Diversity and Inclusion: Teaching Strategies for Diverse Learners

Unit Outline (Higher Education)

Level of Unit in Course

AQF Level(s) of Course

Level of Unit in Course

Introductory

Intermediate

Effective Term:

2025/05

Institute / School :

Institute of Education, Arts & Community

Unit Title:

Diversity and Inclusion: Teaching Strategies for Diverse Learners

Unit ID:

EDBED2010

Credit Points:

15.00

Prerequisite(s):

Nil

Co-requisite(s):

Nil

Exclusion(s):

(EDECE1013)

ASCED:

070113

Other Change:

Brief description of the Unit

This course examines elements of teaching and learning within a social justice and human rights framework. Students will explore learning environments, differentiation and practical strategies which support the access, participation and engagement of diverse learners, including students with disability. Emphasis is placed on strategies that support wellbeing and safety within the educational setting and align with expectations of policy, curriculum and legislation. Particular attention is directed toward building the capacity of students to identify and accommodate attributes of difference within their planning. Opportunities will be provided for students to explore barriers that may impact wellbeing and educational success, and identify teaching strategies that are responsive to the strengths and needs of learners from diverse backgrounds. Students will consider academic, social and personal needs along with the purpose and benefits of a range of educational strategies, scaffolds and supports to design safe, supportive and effective learning environments.

Grade Scheme:

Graded (HD, D, C, P, MF, F, XF)

Work Experience Indicator:

No work experience

Placement Component:

Supplementary Assessment:Yes

Where supplementary assessment is available a student must have failed overall in the Unit but gained a final mark of 45 per cent or above, has completed all major assessment tasks (including all sub-components where a task has multiple parts) as specified in the Unit Description and is not eligible for any other form of supplementary assessment

Course Level:

Learning Outcomes:

Knowledge:

K1.	Explain educational inclusion as a response to the diverse strengths and needs of all learners.

K2.	Recognise the philosophical differences between inclusion, integration, segregation and exclusion within an educational context.

K3.	Describe ways in which effective responses to attributes of difference, including diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds, can support educational access, participation and engagement.

K4.	Identify legislative requirements, government initiatives and teaching strategies that support equitable outcomes for all learners, including students with disability

K5.	Explain potential influences on behaviour and explore practical teaching approaches to prevent and respond to challenging behaviours.

Skills:

S1.	Investigate the impact of environmental, relational and intrapersonal factors on social and learning behaviours.

S2.	Plan and justify inclusive classroom activities in response to diversity of learner strengths and needs with a focus on wellbeing for all learners, including students with disability.

S3.	Collaborate with others to develop and justify an inclusive approach to creating a positive, safe and supportive learning environment.

S4.	Set achievable learning goals and plan differentiated and achievable challenges within educational activities to enable access, participation, engagement and achievement opportunities for all learners.

Application of knowledge and skills:

A1.	Use knowledge of diverse characteristics, differentiated teaching strategies and classroom management options to design inclusive learning activities and educational supports that promote positive behaviour and wellbeing for all learners, including students with disability.

A2.	Demonstrate the capacity to address barriers to learner success through the provision of appropriate curricula, teaching strategies and organisational elements.

A3.	Generate informative material that explains and advocates inclusive purposes, processes and practices.

Unit Content:

Topics to be covered:
• Philosophical differences between inclusion, integration, segregation and exclusion.
• Obligations and requirements related to diversity and inclusion: legislation (Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), Disability Standards for Education (DSE), Child Safe Standards, Codes of Conduct and Ethics), policy, curriculum, social justice, human rights.
• The impact of culture, cultural identity, religion, linguistics and socioeconomic status on the education of learners from diverse backgrounds.
• Practical strategies to support the access, participation, engagement and achievement of diverse learners, including students with disability.
• Inclusive approaches to learning and teaching including multi-tiered systems of support, universal design for learning, differentiation and personalised learning.
• Organisation of classroom activities and operations through differentiation of content, process, product and environment.
• Understanding social-emotional wellbeing and influences on behaviour
• Positive preventative practices and managing safety, risk and challenging behaviour.

Graduate Attributes:

Federation University recognises that students require key transferable employability skills to prepare them for their future workplace and society. FEDTASKS (Transferable Attributes Skills and Knowledge) provide a targeted focus on five key transferable Attributes, Skills, and Knowledge that are be embedded within curriculum, developed gradually towards successful measures and interlinked with cross-discipline and Co-operative Learning opportunities. One or more FEDTASK, transferable Attributes, Skills or Knowledge must be evident in the specified learning outcomes and assessment for each FedUni Unit, and all must be directly assessed in each Course.

FED TASK and descriptor		Development and acquisition of FEDTASKS in the Unit
FED TASK and descriptor		Level
FEDTASK 1 Interpersonal	Students will demonstrate the ability to effectively communicate, inter-act and work with others both individually and in groups. Students will be required to display skills in-person and/or online in: • Using effective verbal and non-verbal communication • Listening for meaning and influencing via active listening • Showing empathy for others • Negotiating and demonstrating conflict resolution skills • Working respectfully in cross-cultural and diverse teams.	Level 2 - Student demonstrates some independence within provided guidelines
FEDTASK 2 Leadership	Students will demonstrate the ability to apply professional skills and behaviours in leading others. Students will be required to display skills in: • Creating a collegial environment • Showing self -awareness and the ability to self-reflect • Inspiring and convincing others • Making informed decisions • Displaying initiative	Level 2 - Student demonstrates some independence within provided guidelines
FEDTASK 3 Critical Thinking and Creativity	Students will demonstrate an ability to work in complexity and ambiguity using the imagination to create new ideas. Students will be required to display skills in: • Reflecting critically • Evaluating ideas, concepts and information • Considering alternative perspectives to refine ideas • Challenging conventional thinking to clarify concepts • Forming creative solutions in problem solving.	Level 2 - Student demonstrates some independence within provided guidelines
FEDTASK 4 Digital Literacy	Students will demonstrate the ability to work fluently across a range of tools, platforms and applications to achieve a range of tasks. Students will be required to display skills in: • Finding, evaluating, managing, curating, organising and sharing digital information • Collating, managing, accessing and using digital data securely • Receiving and responding to messages in a range of digital media • Contributing actively to digital teams and working groups • Participating in and benefiting from digital learning opportunities.	Level 2 - Student demonstrates some independence within provided guidelines
FEDTASK 5 Sustainable and Ethical Mindset	Students will demonstrate the ability to consider and assess the consequences and impact of ideas and actions in enacting ethical and sustainable decisions. Students will be required to display skills in: • Making informed judgments that consider the impact of devising solutions in global economic environmental and societal contexts • Committing to social responsibility as a professional and a citizen • Evaluating ethical, socially responsible and/or sustainable challenges and generating and articulating responses • Embracing lifelong, life-wide and life-deep learning to be open to diverse others • Implementing required actions to foster sustainability in their professional and personal life.	Level 1 - Students require directions and boundaries from mentor

	Learning Outcomes Assessed	Assessment Tasks	Assessment Type	Weighting
1.	K1, K3, S2, A2, APST: 1.3, 4.1	Learner Profiles - create a description of a learner cohort that demonstrates diverse strengths, needs and backgrounds (linguistic, cultural, religious and socio-economic) and list teaching strategies for supporting participation and engagement.	Individual Written Task	10-20%
2.	K2, K4, K5, S2, S4, A1, A2, APST: 3.1, 4.1, 4.2	Differentiated Lesson Plan and Justification - design and organise an activity sequence for the cohort described in Task 1, describing how directions, organisational factors, teaching approach and achievable challenges will support participation and engagement.	Individual Written Task	30-50%
3.	K4, K5, S1, S3, A1, A3, APST: 1.3, 1.6, 4.3, 4.4,	Multimodal Project - in small collaborative groups research, plan and demonstrate a range of inclusive teaching strategies and processes that support learning, wellbeing and safety within an educational setting. Part A: Individual Task – Appraise and select, inclusive teaching strategies and supports Part B: As a group, deliver an oral presentation on teaching strategies for diverse learners including students with disability Part C: Individual reﬂection on the relevance, purpose and beneﬁts of the demonstrated teaching strategies and the links to inclusive frameworks, legislation and policy.	Multimodal Project	30-50%

Adopted Reference Style:

APA

Professional Standards / Competencies:

Standard / Competency

Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (AITSL) - Graduate Teacher: Initial

Attribute			Assessed	Level
Professional Knowledge
	1. Know students and how they learn
		1.3 Students with diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds Demonstrate knowledge of teaching strategies that are responsive to the learning strengths and needs of students from diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds.	Yes	Intermediate
		1.6 Strategies to support full participation of students with disability Demonstrate broad knowledge and understanding of legislative requirements and teaching strategies that support participation and learning of students with disability	Yes	Intermediate
Professional Practice
	3. Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning
		3.1 Establish challenging learning goals Set learning goals that provide achievable challenges for students of varying abilities and characteristics.	Yes	Intermediate
	4. Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments
		4.1 Support student participation Identify strategies to support inclusive student participation and engagement in classroom activities.	Yes	Intermediate
		4.2 Manage classroom activities Demonstrate the capacity to organise classroom activities and provide clear directions.	Yes	Intermediate
		4.3 Manage challenging behaviour Demonstrate knowledge of practical approaches to manage challenging behaviour.	Yes	Intermediate
		4.4 Maintain student safety Describe strategies that support students’ wellbeing and safety working within school and/or system, curriculum and legislative requirements.	Yes	Intermediate