The tasks require students to:
- Identify a significant issue related to curriculum and/or assessment and reporting and summarise the issue.
- Identify any different perspectives or views related to the issue, and indicate who holds these different views and why.
- Outline what has been written about the issue. Analyse what the research literature says about the issue. Discuss whether there are any lessons to be learned from history on this issue.
- Weigh up the way forward – is there likely to be a satisfactory resolution of the matter? What is the way forward, or what are the options and which option seems to be the most suitable? What needs to be done to bring about a smooth resolution of the issue and/or implementation of the preferred option?
Task 1 requires students to deliver a 10 minute powerpoint presentation that outlines the issue they have selected and summarises (500 words) their research and analysis of the issue up to that point in time. Students will provide a brief handout to the other class members (which may be a copy of their presentation). Both the verbal presentation and the printed material will be considered in determining student marks.
Task 2 requires students to submit a 3000-4000 word paper about the issue that addresses the dot points above. (It is recognised that not all issues will necessarily fit this approach, so some flexibility will be allowed.)
EDST 5114 — Investigating Issues in Curriculum and Assessment
Scaffold for planning Assignment
| Logical Sequence | Component | Your explanation |
| Title | Clear description of your topic and nature of investigation
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| Topic – broad focus on an aspect of:
Curriculum practice?
Assessment and/or reporting practice?
Relationship between both?
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Focus of the investigation
· A change? · A development? · Historical perspective? · Comparative analysis of approaches? · An imperative? · A kind of perspective? · Other?
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| Describe the context
Sites of curriculum practice this investigation takes into account or occurs within
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Site of the investigation:
· Local, state, national, global, · Australian and/or International · Policy, rules, · Traditions & conventions of practice · Theories of practice · Political imperatives, ideologies · societal assumptions, values · the media · Tensions between 1 or more these?
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| The problem
The case…. It’s significance?
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The issue, the problem is….
A crisis was/has been identified… This is manifest in tensions between policy & practice, emerging trends in a system, differences in points of view,
Rationale for the investigation: Why is this important? |
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| How I plan to go about investigating this problem
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Methods adopted to investigate this issue, approach you will take…
· Comparative analysis · Historical research · critique using a particular theoretical perspective · other?
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| Literature: What we know so far
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What has been written about this issue?
What do experts/theorists/ academics/practitioners say about this topic? Different views held about this issue? Key issues they raise This can be structured in themes depending on types of critique, analysis, research. |
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| Discussion & conclusions
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Where to from here?
What is the way forward? Can the matter be resolved? How? Possible options? Best one and why? |
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| Implications
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Significance of your findings for future practice?
What educators can learn about the nature of curriculum/assessment & reporting practice as a result of this investigation? |
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| Conclusion | Summary of what you found…options for further research… |
