| Effective Term: | 2026/05 |
| Institute / School : | Institute of Education, Arts & Community |
| Unit Title: | Literacy and Numeracy Across the Subject Areas |
| Unit ID: | EDMAS6048 |
| Credit Points: | 15.00 |
| Prerequisite(s): | Nil |
| Co-requisite(s): | Nil |
| Exclusion(s): | Nil |
| ASCED: | 070105 |
| Other Change: | |
| Brief description of the Unit |
This unit is designed to enhance knowledge and skills related to the effective teaching of literacy and numeracy across discipline-specific subject areas in secondary schools. It begins with the critical exploration of personal literacy and numeracy experiences. Pre-service Teachers (PSTs) examine the nature and function of literacy and numeracy in school and society and the links to ongoing learning and opportunity. PSTs develop expertise in the explicit teaching of reading, writing and numeracy across the curriculum and trial and evaluate evidence-informed teaching approaches in school contexts. They learn how to enhance reading comprehension, subject-specific vocabulary, writing proficiency and incorporate the explicit teaching of numeracy and problem-solving. They build knowledge of multi-tiered systems of support and examine why they are effective in the teaching of literacy and numeracy. PSTs learn about the nature of critical literacy and examine the way new technologies are impacting on literacy and numeracy practices. |
| 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: |
| 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. | Examine the nature of literacy as a complex, changing, contentious concept which incorporates linguistic, social, and cultural knowledge and which is central to lifelong learning and all discipline-specific curriculum areas. |
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| K2. | Appreciate the nature of numeracy and the extent to which it encompasses mathematical concepts and skills (e.g. numerical, spatial, graphical, statistical, and algebraic), mathematical thinking, problem solving strategies, and how these concepts and skills are applied to real-life contexts. |
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| K3. | Critically examine the links between literacy, numeracy, equity, and opportunity. |
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| K4. | Understand the research that shows explicit reading and writing comprehension instruction, tailored to discipline-specifics content, improves students’ academic learning. |
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| K5. | Examine the literacies (including vocabularies) and numeracies specific to different discipline areas so that they can be used competently and explicitly taught. |
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| K6. | Know, use and evaluate a range of teaching strategies and scaffolds for enhancing reading, writing, speaking and listening skills and understand how metacognitive awareness of strategies and self-regulation develops literacy. |
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| K7. | Reflect on the nature of critical literacy and its relevance to curriculum areas. |
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| K8. | Understand how to deliver explicit numeracy instruction followed by a progressive removal of scaffolding as students become more proficient. |
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| K9. | Interrogate new communication technologies, what it means to be "multi-literate", and examine the impact of technologies on literacy and numeracy practices. |
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| K10. | Know a broad range of engaging resources, including ICT that build students’ literacy and numeracy skills. |
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| K11. | Understand multi-tiered systems of support and how they enhance literacy and numeracy development. |
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| Skills: |
| S1. | Identify the features of different text-types and be able to teach and assess reading, writing, speaking, viewing and listening using a range of tools. |
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| S2. | Apply explicit numeracy instruction, including the use of scaffolding, and develop mathematical thinking strategies in learning and teaching contexts within curriculum. |
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| S3. | Select, interpret, use and critically evaluate a range of texts, including ICT, to meet a range of educational purposes. |
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| S4. | Critically analyse and lead discussion online about a range of research papers and resources related to literacy and numeracy learning, multi-literacies, and pedagogical practices. |
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| S5. | Critically reflect on and enhance personal literacy and numeracy skills. |
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| S6. | Collect and organise effective teaching strategies and scaffolds that enhance literacy and numeracy in relevant discipline-specific curriculum areas. |
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| S7. | Use a range of tools in professional learning communities to evaluate teaching strategies and the impact on students' learning in relation to literacy and numeracy. |
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| Application of knowledge and skills: |
| A1. | Read selected research on the teaching of literacy and numeracy across the curriculum and respond in an online, dialogic forum. |
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| A2. | Trial and evaluate a literacy and/or numeracy teaching strategy and share approach with peers in a self-designed teaching resource suitable for teachers to use across subject areas. |
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| A3. | Demonstrate personal literacy skills via LANTITE. |
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| A4. | Demonstrate personal numeracy skills via LANTITE. |
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| Unit Content: |
- Personal experiences and assumptions related to literacy and numeracy and understanding the links to identity, learning, equity and opportunity.
- The discourses, subject-specific vocabulary and semiotics inherent in discipline-specific curriculum and the impact on knowledge development and written and oral expression.
- Teaching subject-specific vocabulary.
- Effective reading instruction through explicit teaching including phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension strategies, oral language, critical literacy and metacognition.
- Effective writing instruction through a focus on subject-specific texts and their linguistic features.
- Conceptual understandings of numeracy and the research that shows that numeracy is a fundamental component of thinking and learning, discourse, and critique across the subject areas.
- Effective approaches to numeracy instruction across the subject areas.
- Multi-tiered systems of support and the relationship to evidence-informed teaching practices in literacy and numeracy.
- Multi-literacies and the impact of new technologies on literacy learning and pedagogy.
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| Graduate Attributes: |
| | Learning Outcomes Assessed | Assessment Tasks | Assessment Type | Weighting | | 1. | K1, K2, K3, K4, K5, K6, K7, K8, K9, K11, S3, S4, S5, S6, A1 | Read selected research on the teaching of literacy (reading and writing) and numeracy across the curriculum, including research on Multi-tiered systems of support, and post analytical responses, reflections on personal reading strategies, and approaches for teaching in an online, dialogic forum. | Online Forum | 40-60% | | 2. | K5, K6, K7, K10, S1, S2, S6, S7, A2 | Trial and evaluate a literacy and/or numeracy teaching strategy and share approach with peers in a self-designed teaching resource suitable for teachers to use across subject areas. | Teaching Performance | 40-60% | | 3. | A3 | LANTITE Literacy Test (external) | Hurdle | S/UN | | 4. | A4 | LANTITE Numeracy Test (external) | Hurdle | S/UN |
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