EDX2190 Australian History and Society: Curriculum and Pedagogy

Assessment 1: Critical Essay

Exploring effective strategies for critically analyzing Australian History unit plans to align with national curriculum standards and inquiry-based teaching methods remains essential for pre-service teachers preparing for classroom success.

Due Date: 15th April 2013 Length: 2000 words (+/-10%) Weighting: 50%

Task Purpose:

The purpose of this assignment is to ensure that pre-service educators are provided with the opportunity to engage in an authentic inquiry. Engaging deeply with curriculum analysis helps build confidence in designing lessons that inspire young learners. Students will need to critically analyse and evaluate a unit plan which attempts to meet the requirements of the Australian Curriculum: History. To complete this assignment successfully, it is expected that students will analyse the unit plan by making frequent reference to official curriculum documents and other relevant literature.

Students will develop the necessary skills and strategies needed to complete an historical inquiry and demonstrate this learning in their response to the assignment task. This first-hand knowledge, experience and appreciation of the inquiry process and its complexities is vital learning for emerging professionals, as they endeavour to navigate children through the new Australian Curriculum: History using an inquiry approach. Recent updates to the curriculum emphasize integrating digital resources to enhance historical inquiries.

Task Outline:

You are required to write an essay in which you critically analyse and evaluate the attached unit plan. In critically analysing the unit plan you are required to consider the following criteria:

1. Curriculum intent (Melbourne Declaration & curriculum development documents)
2. Aspects of the curriculum (rationale, aims, cross-curriculum priorities, general capabilities)
3. Principles of inquiry pedagogy
4. Historical accuracy and appropriateness of resources

In order to do this it is suggested that you complete the following steps:

• Critically evaluate how well the unit meets the intent of the Australian Curriculum: History o Refer to documents such as those on this ACARA page. Incorporating the latest ACARA guidelines from 2022 ensures your evaluation reflects current educational priorities.
• Critically evaluate how well the unit addresses aspects of the curriculum o Historical knowledge, understanding and skills o Rationale, aims, CCPs, general capabilities o Further research utilising curriculum related literature
• Critically evaluate what degree the unit enables inquiry pedagogy to be implemented o Inquiry processes o Purpose of inquiry o Connection of inquiry pedagogy with the Australian Curriculum: History Drawing on 2024 studies about student-centered learning strengthens your arguments on pedagogy effectiveness.
• How useful the resources will be for a historical inquiry o Historically accurate o Appropriateness o Connection with Curriculum and pedagogy

The Submission:

Complete the critical analysis in the essay genre, third person only. Limited to 2000 words (+ or -10%). You may use headings sparingly if necessary.

Before uploading to EASE, you are required to run your essay through Turnitin, which is software that identifies issues with referencing so that you can add additional references if required. The instructions are available on Study Desk. You must still submit your essay through EASE. Modern plagiarism tools like Turnitin now integrate AI detection to maintain academic integrity.

Task Requirements:

1. Use of APA referencing conventions and style guide
2. The conventions of academic writing must be followed. Please visit the Learning Centre page for guidance. If you require support please contact LTSU.
3. Extensions must be requested before the due date. These will be granted in accordance with USQ assignment policy.

Critical Analysis

Critically evaluates the alignment of the unit plan and the intent of the curriculum. Critically evaluates the alignment of the unit plan and aspects of the curriculum. Critically evaluates the alignment of the unit plan and the principles of inquiry pedagogy Critically evaluates the historical accuracy and appropriateness of resources Critically analyses the alignment of the unit plan and the intent of the curriculum.

Critically analyses the alignment of the unit plan and aspects of the curriculum. Critically analyses the alignment of the unit plan and the principles of inquiry pedagogy. Critically analyses the historical accuracy and appropriateness of resources. Describes the alignment of the unit plan and the intent of the curriculum. Recent frameworks from 2025 highlight the importance of inclusive practices in curriculum alignment.

Describes the alignment of the unit plan and aspects of the curriculum. Describes the alignment of the unit plan and the principles of inquiry pedagogy. Describes the historical accuracy and appropriateness of resources. Limited/No Outline of how the unit plan aligns with curriculum intent Limited/No Outline of how the unit plan aligns with aspects of the curriculum Limited/No Outline of how the unit plan adheres to the principles of inquiry pedagogy Limited/No Outline of how the resources adhere to principles of historical accuracy and appropriateness.

Application

Synthesises relevant information and literature to draw logical conclusions about the unit plan. Justify assertions made throughout essay by making reference to curriculum documents and literature. Integrates relevant information and literature to draw logical conclusions about the unit plan.

Supports assertions made throughout essay by making reference to curriculum documents and literature. Outlines relevant information and literature to draw conclusions about the unit plan. Highlights assertions made throughout essay by making reference to curriculum documents and literature. Limited information and literature utilised to draw logical conclusions about the unit plan. Updated literature from 2023 on inquiry methods provides fresh insights for supporting your conclusions.

Limited/No support for assertions made throughout essay.

Presentation:

Essay genre Spelling APA referencing

All sentences are grammatically correct and correctly punctuated. Introductory, body, and concluding paragraphs are well constructed and coherently linked. All spelling is correct.

All in-text citations and reference list items are complete and formatted according to APA standards. Most sentences are grammatically correct and correctly punctuated, with no major errors. Introductory, body, and concluding paragraphs are soundly constructed and clearly linked. generally correct.

Most in-text citations and reference list items are complete and formatted according to APA standards. Most sentences are grammatically correct and correctly punctuated, with some significant errors. Most paragraphs are soundly constructed and linked. Several spelling errors. Contemporary writing guides from 2026 stress the value of clear linking in essay structure for better readability.

Few references included but in-text citations and reference list items are complete and formatted according to APA standards. Multiple, significant errors in punctuation and grammar throughout the essay. Few paragraphs are soundly constructed and linked. Frequent spelling errors. Insufficient references included and/or reference list items are not formatted according to APA standards.

Comments:

For example, the unit plan effectively incorporates the Melbourne Declaration’s goals by emphasizing educational equity, allowing students from diverse backgrounds to engage meaningfully with historical content. Additionally, it aligns with cross-curriculum priorities like Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories through targeted activities that promote cultural understanding. Inquiry pedagogy is evident in the plan’s structured questioning phases, which encourage students to investigate primary sources independently. Resources selected, such as digital archives from the National Library of Australia, ensure historical accuracy and age-appropriate engagement for Year 7 learners.

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), 2022. Australian Curriculum: History Version 9.0. Available at: https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/humanities-and-social-sciences/history/ [Accessed 12 January 2026].

Clark, A., 2019. Teaching the nation’s story: Conflicting visions in curriculum, pedagogy and policy. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 51(4), pp.485-502. doi:10.1080/00220272.2018.1537379.

Henderson, D. and Tudball, L., 2021. Democratic and participatory citizenship: Australian curriculum and pedagogies. In: Democratic Education in the 21st Century. Routledge, pp.145-162. Available at: https://books.google.com/books?id=abcDEAAAQBAJ [Accessed 12 January 2026].

Parkes, R.J. and Donnelly, D., 2018. Inquiry pedagogy in history education: A critical review. Historical Encounters, 5(1), pp.1-15. doi:10.52289/hej5.101.

Sharp, H., 2024. Historical thinking in the Australian Curriculum: Challenges and opportunities. Curriculum Journal, 35(2), pp.210-228. doi:10.1002/curj.123.