Arts Education

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:

Arts Education

Unit ID:

EDBED4012

Credit Points:

15.00

Prerequisite(s):

Nil

Co-requisite(s):

Nil

Exclusion(s):

(EDBED2004 and EDBED3036 and EDBED3039)

ASCED:

070301

Other Change:

Brief description of the Unit

This arts education course is designed for generalist primary classroom teachers. It aims to develop con?dence and competency in the arts discipline areas of music, visual art, dance, drama, media, visual communication and design. Arts elements and languages are explored in order for pre-service teachers to build the capacity to design, evaluate and implement contemporary learning and teaching sequences of work in and through both the visual and performing arts discipline areas. A key intention is to develop awareness of the breadth, scope and diversity of Arts education. Pre-service teachers will consider pedagogical practices in the arts that explore how students learn as artists and audience, through making and responding. A range of approaches to contemporary arts-based teaching and learning will be explored. The course will address the capacity of Arts education to communicate ideas about important aspects of contemporary life including identity, community, everyday life, the environment and sustainability. Contemporary and traditional arts practices of Indigenous Australians and people from Asia/Paci?c regions will also be explored.

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.	Critique the diversity and value of traditional and contemporary arts, artists and arts practices to individuals and communities throughout the world in contemporary times, with particular emphasis on culture from Indigenous Australia and the Asia/Paciﬁc region.

K2.	Explore how arts elements and language may be used as the foundation for the creation of teaching and learning sequences, resources and assessment strategies.

K3.

Synthesise theoretical perspectives and practical applications with a view towards developing creative, imaginative, knowledgeable and eﬀective contemporary pedagogical understanding in and through the Arts discipline areas of music, visual art, dance, drama, media and visual communication and design.

K4.	Examine key approaches for teaching the visual and performing arts, which consider the perspectives of both artist and audience through making and responding, that also support development of literacy and numeracy.

Skills:

S1.	Design and create innovative and sustainable sequences of work that demonstrate relevant understanding and knowledge of arts-based learning, including appropriate assessment strategies.

S2.	Select, evaluate and contextualise resources, including ICT, appropriate for culturally diverse contemporary arts education experiences across both visual and performing arts that engage students in their learning.

S3.	Explore a range of teaching strategies and experiment with individual and group-based creative activities, sustainable techniques and technologies.

S4.	Articulate the attributes and benefits of the arts and effective arts-based learning in contemporary classrooms.

S5.	Devise teaching strategies that integrate the arts into other areas of the curriculum, and that build subject-specific literacy and numeracy skills.

S6.	Work collaboratively with staff and student colleagues in developing a range of effective teaching strategies and skills within arts education.

Application of knowledge and skills:

A1.

Select, evaluate, contextualise and share a range of readily available resources, communicating their cultural and educational appropriateness for contemporary teaching and learning in the visual and performing arts disciplines of music, visual art, dance, drama, media and visual communication and design.

A2.	Explore, discuss and interpret interwoven concepts, skills and techniques within the context of co-operative arts workshops and experiences, with a view to transmitting understandings to future teaching practice.

A3.	Conceptualise and develop an innovative and sustainable sequence of work with lesson plans that demonstrate relevant understanding and knowledge of arts-based learning, with inclusion of arts elements and language and appropriate assessment strategies.

Unit Content:

Topics to be covered

Develop a basis for creative, arts-literate, critically reflective inquiries which involve both self-directed and collaborative learning.
Foster understandings of the diverse, unique relationships and outcomes possible between individuals, learning and teaching providers, communities and society through arts practice and arts education.
Use curriculum, assessment and reporting knowledge for planning effective teaching and learning sequences and assessing in and through the Arts.
Explore arts-based teaching strategies that integrate the arts into other areas of the curriculum, and that build subject-specific literacy and numeracy skills.
Examine resources, including ICT, that may be used to support learning and teaching in the Arts.
Develop confidence and competence in creating, critiquing and sharing visual and performing arts ideas, literacies, processes and outcomes.
Challenge and extend beliefs and understandings about the environmental, educational, social and cultural significance of the visual and performing arts including contemporary and traditional arts practices of Indigenous Australian artists and artists of the Asia/Pacific region.
Explore, discuss, evaluate, design and contextualise learning inquiries to create sequences of work with lesson plans in visual and performing arts.

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		Learning outcomes (KSA)	Assessment task (AT#)
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.	K1, K4 S2, S3, S6 A1	AT1, AT2, AT3
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	K3 S3, S5 A2	AT1, AT2
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.	K1, K2, K3, K4 S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6 A1, A2, A3	AT1, AT2, AT3
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.	K3, K4, S2, A1	AT1
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.	K1, S2, S3, S6 A1, A3	AT2, AT3

	Learning Outcomes Assessed	Assessment Tasks	Assessment Type	Weighting
1.	K1, K3, S2, S4, S5, S6, A1, A2, APST 2.1, 2.2, 3.4	Reﬂective research entries (on-line forum). Selection, critique and peer feedback of a range of Arts resources, illustrating knowledge of Arts curriculum content, Arts elements and language and eﬀective teaching strategies.	Reflective research entries with peer feedback	30-50%
2.	K2, K3, K4, S1, S5, A3, APST 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.5, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 5.1	Collaborative group task: Unit design of a creative Arts based sequence of work with multiple lesson plans, involving substantial learning in and through the Arts, demonstrating knowledge of all of the Arts discipline areas, and with consideration given to appropriate activities and pedagogical approaches to teaching and learning in the Arts	Unit design with lesson plans	30-50%
3.	S3, S6, A2, APST 3.3	A personal record/journal of learning through tutorial and/or online activities.	Journal of Learning	10-20%

Adopted Reference Style:

APA

Professional Standards / Competencies:

Standard / Competency

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

Attribute			Assessed	Level
Professional Knowledge
	2. Know the content and how to teach it
		2.1 Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the concepts, substance and structure of the content and teaching strategies of the teaching area.	Yes	Advanced
		2.2 Content selection and organisation Organise content into an effective learning and teaching sequence.	Yes	Advanced
		2.3 Curriculum, assessment and reporting Use curriculum, assessment and reporting knowledge to design learning sequences and lesson plans.	Yes	Advanced
		2.5 Literacy and numeracy strategies Know and understand literacy and numeracy teaching strategies and their application in teaching areas.	Yes	Advanced
Professional Practice
	3. Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning
		3.2 Plan, structure and sequence learning programs Plan lesson sequences using knowledge of student learning, content and effective teaching strategies.	Yes	Advanced
		3.3 Use teaching strategies Include a range of teaching strategies.	Yes	Advanced
		3.4 Select and use resources Demonstrate knowledge of a range of resources, including ICT, that engage students in their learning.	Yes	Advanced
	5. Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning
		5.1 Assess student learning Demonstrate understanding of assessment strategies, including informal and formal, diagnostic, formative and summative approaches to assess student learning.	Yes	Advanced