Outline

Overview

This unit addresses mandatory requirements to be met by every graduate pre-service teacher. It provides an introduction to the field of special and inclusive education. It also introduces students to the relevant policy and legislation, and issues related to classroom diversity, effective teaching practices and behaviour support. Emphasis is given to the concepts of addressing diversity in classrooms and schools, attitudes towards students with disabilities and additional support needs, and teaching strategies promoting inclusive whole-school and classroom environments.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Education
Credit points	3
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Ilektra Spandagou, ilektra.spandagou@sydney.edu.au

Assessment

The census date for this unit availability is 13 March 2026

Details
Criteria

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length	Use of AI
Presentation	Group Task Group presentations in tutorials, Weeks 5 and 6	35%	Multiple weeks	15-minute & 800wd (equiv) per student	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:
Written work	Online submission An online discussion post. See Canvas site for details	25%	Week 03 Due date: 13 Mar 2026 at 23:59 Closing date: 02 Apr 2026	300 words (equivalent)	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:
Written work	Professional statement Written submission of professional statement	40%	Week 08 Due date: 21 Apr 2026 at 23:59 Closing date: 19 May 2026	1150 words (equivalent)	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:
= hurdle task ? = group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Online submission – The submission of a short online blog discussing how disability is represented in a film, television program, book, etc. This is a compulsory assignment.

Group Task – Group presentations on the educational implications of a number of impairments/conditions. Opportunities for preparation group work in class will be available in tutorials. This is a compulsory assignment.

Professional Statement – The submission of a professional statement on your philosophy, learning and future practice in addressing the needs of all students, including students with disability. This is a compulsory assignment.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on the unit’s Canvas site.

Assessment criteria

This unit of study follows meets requirements/doesn’t meet requirements grading. A rubric for the assessment criteria is available on the Canvas site for the unit.

All assignments are compulsory. In order to meet the overall requirements of this unit of study, all assignments need to be submitted. The Professional Statement is a Hurdle task and you need to meet requirements.

For more information see guide to grades.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

You can use generative AI tools for open assessments. Restrictions on AI use apply to secure, supervised assessments used to confirm if students have met specific learning outcomes.

Refer to the assessment table above to see if AI is allowed, for assessments in this unit and check Canvas for full instructions on assessment tasks and AI use.

If you use AI, you must always acknowledge it. Misusing AI may lead to a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy.

Visit the Current Students website for more information on AI in assessments, including details on how to acknowledge its use.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The University expects students to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

Our website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. This includes advice on how to avoid common breaches of academic integrity. Ensure that you have completed the Academic Honesty Education Module (AHEM) which is mandatory for all commencing coursework students

Penalties for serious breaches can significantly impact your studies and your career after graduation. It is important that you speak with your unit coordinator if you need help with completing assessments.

Visit the Current Students website for more information on AI in assessments, including details on how to acknowledge its use.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy reflects the University’s commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction to the unit of study; Key terms and an introduction to disability	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 01	Disability, diversity and inclusion; Appropriate use of language, and the significance of cultural representations of disability	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 02	Anti-discrimination legislation and its implications for special and inclusive education: Introduction to the international and national policy frameworks	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 02	Teaching and learning goals for equity and excellence in education; Disability Standards for Education, NCCD, and the importance of consultation and collaboration with students and their families in setting goals.	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 03	Principles, research evidence and practice of planning for all students; Current evidence informing teaching and learning and the Universal Design for Learning framework (UDL)	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 03	Universal design and accessibility: Research-based examples in practice, including rules and routines, in applying the principles of UDL	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 04	Student engagement and participation; Principles and practices of positive learning environments that promote effective learning habits	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 04	Fostering student engagement by reinforcing student-centred, collaborative, clear, and well-defined rules and routines in classrooms and schools	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 05	An introduction to behaviour support; Whole school approaches, efficacy of positive relationships, proactive practices and the use of routines, rules and cues in supporting behaviour	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 05	Functions of behaviour; Proactive and responsive ways to support behaviour - examples of how to use rules and routines in lessons	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 06	Collaboration: fundamental principles	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 06	Special education and inclusive education: The role of the teacher, student, family and the school community in setting ambitious and achievable goals	Tutorial (2 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: The Sydney School of Education and Social Work requires attendance of at least 90 percent of all seminars, workshops or lectures. Where a student is unable to attend at the required rate evidence of illness or misadventure may be required and the student may be required to undertake extra work. Students should discuss the circumstances of their absence(s) with the co-ordinator of the unit of study. Further details are provided in the School canvas site: https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/13426

In this unit attendance of at least 90 percent is expected in all activities, including lectures and tutorials. Attendance records are kept for all activities.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 3 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 60-75 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed through Canvas.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Demonstrate their knowledge of the historical developments and current theoretical perspectives of the fields of special education and inclusive education
LO2. Demonstrate knowledge of international, national and state legislation and policy related to disability, special and inclusive education, and behaviour support
LO3. Critically engage with issues of social justice, human rights and attitudinal and environmental barriers
LO4. Demonstrate an understanding of classroom diversity, including cognitive, sensory, physical and emotional needs of students
LO5. Engage with the concepts of universal access, planning and instruction
LO6. Demonstrate an awareness of student engagement and the principles underpinning a range of behaviour support models

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Alignment with Competency standards

Outcomes	Competency standards
	Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Graduate Level – UG and MTeach) - 1.2.1. (Graduate) Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of research into how students learn and the implications for teaching. 1.6.1. (Graduate) Demonstrate broad knowledge and understanding of legislative requirements and teaching strategies that support participation and learning of students with disability. 3.6.1. (Graduate) Demonstrate broad knowledge of strategies that can be used to evaluate teaching programs to improve student learning. 6.1.1. (Graduate) Demonstrate an understanding of the role of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers in identifying professional learning needs. 6.2.1. (Graduate) Understand the relevant and appropriate sources of professional learning for teachers. 6.4.1. (Graduate) Demonstrate an understanding of the rationale for continued professional learning and the implications for improved student learning.
	Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Graduate Level – UG and MTeach) - 1.6.1. (Graduate) Demonstrate broad knowledge and understanding of legislative requirements and teaching strategies that support participation and learning of students with disability. 7.1.1. (Graduate) Understand and apply the key principles described in codes of ethics and conduct for the teaching profession. 7.2.1. (Graduate) Understand the relevant legislative, administrative and organisational policies and processes required for teachers according to school stage. 7.3.1. (Graduate) Understand strategies for working effectively, sensitively and confidentially with parents/carers. 7.4.1. (Graduate) Understand the role of external professionals and community representatives in broadening teachers’ professional knowledge and practice.
	Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Graduate Level – UG and MTeach) - 1.6.1. (Graduate) Demonstrate broad knowledge and understanding of legislative requirements and teaching strategies that support participation and learning of students with disability. 3.7.1. (Graduate) Describe a broad range of strategies for involving parents/carers in the educative process.
	Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Graduate Level – UG and MTeach) - 1.1.1. (Graduate) Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students and how these may affect learning. 1.3.1. (Graduate) Demonstrate knowledge of teaching strategies that are responsive to the learning strengths and needs of students from diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socio-economic backgrounds. 5.1.1. (Graduate) Demonstrate understanding of assessment strategies, including informal and formal, diagnostic, formative and summative approaches to assess student learning. 5.2.1. (Graduate) Demonstrate an understanding of the purpose of providing timely and appropriate feedback to students about their learning.
	Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Graduate Level – UG and MTeach) - 1.5.1. (Graduate) Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of strategies for differentiating teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities. 1.6.1. (Graduate) Demonstrate broad knowledge and understanding of legislative requirements and teaching strategies that support participation and learning of students with disability. 2.1.1. (Graduate) Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the concepts, substance and structure of the content and teaching strategies of the teaching area. 2.5.1. (Graduate) Know and understand literacy and numeracy teaching strategies and their application in teaching areas. 2.6.1. (Graduate) Implement teaching strategies for using ICT to expand curriculum learning opportunities for students. 3.1.1. (Graduate) Set learning goals that provide achievable challenges for students of varying abilities and characteristics. 3.2.1. (Graduate) Plan lesson sequences using knowledge of student learning, content and effective teaching strategies. 3.3.1. (Graduate) Include a range of teaching strategies.
	Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Graduate Level – UG and MTeach) - 3.5.1. (Graduate) Demonstrate a range of verbal and non-verbal communication strategies to support student engagement. 4.1.1. (Graduate) Identify strategies to support inclusive student participation and engagement in classroom activities. 4.2.1. (Graduate) Demonstrate the capacity to organise classroom activities and provide clear directions. 4.3.1. (Graduate) Demonstrate knowledge of practical approaches to manage challenging behaviour. 4.4.1. (Graduate) Describe strategies that support students’ wellbeing and safety working within school and/or system, curriculum and legislative requirements.

Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Graduate Level – UG and MTeach) -

Competency code	Taught, Practiced or Assessed	Competency standard
1.1.1		(Graduate) Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students and how these may affect learning.
1.2.1		(Graduate) Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of research into how students learn and the implications for teaching.
1.3.1		(Graduate) Demonstrate knowledge of teaching strategies that are responsive to the learning strengths and needs of students from diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socio-economic backgrounds.
1.5.1		(Graduate) Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of strategies for differentiating teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities.
1.6.1		(Graduate) Demonstrate broad knowledge and understanding of legislative requirements and teaching strategies that support participation and learning of students with disability.
4.1.1		(Graduate) Identify strategies to support inclusive student participation and engagement in classroom activities.
4.3.1		(Graduate) Demonstrate knowledge of practical approaches to manage challenging behaviour.
4.4.1		(Graduate) Describe strategies that support students’ wellbeing and safety working within school and/or system, curriculum and legislative requirements.
6.1.1		(Graduate) Demonstrate an understanding of the role of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers in identifying professional learning needs.

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

This is a 3-credit point unit at the very beginning of the degree. In Unit of Study Evaluations (USS) students comment very positively on the content, overall organisation of the course, and the presentation materials. Students overall have found the assignments relevant to their learning. This semester changes were made to accommodate Core Content in the unit's activities and assignments.

Additional information

Site visit guidelines

If you are undertaking professional experience/field education placement as part of your enrolment in this unit of study, please assess your specific needs and requirements for the safe and successful completion of an external placement within a host organisation. You will be given the opportunity to disclose any health issues that have a work health and safety significance before arranging a placement so that your safety, and the safety of others, can be properly assessed. The Professional Experience Coordinator/Field Education Manager will work to ensure that the workplace assignment to you is appropriate for your needs and requirements. If you are experiencing disability, and require reasonable adjustments to be arranged, please contact Disability Services as early as possible prior to commencing the internship. Please note, in all cases, and for the purpose of organising reasonable adjustments, only the impact and not the nature, of your disability will be disclosed to the host organisation.

Disclaimer

Important: the University of Sydney regularly reviews units of study and reserves the right to change the units of study available annually. To stay up to date on available study options, including unit of study details and availability, refer to the relevant handbook.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Alignment with Competency standards

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Site visit guidelines

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

EDMT5010: Special and Inclusive Education

Semester 1a, 2026 [Block mode] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Alignment with Competency standards

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Site visit guidelines

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links