| Effective Term: | 2024/05 |
| Institute / School : | Institute of Education, Arts & Community |
| Unit Title: | Science Content and Pedagogy 1 |
| Unit ID: | EDMST6020 |
| Credit Points: | 15.00 |
| Prerequisite(s): | Nil |
| Co-requisite(s): | Nil |
| Exclusion(s): | Nil |
| ASCED: | 070301 |
| Other Change: | |
| Brief description of the Unit |
This is the first in a series of two units to help out-of-field and non-specialist science teachers develop knowledge and skills of the science curriculum to teach science in years 5-10. In this unit, students question the nature of the field of science and are introduced to the key scientific disciplines of earth and space sciences and biological sciences. Students explore key science concepts, including facts, laws, and theories. They examine how practical scientific inquiry skills can be used safely in the year 5-10 classroom. Students build skills in planning units of science that integrate science understandings and scientific skills to develop innovative and engaging science units for middle years learners. Employing a constructivist approach to teaching science, students consider the role of a universal science education and develop profiles of scientifically literate learners. |
| Grade Scheme: | Graded (HD, D, C, P, MF, F, XF) |
| Work Experience Indicator: |
| No work experience |
| Placement Component: | |
| Supplementary Assessment:No |
| Supplementary assessment is not available to students who gain a fail in this Unit. |
| 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. | Recognise the nature of Science as a constantly developing field of knowledge and the processes of scientific thinking which supports this development. |
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| K2. | Explore ways of scientific knowing, including facts, laws, and theories. |
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| K3. | Outline reasons for a universal science education in the middle years of schooling. |
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| K4. | Explain key scientific understandings from biological sciences and earth and space sciences. |
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| K5. | Explore theories that underpin contemporary middle years science teaching, including constructivist theory, curriculum theories and research about middle years learners. |
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| K6. | Examine students' current levels of scientific literacies in years 5-10 scientific classrooms. |
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| K7. | Explore ethical and safe practices to teach biological and earth and space sciences. |
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| Skills: |
| S1. | Determine appropriate theoretical frameworks and employ them to develop resources for teaching middle years science |
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| S2. | Construct engaging units of science that teach biological and earth and spaces sciences to students in years 5-10. |
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| S3. | Identify and collate resources to teach science in the middle years. |
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| S4. | Present arguments that articulate the need for, and type of, contemporary science education in years 5-10. |
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| S5. | Embed teaching towards scientific literacy in the development of educational resources for middle years students. |
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| S6. | Evaluate year 5-10 students’ current levels of scientific literacy and make recommendations for future science teaching for individual students and cohorts. |
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| S7. | Construct safe and ethical work practices to teach biological and earth and space sciences. |
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| Application of knowledge and skills: |
| A1. | Collect and analyse artefacts from a small group of students in years 5-10 and analyse the artefacts to determine the current level of scientific literacy students have. |
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| A2. | Make recomendations about teaching science to scientific learners from year 5-10 based on the artifact analysis. |
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| A3. | Assemble unit planners to teach biological or earth and space sciences to middle years science learners. |
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| A4. | Justify choices made in the development of teaching resources for middle years science. |
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| Unit Content: |
•The nature of science.
•Teaching for scientific literacy in the middle years
•Constructivist science teaching and other relevant theories
•Biological and earth and space sciences
•Middle years science learners
•Ethical and safe practices for teaching science. |
| Graduate Attributes: |
| | Learning Outcomes Assessed | Assessment Tasks | Assessment Type | Weighting | | 1. | K1, K2, K3, K6, S3, S4, S5, S6, A1, A2. | Collect and analyse student assessment taks and other artefacts to develop a learner profile for a small group of students in years 5-10 to examine their current levels of scientific literacy. Make recommendations for the teaching of science to the profiled students. | Learner Profile | 30-50% | | 2. | K4, K5, K7, S1, S2, S3, S5, S7, A3, A4. | Development of a unit of work, including the curation and creation of appropriate resources, for a year 5-10 science that demonstrates knowledge of contemporary science education theories and an accompanying video justification and explanation of the curriculum document. Video explanation to include an exegesis of the underpinning theory that has informed the unit planner and an explanation of key scientific concepts from biological or earth and space sciences. | Curriculum Development and Justification | 50 – 70% |
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