EDF5320 · Core concepts in senior mathematics and physics

Overview

In this unit, you will deepen your understanding of the core concepts that underpin senior secondary mathematics and physics, with a particular focus on the ideas, representations, and reasoning practices that enable students to build robust conceptual knowledge. You will examine key disciplinary ideas across senior curricula, with attention to common student misconceptions and the conceptual obstacles that can arise when learning abstract mathematical and physical principles. Through collaborative inquiry, you will explore ways of unpacking complex concepts using models, visualisations, multiple representations, and purposeful mathematical and scientific reasoning. You will investigate evidence-based approaches for identifying students’ prior knowledge, interpreting their thinking, and using diagnostic insights to inform pedagogical decision-making. Inclusive and gender-responsive practices will be emphasised throughout, enabling you to recognise structural and cultural factors that shape participation and achievement for girls in mathematics and physics. By the end of the unit, you will be able to analyse key conceptual ideas with disciplinary depth, design learning experiences that address misconceptions, and apply insights from research to support equitable and engaging senior mathematics and physics learning environments.

Offerings

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

The Handbook lists no prerequisite, corequisite or prohibition for this unit.

Learning outcomes

1. analyse core concepts in senior mathematics and physics, including their representations, structures and common areas of student misconception
2. interpret and evaluate students’ conceptual understanding using evidence from diagnostic tools, classroom tasks, or assessment artefacts
3. apply inclusive and gender-responsive approaches that support effective engagement and conceptual progression in senior mathematics and physics
4. design learning experiences that promote deep conceptual understanding using enquiry-based approaches, multiple representations and disciplinary reasoning
5. critically engage with research literature to inform conceptual analysis, teaching decisions and professional practice in mathematics and physics education.

Workload

The minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per teaching period comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Usually, you can expect to engage with: • 12 hours of scheduled learning delivered on campus via weekly/regular directed learning activities, 12 hours of scheduled learning delivered online via a combination of synchronous and asynchronous directed learning activities, and the remaining hours to be allocated towards self-directed/independent study OR • 24 hours of scheduled learning delivered online via a combination of synchronous and asynchronous directed learning activities, and the remaining hours to be allocated towards self-directed/independent study^ ^ International students studying in Australia are not permitted to undertake this scheduled learning delivery mode. Scheduled learning activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.