University of Technology Sydney

013410 Capstone: Professional Vision in Practice

Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.

Subject handbook information prior to 2024 is available in the Archives.

UTS: Education: Professional Learning
Credit points: 6 cp

Subject level:

Postgraduate

Result type: Grade, no marks

Requisite(s): 013409 Professional Learning AND 013402c Professional Experience and Classroom Management 2
The lower case 'c' after the subject code indicates that the subject is a corequisite. See definitions for details.
These requisites may not apply to students in certain courses.
There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.

Description

In this capstone subject, students reflect on their learning throughout their course and prepare for their future teaching career. After exploring relevant sources of professional learning for teachers and critically analysing appropriate professional learning networks and communities, students reflect on their own professional learning needs using the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST). Students have opportunities to engage with guest speakers about developing their portfolios, engage in a mock interview with school executives and develop a digital artefact on what makes them a great graduate teacher. The subject culminates in curating their e-portfolio within the framework of the APST and producing annotations focused on their learning throughout the course, that contribute to becoming an effective secondary teacher.

Subject learning objectives (SLOs)

a. Identify relevant and appropriate sources of professional learning for teachers (6.2.1)
b. Critically assess appropriateness of professional learning networks and communities in developing ongoing teacher professional learning and practices (7.4.1 )
c. Develop an e-portfolio based on the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) which reflects the student’s learning and expertise gained throughout the course (6.1.1)
d. Reflect on themselves as a graduate teacher through the development of a digital artefact.

Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)

This subject engages with the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs), which are tailored to the Graduate Attributes set for all graduates of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

  • Engage in professional learning for educators (1.5)

Contribution to the development of graduate attributes

This Subject Outline addresses the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes:

1. Professional Readiness

1.5 Engage in professional learning, demonstrating complex problem solving and intellectual independence in a research project

6. Effective Communication

6.3 Are effective communicators, highly skilled in new literacies, able to justify and interpret professional decisions to specialist and non-specialist audiences

Teaching and learning strategies

Students actively engage in learning activities relevant to their future as graduate teachers. Students commence with group exercises in the weekly workshops designed to scaffold their reflections, identify their own learning and expertise developed throughout the course, and align these to relevant Australian Professional Standards for Teachers – graduate level. Students then collaborate in learning teams and through engagement with local and international teacher professional networks, identify their learning needs. Students are supported to curate e-portfolios and develop digital artefacts through hands-on interactive workshops, pre-class activities and support resources on UTS online. They are also supported to participate in Mock Interviews conducted by former School Executives. Students receive early formative feedback on assessment tasks. Attendance at classes and team meetings is important in this subject because it is based on a collaborative approach which involves essential workshops and interchange of ideas with other students and the lecturer.

Content (topics)

The subject engages students in a process of reflection on their learning through the course and its relevance to the APST standards. They engage with literature on beginning teachers, e-portfolios and professional learning. They identify and engage with local and international professional learning communities relevant to their specialisation. Students reflect on their strengths as graduate teachers through a series of interactive activities and develop a digital artefact, with support through hands-on-workshops. Guest speakers focus on APST, NESA and the Quality Teaching Framework and developing annotations and how to gain employment as a teacher. Mock interviews are conducted for all students by former School Executives. Students are supported through interactive activities throughout the session to curate their e-portfolio.

Assessment

Assessment task 1: Digital artefact

Objective(s):

d)

Weight: 35%
Length:

2 minute digital artefact

Criteria linkages:
Criteria Weight (%) SLOs CILOs
Depth of reflection on themselves as graduate teacher 65 d) 1.5
Creativity and appropriateness of digital recording 35 d) .3
SLOs: subject learning objectives
CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Assessment task 2: Curated portfolio and identifying learning needs

Objective(s):

a, b and c

Weight: 65%
Length:

Part 1 1000 words;

Part 2 300-500 words per page x 8

Criteria linkages:
Criteria Weight (%) SLOs CILOs
Depth of analysis of the relevant and appropriate sources of professional learning for teachers, and the role of professional and community bodies in ongoing teachers’ professional learning and practice (6.2.1, 7.4.1) (part 1) 15 a, b 1.5
Appropriateness of identified professional learning networks and communities for ongoing professional learning and strategies to expand them ( 7.4.1) (part 1) 15 b 1.5
Depth of reflection on own learning and expertise (part 2) 30 c 1.5
Quality of annotations and appropriateness of evidence for APST Graduate standards in e-portfolio (6.1.1) (part 2) 40 c .3
SLOs: subject learning objectives
CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Required texts

There are no essential textbooks for this subject. Readings will available on UTS Online and in UTS Library e-reserve.

References

Adamy, P., & Milman, N. (2009). Evaluating electronic portfolios in teacher education. Charlotte, NC: Information Age

Aubusson, P.J., Ewing, R. & Hoban, G. (2009). Action Learning in Schools Reframing teachers' professional learning and development. London: Routledge.

Aubusson, P. (2006) (Ed) Teacher learning and development: The mirror maze. Dordrecht: Springer.

Bolton, G. (2014). Reflective practice: an introduction. Reflective practice: writing and professional development, 4th edn, Sage Publications Ltd., London.

Boud, D. (2010). Relocating reflection in the context of practice, in H. Bradbury, N. Frost, S. Kilminster & M. Zukas (eds). Beyond reflective practice: new approaches to professional and lifelong learning. Abingdon, Oxen: Routledge, pp. 25-36.

Burstow, B. & Maguire, M. (2014). Disentangling What it Means to be a Teacher in the Twenty-First Century: Policy and Practice in Teachers’ Continuing Professional Learning. In O. McNamara, J. Murray & M. Jones (eds) Workplace Learning in Teacher Education : International Practice and Policy. New York: Springer.

Bolton, G. (2014). Reflective practice: writing and professional development, 4th ed. London.: Sage Publications

Campbell, D. (2000). Portfolio and performance assessment in teacher education. London: Allyn and Bacon.

Clarke, J. & Boud, D. (2016). Refocusing portfolio assessment: Curating for feedback and portrayal Innovations in Education and Teaching International.DOI:10.1080/1470397.2016.1250664

Daunert, A. & Price, L. (2014). E-Portfolio: a practical tool for self-directed, reflective, and collaborative professional learning. in C. Harteis, A. Rausch & J. Seifried (eds), Discourses on professional learning: on the boundary between learning and working. Dordrecht: Springer, pp. 231-51.

Johnson, R., Mims-Cox, J., & Doyle-Nichols, A. (2010). Developing portfolios in education: A guide to reflection, inquiry, and assessment. Los Angeles: SAGE.

Jones, M., & Shelton, M. (2011). Developing your portfolio : Enhancing your learning and showing your stuff : A guide for the early childhood student or professional. New York: Routledge.

Kearney, M. (2009). Investigating Digital Storytelling and Portfolios in Teacher Education. In G. Siemens & C. Fulford (Eds.), Proceedings of World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications 2009 (pp. 1987-1996). Chesapeake, VA: AACE. Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org/p/31749

Kearney, M. (2011). A learning design for student-generated digital storytelling. Learning, Media and Technology, 36(2), 169 — 188

Korthagen, F.A.J. (2004). In search of the essence of a good teacher: Towards a more holistic approach in teacher education. Teacher and Teacher Education. (20)1, pp. 77-97.

Loughran, J. (2010). What expert teachers do: Teachers' professional knowledge of classroom practice. Sydney & London: Allen & Unwin, Routledge.

Lyons, N. (2010). Handbook of reflection and reflective inquiry: Mapping a way of knowing for professional reflective inquiry. New York: Springer.

Owen, S. (2014).Teacher professional learning communities: going beyond contrived collegiality toward challenging debate and collegial learning and professional growth. Australian Journal of Adult Learning. (54), 2, pp. 54-77.

Retallick, J. (1999). Professional ethics and teacher practice: Teacher development and the power of the portfolio. NSW Department of Education and Training.

Retallick, J. (1999). The portfolio guidebook. Melbourne: Australian Council for Education.

Schuck, S., Aubusson, P., Buchanan, J., Russell, T. (2012). Beginning teaching: Stories from the classroom. Dordrecht: Springer.

Trust, T (2012). Professional learning networks designed for teacher learning Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education 28 (4) pp. 133-138

Trust, T., Krutka, D.G. & Carpenter, J.P. (2016). “Together we are better”: Professional learning networks for teachers. Computers & Education. (102 (2016)), 15-34.