Course Title: Communities of Practice

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Communities of Practice

Credit Points: 12


Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

TCHE2231

Bundoora Campus

Postgraduate

360H Education

Face-to-Face

Sem 1 2006,
Sem 2 2006,
Sem 2 2007,
Sem 2 2008

Course Coordinator: Dr Barbara Chancellor

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 7858

Course Coordinator Email:barbara.chancellor@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: Building 220 Rm 4.19 Bundoora West


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

Students must have satisfactorily completed PP 2 (Researching Learning)


Course Description

This is a core course that focuses on the teacher as a professional with responsibilities to the children they teach, colleagues, parents and the community. An emphasis will be placed on the application of educational theory to practice in educational settings. In particular, students will draw on theory and their developing philosophy to design a project that applies their knowledge to practice as part of work integrated learning.


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

This course is designed to assist students to:
• Reflect upon their professional knowledge and identify their professional learning needs and interests in education.
• Reflect on their role as researcher, partnership builder, innovator and/or educational leader.
• Further develop their interpersonal and negotiation skills and their capacity to work collaboratively with education professionals on a specific task.
• Become familiar with relevant research methodologies and further develop their reflective skills.
• Apply what they have learnt in the program to address a practical problem or issue in an educational setting.
• Document their learning and project outcomes in an appropriate manner.
• Develop skills in designing research methods, project design and management, negotiation, product presentation and reporting.


Upon completion of this course students will be able to:
• Identify their professional learning needs and interests.
• Demonstrate a capacity to negotiate and work collaboratively with other education professionals.
• Formulate, justify and scope a project-based response to a critical issue or problem in an educational setting.
• Design, conduct, and report on a project that practicing professionals will find valuable.


ICT Outcomes
At the conclusion of this course, students will have demonstrated and/or acquired the following ICT capabilities:
• Skills in using ICT for communication, documentation, presentation, work preparation and implementation.
• Personal proficiency in using ICT.


Overview of Learning Activities

Students’ learning in this course will involve a range of activities including lectures, tutorials, individual research, collaborative group work, discussion, site visits, problem solving and critical reflection. A major emphasis will be placed on participation in project-based teams to reflect the ways in which teachers engage in professional learning communities.


Overview of Learning Resources

Millikan, J. (2003) Reflections: Reggio Emilia principles within Australian contexts. Castle Hill, NSW; Pademelon Press.
Arthur, L., Beecher, B., Death, E., Dockett, S. & Farmer, S. (2005) Programming
and planning in early childhood settings (Third Ed.) Thompson, Australia.
Jones, E. & Nimmo, J. (1994) Emergent Curriculum, Washington, DC NAEYC MacNaughton, G. & Williams, G. 2nd Ed. (2004) Techniques for teaching young children, South Melbourne, Pearson Prentice Hall.
Patterson, C. & Fleet, A. (2003) Meaningful Planning, AECA Research in practice series, Watson, ACT, AECA.


Overview of Assessment

Assessment tasks are directly linked to the stated objectives and outcomes. Assessment in the course will be both theoretical and practical in nature. A range of formative and summative assessment types will be incorporated into the course (for example, project proposal, report, written, oral or performance based assessment).

Students should refer to Part B of the course guide for further information on assessment.