Engaging and Assessing Learners (Sec) 2 (EDUC91121)

This subject supports Teacher Candidates to develop a deep understanding of assessment strategies, approaches and feedback and the relationships between these and engagement in learning. These understandings support Teacher Candidates to differentiate teaching to meet the learning needs of all students across the full range of abilities.

Using the Clinical Teaching Model as a guiding framework, Teacher Candidates will learn about assessment strategies and approaches. These will consider the diverse needs and backgrounds of students so that accurate and actionable evidence of ability can be collected. Teacher Candidates will develop the ability to construct progressions of learning that are contextually relevant and aligned to the relevant Australian educational frameworks and curricula. They will learn how to use progressions as models of learning that can be used to interpret evidence and support diverse students to actively engage in learning and to reach their potential. Teacher Candidates will learn how to provide feedback that is culturally relevant, accessible, positively framed and engages students. They will review the effectiveness of their own teaching and critically reflect on their ability to evaluate students’ progress.  Teacher Candidates will learn how to collect, interpret and use student assessment data to evaluate student learning and modify teaching practice.  Candidates will examine assessment moderation practices and its application to support consistent and comparable judgements of student learning. Strategies for reporting to students/parents/carers and the purpose of keeping accurate and reliable records of student achievement will also be examined.

This subject includes Clinical Teaching Practicum (placement) in a Secondary school. During the placement, Teacher Candidates will begin to consolidate the nexus between theory and the practice of teaching, drawing on a range of theoretical perspectives and contemporary research to support their teaching practice. Teacher Candidates are supported by experienced Clinical Specialists and Mentor Teachers. A series of seminars will be held which explore Candidates’ developing professional knowledge, practice and engagement. In this subject Teacher Candidates will also complete a Clinical Praxis Exam.

Intended learning outcomes

On completion of this subject, Teacher Candidates should be able to:

• Demonstrate understanding of the physical, social, and intellectual development and characteristics of students by designing differentiated teaching strategies to engage and meet the specific and diverse needs of students across the full range of abilities.
• Demonstrate an understanding of assessment strategies including informal and formal, diagnostic, formative and summative approaches to assess student learning.
• Demonstrate an understanding of assessment moderation and its application to support consistent and comparable judgements of students' learning.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the need to maintain accurate and reliable records of students' achievement for parents/carers through a range of reporting strategies and provide timely and appropriate feedback to students about their learning.
• Interpret student assessment data to evaluate student learning to improve students' learning and modify teaching practice.
• Demonstrate knowledge of teaching strategies that are responsive to the learning strengths and needs of students from diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Consolidate understanding of professional knowledge, professional practice and professional engagement by drawing on a range of theoretical perspectives and contemporary research to support teaching practice.

Generic skills