Differentiated Curriculum and Learning Management

This subject will investigate the curriculum implications of catering for the range of abilities within the classroom. This subject revists a number of learning theorists, critiques various educational approaches and explores legislative and policy implications and impacts on learning management programmes. Different models of communicating, assessing and reporting will also be examined.

Awards offering Differentiated Curriculum and Learning Management

This unit is offered as a part of the following awards:

• Master of Teaching (Secondary)

Unit Content

Curriculum Objective

This subject will investigate the curriculum implications of catering for the range of abilities within the classroom. This subject revisits a number of learning theorists whose ideas inform classroom instruction e.g. concept of intelligence, theories of learning and multiple intelligences, emotion and motivation. It provides an overview of some recent findings of cognitive science and neuroscience and their application to the classroom. Educational approaches such as segregation, integration, mainstreaming, and managing challenging behaviour will be critiqued while reviewing differentiation and individualisation. Legislative and policy implications and their impact on learning management programs in a range of educational contexts will be explore. The roles of integration of professionals in the case management of children with learning needs will be examined, together with consideration of parent, caregiver and/or community participation. Different models of communicating, assessing and reporting will be examined.

Outcomes

1. Identify the legislative requirements and teaching strategies that support participation and learning of students with disability;
2. Integrate research into how students learn and the implications for teaching;
3. Critically appraise teaching strategies that are responsive to the learning strengths and needs of students from diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds through the lens of a Christian worldview;
4. Critically evaluate practical approaches to manage challenging behaviour;
5. Prepare curriculum, assessment and reporting knowledge to design learning sequences and lesson plans;
6. Discuss in detail the strategies for differentiating teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities;
7. Critically analyse the role of external professionals and community representatives in broadening teachers’ professional knowledge and practice.

Subject Content

1. Setting the Context for Differentiation: Nature of intelligence, Individual differences; Intelligence: assessment strategies, including informal and formal, diagnostic, formative and summative approaches to assess student learning; Disability: normalisation, social justice, labelling; Approaches: institutionalisation and de-institutionalisation, sterilisation, inclusion, segregation, integration, mainstreaming- least restrictive environments, Social Role Valorisation. Consideration of national Disability Standards for Education, as well as other disability legislation and Education Acts and policies. Analyse the effectiveness of current educational and social policies and programs for promoting equity in education, including Christian and alternate views of social inclusion; strategies that support students’ well-being and safety working within school and/or system, curriculum and legislative requirements.
2. The nature of human memory and cognition: Current thinking involving the nature and scope of human memory (including non-declarative declarative memory systems); brain research literature; relationships between cognition and learning; Current models of memory; aspects of cognitive development; conceptual and schematic theory; skill development; ·Impact of emotion, brain’s reward system and motivation. Consider various ways to establish and maintain learners’ motivation within the different contexts in classrooms.
3. Approaches to Curriculum Modification: individualisation and differentiation resources; Cross Curricular Education; Individualisation and Differentiation. Competency-based learning, cooperative learning, multiple intelligences, and task-based learning approaches to support differentiation in the classroom. Strategies to develop partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander professional support personnel, families and communities to ensure culturally appropriate approaches. Apply culture, identity, cultural diversity and the learner in effective learning environments.
4. Strategies for differentiation and learning management in the classroom: Strategies to meet social/ emotional needs; Strategies to meet physical needs; Strategies to meet educational needs; Strategies to manage challenging behaviour; strategies that support students’ well-being; relate teaching strategies to specific models of instruction; prepare and implement lesson plans for different models of instruction; create stimulating and effective assessment procedures; analyse teaching plans and resulting classroom interactions and relate them to current pedagogical literature. Design and evaluate stimulating and effective assessment procedures appropriate for differentiated learner needs; understanding of assessment moderation and its application to support consistent and comparable judgements of student learning. Explicit teaching of reading and writing, speaking and listening and a sound knowledge of mathematics appropriate to student's level and area of teaching; understanding of how effective teaching, including curriculum rigour, engagement, participation and inclusion, is a key factor in effective classroom management.
5. Collaborative relationships: Strategies to develop partnerships with multicultural students, families and communities. Collaborative relationships with human resources: professionals, specialist teachers, school community liaison personnel and community and family partnerships. Develop materials which support the uniqueness of each teaching situation in terms of the age and proficiency levels of the learners; suggest meaningful activities for various groups of learners.

This course may be offered in the following formats

• Face-to-Face
• Intensive
• Distance/ Global Online

Please consult your course prospectus or enquire about how and when this course will be offered next at Alphacrucis University College.

Assessment Methods

1. Case Study Presentation (35%)
2. Critical Reflection (30%)
3. Lesson Plan Sequence (35%)

Prescribed Text

• References will include the most current curriculum requirements for schools.

Check with the instructor each semester before purchasing any prescribed texts or representative references