The development of deep understanding of theoretical knowledge is an essential element of successful tertiary-programs that prepare individuals to enter professions. This study investigates the extent to which an emphasis on the application of knowledge within curriculum design, teaching strategies and assessment methods developed deep knowledge about language within the first year of a tertiary-based teacher education program in Australia. Concepts of application from literature on tertiary-based learning informed the design of curriculum, teaching strategies and assessment within a unit on linguistics for preservice teachers. Questionnaires, provided to students at the end of the unit, and analysis of a final assessment task, provided insight into the extent to which the strategies designed to develop deep understanding were successful. The results indicate that an emphasis on the application of knowledge, within a discipline context, can support the development of understanding in units that do not have immediate links with professional practice.Keywords: knowledge about language; undergraduate education; teacher education; teaching methods Current research into tertiary teacher education programs emphasises the importance of developing deep knowledge. Pre-service teachers who do not have sophisticated understanding of abstract theory will struggle to apply ideas in practice (Darling-Hammond 2006). The most successful teacher education programs produce graduates who can engage with ideas and concepts and are then able to apply theory flexibly in a diverse range of contexts (Darling-Hammond 2006;Loughran 2006;Zeichner 2008;Milner 2005;Poplin and Rivera 2005). School teachers who will make a difference to student outcomes have developed 'deep and flexible knowledge of subject matter' that can be applied to assess 2 students' abilities and develop a range of appropriate teaching practices that support learning 5To be able to contribute to an equity agenda, teachers new to the profession will require a range of understandings and skills, including deep knowledge about language.Current research suggests that student learning in schooling is supported when teachers are explicit and clear about curriculum goals and they are then able to use a broad range of strategies to develop all students' learning (Hattie 2012;Darling-Hammond 2006; Abu ElHaj and Rubin 2009;Poplin and Rivera 2005). Part of this work involves teachers being able to analyse the linguistic requirements specified by curriculum and to facilitate student development of the language skills required in curriculum areas (Derewianka
The capacity of schooling to overcome disadvantage in society is a recurring topic of discussion and debate in countries around the world. Current government-led reforms of curriculum, assessment and schooling often aim to address inequality, as part of broader agendas to improve national productivity and social wellbeing. Recent approaches to curriculum reform in a number of countries emphasize the importance of defining rigorous standards for all students. A curriculum review of the senior secondary years, conducted recently in two regions of Australia, combined a focus on standards with strategies related to the personal relevance of the curriculum for students. The position presented in this article is that efforts to make curriculum immediately relevant for senior secondary students can restrict opportunities to learn and achieve within all curriculum areas. Specific examples from a range of learning areas demonstrate how aspects of curriculum and assessment design that could help to support students at risk of not succeeding can be undermined by attempts to make the new curriculum relevant to students' current lives. The example of curriculum reform presented in this paper highlights the importance of evaluating the outcomes of standards-based reform in education within local contexts. International and national contexts of the studySince the late 1960s and 1970s, research in a number of countries has focused on the degree to which schools and curriculum have reproduced inequalities within society. For example, in 1967, Hargreaves (1967 demonstrated how streaming practices, in a depressed industrial area of England, affected attitudes to school, attendance, the content of lessons, and academic achievement. In 1977, Bourdieu and Passeron (1990: 10-11, 42-47, 58-59) in France argued that schooling and curriculum reproduced and supported the culture, needs, and aspirations of the privileged dominant class. More recently, Teese and Polesel (2003: 11-12) revealed how those in Australian society from wealthy high-status backgrounds manipulated the curriculum and schooling to maintain their social and economic positions. In the US, research into the effects of tracking demonstrated how differentiated curriculum limited the opportunities, achievements, aspirations and Lisl Fenwick is a senior lecturer in the . Her interests centre on literacy, curriculum design and assessment.
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