Teaching Secondary Languages UG (12041.1)

Required texts

All required readings will be made available via the Reading List on the unit Canvas site. 

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.

Special assessment requirements

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, please note this in your lesson planning and resource development.

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

Teaching Performance Assessment (TPA)

All preservice teachers are required to pass all four elements of the AfGT to demonstrate that the Australian Professional Standards for Graduate Teachers are met. Meeting the Graduate Teacher Standards enables the preservice teacher to graduate from the respective accredited programs of learning. The preservice teacher cannot graduate unless they have satisfactorily completed the AfGT and all other course assessment tasks.

It may be necessary for academics to make ‘on balance' judgements about whether each Element has been passed – that is, judgements about whether the preservice teacher has achieved below, at or above the Standard. To make on-balance judgements, assessors draw on assessment data to make defensible judgements about the preservice teacher's learning (Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority, 2019; Australian Curriculum Assessment & Reporting Authority, 2019; AITSL, 2017)

If, on balance, preservice teachers do not meet the Graduate Standard for any or all Elements of the TPA, following moderation, they will be given one chance to resubmit requested elements to demonstrate their achievement of the Standards required. After this, if the Graduate Standards have not been satisfactorily met on balance, preservice teachers will receive a ‘fail' grade for the TPA and be referred to the Program Director and/or the ADE for guidance as to next steps.

Academic integrity

Students have a responsibility to uphold University standards on ethical scholarship. Good scholarship involves building on the work of others and use of others' work must be acknowledged with proper attribution made. Cheating, plagiarism, and falsification of data are dishonest practices that contravene academic values. Refer to the University's Student Charter for more information.

To enhance understanding of academic integrity, all students are expected to complete the Academic Integrity Module (AIM) at least once during their course of study. You can access this module within UCLearn (Canvas) through the 'Academic Integrity and Avoiding Plagiarism' link in the Study Help site.

Use of Text-Matching Software

The University of Canberra uses text-matching software to help students and staff reduce plagiarism and improve understanding of academic integrity. The software matches submitted text in student assignments against material from various sources: the internet, published books and journals, and previously submitted student texts.

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.

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:

Workshop engagement (face-to-face and online) - 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

There is a strong correlation between participation and success in higher education. Your participation and engagement with online activities will enhance your understanding of this unit's content and therefore the quality of your assessment responses. Lack of participation may result in your inability to satisfactorily pass assessment items. 

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.

Participation in ‘school based' observation classes is a compulsory condition of this unit, and attendance will be recorded. You must participate in 100% of the ‘school based' observation classes to pass this unit. In the event that you cannot attend your assigned session due to illness or extenuating circumstances, you must provide appropriate documentation to the Unit Convener as soon as possible. In the case of sessions missed due to illness or extenuating 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.

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.

Artificial intelligence services must not to be used for assessment or assessment preparation by students unless explicitly allowed in the assessment instructions for an assessment task published with the assessment task and/or in the unit outline.

• 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.

In-unit costs

Nil

Work placement, internships or practicums

A successful professional placement of 15 days is required to achieve a Pass grade in this unit.

This unit involves work integrated learning (WIL): Placement. Students must adhere to University policy during WIL activities, including the Student Conduct Rules 2018, the WIL policy and WIL procedure, and the Assessment policy, and Assessment procedure. For teaching degrees, students need to ensure they have their WWVP or for NSW, their Working with Children, COVID vaccination status and evidence of PSTR uploaded to InPlace.

This unit involves a professional experience placement and therefore, additional student responsibilities are required in addition to those described in section 6. Workplace learning requires strict adherence to professional practice principles and ethics. School student and staff confidentiality must always be maintained (refer policies on ATES - Professional Experience Handbook, ACT ED Teachers' Code of Professional Practice (or equivalent) and Student Conduct Rules), including for assessment items such as reports or essays. This applies to staff and patrons of any outside agency where an internship or other WIL activity is taking place. The professional nature of this unit also requires 100% participation at all placement days 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 contact the Academic Programs Team to discuss re-scheduling this unit. 

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.

• Semester 2, 2024, On-Campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (221452)
• Semester 1, 2024, On-Campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (221676)