Course Title: Investigative Project

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Investigative Project

Credit Points: 24


Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

TCHE2182

Bundoora Campus

Undergraduate

360H Education

Face-to-Face

 Sem 2 2006,
Sem 1 2007,
Sem 2 2007,
Sem 2 2008,
Sem 2 2009,
Sem 1 2010,
Sem 2 2010,
Sem 1 2011,
Sem 2 2011

Course Coordinator: Dianne Siemon

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 7916

Course Coordinator Email:dianne.siemon@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: 220.03.033

Course Coordinator Availability: Arrange by email


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

TCHE 2133 Researching Learning 


Course Description

This 24 credit point course is designed for pre-service teachers (PSTs) to build on the learning gained from TCHE 2133 Researching Learning and their professional practice experience. In this course, PSTs will conceptualise, implement, and report on an in-depth investigative project related to working professionally in the School/Education Community. The Investigative Project will be undertaken at a professional placement site and should result in a service or resource to that site in the form of an educational product.


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

Graduates are expected to demonstrate the ability to:

  • Apply interventions that maximize opportunities to develop full potential (1.4).
  • Influence change where possible (2.6).
  • Explore and interpret a range of purposes, thinking, and action (3.3).
  • Critically reflect on planning in action, on action (6.1).
  • Use critical reflection to inform and improve future practice (6.4).
  • Perform a range of roles and responsibilities within a professional team (9.5).
  • Identify and locate knowledge, resources/support appropriate to the identified task and set goals (11.4).


For Preservice teachers to demonstrate the ability to:

  • Reflect upon their own current knowledge and interests in education;
  • Select an appropriate set of learning objectives / goals for themselves;
  • Negotiate the proposed investigative project with other education professionals;
  • Demonstrate a high level of professionalism as they work with others;
  • Investigate their teaching or some other suitably negotiated topic in a particular educational setting;
  • Conduct a review of literature relevant to the set goals and project focus;
  • Display initiative and leadership;
  • Document their learning as a result of conducting the investigative project;
  • Reflect on the feedback received from their PP mentor, other educational workers as relevant  as well as the feedback provided during university classes;
  • Show capacity to share their learning with their peers during and to show capacity to support peers, particularly during class sessions.


Overview of Learning Activities

This course will provide pre-service teachers with opportunities to explore discuss and critically reflect on course readings, personal experiences, theoretical perspectives, and teaching practices. Pre-service teachers are expected to discuss and confirm the nature of their investigation with their lecturer and relevant school/educational personnel. During the course PSTs will build on prior experiences to extend their knowledge of:

  • teachers as investigators of their own practice;
  • using literature to support ideas;
  • data gathering techniques;
  • the role of critical reflection;
  • using inquiry-based approaches to address issues/problems, analysis and interpretation of information;
  • writing and presenting findings, and
  • educaitonal product development.



Overview of Learning Resources

List/s of diverse references will be distributed to you during the course to support your learning.


Overview of Assessment

The assessment for this course draws upon the learning situated within the community of the educational workplace. There is a combination of hurdle and assessed tasks. The asessed tasks includes critically reflecting on own teaching practice and investigating an area arising from within working within the educational setting and determining its community’s needs and interests.