Supporting Diversity and Equity
Overview
This unit focuses on an equality approach to education and explores its implications for teaching and learning. Perspectives on stereotypes and bias will be explored, helping to foster mutual respect in learning environments. Pre-service teachers will gain an understanding of the variety of needs and backgrounds children and young people can present in the learning environment. They will become familiar with many additional needs and cultural variations children can present with and how to address them effectively in order to support inclusive practices. They will also recognise how to create equitable learning environments that benefit teaching and learning for children and young people.
Requisites
Learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
- Critically examine bias and stereotypes within themselves and others, through a social justice lens
- Identify and utilise strategies of contemporary critical theories to plan for diverse learners with diverse learning needs and evaluate teaching approaches with respect to their ability to support diverse and equitable learning environments
- Evaluate policies and practices in relation to diversity, equity and inclusion as they related to pedagogical approaches and anti-bias curriculum practices and other forms of equity in learning environments
- Plan for supporting the social, emotional, physical and spiritual needs of diverse learners in keeping with principles of teaching and learning (PoLT)
Teaching methods
Hawthorn
| Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Live Online Lecture | 1.00 | 12 weeks | 12 |
| On-campus Class | 2.00 | 12 weeks | 24 |
| Specified Activities Various | 4.00 | 12 weeks | 48 |
| Unspecified Activities Various | 5.50 | 12 weeks | 66 |
| TOTAL | 150 |
Swinburne Online
| Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online Directed Online Learning and Independent Learning | 12.50 | 12 weeks | 150 |
| TOTAL | 150 |
Assessment
| Type | Task | Weighting | ULO's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Studies | Individual | 60% | 2,3,4 |
| Presentation | Individual | 40% | 1,4 |
Content
- UN Rights of the Child
- Relevant national and/or state and territory policies on social justice for children
- Relevant national and/or state and territory Department of Education policies on mandatory reporting
- Gender equality in learning environments
- Pedagogical approaches that support equity and diversity
- Principles of Learning and Teaching (PoLT)
- Defining bias and stereotypes
Study resources
Reading materials
A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.