Unit rationale, description and aim
To achieve educational goals and contribute to an informed society, all preservice teachers must develop strong literacy and numeracy knowledge and skills as a foundation for learning. This unit equips preservice teachers with strategies for embedding explicit literacy and numeracy instruction into effective teaching and learning sequences across secondary school curriculum areas.
Preservice teachers will explore the literacy, and numeracy demands of various subjects and the opportunities that exist across the secondary curriculum for developing literacy and numeracy proficiencies of learners from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Drawing on current research on explicit instruction, the unit builds understanding of and skills in teaching reading, writing, speaking, and listening for curriculum learning by providing a metalanguage for systematic and explicit teaching and assessment of spoken, written, and visual representations within multimodal texts. Preservice teachers will identify numeracy demands within their discipline and extend their knowledge of evidence-based approaches to teaching numeracy. The unit develops high challenge/high support strategies that differentiate instruction to meet the student diversity, including those from non-English speaking backgrounds.
The aim of this unit is to support preservice teachers in designing inclusive, responsive, and academically rigorous learning experiences that promote literacy and numeracy across secondary curriculum.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
Demonstrate literacy and numeracy skills and conce...
Learning Outcome 01
Analyse resources and strategies for explicit teac...
Learning Outcome 02
Design learning tasks that embed explicit teaching...
Learning Outcome 03
apply theoretical models, student data and pedagog...
Learning Outcome 04
Reflect on theory and classroom practices related ...
Learning Outcome 05
Content
Topics will include:
- Constructions of literacy and numeracy in relevant state, territory and national curriculum and support documents from upper primary through to secondary; Teaching Areas, General Capabilities and Cross-Curricular Priorities
- Literacy and numeracy standards, testing and diagnostic data
- Discipline-specific literacy and numeracy requirements and expectations
- Impact of literacy and numeracy on learning in the teaching areas
- Issues for students from diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds in literacy and numeracy; including second language and literacy learning
- Literacy
- Language as a social process; metalanguage and literacy in context
- Purpose and structure of text types across the secondary curriculum
- Key language and visual resources for informative, persuasive, and imaginative purposes
- Research evidence for teaching reading, writing, speaking, listening across the teaching areas
- Evaluation of content-specific literacy demands of resources and tasks
- Strategies used for the explicit teaching of content-specific literacy for reading and writing instruction
- Numeracy
- Numeracy in mathematics context; numerical, spatial, graphical, statistical, and algebraic thinking in real-world contexts
- Key mathematical concepts within the following strands: number, algebra, geometry, measurement, statistics and probability
- A mathematical mindset: growing the four proficiencies, including understanding, fluency, problem solving and reasoning.
- Research evidence for teaching numeracy across the teaching areas
- Evaluation of content-specific numeracy demands of resources and tasks
- Strategies used for the explicit teaching of content-specific numeracy
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment tasks and their weightings are designed to enable preservice teachers to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of explicit literacy and numeracy instruction in secondary contexts. This includes their personal literacy and numeracy skills as required for meeting the LANTITE requirement, as well as pedagogical skills for developing secondary students’ literacy and numeracy capabilities across all teaching areas.
The Hurdle Task involves two quizzes that are aligned with the requirements of the LANTITE test. Preservice teachers will need to attempt each test to meet the requirements of the hurdle. Assessment Task 1 will involve preparing teaching resources and designing differentiated tasks for embedding explicit literacy instruction into teaching key learning areas across the secondary curriculum. Assessment Task 2 will involve preparing teaching resources and designing differentiated tasks for embedding explicit numeracy instruction into teaching key learning areas across the secondary curriculum. Both tasks include writing a critical reflection on the evidence-based pedagogical principles underpinning the task design.
To pass this unit, you are required to attempt the hurdle task, submit all assessment tasks and demonstrate achievement of every unit learning outcome and achieve a minimum overall passing grade of 50% in each task.
Overview of assessments
Hurdle Task: Online Literacy and Numeracy Quiz C...
Hurdle Task: Online Literacy and Numeracy Quiz
Complete online quizzes in literacy and numeracy as aligned to the testing framework for LaNTITE.
Complete/Incomplete
Assessment Task 1: Portfolio of explicit literacy...
Assessment Task 1: Portfolio of explicit literacy instruction
Prepare four text analyses that identify and explain the literacy knowledge, understandings and skills required of secondary students to engage in your selected teaching areas. Identify their features and suitability for given students and purposes. Reflect on the areas of explicit instruction needed to ensure student success in engaging with the texts.
Prepare a justification and explanation that critically reflects on the pedagogical decisions in related to the use of each text. Draw on relevant theory, pedagogy, and curriculum documents to support your decision making, including why subject area teachers need to provide relevant literacy instruction in secondary classrooms.
Selected texts should cover:
- Reading in the teaching areas: two texts that represent reading materials for each of your teaching areas, one of which should incorporate multimodal components, and
- Writing in the teaching areas: two texts that represent written genres relevant in assessing each of your teaching areas.
50%
Assessment Task 2: Learning Plan for Explicit Num...
Assessment Task 2: Learning Plan for Explicit Numeracy Instruction
Design a learning plan outlining a numeracy learning goal for students in Years 7-8 and as relevant to a curriculum goal for one of your teaching areas. You will need to: (1) create clear learning goals, (2) explicitly instruct students in key numeracy knowledge, skills and resources, and (3) provide opportunities to practice.
Prepare a justification and explanation that critically reflects on the pedagogical decisions in your plan. Draw on relevant theory, pedagogy, and curriculum documents to support your decision-making, including why subject area teachers need to provide relevant numeracy instruction in secondary classrooms.
50%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit engages preservice teachers in active learning that is structured to support the development of discipline-specific literacy and numeracy knowledge, pedagogical reasoning and curriculum alignment. Learning will support diverse learners through lectures, tutorials, self-regulated study, video materials, and academic readings. Scheduled literacy and numeracy workshops will provide opportunities for collaboration, discussion, and feedback. Additionally, preservice teachers will have the option and opportunity to support their personal literacy and numeracy skills as required for meeting the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education (LANTITE) requirement.
Teaching strategies include reviews of prior learning, explicit instruction of new content, worked examples, group and individual activities and guided and independent practice. Across the semester, reflective practice is emphasised, enabling preservice teachers to analyse the literacy and numeracy requirement of their teaching area, adapt instruction and refine their pedagogical decision-making.
Activities will focus on practical engagement, including case studies, self-assessment, collaborative tasks, and reflective practice. These activities are designed to consolidate core concepts and enhance teaching readiness. Technology will be used to enhance both learning and assessment. Digital technologies, including generative AI, are integrated and modelled to support students’ ethical and responsible use aligned with contemporary educational and disciplinary practices.
Australian Professional Standards for Teachers - Graduate Level
In connection to the learning outcomes, on successful completion of this unit, pre-service teachers should have developed the following industry specific knowledge based on the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers - Graduate Level standards:
Relating toDemonstrate knowledge of teaching strategies that are responsive to the learning strengths and needs of students from diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO4
Relating toDemonstrate knowledge and understanding of strategies for differentiating teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO3, LO4
Relating toUse curriculum, assessment and reporting knowledge to design learning sequences and lesson plans.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO3, LO5
Relating toKnow and understand literacy and numeracy teaching strategies and their application in teaching areas.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5
Relating toDemonstrate knowledge of a range of resources, including ICT, that engage students in their learning.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO3
Relating toDemonstrate the capacity to interpret student assessment data to evaluate student learning and modify teaching practice.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO4
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) Core Content
On successful completion of this unit, pre-service teachers should have developed the following industry specific knowledge based on the AITSL Core Content:
Relating toHow to deliver effective reading instruction that attends to how the brain learns to read through systematic and explicit teaching practices for the following elements: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension and oral language.
Relevant learningLO2, LO3, LO4, LO5
Relating toThe research that shows explicit reading, and writing comprehension instruction tailored to discipline-specific content improves students’ academic understanding and engagement with material, as well as their overall academic performance.
Relevant learningLO2, LO3, LO4, LO5
Relating toHow to explicitly deliver reading and writing instruction through discipline and discipline-specific curriculum and pedagogical studies as outlined in standard 4.2.
Relevant learningLO2, LO3, LO4, LO5
Relating toA conceptual understanding of the six strands of mathematics: number, algebra, geometry, measurement, statistics and probability; and the four proficiencies: understanding, fluency, problem solving and reasoning.
Relevant learningLO2, LO3, LO4, LO5
Relating toThe research that shows numeracy is a fundamental component of learning, discourse, and critique across all areas of the curriculum and improves students’ understanding of and engagement with material within and beyond the mathematics curriculum.
Relevant learningLO2, LO3, LO4, LO5
Relating toHow to deliver explicit numeracy instruction followed by a progressive removal of scaffolding as students become more proficient through a combination of underpinning mathematical concepts and skills (numerical, spatial, graphical, statistical, and algebraic); mathematical thinking and strategies; and general thinking skills as appropriate to discipline and discipline-specific curriculum and pedagogical studies as outlined in standard 4.2.
Relevant learningLO2, LO3, LO4, LO5
Relating toThe importance of independent problem-solving once a student approaches proficiency in underpinning mathematical concepts.
Relevant learningLO2, LO3, LO4, LO5
Representative texts and references
Recommended Texts and Documents
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (n.d.). Australian Curriculum, Version 9.0. Australian Curriculum. Retrieved September 1, 2026, from https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/ [australian...lum.edu.au]
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (n.d.). Literacy. Australian Curriculum Version 9.0. Retrieved September 1, 2026, from https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/general-capabilities/literacy?element=0&sub-element=LSLiS
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (n.d.). Numeracy. Australian Curriculum Version 9.0. Retrieved September 1, 2026, from https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/general-capabilities/numeracy?element=0&sub-element=NNNPV
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (n.d.). EAL/D students. Australian Curriculum Version 9.0. Retrieved September 1, 2026, from EAL/D students
Recommended References
Callow, J. (2023). The shape of text to come: how image and text and other modes work. PETAA.
Clark. U. (2019). Developing language and literacy in English across the secondary school curriculum: An inclusive approach. Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93239-2
Derewianka, B., & Jones, P. (2023). Teaching Language in Context (3rd Ed.). OUP
Goos, M., Geiger, V., Dole, S., Forgasz, H., & Bennison, A. (2019). Numeracy across the curriculum : research-based strategies for enhancing teaching and learning. Allen & Unwin.
Herbert, S., Muir, T., & Livy, S. (2020). Characteristics of a secondary school with improved NAPLAN results. Mathematics Education Research Journal, 32(3), 387–410. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13394-019-00304-y
Humphrey, S. (2017). Academic literacies in the middle years: A framework for enhancing teacher knowledge and student achievement. Routledge.
Humphrey, S., & Vale, E. (2020). Investigating model texts for learning. Primary English Teaching Association of Australia.
Jalandoni, J. F., & Futalan, M. C. (2024). Scaffolding students' difficulties in addition and subtraction of integers through game-based instruction. Journal of Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 2(7), 195–203. https://doi.org/10.69569/jip.2024.0143
Jones, P., Matruglio, E., & Edwards-Groves, C. (Eds.). (2022). Transition and continuity in school literacy development. Bloomsbury Academic.
Lim, F. V., & Tan, J. M. (2021). Curriculum and assessment mismatch: Examining the role of images in literacy assessments. The Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 44(3), 22–34. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03652078
Lim, F. V., Toh, W., & Nguyen, T. T. H. (2022). Multimodality in the English language classroom: A systematic review of literature. Linguistics and Education, 69, Article 101048. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2022.101048
Main, K., Pendergast, D., & Bahr, N. (Eds.). (2017). Teaching middle years: rethinking curriculum, pedagogy and assessment (3rd ed.). Allen & Unwin.
Miller, J., & Armour, D. (2021). Supporting successful outcomes in mathematics for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students: a systematic review. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 49(1), 61–77. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359866X.2019.1698711
Unsworth, L., Cope, J., & Nicholls, L. (2019). Multimodal literacy and large-scale literacy tests: Curriculum relevance and responsibility. The Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 42(2), 128–139. https://doi.org/10.3316/aeipt.223598
Westwood, P.S. (2021). Teaching for numeracy across the age range : An introduction. Springer.