EDF2008 - Becoming a specialist teacher - 2019

This unit examines the concept and process of becoming a specialist teacher. It focuses on the identity, knowledge, practices and professional learning of a teacher with expertise grounded in a particular disciplinary tradition. Using different frameworks to explore the nature of disciplinary knowledge, the unit enables students to think critically and creatively about the relationship between their developing disciplinary knowledge and their emerging work as specialist teachers. Students examine how the curriculum organises and represents knowledge in ways that are both specialised and interdisciplinary. They explore how teachers help students develop knowledge, capabilities and skills both within and beyond subject specialism boundaries in ways that meet the needs of a diverse range of students in an ever-changing world. Students develop broad knowledge and understanding of legislative requirements and teaching strategies that support participation and learning of students with disabilities. The unit provides a range of conceptual and practical ideas and resources from which students can build further understandings and capacities in their ongoing professional learning as specialist teachers.

Upon successful completion of this unit students should be able to:

1. demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the social, cultural and political nature of disciplinary knowledge and how this knowledge is embedded within particular 'ways of knowing'
2. understand the relationship between curriculum, teaching practice and disciplinary knowledge
3. inquire into, and develop, their professional identity as specialist teachers
4. apply broad knowledge and understanding of legislative requirements and teaching strategies that support participation and learning of diverse students including those with special needs and with disabilities
5. understand the complex relationships between content knowledge and pedagogy and between school knowledge, disciplinary knowledge and everyday knowledge
6. cultivate an appreciation of integrated, interdisciplinary and disciplinary based curriculum and how 'specialist' teachers in interdisciplinary teams might collaborate productively in this curriculum
7. design and produce resources for encouraging a rich engagement with particular disciplinary knowledge, capacities and skills
8. critically evaluate their practicum experiences in schools and other settings.

Professional investigation (2000 words, 50%)

Development of curriculum resources (2000 words, 50%)

Minimum total expected workload is 144 hours per semester comprising:

1. Contact hours for on-campus students:
   • 2 hours per week (in non-placement weeks) of lectures/tutorials/workshops
2. Additional requirements (all students):
   • independent study to make up the minimum required hours per semester

See also Unit timetable information

Secondary education