This unit of study is the first part of Education I and provides a general introduction to education and teaching. The unit integrates the following themes: knowledge, culture and the curriculum; teaching as a process and way of life; and, teachers as life-long learners and researchers. Within this unit, students are also mentored by more experienced students during their first semester transition to the university. At the conclusion of the unit students should have developed and demonstrated an understanding of the complex character of teachers' work.

This unit explores the place of creativity and the arts in youth culture and society more broadly. Throughout this unit students will be given the opportunity to engage with ideas of creativity through performances and interactive tutorials and workshops. Students will also explore theoretical, sociological, psychological and political constructs of, and approaches to creativity and how they apply to their own developing creative capacities. This unit engages arts and artmakers by exploring performances and the creative processes behind those performances. The assessment tasks also allow students to make their own creative pieces.

In a world where nutrition advice is commonplace but not always accurate, learning the basics of good nutrition habits is vital for development and growth at all stages of the life cycle. If practiced correctly, nutrition can help prevent disease, assist in reaching health goals, influence sports performance and reach academic outcomes. This elective aims to equip students with the knowledge required to make informed food choices and gain skills in analysing their personal diet and nutrition habits. At the conclusion of the elective, each student will be a mythbuster for common diets, supplements and fads touted by the media, separating fact from fiction. Topics covered in the unit include the anatomy and physiology of digestion, the link between common diseases and nutrition practices, nutrition for sports performance, practical tips for shopping and cooking and the use of food to improve cognition.

Sex and sexuality are concepts that generate much debate across educational, health and other institutional settings. These debates are mediated by historical perceptions of sex, sexuality, childhood and youth, and by complex social and cultural factors that shape contemporary living. Constructions of childhood, youth and sexuality shape approaches and pedagogies of sexual health in schools and other educational settings. This unit will critically consider sex, sexuality and understandings of sexual health from a range of historical, sociological, psychological, educational and public health perspectives. Students will explore how these varied approaches construct and constrain young people's sexual identities and shape approaches to sexual health education. Throughout the unit students examine the complex intersections between sex and sexuality and issues of gender, race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, social class, religion, geographic locatedness, asking how these relationships limit or enable young people's access to knowledge and their citizenship rights.

What does the university expect of students in relation to texts?At university students are often confronted with reading requirements and written assessment tasks that are very different from those in high school or other educational contexts. This unit is designed to support students in developing effective reading and writing practices in the university context. The unit has three main objectives. Firstly, it assists students in understanding what is expected of them in reading and writing at university. Secondly, it develops students awareness of the structure and language features of different kinds of academic texts. Thirdly, it provides students with strategies to read and write academic texts more effectively. The unit provides a solid foundation that students can use to further develop effective academic literacy practices during the course of their studies.

This unit EDUF1019, which is the second part of Education I, introduces students to the study of human development, including a critical overview of current theory, research and practice in human development, with particular emphasis on the development of early childhood through to adolescence. A core assumption of the unit is that the study of human development is inter-disciplinary, and that developmental theories, past and present, are open to question and debate. Students are therefore encouraged to engage in this study with critical and creative minds. The content of the Unit focuses on the processes and products of human development, related to cognitive, physical, emotional, social, cultural, and language development. The classical theories are considered and examined in the light of contemporary theory and research. From these perspectives, the lectures consider the impact of history, culture, and social context on learning and development. The seminar programme of the Unit is concerned with the teaching of values in schools and early childhood education settings, including the creation of values-based learning environments, and with each participant¿s development as a human self, focusing in particular on the development of participants¿ professional skills and personal values.

What role does digital media play in society and culture? How does it shape young people's experiences, values, and learning opportunities? This unit examines the ways in which the lives of children and young adults are shaped by digital culture. By examining this process in historical and contemporary contexts, students will gain insight into how identity is shaped by practices such as social networking, videogame playing, and digital authoring.

This course introduces students to the theoretical and practical aspects of sport and exercise coaching. Through active participation in lectures, tutorials and practical workshops, students will learn how to create a positive sporting environment by utilizing athlete centred coaching strategies. Students will also learn how to evaluate and improve their own coaching performance by applying reflective and evaluative skills. Topics covered include coaching, training and management principles, coaching pedagogy, planning, skill learning and sports psychology. Students will also complete the beginning coaching general principles course. At the completion of this unit it is hoped that students are more confident and knowledgeable in their coaching practice.

This unit of study is the first part of Education II. Its aim is to provide a general introduction to educational psychology. The important issues of the unit include constructivist and other approaches to learning, critical thinking skills, problem solving, technologically supported learning and motivation. This unit plays an important role in supporting later teaching and curriculum studies in the Bachelor of Education degree. At the end of this unit of study, students will have made substantial progress towards understanding the utility of research in psychology for educators. They will have the capacity to describe learning and teaching activities in terms of their psychological efficacy, especially as it relates to young people. Similarly they will have been introduced to the theory and practice of assessment and evaluation in educational settings, and the impact of assessment on learning and motivation. They will have had training in two Department of Education and Community policies, Good Discipline and Effective Learning, and Student Welfare.

This unit is part of the Education I-IV program which provides students with a foundation in the social scientific study of education. The aim of this unit is to critically examine the social, political and economic contexts of education. Key issues concerning difference and inequality in education are explored through sociological and historical approaches. These include social class, gender and cultural diversity in education, as well as the schooling market, school systems, and globalisation. At the end of this unit of study, students should have the capacity to discuss the impact of a range of educational practices and policies on schools, students and families. Similarly, students will be familiar with broad movements in contemporary educational reform and their association with national and global economic change. As a result of working on a substantial project students will develop a range of research skills. Through policy analysis tasks and workshop activities, students will be familiar with NSW Department of Education and Communities policies and procedures relating to gender, Indigenous education, and cultural diversity.

This unit of study dissects the role played by youth sport and sport in Australian society from an historical and socio-cultural perspective. Youth sport in this unit encompasses physical education, school sport, organised community sport as well as any organised youth physical activity. This unit endeavours to place greater emphasis on theories that have emerged regarding youth sport and sport issues. These include how youth sport and sport in general have been constructed over time and how each relates to themes such as class, gender, age, ethnicity, sexuality, social identity, policy, politics commercialism, nationalism and racism. This unit will encourage students to critically analyse how sport is both constructed and is produced in the context of particular social values and beliefs. The unit is structured in a way to encourage the development of arguments and ideas through tutorial presentations, research projects and a portfolio which relate to these topic areas. This unit of study is designed to encourage student-based multi-disciplinary inquiry as laid out by the Education III design. It is designed also to encourage students to become informed citizens and life-long learners.

The unit emphasis is on the underpinning global education trends of the developed world. A number of themes are dealt with in this global context. These include Indigenous education issues in Australia, the USA and New Zealand, the emergence of international curriculum and assessment and a number of education system case studies. These case studies will include the education systems of France, Great Britain, Brazil, China and India. The unit will appeal to students who are likely to work in the increasingly global world of teaching and may be involved in latter years in working in organizations such as UNESCO, the OECD or the World Bank.

Mentoring is a complex activity which juxtaposes support and challenge in both transitional situations and in on-going learning of both the mentee and the mentor. In schools, mentoring is a critical attribute of professional teaching practice. It is integral to leading the provision of quality classroom teaching and learning through the essential support for ongoing professional learning of preservice, beginning and more experienced teachers. Students who have a specialisation in a particular learning area of strategic importance, for example primary mathematics or science, will be well placed to mentor the ongoing professional learning of their colleagues.
This unit of study will examine dispositions and skills necessary for the mentoring of enriched pedagogical practices in schools. Students use a range of sociological theories and constructs and engage in intensive reading of research in order to develop a critical understanding of mentoring as professional practice and to devise a mentor program suitable for implementation in an educational setting related to their area of specialisation. Models of distributed leadership and collaboration play an important part in effective mentoring. For this reason the learning and teaching in this unit of study is facilitated through collaborative teams. These teams promote interdependence between members of the team. They also emphasise individual accountability as each student is required to develop the leadership qualities required to lead their peers toward critically engaging with learning about their practice.

Curriculum is an essential component to all schools and all education systems. Understanding what, why and how curricula are constructed is an important skill for all teachers. The unit also examines controversial issues in curriculum including the teaching of values in schools and the role of values education documents for NSW schools. Many recent developments in curriculum are reviewed including NAPLAN, national assessment and MySchool. Evaluation and assessment are often misunderstood concepts. Cultural, social and political influences drive decisions about who, what and how will be evaluated. Evaluation and assessment are often conflated with large scale testing regimes because they can lead to easily quantifiable results. A broader and more accurate understanding of these terms is important for all educators.

Contemporary educational paradigms and pedagogies advocate theories of learning that conceptualise education as a process of participatory research, where children are active agents and teachers are facilitators and co-constructers of meaning. As such, it is critical that teachers are well versed in child-focused research. This unit investigates the ways teachers can engage in and critique ethical and political research with children birth - eight years. Underpinned by social justice principles of participation, inclusion and equality, this unit aims to provide students with knowledge about a) critical research theories; b) participatory methods, instruments and processes for researching with young children; c) ethical considerations in conducting research with diverse and/or marginalised children; d) research as a mechanism for social justice and social change in early childhood education, that is, the role of teachers as researchers in informing public policy, advocacy and activism; and e) research as an evaluative toolkit for reflection, accountability, and sustainable early childhood teaching.

This unit of study explores relationships between education, poverty and development in international contexts, particularly in what is increasingly referred to as the ?global South?. It acknowledges the importance of a broad-ranging view of international development, including its economic, political, and cultural dimensions. The unit examines key indicators related to poverty and education, and explores the educational implications of global social policies like the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We investigate the roles of multilateral, bilateral and non-state agencies in educational development to discuss the multiple actors in global development and the politics of aid. Using case studies of educational development processes in specific countries, we contextualise the key issues explored in the unit and provide students with an understanding of how international development reforms are experienced and contested at local, regional, and national levels. The unit is especially designed for those who have an interest in international and global dynamics, particularly those identified as ?developing? countries, and who may be teaching or writing about international development issues, or who may be interested in careers in international and development education, whether in Australia or overseas.

This unit of study examines research on information processing and the design of instructional materials and activiities which have significant implications for enhancing learning outcomes. In addition to lectures, students present the results of their collaborative self-directed research in a series of presentations held in the last two weeks of the unit of study. At the completion of the unit students should be able to analyse, synthesise, and draw conclusions from theory and research, derive educational implications and applications for an educational level (e.g. primary, secondary), demonstrate the skills involved in collaborative and self-directed learning, and demonstrate competence in oral and written communication skills.

How can we explain the ideas, practices and institutions which make up the modern Australian school? This unit looks for the answers in the history of Australian education and educational ideas more broadly. Why is schooling compulsory? Why are there separate primary and secondary schools? Why do teachers need university degrees? Why do so many children and young people attend religiously-affiliated schools? What are the origins of current school funding regimes? Understanding the histories of current educational arrangements helps us better understand the present and offers useful knowledge for shaping the future of schooling. The unit looks at the history of Australian schooling within an international context, with a particular emphasis on the period from the 1950s to the early C21st.

This unit explores the place of creativity and teacher artistry in learning, curriculum and schools. Throughout this unit students will be given the opportunity to practically engage with ideas of creativity, learning and teacher artistry to develop theory and practice for 21st century schooling. Through seminars, international case studies and intensive site based workshops students will have the opportunity to develop their own practices in creativity and teacher artistry to support student learning and knowledge creation across the curriculum.

The focus of this UoS is exploring, experiencing and reflecting upon the transformative effect of Aboriginal community engagement on schools, early childhood education settings, teacher professional learning, curriculum and pedagogy. To do this, students participate in local Aboriginal cultural immersion activities and critically reflect on the contribution these make to their teaching/learning practices. The development and design of culturally responsive relationships-focussed pedagogies and curriculum with the aim of improving Aboriginal student outcomes will contribute significantly to the project of 'closing the gap' between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students. Critical analysis of diverse community contexts and representations of Aboriginal people, culture and communities is crucial in rejecting deficit views and discourses. Consequently, students will critique and reflect upon the notion of a pedagogical cultural identity as an important aspect in the development of an activist professional identity in order to transform teaching practices, curriculum, schools, early childhood education settings and individuals in socially just ways.

This unit of study is designed to provide you with the opportunity to practice and develop the skills associated with (a) making sense of and making use of educational research, including research carried out by academics, by practitioners, by think tanks, and by or at the behest of governments; and (b) engaging in classroom inquiry as a teacher. The aim of the unit is to help you efficiently and correctly to interpret, analyse, evaluate and synthesise research from a range of sources, and to assess its implications for practice. You will be encouraged to develop an appreciation of the broad range of research topics in education and their associated forms of systematic inquiry and to develop your capacity to make links between research, policy, teaching and learning. The unit will provide opportunities for you to become more familiar with the relationship between research and practice so that you can locate, critically analyse and use published material to investigate, understand and enrich your own practice and, in the future, exercise leadership in the encouragement of effective schooling more broadly. A series of expert lectures in the production and use of educational research will be complemented by workshops and assessments designed to encourage you to synthesise different kinds and sources of research-based knowledge about students, teachers, schools, classrooms and communities. In preparing an individual research proposal, you will draw upon the research literature to develop your topic and to select a form of inquiry that is suited to it.

There is no coursework per se in the final Honours year, for non-Education students, with the writing of the Honours thesis comprising EDUF4215 and EDUF4216. The Honours thesis involves investigation of a topic chosen by students and relevant to their own interests. The thesis will be based on the research proposal and is supervised directly by an academic within the Faculty. Although the length of the thesis will vary depending on the nature of the investigation, and length does not necessarily indicate quality, the thesis will not normally exceed 20000 -25000 words.

There is no coursework per se in the final Honours year, for non-Education students, with the writing of the Honours thesis comprising EDUF4215 and EDUF4216. The length of the thesis will vary with the nature of the investigation, and the thesis will be 20000 words. Three copies of the thesis should be submitted by the last Friday in October, one of which will be returned to the student.