Units

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Sample subject outline - Semester 2 2013

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

Rationale

This is the second in a suite of three Health Education Curriculum units. It is designed to extend you with a range of understandings and competencies for interpreting and managing the health education classroom as a complex social environment for teaching and learning. It assists you to develop the competencies needed for planning and teaching health education units of work. It has an important role in preparing you for the professional practice component of your course, leading to the development of confidence and competence in class management skills, and facilitating the use of post-lesson and post-practicum reflection and evaluation.

Aims

This unit requires you to explore current Queensland health education syllabus documents and the value orientations implicit within them. This personal exploration provides the opportunity for you to clarify your own thinking regarding the motives and role of health education as an integral component of education. Through completion of unit assessment, you will develop health education curriculum materials which reflect an understanding of the school environment and be able to critically reflect on teaching practice for the purpose of establishing future priorities and goals.

Objectives

On successful completion of this unit, you should be able to:

1. Justify the selection of health issues and content for a health education unit focus in accordance with current health concerns, priorities of society and syllabus requirements (QCT Standard 1);


2. Understand and apply the principles of health promotion and conceptual frameworks that underpin health education including the social view of health and The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion (QCT Standard 3);


3. Apply curriculum design principles to develop a health education unit plan, inclusive of learning experiences, assessment and materials suitable for the final two years of the middle phase of learning which, are contextualised, engaging, intellectually challenging, accommodate a range of learning styles, meet syllabus requirements and promote active investigation of a health issue (QCT Standards, 1,2,3,5 and 6);


4. Demonstrate developing competence in designing and implementing health education curriculum materials including unit and lesson plans which incorporate learning experiences and assessment that promote inquiry based, cooperative and independent approaches to teaching and learning (QCT Standards 3 and 6);


5. Analyse and reflect critically on your growth and development as a pre-service teacher including reference to professional attributes and standards indicated by educational authorities (QCT Standard 10).

Content

Content to be addressed during the unit will include:

The philosophical and conceptual frameworks underpinning current curriculum documents and approaches to the delivery of health education. The application of these frameworks will be considered in terms of relevant syllabi with a specific focus on the Queensland education system and examination of the value orientations implicit within these documents.

An investigation of planning and teaching strategies designed to promote a range of learning experiences for selected content areas with a focus on the middle phase of learning (lower secondary school).

A review of underlying theory and strategies for enhancing teaching and learning including a focus on; inquiry-based learning, issues based investigation, effectively managing the classroom environment, establishing a 'thinking' classroom and teaching for values.

Approaches to Teaching and Learning

Teaching approaches include a selection from lectures, tutorials, demonstrations, school and classroom observation, workshops with clinical discussion, and whole class, small group and autonomous learning periods. Use is made of relevant literature. Reflection and autonomous learning are encouraged through the implementation of this unit.

Assessment

Formative assessment and student support:

The unit coordinator and tutors will be available in person at specified times or via email to answer questions from students. Activities related to key concepts will be conducted in tutorials to help student understanding. Tutors will observe student participation in group and individual activities during tutorials and attempt to engage students in substantive conversation during the semester.

Assessment name: Essay
Description: An essay of 1000 - 1500 words which defines a health issue and reviews a range of literature that supports and justifies a selected unit focus for a lower secondary school class.
Relates to objectives: 1 & 2.
Weight: 25%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Mid Semester

Assessment name: Professional Plan
Description: A unit plan incorporating content suitable for strand 1 (Health) and/or strand 3 (Personal Development) of the Health and Physical Education Year 9 Essential Learnings document (Queensland Studies Authority).
Relates to objectives: 2, 3 & 4.
Weight: 50%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Prior to Practicum

Assessment name: Critique (written)
Description: A 1000 - 1500 word relective statement which presents an account of your growth and development as a pre-service teacher and an action plan for the future. The reflective statement will include reference to professional attributes and standards indicated by education authorities (Queensland College of Teachers and Education Queensland).
Relates to objectives: 5.
Weight: 25%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: After the Practicum

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

The following texts are required for this unit:

Frangenheim, E. (2006). Reflections on classroom thinking strategies. Loganholme: Rodin Educational Publishing.

Queensland University of Technology. (2008) QUT cite|write: Your introductory guide to citing, referencing and academic writing at QUT. Brisbane: Queensland University of Technology.

In addition to these materials, some resources will need to be downloaded from the Queensland Studies Authority website. Further information will be provided during the semester.

Risk assessment statement

There are no out of the ordinary risks associated with this unit.

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: 22-May-2012