Course Title: Professional Experience: Teaching for Inclusion in Primary and Early Childhood

Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

In this course you will explore the principles of inclusion and their application in a variety of educational settings, both primary and early childhood. You will explore strategies to support the participation and engagement in learning of students with diverse needs. Using a Critical Disabilities Framework, you will examine current policies, legislation and theoretical foundations with the aim of developing awareness, knowledge and skills relating to inclusive education.  You will develop skills in planning and implementing an inclusive curriculum. You will learn how to use assessment and reporting requirements that meet the needs of all children. You will also develop knowledge and awareness of key stakeholders perspectives in order to provide rich relevant experiences and learning for children of all abilities.

The course includes a professional experience placement (work integrated learning) during which your knowledge and skills will be applied and assessed in a real or simulated workplace context and where feedback from supervising teachers and/ or community is integral to your experience. Your professional experience placement is to be undertaken according to the Professional Experience Calendar, unless Special Consideration is granted for an equivalent assessment.

AITSL Standards

CLO2. Know the principles of inclusion in diverse educational settings and how these principles affect children with diverse needs  

1.1,1.3, 1.4, 1.5,1.6

CLO4. Develop knowledge and awareness of key stakeholders perspectives in order to provide rich relevant experiences and learning for children of all abilities

7.4

5.1, 5.2, 5.4, 5.5.

To successfully complete this course you will need to participate in tutorials and other learning events. You will need to complete regular weekly learning tasks that may involve online activities, reading broadly, analysing video material and case studies, reporting critically on set questions, researching course topics, and completing prescribed assessment tasks.

You are required to be proactive and self-directed in your learning, asking questions of your lecturer and/or peers and seeking out information as required, especially from the numerous sources available through the RMIT library, and through links and material specific to this course that is available through myRMIT Studies Course Site.

You will also be required to actively and effectively engage with peers in collaborative problem solving activities and other forms of group work.        

RMIT University will support your access to learning resources for this course. Readings from current educational literature will be provided through your online course site and will be drawn from highly regarded academic journals, books and conferences as well as reports, websites and other online resources.

The University Library provides extensive scholarly resources to supplement your suggested readings and research and is able to request books or articles from any library in the world. Guides to the literature in your discipline area are available from http://rmit.libguides.com/sb.php?subject_id=67929

Assistance with referencing and avoiding plagiarism is available here http://www1.rmit.edu.au/library/referencing

The Library and the Study and Learning Centre are also on hand to support and assist in the development of your academic skills to make best use of such resources within your academic studies. http://www1.rmit.edu.au/library

You will be assessed on how well you meet the course’s learning outcomes and on your development against the program learning outcomes. Assessment will cover both theoretical and practical aspects of your learning. You will be able to develop your work in relation to your own specific areas of interest in your professional practice.

Task 1.  Explanatory essay 2000 (50%) CLO1, CLO2 Students are to critically analyse the NDIS using a Critical Disabilities framework, demonstrating how the scheme, includes or [dis]cludes children in educational settings  and society.  

Task 2. Integrated Learning Plan for a child with additional needs (50%). CLO3, CLO4, CLO5. Based on observations and research, develop a profile of a child with additional needs to inform the creation and implementation of an Individual Education Plan for the chosen child.

Assessment in this course is directly connected to your successful participation in professional experience. The end-of-placement report from your supervising teacher(s) on your professional development and participation in professional experience is an important component of your assessment. It will provide evidence of your ability to demonstrate the relevant professional practices and course learning outcomes specifically associated with the assessment tasks in the course.

Feedback will be given on all assessment tasks.

If you have a long term medical condition and/or disability it may be possible to negotiate to vary aspects of the learning or assessment methods. You can contact the program coordinator or the Equitable Learning Services if you would like to find out more.

Your course assessment conforms to RMIT assessment principles, regulations, policies, procedures and instructions which are available for review online: http://www.rmit.edu.au/students/assessment