| Effective Term: | 2025/05 |
| Institute / School : | Institute of Education, Arts & Community |
| Unit Title: | Differentiating for Learning and Teaching |
| Unit ID: | EDBED4010 |
| Credit Points: | 15.00 |
| Prerequisite(s): | Nil |
| Co-requisite(s): | Nil |
| Exclusion(s): | (EDBED2007) |
| ASCED: | 070303 |
| Other Change: | |
| Brief description of the Unit |
This unit is designed to develop students knowledge and response to specific needs of diverse learners. Examining legislative requirements and how they align with, or challenge, social, cultural and political contexts, students will explore the meaning and understanding of diversity. With a focus on the development of practical approaches to address student strengths and abilities, this unit examines inclusive approaches to learning and teaching such as Multi-tiered systems of support, Differentiation, Universal Design for Learning and Personalised Learning. Students will expand their skills in effectively designing meaningful sequences of lessons and learning plans which incorporate clear assessment of learner strengths and needs. Students will develop skills in creating achievable SMART goals and personalised strategies for growth and development for a range of students. Assessment tasks will be related to their chosen area of primary or secondary specialisation. |
| Grade Scheme: | Graded (HD, D, C, P, MF, F, XF) |
| Work Experience Indicator: |
| No work experience |
| Placement Component: | No |
| Supplementary Assessment: |
| 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: |
| Level of Unit in Course | AQF Level(s) of Course | | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | | Introductory | | | | | | | | Intermediate | | | | | | | | Advanced | | |  | | | |
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| Learning Outcomes: |
| Knowledge: |
| K1. | Identify specific international and national documents that influence legislation and inclusion in educational settings. |
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| K2. | Identify and describe a range of evidence based inclusive teaching and learning strategies and pedagogies that support students with a range of abilities and interests, including students with disability. |
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| K3. | Explain the legislative requirements for modifications and adjustments to make education accessible. |
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| K4. | Explore a range of resources and support networks for diverse learners. |
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| K5. | Explain the theory and functioning of effective multi-tiered systems of support in educational settings. |
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| K6. | Explore the role of teacher student relationships in the development of inclusive classroom environments. |
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| Skills: |
| S1. | Examine and articulate specific elements of legislation that inform inclusive education. |
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| S2. | Respond to identified learning needs to create specific goals, which use a range of inclusive teaching, learning and assessment strategies to support participation and engagement of all learners. |
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| S3. | Recognise the importance of inclusive pedagogies and strategies in planning for teaching, learning and participation. |
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| S4. | Identify strategies to deliver high quality differentiated teaching practice with fidelity at a classroom level. |
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| Application of knowledge and skills: |
| A1. | Consolidate and synthesize knowledge of legislation requirements through the linking of theory and practice in inclusive education. |
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| A2. | Justify specific pedagogies and strategies to support full participation. |
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| A3. | Create achievable learning goals, including achievable challenges, for effective Individual Learning Plans (ILPs) informed by authentic learner profiles. |
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| A4. | Plan and develop lesson sequences that investigate, create and inform a range of learning and assessment opportunities for a range of student abilities, focusing quality differentiated teaching practice (tier 1) interventions and strategies. |
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| Unit Content: |
Topics to be covered • Broad knowledge and understanding of legislative requirements such as the Disability Discrimination Act, Disability Standards in Education, reasonable adjustments and local government documents. • Government stipulations and recommendations for meeting the specific needs of learners across the full range of abilities through the development if Individual Learning Plans (ILPs). • Cultural, political and social context that influence inclusive approaches towards the participation and engagement of learners. • Theory and research informing Multi-tiered systems of support, focusing on effective tier 1 interventions, strategies and approaches, such as explicit teaching, classroom rules and routines, questioning and feedback, monitoring of cognitive load, use of visual learning materials • A range of responses to manage diversity through differentiated teaching strategies to support learning, participation and engagement. Responses include pedagogies such as Differentiation, Personalised Learning, and Universal Design for Learning. • Assessing learning needs to effectively set goals and outcome targets to meet specific learning needs of individual learners. • Development of ILPs to identify differentiated and inclusive teaching and learning strategies to support specific learning needs for participation and engagement for students of varying abilities. • Connecting curriculum development to specific learning needs of learners. • Curriculum development in a specialist area. |
| 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.
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| FED TASK and descriptor | Development and acquisition of FEDTASKS in the Unit | | 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 3 - Student works independently with limited guidance or works within self-determined guidelines appropriate to context | 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 3 - Student works independently with limited guidance or works within self-determined guidelines appropriate to context | 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 3 - Student works independently with limited guidance or works within self-determined guidelines appropriate to context | 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 2 - Student demonstrates some independence within provided guidelines |
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| | Learning Outcomes Assessed | Assessment Tasks | Assessment Type | Weighting | | 1. | K1, K2, K3, K4, K6, S1, S2, S3, A1, A2, A3 | Create an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) for a specific learner profile in a selected curriculum area. Provide an explanation of the legislative and policy requirements for the development of the ILP for this specific learner profile. The ILP will include SMART goals that demonstrate achievable challenges, effective teaching, learning and assessment strategies and appropriate resources to support the learner profile. Justification of selected teaching, learning, assessment strategies and supportive resources to be provided via annotation of ILP. | Group assignment | 40-60% | | 2. | K1, K2, K4, K5, S1, S2, S3, S4, A1, A2, A4 | Develop and justify a learning sequence in a specialist teaching area that incorporates a multi-tiered system of support to cater for a range of abilities, by responding to the learning strengths and needs of a specific learning cohort. | Lesson sequence in specialist teaching area | 40-60% |
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