In this course, students will be introduced to the skills required for effective teaching of Digital Technologies in the junior secondary years of schooling. Emphasis will be placed upon understanding the relationship between the learner, school context, curriculum, pedagogy and assessment.

This course aims to prepare students to teach Digital Technologies (computer science) as detailed in the Australian Curriculum in Queensland: Digital Technologies subject in Junior Secondary. It assumes familiarity with computer science, in particular of programming and information systems (i.e. SQL) and introduces students to a variety of specialised teaching approaches and tools available for developing computational, design, and systems thinking in students.

Taught 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.5, 2.6, 3.2, 3.4

Practised 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.5, 2.6, 3.2, 3.3, 5.1, 5.2

Session 1 Curriculum (Tutorial): Exploring the scope of Digital Technologies activities and project solutions for the junior secondary classroom. 1, 2

Session 2 Content (Tutorial): Experiencing and deconstructing junior secondary Digital Technologies learning activities and projects. 1, 2, 3

Session 3 Pedagogy (Tutorial): Examining the importance of developing thinking skills (Design, Computational and Systems) through Digital Technologies. Exploring planning processes that support student-directed learning and the integration of activities through project-based learning. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Session 4 Technologies (Tutorial): Developing a scope and sequence of activities and associated lesson plans to address curriculum requirements. 3, 4, 5, 6

Session 5 Assessment (Tutorial): Exploring assessment approaches to support and measure learning of Digital Technologies, including notions of formative, summative and diagnostic assessment. 1, 7

Session 6 Research (Tutorial): Examining research and practice of international best practices relating to Digital Technologies education pedagogies, curricula, and assessment. 1, 2, 4, 5, 7

Session 7 Policy (Tutorial): Exploring research principles and methods to examine educational policies that inform 21st Century educational contexts. 1, 2, 7

Session 8 Review (Tutorial): Profile, unit overview, and assessment task development. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Research & Policy
1 Investigate, interpret, evaluate and synthesise ideas from a range of sources including research literature, professional associations, curriculum documents, teaching examples, and curriculum activity collections, to develop an understanding of international best practice for Digital Technologies education in the junior secondary years APST 1.2, 2.1, 2.3, 4.1, 7.4

1.2 Understand how students learn. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of research into how students learn and the implications for teaching.

2.1 Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the concepts, substance and structure of the content and teaching strategies of the teaching area.

2.3 Curriculum, assessment and reporting. Use curriculum, assessment and reporting knowledge to design learning sequences and lesson plans.

4.1 Support student participation. Identify strategies to support inclusive student participation and engagement in classroom activities.

7.4 Engage with professional teaching networks and broader communities. Understand the role of external professionals and community representatives in broadening teachers’ professional knowledge and practice.

Curriculum
2 Identify the concepts, substance and structure of the content most appropriate for the teaching of Digital Technologies in the junior secondary classroom. Know and understand literacy and numeracy teaching strategies and their application in the Digital Technologies teaching area. APST 2.1, 2.2, 2.5

2.1 Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the concepts, substance and structure of the content and teaching strategies of the teaching area. (Developed in Pedagogy)

2.2 Content selection and organisation. Organise content into an effective learning and teaching sequence.

2.5 Literacy and numeracy strategies. Know and understand literacy and numeracy teaching strategies and their application in teaching areas. (General Capabilities)

Content
3 Organise content to support effective learning and teaching sequences or projects that challenge and motivate learners in the junior secondary Digital Technologies classroom APST 2.2, 3.2

2.2 Content selection and organisation. Organise content into an effective learning and teaching sequence.

3.2 Plan, structure and sequence learning programs. Plan lesson sequences using knowledge of student learning, content and effective teaching strategies.

Pedagogy

4 Set or negotiate learning goals that provide achievable challenges for students in the junior secondary Digital Technologies classroom of varying abilities and characteristics. APST 3.1, 3.2

3.1 Establish challenging learning goals. Set learning goals that provide achievable challenges for students of varying abilities and characteristics.

3.2 Plan, structure and sequence learning programs. Plan lesson sequences using knowledge of student learning, content and effective teaching strategies.

5 Identify and explain teaching strategies and modes of verbal and non-verbal communication that are most effective in challenging and supporting inclusive student participation in Digital Technologies in the junior secondary years. Use a range of teaching strategies. APST 1.5, 3.3, 3.5

1.5 Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of strategies for differentiating teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities.

3.3 Use teaching strategies. Include a range of teaching strategies.

Technologies

6 Within planning processes create, select, negotiate and employ a range of resources, including ICT, that engage students in Digital Technologies learning. APST 2.6, 3.4

2.6 Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Implement teaching strategies for using ICT to expand curriculum learning opportunities for students.

3.4 Select and use resources. Demonstrate knowledge of a range of resources, including ICT, that engage students in their learning.

Assessment

7 Within planning processes select, negotiate, create or employ relevant assessment strategies specific to Digital Technologies in the junior secondary years APST 5.1, 5.2

5.1 Assess student learning. Demonstrate understanding of assessment strategies, including informal and formal, diagnostic, formative and summative approaches to assess student learning.

5.2 Provide feedback to students on their learning. Demonstrate an understanding of the purpose of providing timely and appropriate feedback to students about their learning.

APST 1.2, 2.1, 2.3, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1 Title Investigating Approaches: Review and Relate

Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 5

Written Assignment

Length 2000 words

Weighting 50%

This task will have two components: REVIEW and RELATE. In the REVIEW section, students will focus on deepening their content knowledge and will complete a literature review of learning activities (500 words) and projects (500 words) identified as relevant to Digital Technologies in the junior secondary classroom, including how these assess student learning. In the RELATE section, students will compare the application of sequences of learning activities to the integration of activities to support projects (250 words) and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of approaches to developing student knowledge and skills (including higher-order thinking skills of design, computational, and systems thinking) (500 words), and two sets of principles to support these approaches (250 words each).

Criteria

Investigation, interpretation, evaluation and synthesis of material from a range of sources to identify the content, concepts and structures relevant to digital technologies in the junior secondary classroom

Investigation, interpretation, evaluation and synthesis of ideas from a range of sources including research literature, texts and curriculum documents to demonstrate an understanding of international best practice for the teaching of digital technologies in the junior secondary years.

Identification of a set of best practice principles to support inclusive student engagement and learning in digital technologies in the junior secondary years.

APST 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 4.1, 5.1, 5.2

Planning Task

Learning Outcomes 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Assignment - Planning Document

Length 2000 words

Weighting 50%

Based on the activities explored in the REVIEW section of Task One, and drawing on the advantages identified in the RELATE section for activity sequences: Develop a profile (250 words) of a particular junior secondary Digital Technologies class including key demographics, identification of relevant literacy levels (including ICT) evident in national benchmark data, and information on pupils’ previous experience in computing sourced from a school website. Create a (250 word) unit overview for this class that also identifies the preceding and following unit content and focus. Design an assessment instrument to assess learning in this unit and explain your rationale for your assessment approach. (500 words) Develop and document two sequenced lesson plans for this class that provide details of, and a rationale for the strategies used (500 words each). Provide a list of accompanying resources to be used to support learning across the two lessons and explain your rationale for their inclusion (500 words).

Criteria

Selection of appropriate content and organisation of this content into effective learning and teaching sequences that challenge and motivate learners in the junior secondary Digital Technologies classroom.

Articulation of learning goals that provide achievable challenges for students of varying abilities and characteristics in the junior secondary Digital Technologies classroom.

Application of teaching strategies that are effective in challenging and supporting inclusive student participation in the junior secondary Digital Technologies classroom.

Creation, selection and employment, within planning processes, of a range of relevant resources, including ICT, that engage students in Digital Technologies learning in the junior secondary years.

Design and employment, within planning processes, of assessment strategies appropriate for Digital Technologies in the junior secondary years.

DT vs CS vs ICT/DL vs CT vs EdTech

The field students need to learn - overview

Suggestions on where to focus on some specifics, expanding on this each year (content (curriculum), pedagogy, assessment, technologies and research

Deep dives into a topics and sharing with peers

https://notosh.com/insights/categories/learning-and-teaching Defining the purpose of curriculum