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5. Year 10 (and student’s representative council, SRC) environmental investiga-
   tions: How do we interact with/create/build the environment around us? School-
   based project and community links. Working with others to create a more
   sustainable future for all.
   Preservice teachers are responsible for developing a planning document in nego-
   tiation with the School Partnerships’ Coordinator and the Applied Curriculum
   Project mentor teacher(s).
   The Applied Curriculum Project Plan must:

• Identify the key issues giving rise to the project.


• Provide a rationale for focusing on this project.


• Make reference to the relevant educational theory and/or literature or policy.


• List the aims of the project.


• List the expected measurable outcomes.


• Contain an action plan that documents tasks/subtasks, who is responsible for
  them and the timeline for each task.


• Describe the evaluation method to determine the success, or otherwise, of the
  outcomes in meeting stated aims.


• List the professional skills that will be incorporated in the Applied Curriculum
  Project (e.g. planning, negotiating, leadership, time management, evaluation,
  teamwork, problem solving, entrepreneurship, communicating, researching,
  project management).
  At the completion of the Applied Curriculum Project task, the preservice
  teacher(s) are required to produce a project report that:


• Provides a brief description of the project and its outcomes


• Provides evidence of how project aims were met or not met and why with refer-
  ence to relevant educational theory/or literature or policy cited in the plan


• Comments on progress according to their Action Plan and advise of any changes
  to this plan and the reasons for any changes


• Evaluates the success or otherwise of the outcomes with reference to the evalua-
  tion methodology described in the plan


• Describes how each of the five, or more, professional skills nominated in their
  plan were applied during the Applied Curriculum Project
  The School Partnerships’ Coordinator and Applied Curriculum Project mentor
  teacher(s) are invited to provide feedback about the Applied Curriculum Project
  outcomes and the professional skills displayed by the preservice teacher(s) during
  the project.
  Recent research by Arnold, Edwards, Hooley and Williams ( 2012 ) confirmed the
  following positive learning outcomes of Applied Curriculum Project engagement:

Support student learning, exploration of connection between the practice and theory of

teaching, project evaluation and evolving understanding of social context through the nego-

tiated development of an aspect of curriculum important to the school. The process enables

B. Eckersley et al.