EDUC 6201 - Education, Culture and Diversity

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2015

This course introduces students to theories around the construction of cultural identities and core values in Australia. This will include an overview of some of the paradigms, such as patriarchy, heterosexuality and `whiteness, which underpin both students cultural identities and schools, and how these then affect our assumptions about what students know, how they learn and how teachers teach. Themes covered include how hegemony (or power) can be theorised, how cultural differences affect teaching styles and reflect different understandings of how the world functions, the role of belief, gender and sexualities in shaping education, as well as some of the debates around race and language. This course also introduces students to political, historical and social issues to do with Indigenous education and aims to encourage students to engage with cultural inclusivity, reflexivity, and sensitivity regarding the needs of Indigenous (and all) students in their professional teaching practices. Furthermore, this course provides a background of specific types of disability and explores current issues in the education of young people with special needs. It will introduce students to key theoretical and practice approaches to behaviour management and examine general principles of formal and informal assessment techniques.

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Course Details

Course Code	EDUC 6201
Course	Education, Culture and Diversity
Coordinating Unit	School of Education
Term	Semester 2
Level	Postgraduate Coursework
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 4 hours per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	N
Restrictions	Available to Grad Dip Education students only

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr Julie Matthews

Dr Julie Matthews
School of Education
The University of Adelaide
Level 8, Room 8.15
Nexus 10 Building, 10 Pulteney St
Adelaide, 5005 SA
Ph: +61 8 8313 1561
Email: julie.matthews@adelaide.edu.au

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

Course Learning Outcomes

Course Learning Objectives	Graduate Attributes	AITSL Standards
To understand and appreciate cultural diversity and the different kinds of exceptionality encountered in the classroom	1,2	1,2,3,4,5
To understand the specific needs of Indigenous students	1.2	1,2,3,4,5,6
To understand, plan and develop inclusive teaching strategies for diverse learners	2	1,2,3,4,5,6,7
To understand and evaluate the value of resources available to teachers for professional learning	2, 7	1,2,3,4,5,6,7

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Knowledge and understanding of the content and techniques of a chosen discipline at advanced levels that are internationally recognised.	1,2
The ability to locate, analyse, evaluate and synthesise information from a wide variety of sources in a planned and timely manner.	1,2,3,4

Learning Resources

Recommended Resources

General Texts
Keeffe, Mary and Carrington, Suzanne (2007) Schools and Diversity. Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Education Australia.

Ashman, Adrien and Elkins, John (2009) 4th edititon, Education for Inclusion and Diversity, Frenchs Forest: Pearson.

Carrington, Suzanne and Macarthur, Jude (2012) Teaching in Inclusive Communities. Wiley: John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Datta, Poulomee (2012) Inclusivity for Learners with Special Educational Needs and Disabilties. Pearson.

Hyde, Merv., Carpenter, Lorelei., Conway, Robert (2010) eds., Diversity and inclusion in Australian schools. South Melbourne, Vic. Oxford University Press.

Learning & Teaching Modes

There are 4 hours contact time for eight weeks in semester two. Students should expect that an additional 5 - 6 hours will be required for preparation. At the peak time of assessment, students can expect an increased time commitment.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

Learning Activities Summary

Schedule
Week 1	Introduction to cultural diversity: Multiculturalism and Indigenous issues	No tutorials
Week 2	Indigenous students	Preparation for presentations
Week 3	ESL and language diversity	Presentations 1
Week 4	Special needs education: Physical disabilities	Presentations 2
BREAK
Week 5	Part 1 Students with diverse religious backgrounds. Part 2 The Dreaming	Understanding students from culturally diverse backgrounds
Week 6	Teaching on country: Indigenising the curriculum	Developing inclusive teaching strategies
Week 7	Special needs education	Developing inclusive teaching strategies
Week 8	Gifted and Talented students	Developing inclusive teaching strategies

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Group presentation: Resource pack 30%
Professional development workshop 70%

Assessment Detail

Group Presentation: Resource pack 30% (2,000 words)

During week 3 and 4 groups of 4-5 students will present an evaluation of 3-4 key teaching resources on one aspect of diversity (e.g. dyslexia, downs syndrome, giftedness, ESL, gender, sexuality).

Presentations will run for 20 mins and may use powerpoint slides, video clips, handouts, perfomance or a combination of these.

The purpose of the presentation is to alert the class to the value and limitations for teachers of the various resourses introduced during the presentation.

The group will be assessed on their presentation.
After the presentation the group will hand up presentation materials and notes identifying the work contributed by each student.

Professional development workshop 70% (3000 words)

You will prepare workshop resources necessary to run a 3 hour professional development activity for teachers on one aspect of cultural diversity (not the topic you chose for your resource pack).

The workshop will consist of: a) an information sheet with 2-3 references, b) 2 workshop activities, c) several suggested teaching strategies, and d) 3-4 suggested teaching resources.

Submission

Group presentation resources will be handed in after presentations during week 3 or week 4.

Professional development workshop assignment will be be uploaded to MyUni on 9th Nov.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator