Upon entering the teaching profession, new educators can become overwhelmed by the diversity of teaching demands, not least finding time and space to navigate an ever-evolving curriculum. The HASS learning area is complex, yet it provides scope to explore a rich and diverse range of concepts through time, place and space on a global scale. Through studying HASS, learners develop the ability to question, think critically, solve problems, communicate effectively, make decisions and adapt to change. This chapter aims to provide early career educators with practical steps to success for implementing effective and engaging HASS learning experiences in educational contexts for primary and middle years learners.

A sense of curiosity and active citizenship can be nurtured in children from a young age. Through a range of immersive and place-based experiences, children can start to make sense of the world around them and demonstrate their social agency. The Australian Curriculum: History focuses on developing an awareness of key features of family and local history and community heritage from Foundation to Year 2. Its key purpose is to make early historical inquiry meaningful, memorable, creative and exploratory. Civics and Citizenship education can help to provide opportunities for children to express their ideas and understand their communities. A dynamic, multiperspectival and affective understanding of the past, and its relationship with the present, is essential in a democracy.

It is difficult to think of anything more widespread and enduring than the lure of a good story. It is the warp and weft that weaves old, young, rich and poor of different cultures together and enables the opening of new worlds, concepts and understandings of past, present and future. We can empathise, imagine and live vicariously through stories that are an inseparable part of who we are as human beings. History documents these stories based on evidence interpreted through different lenses over time; Geography lends its knowledge to significance of place, space, time and perspective, providing context and reason; and Civics and Citizenship stories help us to understand our roles and responsibilities, as we seek models of the heroes and heroines found in a good story. For this chapter, a broad view of literacy has been adopted, one that defines it as a social practice which involves teaching learners how to participate in, understand and gain control of the literacy practices embedded within society. This chapter will examine the integrated nature of literacy in HASS through the inclusion of picture books to open and explore issues relating to HASS.

It was decided that the content of the curriculum is the knowledge, skills and concepts. Moreover, it can be strongly argued that the concepts are fundamental to the successful application of the knowledge and skills. This chapter explores the concepts within the HASS learning area and why they are so important for quality learning; that is, what is the role of the concepts in developing learners’ critical and creative thinking in the subject disciplines of History, Geography, Civics and Citizenship and Economics and Business? These Humanities subjects are known as the sub-strands of the knowledge and understanding strand in the Australian Curriculum: HASS (v.9.0). Regardless of the nomenclature of the disciples in question, if we intend to develop higher-order critical and creative thinking in the HASS learning environment, it is fundamental that learners understand HASS concepts.

Wherever we are in society, we are surrounded by the Arts. This text has been designed by artists, and the words you read are just visual artworks representing the oral storytelling foundation of all societies. Its layout was designed by artists, using multiple media forms. You are reading it in an environment where the soundscape will hopefully allow you to concentrate. Your body is probably positioned to minimise discomfort and maximise efficiency, while communicating your current state of thought to all those around you (whether consciously or not). Surrounding you may be posters, objects, noises, people interacting with facial expressions, probably some communicating via Facebook, Instagram or other social media using increasingly advanced technologies. The Arts power our lives, yet too often we power down children as they enter formal education (preschool and upwards), stifle their natural forms of communication and interaction, and slowly destroy their ability to be creative and to think diversely.

If we approach Arts education as we might approach literacy, we would aim to develop Arts literacy in students. We would teach students the tools of language, ways of constructing meaning, vocabulary, structures, forms, genres and shaping cultural and social contexts. In literacy we allow children freedom to gain confidence and experiment with creative writing, but we also intervene when necessary to correct, guide and teach them explicit skills and knowledge. If we apply this approach to the Arts, rather than stand back and ‘let the child be free’, we can focus on developing proficiency in knowledge and skills as well as fostering creativity and imagination right from the start. As with any other Learning Area, child engagement and achievement in the Arts are determined by exposure to ongoing, sequential learning experiences. This chapter suggests ways in which teachers can achieve this in a way that is respectful of the needs and interests of the child.

The powerful pedagogical affordances of technologies enable new forms of learning that can serve contemporary pedagogies such as task-based language teaching (TBLT) in different educational contexts. Indeed, technology and TBLT mutually nurture one another as technology sets a natural and authentic context for the realization of the methodological principles of TBLT, and TBLT offers a rationale and pedagogical framework for the selection and use of technology. Given the unique learning potential of technology-mediated TBLT and the relative newness of the field, it is essential to advance this area to fulfill the fruitful interface between the two fields of TBLT and technology. This chapter presents how this fusion offers language learning opportunities that would otherwise be difficult to orchestrate in traditional classroom contexts. It then provides a brief review of recent work in this area, paving the way toward an outline of future research and practice directions in the implementation of technology-mediated TBLT.

The growth of observation units provides a unique opportunity to train residents in a controlled environment and teach them principles of providing sub-acute care beyond the emergency department.

In this chapter, we focus on the implementation of the planning cycle in infant and toddler settings and how it might be co-constructed, documented and shared with key stakeholders. Throughout this book, we have examined how the first three years constitute a foundational period with particular competencies, vulnerabilities and opportunities for growth and learning. Infants and toddlers deserve, and indeed have a right to experience, curriculum that is specifically designed to nurture their unique ways of being, belonging and becoming. At the same time, very young children are not a homogenous group but individuals with their own interests, dispositions, strengths and challenges. Quality curriculum is planned to be responsive to these individual differences. Planning curriculum is an important professional practice requiring educators to act with what the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) calls intentionality, meaning their curriculum and practice is deliberate, thoughtful and purposeful.

Assessment is a key aspect of teaching and fundamental to student and teacher learning. As a teacher, you will use syllabuses, Australian Curriculum content and the local cultural knowledge that is valued in your community to develop tasks and provide classroom experiences that foster quality learning. You will need to understand that there are a range of assessment types, with different purposes and tools available that you can use to assess student learning and progress. As you grow in your career, you will continue to develop the skills and knowledge required to activate a collaborative classroom culture that promotes student ownership of learning and enables students to foster each other’s learning through classroom assessment. You will work in partnerships with students, colleagues and parents/caregivers to curate authentic evidence of learning. In this chapter, we examine forms of assessment, the most effective types of feedback and how teachers use assessment data in teaching, planning and reporting practices.

Once you have finished university and are ready to teach in a classroom, have you finished learning? While you probably have immediate things to learn about – your new school or casual teaching, the syllabuses that you will be working with, the students you will be teaching, your colleagues and the realities of day-to-day behaviour management – there are other ways in which your learning does not stop once you have graduated. The expectation that teachers will not stop learning is realistic, as there will always be changes (social, economic, political and technological) that have to be accommodated. Developing technologies have led to changes not only in what teachers have to learn, but also in how they learn. Formal pathways for professional learning have been supplemented by informal methods. You now begin your journey from graduate to proficient, according to the roadmap through the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) provided by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. You have embarked on an exciting career that offers numerous options for development.

A fundamental task for you, as a teacher, is to get to know and understand the students you teach in the broad context of the school, community and society in which they live. By doing this, you will increase your awareness of the diverse backgrounds, experiences and needs of your students and their families. Knowledge and understanding will shape your teaching philosophy, influence your views and attitudes, and guide you in effectively teaching and supporting your students. This chapter aims to support you in answering the question: Who are my students? We will examine several theories to help you explore ways of viewing, understanding and thinking about teaching for diversity. Australian data and statistics, and teacher and student narratives, will provide you with a snapshot of today’s student cohort. This includes students from diverse family, religious, cultural, linguistic and socio-economic backgrounds, and those with a range of abilities, disabilities and orientations. You will gain insight into some of the impacts of mental health and complex trauma on children and young people and consider your role in fostering positive school experiences for all students.

This chapter introduces the concepts of classroom management, routines and procedures, and approaches to inclusive practice through case studies, extracts from theoretical writings and policy documents. The discussion considers differing approaches to classroom management, including practical behaviour management strategies. The role of leadership in developing whole-school practices is highlighted and legal responsibilities, as well as behaviour management options, are included. You will learn about inclusive practice and addressing the needs of diverse learners, which considers the shift from segregation of diverse learners to contemporary practices that have better outcomes for all children. The concept of inclusive practice is contextualised in relation to international developments, the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration, the Australian Curriculum and the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST). This chapter introduces Universal Design for Learning as a framework to support differentiated learning and reasonable adjustments for the diversity of all students in our classrooms, including diversity of sexual orientation and gender identity, ability, culture and language, social and economic situations, and religious beliefs.

Learning is the fundamental process that teachers are seeking to influence in the classroom. But what is learning? And how can we, as teachers, help our students to learn effectively? Learning has been a topic of investigation for centuries. Educators have sought to understand learning through philosophy, observation, experiments and even neuroscience. Learning is a complex human behaviour. As a teacher, you need to understand how your students learn. That means becoming aware of some of the theories people have put forward about how learning works, developing an appreciation for how you can know whether or not learning has occurred in your classroom, and understanding what you can do to maximise the learning possibilities for all of your students. What you will learn in this chapter might surprise you – for example, some of the intuitive ideas we have about learning seem not to be how learning really occurs. This is an important insight for you as a teacher. The students in your classes will often have intuitive ideas about their learning that may not be accurate, particularly when it comes to the use of technology in education. These ideas may come from their home, informal education settings they interact with, from popular media representations, or from elsewhere. It is important to be aware of how learning really works.

This chapter introduces curriculum in schools and the relationship between ideology and ideas as factors shaping education curriculum development. This approach stresses that curriculum is both dynamic and contested, and focuses on the development and implementation of the Australian Curriculum to illustrate how curriculum is shaped at the Commonwealth, state/territory and jurisdictional school levels. The chapter also discusses the key learning areas, cross-curriculum priorities and general capabilities. The intention is to examine how curriculum can be an empowering vehicle to frame content areas, and inform teaching, learning programs and assessment instruments. Concepts such as the overt and hidden curriculum are examined to better understand the nature of school curriculum. Further, there is a recognition that curriculum must be interpreted and contextualised so that it meets the needs of learners at different levels and in different ways. Finally, the notion of teachers as curriculum builders and enactors is a central concept in this chapter.

Theory and potential practices learnt during university teacher education degree programs provide pre-service teachers with a foundation for engaging with the teaching profession, teaching practices, students and other key stakeholders, such as parents/caregivers and community members. Professional experience (sometimes called practicum or work integrated learning) is an opportunity for you, as a pre-service teacher, to apply theory and practices to the classroom context under the guidance of an experienced teacher known as a mentor (also supervising teacher or school-based teacher educator). Professional experience is considered to be the cornerstone for learning about teaching, particularly as it provides opportunities for pre-service teachers to practise the skills and apply the knowledge they have learnt during their university program to the classroom context. An important aspect of professional experience is the professional relationship between the pre-service teacher (mentee) and the mentor teacher that helps to facilitate effective teaching experiences. This chapter focuses on understanding professional experience, looking at preparation for professional experience, engaging in teaching practices within the school, and, lastly, post-professional experience considerations.

This chapter will introduce you to the various education systems in Australia. It focuses on the relationship between the Commonwealth and the state and territory governments, outlines the three schooling sectors – public (government), independent and Catholic – and places the Australia education system within a global context. It starts by offering a historical overview of schooling in Australia and finishes with a look at the future of schooling. The education system is examined, especially in relation to educational outcomes, equity issues and funding. You will also be introduced to support mechanisms available for teachers, including professional development requirements and union membership. To gain an understanding of schooling beyond the classroom, key education documents such as the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration will be examined.