Pre-requisites

None.

Co-requisites

None.

Learning Outcomes

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

• Demonstrate an understanding of the research of human development theories and critically evaluate various theories and perspectives of students’ social, physical, intellectual and spiritual development highlighting their implications for teaching and learning

• Critically compare, contrast and evaluate learning and developmental theories (including neauromyths) and the influence they have had on informing understanding of how students learn and the implications for teaching practices

• Demonstrate expert knowledge of how a variety of factors, such as motivation, physical, intellectual and spiritual development, and social influences impact on the learning process for diverse learners including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.

• Critically apply reflexive practice to their own learning process and ongoing development as a teacher including their understanding of the Christian faith in the context of Christian worldview, Scripture and broader vocation.

• Demonstrate advanced knowledge of a range of learning and teaching strategies, (eg. Explicit instruction, modelling, scaffolding, spacing and retrieval practices), verbal and non-verbal communication strategies, and resources, including ICT, for engaging students in their learning.

• Critically analyse the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers and its role in identifying personal professional learning needs.

• Examine the progression from novice to mastery and propose strategies for responsive teaching that support this development.

Unit Description

Preservice teachers will critically analyse various research and theories of children’s developmental stages including physical, cognitive, emotional, social and spiritual development, and investigate the implications for learning at each stage. They will critically explore the research of educational theorists and synthesise and apply them to their own practices. Preservice teachers will explore current research regarding the brain, cognition and memory and the impact that this has on learning and teaching practices. Preservice teachers will engage with research-based specialised knowledge of students, content, pedagogy (including teaching strategies, verbal and non-verbal communication strategies, and resources), technology and the particular knowledge of the intersection of these, that experienced teachers draw on in developing effective pedagogies. They will examine complexities in learning and reflect on these in relation to their own experiences, and how these, in turn, might impact on developing effective pedagogical practice.

The unit engages with the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers and examines its purpose for identifying professional learning needs as a teacher and planning professional development in alignment with the standards. The unit will critically examine a range of sources of professional development (such as external experts and professionals, peers, research, educational journals and other professional reading, accredited courses, and personal classroom action research) giving attention to making judgements on their relevance, appropriateness and value.

Throughout the unit students will learn and consider different ways to integrate the Biblical worldview narrative of creation, redemption, and restoration into educational philosophy and curriculum development.

Topics

1. Theories of learning through the disciplines of philosophy, psychology and sociology.
2. Evaluate learning through various theories. Identify and reflect on the knowledges that teachers bring to making decisions about selecting and structuring activities to promote learning.
3. Investigating the diversity of learners: Stages of physical, social, emotional, intellectual and spiritual development (including the development of executive functioning and the implications for teaching).
   a) Brain development from early childhood to young adulthood
   b) Compare the characteristics of novice and expert learners and infer their implications for pedagogical approaches.
   c) Interpret and apply insights into learner development to adjust teaching practices that support progression from novice to expert. (Including problem-solving through accessing memory)
4. Brain research and learning: The effectiveness of explicit teaching, modelling and scaffolding practices based on how the brain learns.
   a) The role of memory and schema building – including combining and recombining memories.
   b) Cognitive load
5. Psychology of learning: Motivation, Learned helplessness, Cognitive Overload, Biologically Primary vs Biologically Secondary knowledge acquisition, and cognitive processes for memory retention.
   a) How to identify the potential barriers to the cognitive process of learning and how to optimise learning.
   b) Neuromyths and the impact of their perpetuation on professional decision making and the learning environment
6. Social dimensions of learning - communities of learning, collaboration and cooperative learning.
7. Implications for Rhythms/phases of learning and teaching practices and strategies (including responsive strategies as students move towards mastery).
8. Celebrating learning
9. Australian Professional Standards for Teachers and sources of professional development for continued professional learning

Learning Experiences

Topic 3a Brain Development Presentation (cc1.1.3)
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.

Topic 3b 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.

Topic 3c 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.

Topic 4 Understanding Research. (cc 2.2.1)
Students are required to read current research regarding explicit teaching, modelling and scaffolding and how this attends best to how student’s brains learn.
Examples of current literature:
Australian Education Research Organisation. (2023). How students learn best: An overview of the evidence. https://www.edresearch.edu.au/research/research-reports/how-students-learn-best-overview-evidence
Students read one article and create a summary. They then share learning, in groups, from the articles and discuss the concepts and understandings. expert progression.

Topic 4
a) Cc1.1.1
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

Topic 4 Cognitive load and effective starting points (cc 1.2.2, 1.2.3)
Activity:
Step 1 Lecturer asks class to complete a poorly designed task eg. Vague instructions, no scaffolding, multiple terms introduced at once, multitasking required. Students are given 15 mins to complete task.
Step 2 Debrief through class discussion. What felt overwhelming? How do you think school students would behave in response to a task like this?
Step 3 PSTs redesign the lesson using techniques to reduce cognitive overload. Eg. Scaffolding, clear directions, chunking etc.
Skills assessed: activity design, collaboration, pedagogical knowledge and understanding.

Cognitive load and effective starting points for novice learners: 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.

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.

Topic 5 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

Topic 5a 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.

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Unit offerings

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.