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Alphacrucis College

Details for Human Society in the Environment: Platforms and Perspectives of the Christian Educator

Quick Info

  • Currently offered by Alphacrucis: Yes
  • Course code: EDU402
  • Credit points: 9

The unit Human Society in the Environment: Platforms and Perspectives of the Christian Educator is part of the subject area Education and is offered as a part of the following Awards: Master of Teaching (Primary) (Alphacrucis College (NSW Dept. of Education)).

Unit Content

Curriculum Objective

This unit introduces the Human Society in the Environment (HSiE) Learning Area. It provides pre-service teachers with an opportunity to critically evaluate the broad conceptual framework of the syllabus (Early Stage(s) 1-3), the key learning processes and skills associated with learning the concepts and the key values of HSiE. It supports the pre-service teacher to expand their worldview by analysing different worldviews, represented in the ethnic mix of Australian citizens including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. It provides an examination of the Judeo-Christian paradigm and heritage and its impact on society and the environment. It recognises the importance of teaching studies of Indigenous history and consultation with Indigenous people to learn to implement and evaluate appropriate teaching resources and strategies. The unit examines how to develop the learning of children aged 5-12 in relation to the concepts, skills and values in HSiE (including the overall HSiE continua, and focus on links between Stages 3 & 4) with reference to a range of socially just and culturally responsive pedagogical strategies and teaching resources as well as examination of assessment strategies in HSiE

Subject Content

• Epistemological and pedagogical theories that inform the social sciences. Key concepts (big ideas) and skills underpinning HSiE.
• The HSiE Learning Area in the NSW Syllabus and Continua:- rationale, aims, outcomes, subject matter (concept development), skills (e.g. critical inquiry and thinking), and attitudes and values;
• Aboriginal and Indigenous peoples, pre-invasion, ancestor oral histories and archaeological evidence, colonization and contact history, Australia 1788-1900.
• World-wide faith education and its impact on existing communities including mission influences on Aboriginal community and education
• Australian diversity -- role of non-English speaking and multi-lingual communities
• Cultural autobiographies and narratives as Christian Multicultural educators
• Historical and current policies and practices impacting on Indigenous communities across Australia and eradicating racism, health (e.g. Otis Media) and welfare (welfare and school attendance links)
• Social Justice, reconciliation and educational disadvantage in rural, remote and urban Indigenous communities, kinship, consultation protocols and sensitivities, community events (e.g. NAIDOC week)
• Successful Indigenous People in art, sport, music, craft and stories, literature, politics, professions
• Approaches to Planning and Assessment (formative and summative) in HSiE. Connections across concepts, deep engagement, authentic tasks, connectedness to learner
• Strategies for teaching:- clear instructions, concept development, pretest and mindmaps, guided inquiry sequences, questioning techniques, questioning for higher thinking (e.g. PMI. De Bono’s 6 thinking hats), and authentic learning experiences, skills development (initiating, gathering, organising, analysing and communicating); and treating values and the valuing process (storypaths, role plays, simulations, roles of teams)
• Classroom environments and group work that support HSiE (inquiry learning, student-centred, engaged learner, diverse learning needs, use of ICT, incursions and excursions, field trips), Child Protection, and First Aid
• Cross-curricular perspectives and the HSiE learning area: Global Education, Sustainability Education, Civic and Citizenship Education, Australian democratic system, Values Education, Policies and decisions affecting citizenship (immigration, Multicultural, anti-racism, ESL and Indigenous, Disabilities Services Act), Social education and Heritage Education
• Literacy and numeracy loads in concepts and teaching materials and assessments procedures; Strategies for teaching literacy in the content areas: jigsaw, brainstorm, structured overviews, conceptual maps, retrieval charts, dictogloss
• Teaching and learning strategies to develop opportunities for Indigenous success in: institutionalised education, self determination and self sufficiency
• Incorporating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives in the teaching and learning of concepts, content, skills and values in HSiE, local and community specific historical information
• Roles, relationships and dilemmas in various Christian education contexts.
• Overview of world religions and their world views
• Judeo-Christian worldview
• Controversies in defining your position as a faith based teacher (e.g. an evolutionist, a creationist, a moral relativist, a moral absolutist, a collectivist, a reason-based thinker, and/or a revelation-based thinker)

This course may be offered in the following formats

This unit will be introduced in the orientation week and will flow from EDU401 Foundations in Christian Teaching and Learning. The Indigenous input has been designed and prepared by Indigenous individuals who will also take the pre-service teacher through cultural immersion. Workshop activities (including personal prejudice and values clarifications exercises- Bafa Bafa), guest lecturers (representing different cultural and faith groups), school visits, teaching experiences, including off site visits, and home stay at urban and rural Indigenous communities (such as Bimbadeen and Moree and web-based on-line discussion. Course materials and readings will be provided throughout the semester.

Please consult your course prospectus or enquire about how and when this course will be offered next at Alphacrucis College.

Assessment Methods

Assessment 1 (35%)

Choose only one of the two options given below:

1. Research essay 1500 words

Describe what influence the notion of “privatised religion” has had upon education in Australia.  Using research to substantiate your observations, track its historical development; it’s separation from the public arena and its influence in today’s society (refer to state and national policy decisions and refer to positions held by other institutions such as church or private education). Specifically include discussion on education of Indigenous people. You may like to read My Place by Sally Morgan (1987), or View The Rabbit Proof Fence. How have Indigenous Australians been positioned, both historically and currently in relation to education generally and Christian education, specifically? To what extent can these narratives inform our classroom practice when teaching rural and urban Indigenous Australians, or indeed students from other cultures? Make specific mention of effective language and literacy strategies. In particular, where do you envisage yourself sitting as an educator within a faith based context?

OR

2. Cross Cultural Issues essay- a personal response – 1500 words

Compare and contrast the conditions and prospects for Indigenous communities, both rural and urban. In your discussion consider issues of social justice, reconciliation and educational disadvantage. What is your personal world view response to these issues?

Proverbs 13:12 begins, ‘Hope deferred makes the heart sick’. As a teacher, what threats or potential assaults – personal, ethical, theological or philosophical - may your world view encounter?  How might you struggle with this in relation to teaching Indigenous Australians, or students from cultures with markedly different world views?

The remainder of the Proverbs verse concludes, ‘but when longing is fulfilled, it is a tree of life’. What is it about your beliefs and values that gives you a sense of hope regarding Christian education? Describe the educational future for our nation of Australia that you long for; the ‘tree of life’ which you are seeking to plant and see grow strong. Make specific mention of the role of language and literacy in empowering indigenous or NESB students.

In your discussion you may choose to include ideas around: Christian stewardship and environmental issues, business ethics, social justice, immigration policies.

NOTE: opportunity to share these essays with colleagues will occur in EDU400 Professional Practice first intensive.

Assessment 2 (65%)

Research Essay (minimum 1000 words) and Teaching Program

(i)             Consider examples of how assumptions cause people to view the same things in different ways. Using a newspaper article or a current affairs segment, discuss how that issue might be interpreted from at least three of the following perspectives: an evolutionist, a creationist, a moral relativist, a moral absolutist, a collectivist, a reason-based thinker, a revelation-based thinker... (20%)

(ii)          Design an educational program (ie a complete unit of work for HSiE) designed to promote the notion of ‘stewardship’ (open definition). Define your selected year level/Stage, the number of lessons required and the lesson plans and assessment for your outcomes. Indicate where the content is situated in the scope and sequence of the NSW Syllabus HSiE. Defend your choice of subject matter and resources with regard to the level(s) of literacy suited to your selected year level/Stage.  (35%)

(iii)         Describe how you would set up the classroom for group learning and investigations, incorporating a creative approach, using where possible a variety of learning strategies, and include multimedia, PowerPoint and/or other practical resources. (10%)

Your Program must include: Rationale, Data sheet of factual information, resources used and adequately referenced, Outcomes and Indicators for a defined Stage, pre-testing for prior knowledge, clear links to the Focus Question and Guided inquiry sequences, pedagogy strategies such as storypaths, clear links to learning activities and outcomes for contributing questions, sample charts and strategies used to ensure literacy and numeracy comprehension, a concluding episode which demonstrates student concept, skill or value outcomes, indicators of which work samples would be collected for record keeping and future planning.

Prescribed Text

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Representative References