Required texts

To purchase the textbooks (hard copy or e-book) use this link  

The following book is the required reading text for this unit. (Also available in the UC library on short term loan and e-book)

McMaster, N. (2019): Teaching Health and Physical Education in Early Childhood and Primary Years of Schooling, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne.

Highly recommended texts

Pill, S. (2015). Play with purpose: For fundamental movement skills teaching. A teaching guide for early years and primary educators for physical education and daily PE. South Australia: Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation, SA Branch Inc.

Pill, S. (2016) Play with Purpose: Game Sense to Sport Literacy. South Australia: Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation.

Additional resources will be made available on the unit Canvas site.

Submission of assessment items

Extensions & Late submissions

All assessment items required to be submitted online must be submitted via the appropriate Canvas drop box. It is the student's responsibility to upload the correct and corresponding draft or assessment item to the right submission section. Assignments must be submitted in a format accessible to the assessor(s), as stated on the relevant canvas site. If the unit convener and/or tutor are unable to access a submission, or if no submission has been made by the due date and time, a standard late penalty of 10% of the total marks possible for the task may be applied per day, for three days, after which the submission will receive a score of ‘0' in keeping with UC's Assessment Policy.

Special assessment requirements

In addition to the participation requirements of the unit, due to the dual discipline components of this unit, it is a requirement that to pass the unit all assessment items are passed.

Provision of valid documentation

Please note that the University takes student conduct very seriously. All documentation provided to University staff must be valid and the provision of fraudulent documentation carries with it potentially serious consequences, including suspension and/or exclusion from the University. Note that all allegations of student misconduct will be referred to the Associate Dean for Education (ADE) as a prescribed authority for investigation.

Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at ºÚÁÏÍø. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.

Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.

UC students have to complete the annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).

UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.

Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.

Learner engagement

Indicative workload:

Workshops: 30 hours

Weekly preparation for classes: 60 hours

Assessment preparation and private study: 60 hours hours

Participation requirements

Participation in one or more of the activities scheduled in this unit's on-campus sessions is required in order to demonstrate the achievement of learning outcomes 4 and 5. Refer to assessment 2 and 3 on the Canvas site for further details

Successful engagement with all learning activities in this accredited Initial Teacher Education course is necessary to demonstrate that you have met the Graduate career stage of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (AITSL, 2011).

Required IT skills

UC entry level skills

Work placement, internships or practicums

Learning in this unit will be integrally linked to experiences in professional contexts.

Additional information

Underpinning pedagogical foundations of the unit:

Health Education 

This unit is informed from evidence-based Physical Education research and education. There are active researchers and in-service teachers delivering this unit who are able to engage students in deep and active learning and transmit to pre-service teachers their passion for the research and practice they are carrying out. The Physical Education theoretical foundation of this unit is based on the following.Together, these pedagogical frameworks form the foundations for how Health Education is taught in this unit to equip pre-service teachers with the necessary skills to deliver quality, contemporary Health Education in Early Childhood and/or Primary school settings. 

• Evidence-based programs which take a strengths-based, human-rights, and whole-school approach to health topics that is informed by the Australian Curriculum for Health Education Version 9.0. 
• The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).
• United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) (2018) international technical guidance on Sexuality Education 
• Family Planning Alliance Australia (2016) position statement on Relationships and Sexuality Education in Australian schools.

Physical Education 

This unit is informed from evidence-based Physical Education research and education. There are active researchers and in-service teachers delivering this unit who are able to engage students in deep and active learning and transmit to pre-service teachers their passion for the research and practice they are carrying out. The Physical Education theoretical foundation of this unit is based on the following. Together, these pedagogical frameworks form the foundations for how Physical Education is taught in this unit to equip pre-service teachers with the necessary skills to deliver quality, contemporary Physical Education in Early Childhood and/or Primary school settings. 

• Evidence-based approaches which take a strengths-based, human-rights, and whole-school approach to Physical Education topics that is informed by the Australian Curriculum for Health Education Version 9.0. 
• Arnold's (1988, 1979) conceptualisation of three dimensions of ‘about', ‘through', and ‘in' movement. 
• Penny et al. (2009) dimensions of quality Physical Education.
• Pill (2016) Play with Purpose approach using a Game Sense to Sport Literacy.
• Contemportary pedagogies for teaching Physical Education outlined by Mosston and Ashworth's (2008) and Metzler (2017) for Physical Education.

References:

Arnold, P. 1988. Education, Movement and the Curriculum. London: Falmer.
Arnold, P. 1979. Meaning in Movement, Sport and Physical Education. London: Heinemann.
Family Planning Alliance Australia (2016). Position statement - Relationships and sexuality education in schools.
Mosston and Ashworth's (2008) Spectrum of Teaching Styles 
Metzler, M. (2017). Instructional models in physical education. Routledge.
Penney, D., R. Brooker, P. Hay, and L. Gillespie. 2009. Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment: Three MessageSystems of Schooling and Dimensions of Quality Physical Education. Sport, Education and Society 14 (4):421–442.
Pill (2016) Play with Purpose: Game Sense to Sport Literacy (Revised 3rd Edition).
United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child. (2016). Convention on the rights of the child: General comment No. 20 (2016) on the implementation of the rights of the child during adolescence. 
United Nations Educational, S. C. O. (2018). International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education: An evidence-informed approach for schools, teachers and health educators: revised edition (Vol. 2). UNESCO. 

Communication from teaching staff:

• Notifications will be made through the Canvas 'Announcements' or the Canvas 'Discussion' forums to the unit cohort.
• It is the responsibility of pre-service teachers to ensure they check for announcements on the unit's Canvas site.
• Note: these Canvas forums also prompt an individual message to pre-service teachers UC student email. Pre-service teachers should therefore ensure they check their UC student email regularly. 

General questions about unit content and assessment content to Teaching Staff:

• Please direct enquiries to the 'Discussion' forum on the unit's Canvas site.
• The rationale for this is to ensure transparent communication around the unit's requirements and expectations between the unit's teaching team and students.

Specific enquires, including attendance, and assessment extensions to Teaching Staff:

• Please direct enquiries to your direct tutor by email with the Unit Convener copied in. 

When to expect an email reply from Teaching Staff:

• The Unit Convener and Teaching Team will check and respond to 'Discussion' forum and email enquires at certain timepoints across the work week (Monday to Friday). 
• Students should expect a reply within 2-3 business days (this excludes weekends). 
• If you do not receive a response in 2-3 business days please politely follow up your enquiry with the Unit Convener and/or Teaching Team member. 

Use of Student Email Account:

• The University Email Policy states that "students wishing to contact the University via email regarding administrative or academic matters need to send the email from the University account for identity verification purposes".
• Therefore, all unit enquiries should be emailed using your UC student university email account.
• Pre-service teachers should contact servicedesk@canberra.edu.au if they have any issues accessing their university email account.

Email Etiquette to Teaching Staff:

When using your UC student email to communicate with the unit's Teaching Team, you should always make sure that your message contains the following:

1. A subject clearly outlining the nature of your query or request, including the unit code.
   • The Unit Convener and Teaching Team receive a high volume of email each day, and they also teach more than one (1) unit across the semester.
   • If your email does not contain the unit code it makes your enquiry difficult to put in context.
   • If the subject does not indicate the nature of the message, it may well remain unanswered.
2. Change the default setting on your email program to include previous messages in replies, and make sure that any previous communication are included in an ongoing exchange.
   • The Unit Convener and Teaching Team manage a high volume of student enquiries. Having a copy of the previous exchanges included in your current email will expedite a response.
3. Professionally address your Unit Convener or Teaching Team member by their name. 
4. State your question or request clearly and concisely.
5. Insert a signature at the end of your email that contains:
   • Your first and last name/family name.
   • Your UC student number.

Failure to follow these guidelines may result in your email not receiving a timely reply.

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