Units

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Sample subject outline - Semester 2 2012

Note: Subject outlines often change before the semester begins. Below is a sample outline.

Rationale

Teachers need to be aware of the importance of children?s literature in supporting their literacy programmes and as a vehicle by which a wide range of learning, both cognitive and affective, are conveyed. As children?s literature forms a vital part of children?s formal and informal learning, teachers require a broad understanding of the genre?s many facets to support students? engagement with these texts. Moreover, teachers must draw on a wide variety of critical theories and approaches in order to help students understand the social, cultural and political implications of the books they read.

Aims

This unit aims to assist you in your on-going development as:

1. An effective communicator with an enhanced knowledge of the diverse field of children's literature;

2. A learner who is aware of issues of inclusiveness, difference and intercultural understandings as they are articulated through literature written for children;

3. A reflective practitioner who is open to the challenges that literature offers in viewing the world from different perspectives, and who is committed to developing creative and challenging learning experiences using children's literature.

Objectives

On completion of this unit, you should be learner-focused and inclusive curriculum developers who:

1. Manage learning environments that are educationally productive for diverse sets of students and their learning needs [EPA 2.1];

2. Help learners to develop, monitor and evaluate their own thinking and learning skills within the social and cultural context of education [EPA 2.3];

3. Design learning experience programs that draw upon pedagogical, curriculum and assessment knowledge and skills, to respond to the diverse abilities and interests of all learners [EPA 3.1];

4. Model and promote inquiring, cooperative and independent approaches to learning [EPA3.2].

Content

Defining the Field
Identifying the characteristics of children?s literature.

Narrative Strategies in children's literature
Exploring textual features of children's literature, including narration, point of view, flashback and foreshadowing, space, place and voice.

Reading the Visual
How can we understand the visual elements of children's literature, in picture books, comics and film? How do words and pictures work together to create meaning?

The social context of children's literature
What roles do publishers, parents, teachers, community groups and the wider society play in the children's literature industry? How do we put values on and into children's literature?

Approaches to Teaching and Learning

This unit adopts a reflexive approach to teaching and learning that encourages students to draw on a repertoire of critical theory, textual analysis, pedagogical implications in their engagements with fictional texts and scholarly secondary sources. It also utilises approaches to collaborative knowledge constructions in online and offline contexts.

Assessment

Assessment will be both formative and summative. Formative assessment will be provided during classroom and on-line discussion and in the feedback provided for assignment 1. There are two (2) formative and summative items of assessment.

Assessment name: Essay
Description: Length: 2000 words
Relates to objectives: 2 & 4
Weight: 60%
Internal or external: Both
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Mid semester

Assessment name: Workshop / Research activities
Description: Workshop activities and research task
Length: 2000 words or equivalent
Relates to objectives: 1 & 3
Weight: 40%
Internal or external: Both
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Throughout semester

Academic Honesty

QUT is committed to maintaining high academic standards to protect the value of its qualifications. To assist you in assuring the academic integrity of your assessment you are encouraged to make use of the support materials and services available to help you consider and check your assessment items. Important information about the university's approach to academic integrity of assessment is on your unit Blackboard site.

A breach of academic integrity is regarded as Student Misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties.

Resource materials

References

Bradford, C. (2001). Reading race: Aboriginality in Australian children's literature. Carlton South, VIC: Melbourne University Press.

Bull, G. & Anstey, M. (Eds). (2002). Crossing the boundaries. Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Education Australia.

Chapleau, S. (Ed.). (2004). New voices in children's literature criticism. Lichfield, NSW: Pied Piper.

Mallan, K. (1999). In the picture: Perspectives on picture book art and artists. Wagga Wagga, NSW: Centre for Information Studies, CSU.

Stahl, J.D., Hanlon, T.L. & Keyser, E.L. (2007). Crosscurrents of children's literature: an anthology of texts and criticism. New York: Oxford University Press.

Stephens, J. (Ed.). (2002). Ways of being male: Representing masculinities in children's literature and film. London: Routledge.

Risk assessment statement

There are no out-of-the-ordinary risks associated with this unit. Workplace Health and Safety protocols in relation to computer use will apply.

Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of semester.

Last modified: 30-Apr-2012