Education Studies provides students with an understanding of schools and education and of teaching and learning. Students will gain insights both into their own learning, and into the learning of others. They will also gain an understanding of the complex cluster of community relationships, contested ideas, and professional practices that manifest in schools.

This interdisciplinary course will provide foundational understanding of education as an academic discipline, its methods for researching teaching and learning, and justifying and communicating findings. Educational research methods draw on both social science and science methods, depending on the particular topics of inquiry/study. Further, they gain deeper understanding of the disciplines and methods targeted for teaching as they develop skills in how to convey complex and difficult material in a manner comprehensible to targeted groups of students. In doing so, they develop an understanding of the art of teaching that allows them to communicate effectively, inspiring and engaging students in the process. They develop and rehearse the intrapersonal and interpersonal practices of effective teachers that allow them to build and maintain productive relationships with students, families, and colleagues.

Students gain a wide variety of transferable academic and general skills in communication, literacy, numeracy, research and ethics. Students also gain a deeper understanding of the diversity of learning, schools and teachers and their place in society, locally and globally. This course provides knowledge, understanding and skills for further study, work and life.

The Education Studies course is written under the INTEGRATED LEARNING FRAMEWORK 2017: BSSS INTEGRATED LEARNING Framework.

Achievement Standards for INTEGRATED LEARNING courses can be found within the Framework.

Courses written under this framework promote interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches. Students will learn how to transfer capabilities such as the research process, information management, critical thinking, creativity, effective teambuilding, leadership, collaborative decision making and communicate with a diverse range of people. Courses written under this framework are suited for students with diverse abilities, and learning styles including students preparing to enter the workforce, as well as those planning to study at university.

Perspectives in Education

In this unit, students investigate a range of historical, established and contemporary philosophies of education and evaluate their application to school settings. They explore paradigms of education, including place-based pedagogies. Students consider the interaction between schools and wider society, and how those conditions and structures impact on learning and the nature and history of schools. They reflect on the development of their own philosophy of teaching and learning and how their experiences have shaped them as individuals and learners.

Learning and Assessment

Students examine how individuals learn and how that learning can be measured. They investigate the role of teachers in the learning process. Students consider the impact of teaching strategies, developmental stages and technology on learning. They consider models for formative and summative assessment, and the efficacy of educational measurements. Students engage with research on learning, including contemporary research and consider how those findings are employed in schools.

Teaching and Engagement

In this unit, students focus on how learning can be planned and pedagogy applied to promote engagement. They investigate ways for students to experience joy in learning. Students evaluate ideas about optimising the physical learning environment. They investigate the pedagogical tools teachers use to overcome the challenges faced by individuals in accessing and succeeding in education. Students explore different approaches to classroom management and student wellbeing.

Curriculum in Action

Students investigate the nature and purpose of different curriculums including the priorities of different curriculums. They examine the spoken and unspoken curriculums delivered in schools. Students evaluate different programs for implementing curriculum in schools. Students synthesise their disciplinary knowledge and understandings of learning to translate curriculum into sequences for student learning in the classroom. They investigate curriculum differentiation to plan for access to learning by all students.

Independent Study

An Independent Study unit has an important place in senior secondary courses. It is a valuable pedagogical approach that empowers students to make decisions about their own learning. An Independent Study unit can be proposed by an individual student for their own independent study and negotiated with their teacher. The program of learning for an Independent Study unit must meet the unit goals and content descriptions as they appear in the course.

Independent Study units are only available to individual students in Year 12. A student can only study a maximum of one Independent Study unit in each course. Students must have studied at least three standard 1.0 units from this course. An Independent Study unit requires the principal’s written approval. Principal approval can also be sought by a student in Year 12 to enrol concurrently in an Independent Study unit and their third or fourth 1.0 unit in this course of study.

Education Studies  T (1003 KB)

Education Studies T (7572 KB)

Education Studies - Implementation Guide (869 KB)