2.4.2 Essay Assignment
Scenario:
The NSW Department of Education has asked all early childhood education, care settings, and schools how they will contribute to the achievement of the roles and responsibilities.
Your manager/principal has asked you to select one role/responsibility and develop a position paper that sets out how your team should achieve the selected role/responsibility in your context (educational setting).
The principal/manager has said that each setting must provide a response to the Secretary, NSW Department of Education and it is intended your position paper will be submitted as evidence of what needs to be done to contribute to the achievement of this role/responsibility in your context (educational setting). It is important that the response considers the issues at a local level.
You will prepare a 1,500-word position paper advocating an appropriate and thoughtful response to ONE of the roles and responsibilities under Teachers in relation to your area of teaching (early childhood, primary or secondary).
Select one of the seven roles and responsibilities to focus on for your position paper.
Identify which educational setting you will focus on.
Review the resources in the vUWS Assessment 2 folder.
Undertake your own research about the current issues, challenges, and possibilities in Australia in relation to the implications for inclusive education in this role/responsibility. Investigate examples of best practices.
Write a statement, that reflects your position on the selected role/responsibility, and then justify your position by elaborating on the key issues, referencing the literature to support your argument. Write two recommendations that align with your position statement and justification.
Check that your position, justification, and recommendations align. Is the argument logical, credible, and based on evidence?
When undertaking your research ensure your references are current (the majority should be less than 5 years old), mostly Australian; relevant to your (early childhood, primary or secondary) context; and peer-reviewed literature and not websites. It is wise to reference your text.
Remember this is not an opinion piece, it is a formal position paper responding to policy, which will be read by the relevant Departmental officers, and consequently it should have a succinct and formal tone.
