Clinical Teaching and Learning

An introduction to clinical practice in schools as a paradigm for learning and teaching. Explore the importance of data, theory and research in informing interventionist teacher practice. This will enhance your capacity to utilise individual student data in determining the student’s zone of proximal development in order to establish the starting point for teaching.

Evidence-based Practice

The major focus of this course is the exploration of research evidence that informs and supports the implementation of Clinical Teaching in classroom contexts. Participants will consider how they can use evidence-based practice to enhance the effectiveness and impact of their classroom actions and identify appropriate interventions for students, when necessary. Specifically, they will use the clinical judgement decision-making model to examine the current evidence base about what works best, what criteria can be developed to make decisions about student success, and how to select, implement, review and communicate research-supported teaching strategies that address identified student needs.

The Student as Learner

This subject will explore the student as learner and provide a conceptual framework for understanding learning that is compatible with Clinical Teaching. Developmental trends in knowledge acquisition and the processes that facilitate learning will be identified and evaluated. The growth of expertise, trajectories from novice to expert, and how teachers can foster the complexity associated with deep understanding will be examined and applied in classroom settings.

Learning from Evidence

This subject will develop participants’ skills in using student achievement data to inform teaching practice to support student learning. It will consider the use of a wide range of data types and sources to evaluate learning, teaching and assessment and make recommendations for improving practice. Through case studies and practical activities, participants will be exposed to ideas, methods and techniques to support high quality, evidence-based decision making.

Researching Education Practice

In this subject, students will develop an understanding of research in education, as the first part of their capstone experience, and advanced skills to analyse complex educational problems and the bodies of knowledge associated with them. Students will undertake coursework focusing on: what constitutes research in education; the function of a literature review; common methodologies and methods in education research; key issues in research ethics; the management and analysis of data; and the fundamentals of research writing. Students will develop insight into common approaches to research in education and will consider how principles of research can inform professional practice. They will develop the research skills to justify and interpret educational research propositions and the findings from educational research. This subject provides students with an understanding of research principles and methods applicable to education practice or policy, and focuses on the use of research to inform and improve education practice.

Education Capstone Research Project (Clinical)

In this subject, students will undertake a research project based on a limited number of topics focusing on clinical teacher practice. Projects will involve either a literature review, or the analysis of existing secondary data. The focus of all topics will be on the use of research to inform and improve student learning. Throughout the term students will receive ongoing supervision from a member of academic staff through online workshops. The capstone project will culminate with students synthesizing the findings of their research in a report.

Literacy Across the School Years

This subject will examine changing definitions and conceptualisations of literacy, and map the development of literacy from the early years through to post-compulsory years of schooling. Topics will include areas such as: relationships between language and literacy; social practices of literacy; language and cognitive development; oral and written languages; comprehension; literacy across the curriculum; and in-school and out-of-school literacy practices.

This subject will highlight the importance of planning effective evidenced-based literacy approaches and strategies to meet the needs of diverse learners on a developmental curriculum. It will illustrate how teachers, planners and policymakers can cater for diversity in policy and practice, such as: through 'crafting a mix' of pedagogic approaches in reading, writing, listening and speaking; through authentic and focused assessment practices, including profiling students; and through the use of a wide range of texts and practices in the classroom, multilingual and multidialectal understandings of literacy, and of the context that shapes literacy practice.

Resilience and Relationships

The subject will support participants to develop further skills in promoting student wellbeing and creating supportive and safe learning environments at a classroom and whole school level. Current research will be used to understand what teachers can do to support the social and emotional learning of their students, and how to implement school-wide approaches that foster student resilience and respectful relationships across all partners in the education process.

Applied Research Methodology

This subject is designed to provide students with an overview of the methodologies for conducting research. In particular, the subject provides students with an introduction to the philosophical backgrounds and influences on social research, epistemological and ontological considerations, and the basic foundations of research design, logic of inquiry, and ethics of social research. Students will work on developing research questions and operationalise them to enable data gathering, analysis and interpretation as well as evaluate existing social research.

Applied Research Study

Students negotiate an individual project relating to education with an individual supervisor. The project includes a critical review of relevant academic and research literature and a research project relating to educational practice. Students also participate in regular online activities to support them and build their skills as they develop their project, analyse research literature and data, and write up their research report.