This unit of study is the first of five units that make up the program of Education Studies. This program is the core curriculum for students enrolled in initial teacher education courses. Units within this program are also of relevance to students enrolled in other courses. This first unit provides an introduction to key issues in education, including: the complexity of teachers' work, the contested nature of knowledge, and the multiple ways that formal learning functions in society. Equity and social justice are key themes that are examined by drawing upon concepts derived from the sociology of education, cultural studies, curriculum theory, and educational research. In the first four weeks, students participate in a peer-mentoring program conducted by senior students. At the conclusion of the unit students should have developed and demonstrated a critical understanding of education, teachers and teaching.

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 neurobiological, cognitive, emotional, social, cultural, and language development. The classical theories are considered and examined in the light of contemporary theory and research. 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.

This unit of study is the first part of Education II. Its aim is to provide a general introduction to educational psychology, surveying a range of individual and social influences on learning 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 analytical 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.

Understanding sport is central to understanding Australian culture and Australians' sense of who they are in the world. Sport is part of day-to-day discourse and a central part of Australian culture, yet receives comparatively little attention as an area of serious academic study at Australian universities. This unit of study therefore 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 and 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, disability and racism. The unit is structured in a way to encourage the development of arguments and ideas through weekly responses and a research presentation. 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.

In this unit we explore relationships between education, poverty and international development in multi-level contexts. It acknowledges the importance of a broad view of concepts and practices of 'international development', including economic, political, and cultural dimensions. We examine poverty and education and explore educational implications of global social policies Education for all, the Millennium and Sustainable Development Goals. We investigate multiple actors in global development and the politics of aid. Using case studies of specific contexts we locate key issues and explore understandings of how related reforms are experienced and contested locally, regionally and nationally.

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 organizations such as UNESCO, the OECD or the World Bank. It is a unit also of particular interest to students wishing to teach outside of Australia at some stage in their career.

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.

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.

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 an alternative curriculum [the International Baccalaureate], 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.

Creativity is central to progress and innovation in teaching and learning. This unit explores the critical role of purposeful and dynamic creativity for 21st century learners. Creativity, learning and teacher artistry explores through rigorous analysis how the use of performances, site specific workshops, international case studies, theoretical discussions and site based opportunities can activate an understanding of 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 led by experts and artists, 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, curriculum and pedagogy. Students will learn on country by participating in local Aboriginal cultural and social activities and explore how local Aboriginal ways of knowing, doing and being reflects the diversity, vibrancy and resilience of Aboriginal peoples and cultures. They will consider the role of community cultural wealth in developing and designing culturally responsive relationships-focussed schooling to 'close the gap' between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities. Students will critically analyse diverse representations and deficit discourses about Aboriginal people, culture and communities in the project of developing their activist professional identity to transform teaching and learning, schools and early childhood education settings in socially just ways.

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.

Interdisciplinarity is a key skill in fostering agility in life and work. This unit provides learning experiences that build students' skills, knowledge and understanding of the application of their disciplinary background to interdisciplinary contexts. In this unit, students will work in teams and develop interdisciplinarity skills through problem-based learning projects responding to 'real world problems'.

This unit is designed for third year students to undertake a project that allows them to work with one of the University's industry and community partners. Students will work in teams on a real-world problem provided by the partner. This experience will allow students to apply their academic skills and disciplinary knowledge to a real-world issue in an authentic and meaningful way.