School: Education

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

  • Unit Title

    Primary Mathematics Education
  • Unit Code

    MPE6115
  • Year

    2025
  • Enrolment Period

    1
  • Version

    1
  • Credit Points

    15
  • Full Year Unit

    N
  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus
    Online
  • Unit Coordinator

    Mrs Kirsten ROBERTS

Description

Primary teachers require a sound understanding of the mathematics they have to teach, backed by knowledge of how mathematics learning can be stimulated and how it progresses. The unit is designed to help pre-service teacher to reflect on their beliefs about mathematics while at the same time critically examining their own mathematical ability. This unit covers mathematics education from Foundation to Year 6 of the Australian Curriculum with a focus on strategies for developing number sense and the understanding, fluency, problem solving and reasoning proficiencies. While the emphasis of this unit is on teaching mathematics, pre-service teachers will be expected to critically examine their mathematical content knowledge and pedagogical skills through participation and reflection upon learning activities designed to show how mathematical content may be taught and mathematical understanding fostered.

Equivalent Rule

Unit was previously coded MPE4105, MPE6105

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Explore mathematical concepts from Australia’s national curriculum and the broader global context, for the teaching and learning of primary mathematics.
  2. Evaluate learning activities to plan appropriate teaching of mathematical concepts that incorporate responsive teaching and learning strategies.
  3. Investigate attitudes and learning processes about mathematics to develop strategies that promote a maths-positive mindset in learners.
  4. Apply appropriate mathematical language and terminology to primary teaching contexts.
  5. Critically reflect on own content knowledge and evidence-based teaching practice to build capacity for quality mathematics teaching and learning in a primary school context.

Unit Content

  1. The current national and international context of primary mathematics education.
  2. Incorporating mathematical manipulatives, games and technology to support the development of mathematical concepts and to promote number sense.
  3. The likely progression of mathematical learning (based on relevant theoretical understandings) and common difficulties experienced by children.
  4. Accessing and using curriculum documents and supporting material to inform the planning and teaching of mathematics.
  5. Understanding and utilising precise mathematical terminology.
  6. The influence of affective factors on mathematics teaching and strategies for the organisation of mathematical activities and the development of positive attitudes .

Learning Experience

ON-CAMPUS

Students will attend on campus classes as well as engage in learning activities through ECU's LMS

JoondalupMount LawleySouth West (Bunbury)
Semester 110 x 3 hour seminar10 x 3 hour seminarNot Offered

For more information see the Semester Timetable

ONLINE

Students will engage in learning experiences via ECU’s LMS as well as additional ECU learning technologies

Additional Learning Experience Information

The unit will comprise online lectures, seminars, practical workshop tasks, group discussions, independent tasks and associated reflective activities.

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescriptionValue
Annotated Bibliography Mathematics content and pedagogical knowledge 50%
ExaminationEnd of Semester Examination50%
ONLINE
TypeDescriptionValue
Annotated Bibliography Mathematics content and pedagogical knowledge 50%
ExaminationEnd of Semester Examination50%

Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Assessment

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. Informal vivas may be conducted as part of an assessment task, where staff require further information to confirm the learning outcomes have been met. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

Academic Integrity

Integrity is a core value at Edith Cowan University, and it is expected that ECU students complete their assessment tasks honestly and with acknowledgement of other people's work as well as any generative artificial intelligence tools that may have been used. This means that assessment tasks must be completed individually (unless it is an authorised group assessment task) and any sources used must be referenced.

Breaches of academic integrity can include:

Plagiarism

Copying the words, ideas or creative works of other people or generative artificial intelligence tools, without referencing in accordance with stated University requirements. Students need to seek approval from the Unit Coordinator within the first week of study if they intend to use some of their previous work in an assessment task (self-plagiarism).

Unauthorised collaboration (collusion)

Working with other students and submitting the same or substantially similar work or portions of work when an individual submission was required. This includes students knowingly providing others with copies of their own work to use in the same or similar assessment task(s).

Contract cheating

Organising a friend, a family member, another student or an external person or organisation (e.g. through an online website) to complete or substantially edit or refine part or all of an assessment task(s) on their behalf.

Cheating in an exam

Using or having access to unauthorised materials in an exam or test.

Serious outcomes may be imposed if a student is found to have committed one of these breaches, up to and including expulsion from the University for repeated or serious acts.

ECU's policies and more information about academic integrity can be found on the student academic integrity website.

All commencing ECU students are required to complete the Academic Integrity Module.

Assessment Extension

In some circumstances, Students may apply to their Unit Coordinator to extend the due date of their Assessment Task(s) in accordance with ECU's Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000001386.

Special Consideration

Students may apply for Special Consideration in respect of a final unit grade, where their achievement was affected by Exceptional Circumstances as set out in the Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000003318.

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