Pre-requisites

ED621 Ecology and Management of Learning Environments: School Observation (5 days)
A combination of 5 units from the student’s Major and Minor

Co-requisites

ED631 Curriculum, Assessment and Data: School Observation (5 days) 1 Major or minor

Learning Outcomes

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

• Communicate and apply broad and coherent knowledge of the content, substance and structure of Mathematics as relevant to primary schooling and the Victorian Curriculum F-10 and Australian Curriculum, to plan and organise content into effective learning and teaching sequences, integrating relevant literacy content

• Critically review and demonstrate understanding of strategies for assessing students’ mathematical learning, the purposes of assessment and of providing timely and appropriate feedback to students about their learning

• Apply judgement to interpret students’ assessment data, evaluate student learning to modify teaching practice and plan learning goals that provide achievable challenges for students of varying abilities and characteristics, and plan, apply and evaluate effective pedagogical strategies to improve their levels of competence in Mathematics

• Apply broad and coherent knowledge and understanding of theory to plan a range of mathematics and numeracy teaching strategies that link mathematical content to practical applications, and that respond to the strengths and learning needs of diverse learners

• Demonstrate the capacity to organise classroom activities, provide clear directions, and apply knowledge of a range of resources, including ICT, to plan for Mathematics teaching to support the engagement and participation of diverse students and to expand learning

• Demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives on content and pedagogies in mathematics learning

• Demonstrate personal proficiencies in Mathematics and articulate a Christian perspective on the discipline

Unit Description

Through this unit, you will appreciate children’s capacities to learn about and through mathematics and evaluate the opportunities that thinking mathematically provides for children to understand themselves and their world. The unit explores Christian perspectives on mathematics and pedagogies for teaching and learning in mathematics, and you will consider how your understandings of Christian perspectives inform your teaching of mathematics. You will explore a wide range of applications of mathematics and develop strategies to integrate mathematics with other curriculum areas.

The unit analyses contemporary theories of how children develop mastery in Mathematics and identifies key aspects in children’s development of concepts and skills. The unit covers content specific strategies for effective pedagogies, assessment and curriculum design for developing children’s mathematical knowledge and skills. The unit covers formal and informal diagnostic, formative and summative assessment strategies for Mathematics and how to use assessment data to evaluate student learning and modify teaching practices.You will appreciate the need for and develop inclusive practices for all children, and evaluate and develop strategies to enable children from a range of diversities and across the full range of abilities to succeed in mathematical learning. You will become familiar with a range of teaching materials and text books used in schools such as Maths Plus, Emu Maths, Prime Mathematics, New Wave and Mathematics software, as well as assessment tools such as Essential Assessments and Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT).

The unit will cover the complexities of mathematics and key curriculum documents such as the Victorian Curriculum Foundation-10 and the Australian Curriculum and the learning theories that underpin them. Through the unit you will examine and develop a range of teaching strategies to enable students’ effective learning about, in and through the mathematics areas of number, algebra, measurement, geometry, statistics and probability; problem solving, reasoning and thinking mathematically. This will include exploring the integration of ICT for enhancing learning in mathematics and developing ICT skills for mathematical purposes.

The unit will also focus on developing your personal proficiencies in mathematics as well as proficiencies in the use of related digital technologies to enable your own and children’s learning.

You will analyse social and cultural perspectives on mathematics, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives on content and pedagogies.

You will have the opportunity to link theory to practice during your professional practice placements.

Topics

• Perspectives on mathematics content, learning and application
• Understanding and using the Victorian Curriculum F-10 and Australian Curriculum for Mathematics and general capabilities - Literacy, ICT, and Critical and Creative Thinking
• Construction of mathematical knowledge, learning theory and pedagogy
• Content knowledge and approaches to teaching Number and Algebra
• Content knowledge and approaches to teaching Measurement and Geometry
• Content knowledge and approaches to teaching Statistics and Probability
• Content knowledge and approaches to teaching Problem Solving
• Planning for diagnostic, formative and summative assessment in Mathematics
• Using assessment data to evaluate student learning, plan learning goals that build upon prior understanding, and modify teaching practice
• Differentiated and inclusive practices in Mathematics for diverse learners
• Teaching and communication strategies and resources, including ICT, to support engagement and participation in Mathematics
• Planning lesson sequences and units of work

Teaching Strategies

Pre-service teachers learning in this course will involve a variety of approaches including: lectures; practicum; observation; responding to educational scenarios; critical reflections; discussion; tutorials; workshops; assessment tasks; assessment feedback; guest speakers; classroom observation; practical teaching assignments; reflective journals; contact with professional associations; oral presentations; and on-line activities.

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Unit offerings

Face to face: Semester 1, 2025 and Semester 1, 2026 (Every Year, Semester 1)

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.