Recommended Study Sequence

This unit aims to lay the foundations for academic literacy and study skills required for the successful completion of university study. It focuses on developing critical thinking and reflection skills; referencing for essay writing and assignments; oral and written communication skills; skills for reading and interpreting different texts; and computer and e-learning skills for studying at UWS. The unit includes a general orientation to University life, familiarising students with academic language, procedures and the general requirements of progression and assessment at university level.

Indigenous Australians are depicted in a wide range of textual modes. These representations form the way Indigenous identities are constructed and formed by processes and relationships involving Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. Students will examine and compare a range of diverse texts and the way they affect relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Examination of the portrayal of Indigenous Australians in texts in a school context will be deconstructed so students understand the process of producing current and future identities

This unit is designed to introduce mathematical concepts, skills and understandings of the NSW DET Mathematics Syllabus K-6 with an emphasis on Early Stage 1 and Stage 1 and their links with the Stage 2, 3 and 4 mathematics outcomes. An awareness of relevant research and curriculum documents, combined with the practical knowledge of teaching, learning and assessment strategies, will assist students to program, implement and assess a series of experiences that will enhance their own conceptual knowledge of mathematics and also assist them to develop a broad and critical knowledge of the mathematics system to support their students diverse abilities in mathematical thinking and problem solving techniques.

Beginning a teacher education course requires students to orient themselves to learning and teaching in a variety of ways. This unit introduces students to a range of issues that are critical to effective teaching and learning. These issues centre on learning environments; the roles of teachers in schools and as life long learners; the responsibilities of teachers to observe and understand the children in their care; plan for individual children on the basis of diagnostic evaluations; employ teaching approaches which cater for the needs of individuals as well as the group; and employ assessment processes which empower rather than simply compare children. In introducing students to these central issues in education this unit utilises ICT as part of developing professional practice.

This unit is the first of the Professional Experience units in the Bachelor of Education (Primary) and as the first unit, is designed to introduce students to the characteristics of classrooms, ethical practice in schools and curriculum implementation. Through a required Professional Experience placement students will explore the structure of NSW teaching, learning and curriculum in all key learning areas, examine the perspectives which influence the curriculum and the way in which curriculum is interpreted in the classroom environment. The unit will provide students with the foundation skills for commencing their professional portfolio alongside the structured Professional Experience.

This unit considers beginning teachers’ own mathematics skills and knowledge and how they can use them to support their own numeracies. Primary school teachers need to feel confident and competent in their own mathematics as well as in mathematics pedagogy. Students will use a variety of investigative techniques to increase their experience of patterns and relationships in mathematics. The inherent structure of mathematics will be approached through the examination of various mathematical systems and their relationship to the current Mathematics syllabus. Mathematics is specifically taught within this unit to ensure all beginning teachers meet the NSW Institute of Teachers’ accreditation requirements.

Using theoretical perspectives drawn from sociology and cultural studies, the unit explores cultural diversity by examining concepts of culture, Identity, difference, whiteness and relations of power as they operate within Australian society. This examination forms the basis for understanding relationships in schools and in the broader community. Integral to this, students will develop their cultural literacy by examining the intersections of gender, sexuality, class, race, ethnicity and religion in identity formation. Students will have the opportunity to explore these relationships and their effects in schools and classrooms, and within different text and media.

The unit examines ways of enhancing children’s language learning through talking, listening, reading, writing and viewing as they begin to create and understand the oral, written and visual texts of their environment. Current literacy and language acquisition theories are examined. The diverse needs of learners are considered and appropriate teaching strategies to develop literacy skills are explored. As part of the learning experience students undertake lesson observation in NSW schools.

This unit provides in depth knowledge of historical and contemporary Indigenous Australian cultures, education and policy issues. The unit relates to working with Indigenous children and families in educational, social and community settings. It examines relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous societies, social indicators and also critiques the impacts of current policy changes in areas such as Abstudy, self-determination, representation, mutual obligation and perspectives for successful educational and social outcomes.

This unit is designed to introduce the NSW Science and Technology K-6 Syllabus and approaches to teaching. The significance of children’s views is emphasised in the selection, design and sequencing of activities for primary students in the development of science and technology experiences. Scientific concepts are considered in the context of distinct but related science and technology areas of built environments, information and communications, living things, natural phenomena, products and services, and Earth and its surroundings. Relevant science and technology content, together with strategies useful in developing primary science and technology knowledge, understandings, skills, processes, values and attitudes will be explored.

This unit introduces students to theoretical models and sound pedagogical practices for using Dance, Drama, Music and Visual Arts in the primary classroom. Collaborative, experiential and blended learning as well as reflective practices are the key operating principles of the unit. Students will explore the theory and practice of the arts in the education process of children through practical and professional experiences. The unit provides an understanding of the importance of the art forms both as powerful teaching and learning strategies across the primary curriculum and as creative arts in their own right.

This unit provides opportunities for students to develop knowledge of the outcomes, subject matter, pedagogies and experiences that define the key learning area of Human Society and its Environment. It enables students to develop their own content knowledge about Change and Continuity; Cultures; Social Systems and Structures; and Environment strands as well as their understandings, skills and dispositions necessary for: planning, programming and teaching HSIE K-6. It promotes teaching strategies that prepare primary children for informed and effective citizenship, contributing to the quality of their society and environments.

This unit examines the current NSW Board of Studies requirements regarding K-6 Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE). Through an examination of the syllabus, modules and support documents, students will develop the necessary skills to design an effective scope and sequence for K-6 PDHPE and develop a program of work suitable for a specific stage of learner. Assessment and evaluation will be addressed and the need to develop descriptive student profiles relating to student achievement of outcomes will be highlighted. Students will work on their personal PDHPE.

This is a Professional Experience unit in which students participate in 15 days placement in schools. Five of these days will be in their home communities and ten will be in Sydney schools. During these days students will work in partnership with classroom teachers to further develop and begin to put into practice their knowledge of curriculum and pedagogy. Students will observe classrooms, assist individuals and groups of students with their learning, and begin to teach lessons. By the end of the unit students will have taught lessons in all of the KLAs, assessed student learning and evaluated their teaching.

Students will focus on school-community links. They will create a link between their community and a local school contributing to their understanding of the value of community involvement for all parties. They will negotiate a project in a school that links the school with their community. They will build a research base in the areas of community engagement and service learning with an emphasis on the benefits to the student, the community, the school, the teachers and the school children. They will learn how to plan, negotiate, implement and use critical reflective practices to evaluate their project. A project report will be shared with the cohort.

This unit will continue the development of students’ understandings about language and literacy in a K-6 context, including the development of emergent literacy. The unit will focus on the area of writing, including literary, factual, media and multimedia texts. It will include the teaching of spelling and functional grammar. Students will develop their theoretical knowledge about the teaching and learning of writing, and the relationship between writing, reading, talking and listening. Students will have an opportunity to investigate methodologies employed in school and will develop a mini unit of work and teaching plans with a literacy focus. As part of the unit students will complete 5 days of Professional Experience in NSW schools.

This unit is designed to complement and develop the knowledge and skills gained in the unit Human Society and Its Environment 1. The focus is on developing students’ content knowledge about change and continuity, culture, environments and social systems and structures as well as their understandings, skills and dispositions necessary for: planning, programming and teaching HSIE K-6. Various approaches to planning, teaching and assessing HSIE to meet the needs of diverse learners are explored.

This unit is designed to consolidate and extend knowledge and skills gained in the previous unit: 101488 Science and Technology 1 (AREP). The focus is on further developing subject matter knowledge and authentic pedagogies for teaching Science and Technology to enhance students’ learning. Integration opportunities between Science and Technology with other curriculum areas will be explored and developed. Students will undertake 5 days shared Professional Experience in an Environmental Field Studies Centres and/or other learning centres.

This unit develops further the students’ theoretical knowledge and practical application in the creative arts. The place of primary creative arts in the continuum of learning from K-12 will be covered and there will be a strong focus on integrating music, dance, drama and visual arts both within the creative arts and across the curriculum. This includes a focus on the characteristics of creativity and how it may be enhanced in the primary classroom. The unit will also cover assessment of each of the creative arts strands.

The subject complements knowledge and skill development in Personal Development, Health & Physical Education 1 – AREP, through research into areas underpinning the principles and practices of PDHPE in relation to the current NSW Board of Studies requirements regarding K-6 PDHPE. Through research and analysis of the syllabus, modules and support documents, and practical experiences students will develop the necessary skills to extend their models of pedagogy and increase strategies for teaching and assessing primary PDHPE. Students will also explore and extend their own their own PDHPE practices.

Students need to understand and assess the intellectual, emotional, social and physical needs of all children in the classroom. They need to develop appropriate skills, attitudes and methodologies to enable them to plan, implement and evaluate programs which meet the educational needs of individual children with disabilities, learning difficulties and/or behaviour disorders as well as those who are gifted and talented. This unit explores strategies and theoretical approaches which promote and enable inclusion and effective learning within the context of Federal and State policy and legislation.

This unit builds on sociological understandings of primary schooling, with a particular focus on cultural diversity and inclusion in local communities and schools. These are complex and shifting, reflecting the always changing dynamics of social and community relationships and their connection to broader social and global dynamics and power relations. Primary schools have a long tradition of working with communities at the chalk-face of social change and this unit engages students in developing strategies for working with linguistic and cultural disadvantage in local communities and schools. The unit draws on theoretical frameworks from sociology and cultural studies to develop strategies for social change/social justice in local communities and schools.

This unit is designed to extend the development of mathematical concepts, skills and understandings of the NSW DET Mathematics Syllabus K-6 with an emphasis on the Stage 2, 3 and 4 mathematics outcomes and their links with the Early Stage 1 and Stage 1 outcomes. An awareness of relevant research and curriculum documents, combined with the practical knowledge of teaching, learning and assessment strategies, will assist students to program, implement and assess a series of experiences that will enhance their conceptual knowledge of their students diverse abilities in the nature and role of mathematics, mathematical thinking and problem solving techniques.

One in four children in Australia grows up in bilingual or multilingual households. Many of these children need support to develop their English. This unit aims to contribute to the overall course aims by preparing teacher education students with initial principles about (English as an Additional Language) EAL teaching and learning. Whilst the emphasis will be on developing an understanding of appropriate classroom strategies for learners of English as a second language within a mainstream cross-curricula program, particular emphasis will be given to the learning needs of and appropriate pedagogies for Indigenous Australian students learning English as an Additional Language or dialect.

The subject aims to directly challenge students to inquire into, reflect upon and subsequently begin to develop a pedagogy appropriate to the needs of learners within contexts which reflect the diversity of today’s educational settings. They will be required to develop skills related to effective planning, programming, evaluating and teaching in a wide variety of teaching contexts. The focus of this subject will be the development of skills related to these understandings in the co-requisite unit Professional Experience 3

The unit gives students further professional experience . They will be required to develop skills related to effective planning, programming, evaluating and teaching in a wide variety of teaching contexts. The focus of this subject will be the development of skills related to these understandings. Consequently, students will be given experience in a variety of contexts that show how school and classroom curriculum and policy is influenced by the nature of the school’s community in its relationship with education at a local and systemic level.

This unit will explore educational research and its application to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in teaching and learning across Key Learning Areas (KLAs) as a way for students to better understand their theories of learning. The unit will begin with a development of the student's research and ICT skills. Educational theories will be explored as a basis for students to examine their beliefs about learning and teaching. Students will apply their evolving understandings to the use of ICT supported learning across a range of educational contexts.

Students need to have a variety of experiences that are set in the context of their future profession. Through these experiences they need to draw together, as a capstone, all the previous units in the course, integrating them through a well balanced program that allows the students to refine their skills as beginning teachers. This gives them opportunity to reflect on the processes involved, identify their competencies and assist the school by recognising potential issues and assisting in implementation of the resulting praxis. This unit includes all areas of foundations and curriculum preparing students for a final practicum experience (Professional Practice 4) that will show the interrelationship between theory and practice. It also addresses issues that assist in the development of the individual student toward their transition into teaching.

This is the final Professional Experience Unit of the course. Students will synthesise and apply their knowledge, skills and attributes from all previous units and draw on this as they undertake two periods of professional experience. The first is in their home community (10 days) and the second is in Sydney (15 days). The unit that will show the interrelationship between theory and practice and help students undertake their final step into the teaching profession.