University of Technology Sydney

020212 Professional Experience for In-Service Teachers

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: Initial Teacher Education
Credit points: 6 cp
Result type: Grade and marks

Requisite(s): 020213 Maths Methods for In-Service Teachers (Year 7-12)
These requisites may not apply to students in certain courses.
There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.

Description

This subject focuses on the practical application of mathematics teaching skills. The coursework component builds upon Maths Methods for In-Service Teachers to develop in-service teachers’ mathematics pedagogy. For the practicum component, teacher-education students undertake a three-week classroom placement and receive feedback on their teaching practice from their Tertiary Supervisor (a UTS staff member) and their Supervising Teacher (who is a classroom teacher in the host school). Topics covered include unit planning, assessment, and pedagogy specific to content covered in NSW Stage 6 mathematics.

Subject learning objectives (SLOs)

a. Plan for, and implement, effective mathematics teaching and learning
b. Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning
c. Construct mathematics teaching resources that support the development of conceptual understanding in mathematics
d. Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments.

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.

  • Analyse: Demonstrate an understanding of health and safety requirements, ethical conduct, and risk management, in the context of teaching mathematics. (3.1)
  • Evaluate: Collaborate to create and implement professional solutions to educational problems. (3.3)
  • Analyse: Derive innovative solutions to complex mathematical and educational problems. (4.1)
  • Synthesise: Develop cultural awareness for ethical and respectful practices when developing community relations, apply and test those practices. (6.2)

Teaching and learning strategies

This subject requires active participation in weekly two-hour seminars, plus a designated three-week practicum block. Asynchronous learning is also offered on the Learning Management System Canvas. Teacher-education students are actively involved in the asynchronous sections of this subject by contributing to online interactive elements on Canvas, where they comment on the contributions of other students.

The practicum component focuses on mathematics pedagogy as an applied discipline, and teacher-education students are expected to seek and apply feedback from their UTS Tertiary Supervisor and school-based Supervising Teacher to improve teaching practice.

Content (topics)

This subject focuses on practical aspects of teaching mathematics in a secondary school. It develops candidates’ repertoire of mathematics teaching skills to include unit planning, the creation and use of digital teaching resources, and considerations associated with mathematics assessment.

Unit Planning

Pedagogy: Different ways to approach unit planning; Constructing resources to support units of work

Mathematics topics: Statistics; Proof; Vectors and Mechanics

Assessment Of Learning

Pedagogy: Rubrics and marking guidelines; Limitations of high stakes tests

Mathematics topics: Experimental probability; Measurement and trigonometry

Assessment For Learning

Pedagogy: Assessment as motivator; Using assessment to support learning

Mathematics topics: Functions; Trigonometric identities

Assessment As Learning

Pedagogy: Constructing assessment as learning, and learning as assessment; Assessment of conceptual understanding

Mathematics topics: Geometry; Differential calculus

Assessment

Assessment task 1: Moderating an Assessment Task

Objective(s):

a and b

Weight: 25%
Length:

500 words per graded assessment task; 1000 words total

Criteria linkages:
Criteria Weight (%) SLOs CILOs
Grading comments: Correctness of mathematics; insightfulness evident in diagnosis; and clarity, accuracy and cohesiveness of written communication. 50 b 3.3
Annotations on lesson plans / day book: Appropriateness of strategies to promote relational understanding of mathematical concepts. 50 a 3.3
SLOs: subject learning objectives
CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Assessment task 2: Online Resource for Unit of Work

Objective(s):

a and c

Weight: 25%
Length:

a) One original teaching and learning activity, equivalent to approximately 1500 words

b) Annotations on a unit of work, equivalent to approximately 500 words

Criteria linkages:
Criteria Weight (%) SLOs CILOs
Unit of Work: Depth of analysis of teaching program and documentation of outcomes that would benefit from engagement with the resource. 20 a 3.3
Online Activity: Quality, attractiveness and user- friendliness of resource design. 30 c 4.1
Online Activity: Effectiveness of the resource for development of relational mathematical understanding. 30 c 4.1
Online Activity: Adaptability and versatility of the resource for differentiated learning. 20 c 4.1
SLOs: subject learning objectives
CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Assessment task 3: Professional Experience

Objective(s):

d

Weight: 50%
Length:

15 days

Criteria linkages:
Criteria Weight (%) SLOs CILOs
Demonstrate competence in a range of professional teaching standards in a classroom setting, where opportunity to do so exists 50 d 3.1
Demonstrate competence in a range of professional teaching standards in a whole school setting, where opportunity to do so exists 50 d 6.2
SLOs: subject learning objectives
CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Minimum requirements

Teacher education students must successfully complete the Professional Experience component of their subject, as determined by a satisfactory Supervising Teacher’s report. Students who do not complete the placement will receive a Fail X grade.

Required texts

Board of Studies NSW (2012). Mathematics K-10 Syllabus. https://syllabus.nesa.nsw.edu.au/assets/mathematicsk10/downloads/mathematicsk10_full.pdf

NESA (n.d.). Mathematics Stage 6. https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/11-12/stage-6-learning-areas/stage-6-mathematics

References

Bhindi, N., & McMenamin, J. (2010). Pascal’s Triangle. Australian Mathematics Teacher, 66(1), pp. 25-28.

Brouwer, P. (n.d.). Clarifying pre-service teacher perceptions of mentor teachers’ developing use of mentoring skills. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27(6), 1049–1058.

Buckworth, J. (2017). Unstated and unjust: juggling relational requirements of professional experience for pre-service teachers. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 45(4), 369–382. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359866X.2017.1335853

Fitzpatrick, J.B. (1984). Integration by substitution. In New Senior Mathematics, pp. 82-94.

Gaensler, B. (1990). Reflections on 3 unit mathematics: Mathematical induction. Reflections (MANSW), 15(2), pp. 31-39.

Kohlhoff, P. (2020). Supporting the derivation of compound-angle formulae. Reflections (MANSW), 45(4), pp. 27-29.

Kohlhoff, P. (2021). Developing an understanding of the variance of a binomial distribution. Australian Mathematics Education Journal (AMEJ), Vol. 3 Issue 3, pp. 20-26.

Kriewaldt, J., Ambrosetti, A., Rorrison, D., & Capeness, R. (2018). Educating Future Teachers: Innovative Perspectives in Professional Experience (1st ed. 2018.). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5484-6

Lockhart, P. (2002). A Mathematician’s Lament. https://www.maa.org/external_archive/devlin/LockhartsLament.pdf

Prescott, A., Mitchelmore, M. (2005). Student misconceptions about Projectile Motion. https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/bitstream/10453/7474/1/2005002166.pdf

Ron, G., Dreyfus, T. (2004). The use of models in teaching proof by mathematical induction. Proceedings of the 28th conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, 4, pp. 113-120.

Scanlon, H. (1990). Binomial theorem. Reflections (MANSW), 15(2), pp. 53-55.

Taylor, J. (1995). Mathematical induction - a resource file. Reflections (MANSW), 20(4), pp. 21-22.