James Cook University Subject Handbook - 2023

ED5973 - Science and Sustainability Education for Primary Teachers

Limited to students enrolled in the Master of Teaching and Learning (Primary).

Subject Description

The primary goal of this subject is to foster pre-service teacher development towards the Graduate Teacher Australian Professional Standard requirements in the context of science and sustainability education. Upon completion of this subject, through the professional knowledge acquired and professional practice experiences provided, graduate student teachers will be able to approach the teaching of science and sustainability positively and with an accurate and thorough understanding of learning experiences that critically respond to community-based priorities and satisfy The Australian Curriculum: Science requirements at the primary level. The mastery of professional knowledge and demonstration of competent practices for the teaching of science through units of work will be the focus of the subject. This means graduate student teachers will be developing and demonstrating thorough understanding of the content and processes of science and sustainability (Content) and how to teach (Pedagogical Content Knowledge) these effectively, especially by demonstrating how to use evidence gathered from assessment and the scholarly literature to inform pedagogical decision making, especially through differentiated instruction. Collegial, collaborative and reflective practices to foster professional learning are encouraged, modelled and practiced in this subject, especially in the school-based experiences provided in this subject.

Learning Outcomes

• model dispositions necessary to constructively engage in professional practice in science and sustainability curriculum, and pedagogy
• demonstrate professional numeracy and literacy content and pedagogy
• articulate advanced scholarship of science and sustainability education especially as applicable to the planning for and teaching of diverse learners. In particular, students will apply principles of curriculum alignment to evaluate units of study in science and sustainability
• demonstrate expert, specialised cognitive and technical skills which will enable the pre-service teacher graduates to critically analyse concepts and theories and apply such to professional practice in units for science and sustainability
• model advanced knowledge and skills which reflect autonomy, expert judgment, adaptability and responsibility in teacher professional practice in science and sustainability education, so as to adjust and iterate curriculum plans in order to improve student learning

Subject Assessment

• Written > Test/Quiz 1 - (30%) - Individual
• Written > Learning plan - (50%) - Individual
• Performance/Practice/Product > Scenario-based learning activity - (20%) - Individual

Note that minor variations might occur due to the continuous subject quality improvement process, and in case of minor variation(s) in assessment details, the Subject Outline represents the latest official information.

Availabilities