Teaching Secondary English UG (12039.1)
| Available teaching periods | Delivery mode | Location |
|---|---|---|
| View teaching periods | Placement |
Bruce, Canberra |
| EFTSL | Credit points | Faculty |
| 0.25 | 6 | Faculty Of Education |
| Discipline | Study level | HECS Bands |
| School Of Teacher Education | Level 3 - Undergraduate Advanced Unit | Band 1 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan 2021) Band 1 2021 (Commenced Before 1 Jan 2021) |
Important Note: Students should only enrol in this unit if it matches their choice of disciplinary major. If in doubt, contact the Program Director or the Academic Programs Team at the Faculty of Education before enrolling in this unit.
Students should be aware that completing a disciplinary 'method' unit for which they will not meet NESA's Subject Content Knowledge Requirements for Secondary Teaching at the point of course completion may lead to problems when seeking to register as a teacher.
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:1. Demonstrate an understanding of student development, how this affects student learning and implications for inclusive curriculum and teaching;
2. Demonstrate a broad knowledge and understanding of the structure of the Australian Curriculum for the discipline at Secondary and Senior Secondary levels and its significance to teaching and learning;
3. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the concepts, substance and structure of the content and teaching strategies needed in the discipline and within the Secondary and Senior Secondary classrooms;
4. Adopt a critically reflective approach to teaching and the related ability to plan for and implement to teaching, learning and assessment strategies that inform and have a positive impact on learners within the discipline;
5. Identify and implement strategies to support inclusive student participation and engagement in classroom activities;
6. Implement assessment strategies, including informal and formal, diagnostic, formative and summative approaches to assess and report student learning;
7. Organise and manage classroom activities and behaviour, provide clear directions, and maintain a supportive and safe learning environment; and
8. Engage with professional colleagues, and professional learning, to maintain a productive working environment and to improve professional practice.
Graduate attributes
1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively1. UC graduates are professional - display initiative and drive, and use their organisation skills to plan and manage their workload
1. UC graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills
1. UC graduates are professional - take pride in their professional and personal integrity
1. UC graduates are professional - use creativity, critical thinking, analysis and research skills to solve theoretical and real-world problems
1. UC graduates are professional - work collaboratively as part of a team, negotiate, and resolve conflict
2. UC graduates are global citizens - adopt an informed and balanced approach across professional and international boundaries
2. UC graduates are global citizens - communicate effectively in diverse cultural and social settings
2. UC graduates are global citizens - understand issues in their profession from the perspective of other cultures
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - adapt to complexity, ambiguity and change by being flexible and keen to engage with new ideas
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - be self-aware
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - reflect on their own practice, updating and adapting their knowledge and skills for continual professional and academic development
4. UC graduates are able to demonstrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing - communicate and engage with Indigenous Australians in ethical and culturally respectful ways
Prerequisites
Must have passed 36 credit points including 10425 Curriculum - Assessment, Planning and Reporting AND one of the following:- 10450 Ways of Knowing, Being and Doing in Education
- 12034 Being a Teacher
- 9919 The Educational Workplace
Corequisites
None.Incompatible units
None.Equivalent units
None.Assumed knowledge
None.| Year | Location | Teaching period | Teaching start date | Delivery mode | Unit convener |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Bruce, Canberra | Semester 1 | 16 February 2026 | Placement | Mrs Gem Clutton |
| 2026 | Bruce, Canberra | Semester 2 | 10 August 2026 | Placement | Dr Duncan Driver |
| 2027 | Bruce, Canberra | Semester 1 | 15 February 2027 | Placement | Mrs Gem Clutton |
| 2027 | Bruce, Canberra | Semester 2 | 09 August 2027 | Placement | Dr Duncan Driver |
Required texts
Required texts
All required readings will be provided via the unit's (UC Learn) Canvas site.
Recommended readings for this unit include:
Boas & Gazis (2016). The Artful English Teacher: Over 100 practical strategies for the English classroom. Australian Association for the Teaching of English
Driver & Hewes (2023). Teaching Shakespeare in Australian Schools. Small Caps Publishing.
Gannon, Howie & Sawyer (Eds.) (2009). Charged with Meaning: Re-Viewing English (3rd Ed.). Phoenix Press.
Hochman, J. C., & Wexler, N. (2017). The writing revolution: A guide to advancing thinking through writing in all subjects and grades. John Wiley & Sons.
Quin, R. & Driver, D. (2020) Secondary English: Subject and Method. Cambridge University Press.
Shann (2014). Imagined Worlds and Classroom Realities. Sense Publishers.
Shipp, C. (2023). Listening from the Heart: Rewriting the Teaching of English With First Nation Voices. AATE publications.
Simpson & White (Eds.) (2013) Language, Literacy & Literature. Melbourne: Oxford University Press.
Wiliam & Leahy (2015) Embedding Formative Assessment.+ Hawker Brownlow.
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, or if no submission has been made by the due date and time, a standard late penalty of 10% of the total marks possible for the task may be applied per day, for three days, after which the submission will receive a score of ‘0' in keeping with UC's Assessment Policy.
Artificial Intelligence
Students are not allowed to use generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in weighted assessment submissions for this unit. However, when preparing unweighted, mandatory lesson plans for the unit's critical teaching workshops, Generative AI may be used as a resource for content creation and/or the development of activities for lessons.
Students should be aware that the University of Canberra utilises GenAI detection software. Suspected instances of unauthorised GenAI use may lead to a 'Learning Validation Conversation' designed to provide assurance that a student is able to demonstrate relevant knowledge and skills to meet required learning outcomes. Students who are suspected of having misused GenAI in assessment may be required to attend a summary inquiry for suspected misconduct.
Special assessment requirements
Successfull Completion of this Unit
Normally an aggregate mark of 50% is required to pass the unit.
Lesson Plans
When developing your lesson plans, it is encouraged that you are using your skills in lesson planning and design to create engaging and rich lesson resources. Using materials from commercial sites such as TPT, Twinkl, Sparkle Box etc. is not desirable in this unit. If you adapt resources from commercial sites and sources or AI, please note this in your lesson planning and resource development.
Assessment Submissions
Please be aware that all work submitted through Canvas is assessed by TurnItIn in line with University processes.
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 Academic Integrity Module 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 University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.
Learner engagement
As this is a 6-credit point unit, you are required to commit approximately 300 hours to class activities, readings, study and assessment preparation over the course of the semester.
In practice this looks like:
Face-to-face Workshops and clinics - 33 hours (11 x 3 hour workshops)
Reading, study, classroom observation and assessment preparation - approximately 150 hours distributed as needed across the semester
15 days of Professional Placement is also associated with this unit.
Participation requirements
Successful engagement with all learning activities in this accredited Initial Teacher Education course is necessary to demonstrate that you have met the Graduate career stage of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (AITSL, 2011).
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 from school-based tutorials may lead to failure of the unit due to non-completion.
*Note: This unit commences with weeks 1 and 2 on campus (see timetable for rooms) and weeks 3 to 8 at our clinical school to meet accreditation requirements of 3 days professional experience.
Successful completion of the professional experience component is critical to success in the whole unit. Refer to assessment (5a) on the Canvas site for further details. Students must make themselves familiar with the processes and policies of professional experience.
Required IT skills
It is expected that students undertaking this unit will have a basic level of information technology competence that includes electronic manipulation of documents, PowerPoint, photographs, videos, slideshows, e-books, websites and apps.
- its use is authorised by the unit convener as part of a specified assessment task, and
- it is used in the way allowed in the assessment instructions and/or unit outline, and
- its use is appropriately referenced, meaning that students must reference the use of AI in their assessment in the same way as they reference other source material.
Work placement, internships or practicums
A successful professional placement of 15 days is required to achieve a Pass grade in this unit.
Please refer to the professional experience section on the All Teacher Education Students (ATES) site for full information on the Professional Experience requirements.
With a professional experience practicum this unit therefore involves additional student responsibilities that are required in addition to those described in section 6. Work-place learning requires strict adherence to professional practice principles and ethics. This includes always maintaining school, staff, teacher, student, and/or research participant confidentiality for assessment items like reflection portfolios, reports, essays and short or extended responses in tests.
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 registration through the ACT Office of Regulatory Services via Access Canberra. No fee is charged if students select 'volunteer' when applying for a check. Note that the Working with Vulnerable People (Background Checking) Act only applies to the ACT but is usually also accepted in NSW schools. For students undertaking placements in other states or territories, it may be that an alternate Police Check or a Working with Children Check is required. Please refer to the professional experience section on the All Teacher Education Students (ATES) Moodle site for full information on the Professional Experience requirements.
Students who are in placement units or in school based units are required to complete an Acceptable use of ICT resources form in order to access ICT resources in their placement school. A hardcopy of the form will be distributed and collected by your tutor early in each semester.
Type of experiential learning, WIL or other experience: Teaching Professional Experience
Additional information
This unit involves research-led education and/or work-integrated learning. There are active researchers and teachers delivering this unit who are able to engage students in deep and active learning and transmit to students their passion for the research they are carrying out.
