Unit rationale, description and aim

An understanding of health promotion in school settings is essential given the myriad of health concerns facing the Australian population into the 21st century.

This unit extends on curriculum and practice, offering further development of knowledge, skills and understanding essential for effective teaching in Health and Physical Education. Pre-service teachers will undertake examination of contemporary issues in health and physical education and explore ways of addressing these issues through whole school approaches and targeted professional development. This unit offers a broader experience in physical activity and sports skills and deepens the integration of health promotion by adopting a whole school approach, including strategies for involving parents/carers in the educative process. Pre-service teachers will identify professional learning goals and explore, and engage with, a range of community resources relevant to the teaching of Health and Physical Education at the primary school level. Pre-service teachers will participate in both practical and theoretical workshops where you will learn both about and through movement, along with participating in face-to-face lectures, independent reading and engagement with online materials.

This unit provides an opportunity for pre-service teachers to extend their pedagogy and teaching, and to further develop their knowledge, skills and application of the Health and Physical Education curriculum

2025 10

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  • Term Mode
  • Professional Term 2Multi-mode
  • Term Mode
  • Professional Term 2Online Scheduled
  • Term Mode
  • Professional Term 2Multi-mode

Prerequisites

EDHP290 Health and Physical Education Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment (F-6)

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.

Identify and develop professional learning goals r...

Learning Outcome 01

Identify and develop professional learning goals relevant to the Health and Physical Education curriculum and the implications for improved student learnings (APST 2.1, 6.2, 6.4)

Summarise relevant and appropriate sources of targ...

Learning Outcome 02

Summarise relevant and appropriate sources of targeted professional learning for teachers and implement a plan to gain experience and/or qualifications in a specific area relevant to the Health and Physical Education curriculum, while addressing a professional learning goal (APST 3.6, 6.2, 6.4, 7.4)

Critique a contemporary issue pertinent to the Hea...

Learning Outcome 03

Critique a contemporary issue pertinent to the Health and Physical Education curriculum, including the relevant legislative, administrative and organisational policies and processes required for teachers (APST 4.4, 7.2)

Develop a plan that addresses an identified contem...

Learning Outcome 04

Develop a plan that addresses an identified contemporary issue in Health and Physical Education, with specific focus on a whole school approach including strategies for working effectively, sensitively and confidentially with parents/carers (APST 1.3, 2.1, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 3.1, 3.4, 3.7, 4.1, 4.4, 7.3, 7.4)

Content

Topics will include:

  • Contemporary issues in HPE
  • Physical activity and sports skills including aquatics, athletics and fitness education
  • Engaging with community organisations
  • Additional accreditation in Health and Physical Education to meet relevant state requirements – eg coaching certifications, professional development
  • Developing as a professional and achieving professional learning goals
  • Engaging with parents/carers in order to work effectively, sensitively and confidentially to build strong partnerships and promote HPE initiatives
  • Further development of inclusive education with strategies for differentiating teaching in Health and Physical Education to meet the specific learning needs of students from diverse linguistic, cultural (explicitly including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander), religious and socioeconomic backgrounds, and students with disabilities
  • Exploration of the relevant legislative, administrative and organisational policies and processes required for teachers according to school stage, specifically including Child Protection legislation.

Assessment strategy and rationale

Assessment in this unit is designed to allow students to demonstrate that they have extended the required knowledge of the Health and Physical Education curriculum to identify and critically reflect on professional learning to improve their teaching practices. The assessment also provides the opportunity to measure students’ ability to analyse contemporary issues in Health and Physical Education and demonstrate ways to address these issues with a whole school approach.

 Minimum Achievement Standards

The assessment tasks for this unit are designed to demonstrate achievement of each learning outcome. In order to pass this unit, students are required to submit all assessment tasks and achieve a cumulative mark of more than 50%.

Electronic Submission, Marking and Return

Written assignments will be submitted and returned via TurnItIn

Overview of assessments

Assessment Task 1 Professional Learning Action P...

Assessment Task 1

Professional Learning Action Plan and Reflection

Pre-service teachers need to identify and critically reflect on an area of the curriculum or teaching in HPE they would like to improve. The pre-service teacher will explore and undertake professional development relevant to a specific area of HPE and reflect on the learning and create a plan for teaching that puts that learning into place.

 

Links in workshops- specific community resources (can be Health or PE based…e.g. AUSTSWIM, Be You Modules, First Aid training, MHFA, soccer workshops, ACHPER Professional Development workshops)

Weighting

20%

Learning Outcomes LO1, LO2

Assessment Task 2 Contemporary issues in HPE An...

Assessment Task 2

Contemporary issues in HPE

Analysis of two contemporary issues in HPE including relevant policies and procedures

Weighting

30%

Learning Outcomes LO3, LO4

Assessment Task 3 Whole School Campaign Design ...

Assessment Task 3

Whole School Campaign

Design a whole school campaign to address two issues in HPE and include strategies for working with teachers and parents/carers to strengthen the impact of the campaign. Consider the professional learning to be undertaken by teachers and resources which might available within the wider school community. A timeline for implementation should be included.

Weighting

50%

Learning Outcomes LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit is designed to extend students’ knowledge of the health and physical education curriculum, to include the wider school and community. In this unit students will undertake a range of teaching and learning strategies, due to the nature and external demands of the unit. These will include lectures, individual and group work, workshops, problem-solving, from both a school and university perspective. Off-campus activities will be a feature of this unit, where students will engage with external organisations to gain wider experience and professional development. The unit is specifically designed to provide learning experiences for students to reflect upon to construct their own understandings, enabling them to undertake the assessment tasks and meet the learning outcomes of the unit. There will be some choice in the activities, so students can target their learning to identified professional learning goals.

Technology Enhanced Learning

Technology will be used throughout the unit. Lectures will be recorded and accessible for review via Canvas. Practical workshops and tutorials are not possible to record. 

AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS - GRADUATE LEVEL

On successful completion of this unit, pre-service teachers should be able to:

AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS - GRADUATE LEVEL

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.

2.1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the concepts, substance and structure of the content and teaching strategies of the teaching area.

2.4 Demonstrate broad knowledge of, understanding of, and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and languages.

2.5 Know and understand literacy and numeracy teaching strategies and their application in teaching areas.

2.6 Implement teaching strategies for using ICT to expand curriculum learning opportunities for students.

3.1 Set learning goals that provide achievable challenges for students of varying abilities and characteristics.

3.4 Demonstrate knowledge of a range of resources, including ICT, that engage students in their learning.

3.6 Demonstrate broad knowledge of strategies that can be used to evaluate teaching programs to improve student learning.

3.7 Describe a broad range of strategies for involving parents/carers in the educative process.

4.1 Identify strategies to support inclusive student participation and engagement in classroom activities.

4.4 Describe strategies that support students’ well-being and safety working within school and/or system, curriculum and legislative requirements.

6.2 Understand the relevant and appropriate sources of professional learning for teachers.

6.4 Demonstrate an understanding of the rationale for continued professional learning and the implications for improved student learnings. 

7.2 Understand the relevant legislative, administrative and organisational policies and processes required for teachers according to school stage.

7.3 Understand strategies for working effectively, sensitively and confidentially with parents/carers.

7.4 Understand the role of external professionals and community representatives in broadening teachers’ professional knowledge and practice.

Representative texts and references

Required text(s)

Australian Curriculum https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/

Australian Curriculum – Health and Physical Education https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/health-and-physical-education/

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) www.acara.edu.au

Relevant State and Territory curriculum documents. 

 

Recommended references

Dudley, D., Telford, A., Peralta, L., Stonehouse, C., & Winslade, M. (2018). Teaching quality health and physical education. South Melbourne, Vic: Cengage Learning Australia.

McMaster, N. (2019). Teaching health and physical education in early childhood and the primary years. Australia: Oxford University Press.

Meldrum, K., & Peters, J. (2012). Learning to teach health and physical education: The student, the teacher and the curriculum. Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson.

Miller, J., Wilson-Gahan, S, & Garrett, R. (2018). Health and physical education (3rd ed.). Port Melbourne, Vic: Cambridge University Press.

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