Pre-requisites

ES6100 Primary English: Foundation

Co-requisites

None.

Learning Outcomes

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

• Plan differentiated learning goals and sequenced lessons based on the English Curriculum Achievement standards using effective teaching strategies that consider how the brain processes, stores and retrieves information.

• Critically analyse and review Literacy learning theories (Reading, Writing, Speaking & Listening) and analyse how socio-cultural factors, school policies and educational contexts, impact students’ literacy learning.

• Gather, analyse, interpret, and use English data and a range of assessment practices

• Apply appropriate pedagogical practices, research and resources (considering MTSS as a part of this process) to support the diverse learning needs of students, including those with additional needs and gifted students.

• Demonstrate the capacity to articulate, embed, and explicitly plan for a Christian perspective in the subject of English.

• Develop a deep content knowledge of English and understand the literary features of the genres of writing and be able to select diverse texts while respecting cultural diversity including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students’ perspectives.

Unit Description

The unit will build on the unit ES6100 Primary English: Foundation and focuses on developing expert content knowledge in English language, literature and literacy, as well as pedagogical content knowledge and the integration of these for developing highly effective teaching strategies relevant to teaching English. Preservice teachers will engage deeply with the learning theories which underpin the Victorian Curriculum F-10 and the Australian Curriculum for English, and language continuums used to plan and assess the teaching of English across the curriculum. Preservice teachers will also appreciate and develop ways to integrate the state and national curriculum’s general capabilities and cross-curriculum priorities. The unit will examine a number of factors impacting the development of literacy in schools through the English discipline and across curriculum areas, including the development and efficacy of school-wide scope and sequences, literacy programs, issues in the field of Children’s Literature, and how teachers and students use technology to improve literacy proficiencies.

Through analysis of contemporary learning theories and pedagogies (including teaching practices for the following elements: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension and oral language), preservice teachers will develop the necessary skills to design inclusive classroom programs where all learners, including gifted students and especially those labelled ‘at-risk,’ can acquire literacy skills and practices needed for success in learning and for participating effectively in society. This will include building an understanding of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support to ensure high quality learning is occurring for all students. The unit will explore how these understandings, along with engagement with educational theory, can be used in the development of strategies for effective classroom teaching to improve literacy proficiencies through the English discipline as well as across all curriculum areas. The unit will also cover assessment and data-analysis for identifying and planning for the learning needs of students, including those with additional needs and gifted students, and current developments for advancing their learning in English. This will include exploring the integration of ICT for enhancing and extending learning in English as well as the use of digital technologies for a range of purposes such as word processing and publishing.

Topics

1. Literacy analysis and response (including how knowledge acquisition changes as the brain develops.)
2. The structure of the English strands based upon Systemic Functional Linguistics.
3. Conflicting learning theories regarding Reading, Writing, Speaking & Listening.
4. HITS: Spaced repeated exposures/retrieval of phonics/spelling.
5. General Capabilities and cross-curriculum priority as relevant to content and teaching in English.
6. Case studies of school approaches: analysis and critique
   - including examples of multi-tiered systems of support
7. Analysis and interpretation of school-wide data sources to inform literacy learning and pedagogy; ATSI & EAL/D, G+T and Socio-economic factors

Embedded throughout:
* Christian/ biblical framework
* Catering for diverse needs eg. differentiation, UDL, RTI.
* Cross-cultural understandings and teaching considerations.

Assessment and Indicative Load

Assessment types include Research Paper, Project, and Lesson Plan. Indicative study load is 140 hours.

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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.