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

    Teaching Lower Secondary Mathematics
  • Unit Code

    MSE2101
  • Year

    2025
  • Enrolment Period

    1
  • Version

    5
  • Credit Points

    15
  • Full Year Unit

    N
  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus
  • Unit Coordinator

    Dr Sarah JEFFERSON

Description

This unit provides an introduction to the teaching and learning of lower secondary school mathematics. The fundamentals of learning theory will be practically applied to the specific teaching of mathematics. Activities for promoting classroom participation will be introduced, and students will have opportunity to plan a variety of mathematics lessons, assessments and activities consistent with the scope and sequence of the Australian Curriculum. Pedagogy will encourage the development of an appreciation of mathematics as a useful and creatively interesting area of study by regularly incorporating mathematical investigation into classroom learning, and by focusing on developing mathematical literacy. Useful teaching resources and tools will be demonstrated and their classroom application explored. The mathematical content covered will include the Australian Curriculum strands Number and Algebra, Statistics and Probability, and Measurement and Geometry; and the former WA Curriculum Framework clusters will be used as a resource. Years 7 to 10 will be the focus, but some reference will also be made to important mathematical concepts established in the preceding primary years.

Equivalent Rule

Unit was previously coded MSE3101, MSE4101

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Demonstrate a beginning understanding the AITSL Graduate Teacher Standards, in particular Standards 1, 2, 3, and 5.
  2. Describe the use and importance of open-ended investigations in promoting significant learning, and the purpose of the proficiency strands in the Australian Curriculum.
  3. Develop and use a range of assessment strategies both for formative and summative assessment purposes.
  4. Distinguish between traditional and more student-centred teaching approaches.
  5. Explain something of the content and intention of the Australian Curriculum for mathematics.
  6. Explain the relevance of constructivist learning theory to the mathematics classroom.
  7. Plan mathematics lessons that embody the meaningful use of a variety of teaching strategies and learning tools, and that include engaging and relevant lesson introductions and effective conclusions.
  8. Recognise indicators of some specific and common mathematics learning misconceptions, particularly in relation to mathematical language and symbolism.

Unit Content

  1. A guided process of familiarisation for using the Australian Curriculum, with reference also to the WA Curriculum Framework.
  2. How to access and use relevant textual and interactive teaching resources.
  3. How to employ a variety of assessment strategies, both for the purposes of ongoing instruction and the continuous evaluation of student progress.
  4. Lesson planning and its key components and using current curriculum documents to inform this.
  5. Practical uses of constructivist theory in the classroom.
  6. Strategies for addressing learning difficulties associated with mathematical language and symbolism, especially concerning beginning algebra.
  7. Teaching and learning using mathematical investigations, and historical features of mathematics.

Learning Experience

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

JoondalupMount LawleySouth West (Bunbury)
Semester 1Not Offered13 x 3 hour seminar13 x 3 hour seminar

For more information see the Semester Timetable

Additional Learning Experience Information

LMS documents and materials, Collaborative group work and discussion, Professional reading, Independent study, Use of multi-media technology.

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
ReportWorking Mathematically60%
Case StudyStudent learning in algebra40%

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.

MSE2101|5|1