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The aims of this course are:

1. To understand the implications of education issues and policies for families, communities and  governments;
2. To understand ‘core values’ (or ideologies) and their replication;
3. To value cultural diversity;
4. To develop students’ skills in analysing policy documents and other texts, as sources of information about education;
5. To develop students’ skills in research and presentation;
6. To develop students’ oral presentation skills;
7. To foster group support and sharing of ideas.

After successfully completing this topic you should be able to

8. Critically assess policies about schools and education in relation to their impacts;
9. Critically analyse theoretical discourses relating to policy creation and enforcement.

In the process, you should also

10. Improve your ability to think critically and form independent judgements;  
11. Improve your written and verbal communication skills;  
12. Improve your research skills and your ability to use non-lecture and non-prescribed materials;
13. Improve your ability to work independently and to share your results with others.

Course readings will be provided via MyUni. Students will be required to find and share some resources themselves.

There are no recommended resources.  A good working knowledge of MyUni and some online tools are required.   These will be reviewed early in the course.

Students will need to know how to use MyUni, particularly the online Discussion Board.  The will also need to know how to create a PowerPoint or Prezi.  Students will need to submit some assessment items online.

There will be one 2 hour seminar per week for 12 weeks.  This will include a workshop/lecture (50 minutes approx) and a student presentation.  Students will also be expected to work online using MyUni, research independently and share their research with their peers.

Full time students are expected to commit about 40 hours per week to their studies.  This course requires about 10 hours per week outside of contact time.  This includes time for attending to readings, the Discussion Board and other online inputs, review and essay/ research writing.

This is included as a separate sheet.  We will negotiate this document in the initial seminars.

In general, topics include:

Week 1 - No Lecture – preparation and organisation of the Course

Week 2 - Identity.  Contextual and fluid, strategic, ‘fine-grained’, imagined (Anderson) or Abstract (James), ontology

Week 3  - Core Values. Locating education within the state, the community and the family, Hegemony, Diasporas, Hybridity, Assimilation and monoculturalism, multiculturalism

Week 4 - Purpose of Education. Reproductive/Transformative Curriculum, Power  

Week 5 - Schools.  Lntersections of difference, Power (2), Subjugated knowledges, epistemology

Week 6 - Race.  Demographics, migration, ‘illegal immigrants’, First Nations peoples, globalisation, segregation and apartheid, racism

Week 7 - Language.  Languages of instruction, hegemonic English, language loss, Minority languages, impact of ICTs

Week 8 - Gender.  Gender differentiated education, exclusion based on gender, alternative sexualities, sex education, feminist politics

Mid Semester Break (6/10/ 2014 = Public Holiday)

Week 9 - Class.  School funding, school access, education resources, aid, public/private education debate,

Week 10 - Religion.  Exclusion and suppression, hegemony, power, access, education systems based on, informal education

Week 11 - Disability.  Institutional control over the body, inclusion and access, testing, teaching strategies, adaptive technology

Week 12 - Exceptionality: Enrichment, extension and/or acceleration, teaching strategies, testing and assessment

Week 13 (if students wish)  Questions intensive and farewell

 

None

As this is a very small group, there are no Small Group Discovery Experiences specifically planned, however, students will be expected to share their individual research pathways with others in the course.  This will be via the Discussion Board, which is an assessed process.  Students are also encouraged to form their own study circles and communities of practice within their Masters Cohort.

Discussion Board: 30%
Presentation: 30%
Essay: 40%

1.    A power point or prezi presentation (30%) with optional prerecorded audio, where students are required to research and present an Education issue or policy evident in their country of origin or in a country of their choice.  Students may use interactive media in their presentations as a means to demonstrate their ‘case’ to others. The seminar presentation usually takes 30 minutes, but students are expected to lead others in a discussion of the issues that they have introduced and to answer questions.  This makes the presentation about 50 minutes in duration.

Learning objectives
and outcomes: consistent with GAs 2, 6 and 8, students will 
·      Research and present a significant education policy or issue in an international context;
·      Consider this education in the light of outcomes for students, teaching staff and/or schools
·      Become familiar with the use of one ICT presentation format, with or without multimedia components
·      Present a logical sequence of discussion
·      Gain confidence in reporting to an audience
·       Answer questions relating to the seminar presented, demonstrating their understanding of their chosen topic


2.     Discussion BoardEntries (30%), where students are required to reflect on the presentations they have seen or on online content uploaded by the course coordinator and other students.  This reflective component has a minimum word limit of 200 words and a maximum of 400 per entry for 10 weeks.  There should be 10 entries - students are expected to read and respond each week and to attach at least three articles or book chapters that address an education issue over the 10 week period.  Responses can take the form of critiques, syntheses, analyses and/or evaluations, requests for clarification, commentary and connections made with their own knowledge or experiences, and/or with the articles they attach.  Entries should reflect the students’ ongoing engagement with theoretical perspectives.  Summaries of content are not acceptable.  Repeated entries are an automatic ‘ignore’.

Learning Objectives and Outcomes: consistent with GAs 2, 4, 6 and 8, students will

·      Demonstrate intellectual engagement with the entries of peers, drawing on higher order thinking and capacities, such as critique, synthesis, analysis and/or evaluation
·      Demonstrate knowledge of cultural theories and debates
·      Demonstrate timely responses, reflecting respectful engagement with peers and their entries
·      Demonstrate a consistency of engagement
·      Demonstrate the ability to take on leadership in suggesting avenues for thought and reflection.

3.    A short essay of 2500 words (40%). The essay must be done as an essay rather than in an alternative format (as per GA 3).  Students are required to negotiate with the convener an education issue based assignment with either the same theme or the same regional context as the presentation.  Students may not present on the same country and theme as in their presentation – one or both must be different.  The essay must pick up a significant aspect of theory (eg.  multiculturalism, hybridity, identity, etc), but can relate to any aspect of education-based policy.  The assessment is summative and considered a ‘capstone’ component.