The Practice (PCK) of Teaching Science (9889.2)

Please note these are the 2022 details for this unit
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The Practice (PCK) of Teaching Science
Available teaching periods Delivery mode Location
View teaching periods Placement
 Bruce, Canberra
EFTSL Credit points Faculty
0.125 3 Faculty Of Education
Discipline Study level HECS Bands
Academic Program Area - Education Level 3 - Undergraduate Advanced Unit Band 1 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan 2021)
Band 1 2021 (Commenced Before 1 Jan 2021)
Students will build on their existing science knowledge and develop a broader range of skills in the teaching of science to young children. Students will: explore a range of science concepts; recognise the importance of science specific pedagogy; and, identify opportunities for creative integration of science learning activities when programming. A range of innovative science teaching approaches will be actioned and reflection on these experiences will allow development of personal pedagogic frameworks.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1. Review the theoretical underpinnings of effective science teaching;
2. Identify the value of careful planning with respect to science teaching;
3. Recognise that design of science learning activities as part of an integrated program of teaching adds an exciting and fruitful dimension to the teaching of young children;
4. Use a wide range of resources, including ICT resources, they have available to them for the teaching of science; and
5. Demonstrate great confidence in the level of content knowledge they carry into future science teaching.


Graduate attributes

1. UC graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills
1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively
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
1. UC graduates are professional - display initiative and drive, and use their organisation skills to plan and manage their workload
1. UC graduates are professional - take pride in their professional and personal integrity
2. UC graduates are global citizens - think globally about issues in their profession
2. UC graduates are global citizens - adopt an informed and balanced approach across professional and international boundaries
2. UC graduates are global citizens - understand issues in their profession from the perspective of other cultures
2. UC graduates are global citizens - communicate effectively in diverse cultural and social settings
2. UC graduates are global citizens - make creative use of technology in their learning and professional lives
2. UC graduates are global citizens - behave ethically and sustainably in their professional and personal lives
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - reflect on their own practice, updating and adapting their knowledge and skills for continual professional and academic development
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - be self-aware
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 - evaluate and adopt new technology


Prerequisites

Students must have passed 24 credit points.

This unit is only available to students enrolled in an undergraduate Initial Teacher Education (ITE) course.

Corequisites

None.

Incompatible units

None.

Equivalent units

None.

Assumed knowledge

11765 Foundations of Pedagogy (for students of the following courses):
- 321JA Bachelor of Primary Education
- 322JA Bachelor of Primary Education (STeM)
- 323JA Bachelor of Primary Education (Creative Arts)
- 324JA Bachelor of Primary Education (H&PE)
Availability for enrolment in 2026 is subject to change and may not be confirmed until closer to the teaching start date.
Year Location Teaching period Teaching start date Delivery mode Unit convener
2025 Bruce, Canberra Semester 1 03 February 2025 Placement Mrs Lucy Bennett
2026 Bruce, Canberra Semester 1 16 February 2026 Placement Mrs Lucy Bennett
Not available

Required texts

Recommended Texts:

Skamp, K., & Preston C. (2021) Teaching Primary Science Constructively (7th Edition). Cengage Learning.

Gregson, R. and Doidge, N. (Eds.) (2018). Connecting with Science Education 2nd Ed. Victoria, Australia: Oxford University Press. 9780190309343. 

Murdoch, K. (2015) The Power of Inquiry. Seastar Education. (From http://www.kathmurdoch.com.au/shop/).

Additional resources will be available on the unit Canvas site or through the library. Additionally, podcasts relevant to the weekly content will be uploaded to the weekly reading list tab. 

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 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.

It is important to note that no part of an assignment submission has been submitted for assessment in any other unit in this or another Faculty, except where authorised by the lecturer/s concerned.

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Special assessment requirements

An aggregate mark of 50% is required to pass the unit. All assessment items MUST be submitted in order to pass the unit. In addition to this, the required Professional Experience must be passed to receive a pass in this unit.

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.

 

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

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

Attendance at all scheduled sessions in this unit is compulsory and absences could result in a fail. All absences need to be supported by appropriate documentation (e.g., medical certificate).

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 week 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 (eg. Microsoft Word) is required.

In-unit costs

Related resource costs for the teaching clinic sessions are the principal cost associated with this unit. 

Work placement, internships or practicums

This unit involves work integrated learning: 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 and evidence of PSTR uploaded to InPlace.

This unit involves clinical 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 learning activities (lectures, workshops, tutorials practicals etc. as 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 contact the Academic Programs Team to discuss re-scheduling this unit.

Learning in this unit will be integrally linked to experiences in professional contexts. 

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 practicing 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 practice 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: Science. These theories will underpin students' developing pedagogical approaches to instructing Science and Scientific literacy.