscious of, sensitive to and skilled in responding to sociocultural diversity and the unique family, community and societal experiences children bring to their learning.
This unit develops pre-service teacher knowledge and understanding of the historical context, policy frameworks, legislation and sociocultural factors influencing the experiences of learners in Australian educational settings. Pre-service teachers will draw on recent scholarly literature, educational policies and sociological theories to inform their knowledge and understanding of some of the key contemporary issues facing children, young people, schools, early learning settings and the broader community.
The overall aim of this unit is to develop the critical thinking skills required for researching, analysing, applying and reflecting on evidence-based strategies that support diverse school contexts and inclusive educational settings.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
| Learning Outcome Number | Learning Outcome Description | Relevant Graduate Capabilities |
|---|---|---|
| LO1 | Describe the impact of economic, political, social, religious and cultural change on education systems, individuals and families (APST 1.3, 1.4, 2.4; ACECQA A3, A6, D3, D4, D5, E2) | GC1, GC11 |
| LO2 | Analyse the relationship between individual educational experiences and broader social relations, institutions, and diverse contexts. (APST 1.2, 1.3; ACECQA A1, A6, D5) | GC2, GC7 |
| LO3 | Analyse preconceived notions of schooling and education, including a consideration of policies and programs for students with diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds (APST 1.3, 1.4, 2.4; ACECQA A3, A6, D3, D4, D5, E2) | GC1, GC2, GC5, GC7, GC11 |
| LO4 | Reflect, interpret and question underlying issues within contemporary educational theory and practice (APST 1.2, 1.3, 2.4, 7.4; ACECQA A1, A6, D3, D5, F3) | GC1, GC7, GC11 |
AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS - GRADUATE LEVEL
On successful completion of this unit, pre-service teachers should be able to:
1.2 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of research into how students learn and the implications for teaching. |
1.3 Demonstrate knowledge of teaching strategies that are responsive to the learning strengths and needs of students from diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds. |
1.4 Demonstrate broad knowledge and understanding of the impact of culture, cultural identity and linguistic background on the education of students from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds. |
2.4 Demonstrate broad knowledge of, understanding of and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and languages. |
7.4 Understand the role of external professionals and community representatives in broadening teachers’ professional knowledge and practice. |
ACECQA Curriculum Specifications
On successful completion of this unit, students should have developed the following specific knowledge
A. Child development and care A1. learning development and care A3. social and emotional development A6. diversity, difference and inclusivity |
D. Family and community contexts D3. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives D4. socially inclusive practice D5. culture, diversity and inclusion |
E. History and philosophy of early childhood E2. contemporary theories and practice |
F. Early childhood professional practice F3. professional identity and development |
Content
Topics will include:
- Social justice, diversity and inclusive education
- Values related to education, to self and others, human rights and civic responsibilities
- Multiculturalism, respect for diversity and related influences on policy and legislation
- Social class, ethnicity, linguistic and gender differences and their relationship to schooling and educational outcomes
- The work of teachers
- The role of research and its significance in education and to teachers
- Social theories contribution to understanding education
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students’ experience of Australian education
- Sociocultural impacts on community participation
- Political influences on education policy
- Economic imperatives and social policy
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This is a 10-credit point unit and has been designed to ensure that the time needed to complete the required volume of learning to the requisite standard is approximately 150 hours in total. To achieve a passing standard in this unit, pre-service teachers will find it helpful to engage in the full range of learning activities and assessments utilised in this unit, as described in the learning and teaching strategy and the assessment strategy
An emphasis is placed on pre-service teachers as adult learners with a responsibility for their own learning and who are capable of problem-solving. The learning in this unit is enquiry-based, learner-focused and student centred. Pre-service teachers should expect to participate in a range of the following: online engagement, lectures, tutorials, seminar presentations and group discussions, both online and face-to-face, self-directed study activities and assessment tasks.
The unit is hosted on a Learning Management System (LMS) site with resources and online links, announcements, and a discussion board to post questions and reflections that promote the connection between content and educational experiences.
Mode of delivery: This unit may be offered in different modes to cater to the learning needs and preferences of a range of participants.
On Campus
Most learning activities or classes are delivered at a scheduled time, on campus, to enable in-person interactions. Activities will appear in a student’s timetable.
Multi-mode
Learning activities are delivered through a planned mix of online and in-person classes, which may include full-day sessions and/or placements, to enable interaction. Activities that require attendance will appear in a student’s timetable.
Online unscheduled
Learning activities are accessible anytime, anywhere. These units are normally delivered fully online and will not appear in a student’s timetable.
Online scheduled
All learning activities are held online, at scheduled times, and will require some attendance to enable online interaction. Activities will appear in a student’s timetable.
ACU Online
In ACU Online mode, this unit is delivered asynchronously, fully online using an active, guided learning approach. Pre-service teachers are encouraged to contribute to asynchronous weekly discussions and receive regular and timely feedback on their learning.
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment tasks and their weightings are designed to allow pre-service teachers to progressively demonstrate achievement against the unit learning outcomes by demonstrating academic and professional standards. The Understanding Learners and Their Contexts unit will focus on developing understanding of, and skills across the professional knowledge, practice and engagement needed to meet expectations of the Graduate Attributes and the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers: Graduate level.
The two assessment tasks:
- are sequenced to allow feedback and progressive development of content knowledge and skills
- allow pre-service teachers a chance to engage in early critical reflection on their local community and context
- enable the pre-service teacher to develop professional communication skills and present their understanding of sociocultural theories.
Minimum Achievement Standards
The assessment tasks and their weighting for this unit are designed to demonstrate achievement of each learning outcome. In order to pass this unit, pre-service teachers are required to meet the learning outcomes of the unit and achieve a minimum overall passing grade of 50%.
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
Assessment Task 1: Scholarly Response Analysis of two sociocultural issues raised in scholarly journal articles and course content with implications for teaching and learning. Pre-service teachers choose from the following issues:
Responses should cover assigned and extended readings and be based on an analysis of issues/ideas raised (not a summary of the readings). | 50% | LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4 |
Assessment Task 2: Presentation Presentation on a chosen issue selected from the list below. Pre-service teachers analyse an issue and the implications for education drawing on relevant sociocultural theory and wider reading. Pre-service teachers may draw on contemporary examples in the media. Duration of the presentation is up to 15 minutes. The choice of topic must be different from the topic selected for assignment 1. Examples include:
| 50% | LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4 |
Representative texts and references
Apple, M. (2014). Official knowledge: Democratic education in a conservative age (3rd ed.). Routledge.
Australian Children’s Commissioners and Guardians (2019). National Principles for Child Safe Organisations. https://childsafe.humanrights.gov.au/national-principles.
Ball, S. (2012). Politics and policy making in education: Explorations in sociology. Taylor and Francis.
Ball, S. (2012). The micro-politics of the school: Towards a theory of school organisation. Routledge.
Blair, N. (2015). Aboriginal Education: More than adding perspectives. In Noelene L. Weatherby-Fell (Ed). Learning to Teach in the Secondary School. Cambridge University Press, pp.189-208.
Evans, P. (2013). Educating preservice teachers for family, school and community engagement. Teaching Education (24), 2, 123-133.
Lareau, A. (2011). Unequal childhoods: class, race, and family Life. (2nd ed.). University of California Press.
McDonald, M. et al. (2013). Learning to see students: Opportunities to develop relational practices of teaching through community-based placements in teacher education. Teachers College Record, 115, 040304.
Mills, C., & Gale, T. (2010). Schooling in disadvantaged communities: Playing the game from the back of the field. Springer.
Tait, G. (2019). Making sense of mass education (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Welch, A.R., & Connell, R. (2018). Education, change and society (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.