Pre-requisites

ED5010 Developmental Learning and Pedagogies

Co-requisites

None.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

Unit Description

This unit offers essential knowledge and skills related to the brain and learning, all explored through a Biblical Christian worldview. The Biblical perspective is integrated using the CEN framework; Transformation by Design, alongside the CSA framework; God’s Big Story.
Key areas of focus in this unit include the distinctions between novice and expert learners, the processes by which the brain learns and retains information, the ways the brain masters knowledge, and an exploration of common neuromyths.
By the end of the unit students will have developed a well-informed, faith-based perspective integrated with essential knowledge and skills on content that provides teachers with an understanding of why specific instructional practices work, and how to implement these practices. These skills and insights will prepare them to effectively support all learners including diverse learners in their educational journeys.

Topics

  1. Integrate the Biblical worldview narrative of creation, redemption, and restoration into educational philosophy and curriculum development.
  2. Compare the characteristics of novice and expert learners and infer their implications for pedagogical approaches.
  3. Interpret and apply insights into learner development to adjust teaching practices that support progression from novice to expert.
  4. Evaluate how the brain acquires and retains knowledge, including the roles of memory, schema building, and cognitive load, to inform learning design.
  5. Analyse the cognitive development that occurs in novice learners as they move toward mastery and recommend responsive teaching strategies.
  6. Formulate adjustments to teaching practice based on evidence of cognitive development and learner needs, including when to move from scaffolded practice (such as Worked Examples) to independent practice, and why this is important.
  7. Identify and evaluate common neuromyths and reflect on the impact of their perpetuation on professional decision-making and learning environments.

Learning Experiences

Note: Learning Experience 1-3 will prepare the students for completion of Assessment Task 1 and Learning Experiences 4-11 are prepration for Assessment Tasks 2 and 3.

  1. Discussion groups – report back to the class
    Compare and contrast the process of knowledge acquisition in the brain of a novice learner versus an expert. In your response, explain the role of mental models and schemas in the learning process.
    Assessment type: Group presentation (2-5 mins)
    Skills assessed: Critical analysis, understanding of mental models and schema development

  2. Biologically Primary vs Secondary Knowledge
    Storytelling is part of human culture and is often used as a method of transmitting cultural knowledge. Apply your understanding of the difference between biologically primary and biologically secondary knowledge acquisition to storytelling and discuss the ways in which this may or may not be different from teacher-led instruction.
    Assessment type: Group discussion (10 – 15 minutes)
    Skills assessed: Critical analysis, knowledge of primary vs secondary learning, understanding of instructional methods

  3. Brain Development Presentation
    Create a presentation that explains how the brain develops from early childhood to young adulthood, focusing on the development of executive functions and how this impacts teaching strategies.
    Assessment type: Group presentation (10 minutes)
    Skills assessed: Understanding of brain development, implications for teaching.

  4. Learning Pathways Diagram
    Draw a diagram that illustrates how information moves from working memory to long-term memory. Label key components and explain the process in a short summary. Discuss how this relates to the “renewing of your mind” in Romans 12:2.
    Readings:
    - Australian Education Research Organisation. (2023). Managing cognitive load optimises learning. Retrieved from https://www.edresearch.edu.au/sites/default/files/2023-11/managing-cognitive-load-optimises-learning-aa.pdf
    - Australian Education Research Organisation. (2024). Teach explicitly. Retrieved from https://www.edresearch.edu.au/sites/default/files/2024-02/teach-explicitly-aa.pdf
    Assessment type: Visual task and short response
    Skills assessed: knowledge of cognitive processes

  5. Cognitive Overload Simulation
    Complete the following tasks in class:
    Write about the most recent holiday time you had. The holiday may be a break at home or you may have travelled. While writing about the holiday, whisper the Happy Birthday song.
    • In pairs, discuss this experience using your knowledge of novice verses expert learners, working memory and cognitive load.
    • In pairs, consider the changes you would make to support students in the classroom who are experiencing cognitive overload.
    Assessment type: Group discussion (15 minutes)
    Skills assessed: Understanding of cognitive load, application of theory to practice, critical thinking
    Australian Education Research Organisation. (2023). Managing cognitive load optimises learning. Retrieved from https://www.edresearch.edu.au/sites/default/files/2023-11/managing-cognitive-load-optimises-learning-aa.pdf
    This reading shows why structured, explicit instruction ensures more effective learning outcomes for novice learners and argues against unstructured self-directed approaches for novices.

  6. Structured Lesson Plan Design a lesson plan that incorporates explicit instruction, scaffolding, and clearly structured content. Explain how your lesson reduces cognitive overload for novice learners.
    Assessment type: Written lesson plan and rationale (300 words)
    Skills assessed: Practical teaching strategies, application of cognitive load theory.
    Australian Education Research Organisation. (2024). Teach explicitly. Retrieved from https://www.edresearch.edu.au/sites/default/files/2024-02/teach-explicitly-aa.pdf
    This reading (practice guide) underscores the importance of explicit instruction in managing cognitive load and highlights that learning new information is most effective when teachers provide clear explanations, demonstrations, and modeling, especially for students new to a learning area.
    The resources cited above also provide a comprehensive list of references, covering both seminal and contemporary research on cognitive load and explicit teaching methods

  7. Problem-Solving Simulation
    Given a set of problems in a specific domain (e.g., mathematics or science), describe how an expert brain would apply memory and knowledge to generate solutions. Explain how this differs from the novice brain.
    Assessment type: Simulation and written response (250 words)
    Skills assessed: Understanding of problem-solving processes, novice vs expert progression.

  8. Scaffolded to Independent Practice Plan
    Develop a progression plan showing how you would move a student from scaffolded practice to independent problem-solving in a subject of your choice. Justify the timing of each transition.
    Assessment type: Progression plan (table format) with rationale (200 words)
    Skills assessed: Understanding of instructional techniques, mastery progression.

  9. Worked Examples
    Create three worked examples for a topic that is unfamiliar to a novice learner. Then, develop two problem-solving activities that challenge students as they become more familiar with the content.
    Assessment type: Worked examples and activities
    Skills assessed: Practical application of teaching techniques, scaffolding for mastery.

  10. Debunking Neuromyths Quizlet/Padlet
    Create a Quizlet or Padlet that identifies and debunks three common neuromyths in education (e.g., learning styles, left vs right brain). Provide evidence from research to support the answers.
    Assessment type: Quizlet/Padlet (300-500 words)
    Skills assessed: Research, critical analysis, scientific literacy.

  11. Self-reflection
    Using evidence-based research, reflect on how truth and discernment, as encouraged in the Bible (1 Thessalonians 5:21), are essential in distinguishing between myths and scientifically supported practices in relation to neuromyths and learning.
    Assessment type: Self-reflection (200 words)
    Skills assessed: Understanding of neuromyths, ability to communicate research-based evidence, reflective practice.

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Assessment and Indicative Load

Assessment types include Reflection Paper, Major Essay, and Case Study. Indicative study load is 140 hours.

Unit offerings

Face to face: (Demand based)

Please note

The Unit Offerings listed above are a guide only and the timetable for any year is the final authority. The College may vary offerings based on demand, regulatory requirements, continual improvement processes or other conditions.

This unit may be available in different modes of delivery i.e. online and face-to-face as listed above. The unit content will not differ between these modes of delivery. There will possibly be a difference in the schedule and/or the prescribed assessment tasks, however both will cover and assess the same content.