Required texts

The required text for this unit is listed below. The weekly readings are taken from this required text and are aligned to the weekly concept check assessments. 

Flint, A., Kitson, E., Lowe, K. and Shaw, K. (2020). Literacy in Australia: Pedagogies for Engagement. 3rd ed. Australia: John Wiley & Sons Australia.

A recommended text for this unit is listed below. Please note this is not the required text but a suggested text should you wish to explore concepts further. 

Winch, G., Johnston, R., March, P., Ljungdahl, L., & Holliday, M. (2014). Literacy: Reading, writing and children's literature (5th ed.). South Melbourne, Victoria: Oxford.

Additional reading materials will be provided on Canvas.

Submission of assessment items

Extensions & Late submissions

Approval of extenuating circumstances will be dependent upon the production of supporting documentation and at the discretion of the unit convener.

All assessment items required to be submitted online must be submitted via the appropriate Canvas drop box. It is the student's responsibility to upload the correct and corresponding draft or assessment item to the right submission section. Assignments must be submitted in a format accessible to the assessor(s), as stated on the relevant canvas site. If the unit convener and/or tutor are unable to access a submission, a standard late penalty of 5% of the total marks possible for the task may be applied per day until the assignment is made accessible.

Special assessment requirements

Normally, an aggregate mark of 50% is required to pass the unit. 

There is a 100% compulsory attendance requirement for this unit. All absences must be made up for to ensure successful completion of the unit requirements. 

As part of the requirements of this unit, students are expected to develop lesson plans collaboratively as part of a teaching team of pre-service teachers.

Provision of valid documentation

Please note that the University takes student conduct very seriously. All documentation provided to University staff must be valid and the provision of fraudulent documentation carries with it potentially serious consequences, including suspension and/or exclusion from the University. Note that all allegations of student misconduct will be referred to the Associate Dean for Education (ADE) as a prescribed authority for investigation.

The University supported text-matching software is URKUND, which is now available to all units via Canvas. 

Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at UC. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.

Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.

UC students have to complete the annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).

UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.

Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and 91Porn (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.

Learner engagement

A proposed breakdown of the workload for this 3 credit point unit is as follows:

Reading and private study: 50 hours

Workshop and online participation: 50 hours

Assessment tasks: 50 hours

Participation requirements

Participation in ‘school based' tutorial classes is a compulsory condition of this unit, and attendance will be recorded. You must participate in 100% of the ‘school based' tutorial classes to pass this unit. In the event that you cannot attend your assigned session due to illness or extreme circumstances, you must provide appropriate documentation to the Unit Convener as soon as possible. In the case of sessions missed due to illness or extreme circumstances, both the academic content and the professional experience component are required to be made up. More than two documented absences may lead to failure of the unit due to non-completion.

*Note: This unit commences with weeks 1 on campus (see timetable for rooms) and weeks 2 to 8 will be school-based to meet accreditation requirements of 3.5 days professional experience

Required IT skills

Use of Canvas and basic word processing software (e.g. Microsoft Word) is required.

In-unit costs

Purchase of text/s is the principal cost associated with this unit, as well as related resource costs for the teaching clinic sessions and assignment tasks.

Work placement, internships or practicums

This is a Work Integrated Learning (WIL) unit, and therefore additional student responsibilities are required in addition to those described in section 6. This unit involves Teaching Clinics and hence requires strict adherence to professional practice, principles and ethics. School, student, and/or research participant confidentiality must always be maintained, including for assessment items such as reports or essays etc. The professional nature of this unit also requires 100% attendance at all Work Integrated Learning (WIL) activities (lectures, tutorials, school-based sessions etc if scheduled – see section 3) for the successful completion of this unit (also see section 6c). If attendance requirements cannot be satisfied (e.g. timetable clash), it is recommended that you meet with your course adviser to re-schedule this unit for a future semester.

Due to the professional experience/ WIL nature of this unit, students are expected to wear appropriate clothing/shoes that reflects the status of being a teacher. Generally, as a guide this would be smart casual. Please note that some schools do not allow jeans, t-shirts or denim. If you are unsure please discuss this with the unit convener. Students are also required to ensure that their name badges are visible at all times while on school campus.    

As this is a professional experience/WIL unit, students are required to undergo a Working with Vulnerable People (WWVP) background check to undertake a placement for the unit. Students are responsible for arranging their own checks through the ACT Office of Regulatory Services.

The WWVP Act only applies to the ACT. For students undertaking placements in other states or territories, it may be that a Police Check or a Working with Children Check is required.

HIGH PRIORITY: STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO COMPLETE AN APPLICATION FOR A WWVP BACKGROUND CHECK. The application can be accessed at:

https://www.accesscanberra.act.gov.au/app/answers/detail/a_id/1804/~/working-with-vulnerable-people-%28wwvp%29-registration

IT IS A REQUIREMENT THAT STUDENTS DISPLAY THEIR WWVP CARD WHEN ATTENDING ALL SCHOOL-BASED SESSIONS. THEREFORE, OBTAINING A WWVP CARD IS ESSENTIAL FOR SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THIS UNIT.

Additional information

This unit involves a Work Integrated Learning (WIL) placement to encourage students' practical development of key pedagogical and attitudinal skills essential for teaching within the 21st-century classroom. By working with young students and alongside practising teachers within a school setting, this unit supports students to develop key pedagogical knowledge, content knowledge and knowledge of students and how they learn. Furthermore, by engaging in collaborative teaching and planning each week, students will practise and develop important relationship skills to prepare them for future work within school-based teaching teams. Additionally, this unit will explore essential learning theories specific to the teaching of the Australian Curriculum: English. These theories will underpin students' developing pedagogical approaches to instructing English literacy, language and literature.

• Semester 1, 2024, On-campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (219196)
• Semester 1, 2023, On-campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (213169)
• Semester 1, 2022, On-campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (209859)