Unit rationale, description and aim
Includes: 5 days placement Birth to 35 months
Recent understandings of childhood increasingly recognise the competencies of the young child and the importance of the first three years of life for subsequent learning and well-being. This unit examines contemporary approaches to the play, wellbeing, responsive care, development and learning of infants and toddlers and their application in early childhood education and care. It is informed by current curriculum frameworks, theories, philosophies, neuroscience, and research which describe and explain early development and learning through the lens of socio-cultural diversity, inclusivity, individual and family differences. The unit takes a particular focus on relationships within the context of homes, communities and centre-based care in the current Australian context.
This unit builds the pre-service teacher’s professional knowledge of and skills related to the role educators play in provision of high-quality early learning experiences, particularly in relation to children aged birth to two. Emphasis will be given to experiences that promote and support young children’s well-being, development and educational outcomes. These skills will include understanding and guiding behaviours, implementing responsive care strategies, planning for, implementing and evaluating play and learning experiences that are responsive to children in a range of socio-cultural contexts. The unit will focus on the complexities of pedagogical practices, building collaborative relationships, documentation, curriculum decision-making, and teaching strategies that inform high quality learning environments. These practices will be informed by relevant national and state curriculum frameworks and professional, legal and ethics obligations. The unit enables engagement with early childhood centre operations, management and service delivery, and provides opportunities for professional interactions with a range of professionals working with children under two and their families.
This unit includes an early childhood workplace immersion experience where pre-service teachers will examine the nexus between theory and practice by knowing, doing and being in the context. The supervised and assessed placement will consist of 5 days in an early childhood setting for children aged from Birth to 35 months.
The aim of this unit is to build pre-service teachers’ professional knowledge as well as allow them to practice their knowledge and skills in early childhood contexts for children aged birth to 35 months.
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.
Analyse contemporary approaches to the play, wellb...
Learning Outcome 01
Utilise current curriculum frameworks, theories an...
Learning Outcome 02
Through critical observation, design a responsive ...
Learning Outcome 03
Demonstrate an understanding of the complex roles ...
Learning Outcome 04
Complete a successful professional experience in e...
Learning Outcome 05
Content
Topics will include:
- Contemporary approaches to the play, wellbeing, development and learning of infants and toddlers and their application in care and education programs.
- Current curriculum, theories, philosophies and research of early development and learning and their application to socio-cultural diversity, individual and family differences.
- Theories and research in relation to positive relationships with and between infants, toddlers and their diverse families.
- Play, responsive care and learning experiences for infants and toddlers.
- Brain development research and neuroscience in the first years.
- Inclusion and transitions with/between infants, toddlers and their families.
- The ethical, legal and professional responsibilities of early childhood educators
- Collaborative relationships and roles in early childhood learning communities
- Observation, planning, curriculum decision-making and teaching strategies that are responsive to and inclusive of a range of socio-cultural contexts and children’s stages of development.
- Pedagogical practices to support the learning and development of children aged birth to two years
- Strategies and principles for establishing and maintaining effective professional relationships
Assessment strategy and rationale
A range of assessment procedures will be used to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes consistent with University assessment requirements. Such procedures may include, but are not limited to, essays, reports, examinations, student presentations or case studies.
Overview of assessments
Assessment Task 1 Critical Analysis of Literatu...
Assessment Task 1
Critical Analysis of Literature
Students will undertake a literature review of relevant research and scholarship.
50%
Assessment Task 2 Planning for Infants and Todd...
Assessment Task 2
Planning for Infants and Toddlers
Students design and analyse an education and care program for infants and/or toddlers and relate the discussion to the relevant theories and philosophies of infant and toddler development.
50%
Hurdle Task Professional Experience Summative A...
Hurdle Task
Professional Experience Summative Assessment:
FINAL REPORT
In this assessment candidates are expected to demonstrate satisfactory teaching performance during their Professional Experience Program as evidenced by both practical and written work.
Pass/Fail
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
Students should anticipate undertaking 150 hours of study for this unit. This may involve a combination of face-to-face, online and multi-mode delivery, on a weekly basis across a 12-week semester or in intensive mode. Students should expect to participate in a range of the following: online engagement, lectures, tutorials, seminar presentations and group discussions, both online and face-to-face, self-directed study activities and assessment tasks. Some participation in appropriate educational settings maybe required.
This is a 10-credit point unit and has been designed to ensure that the time needed to complete the required volume of learning to the requisite standard is approximately 150 hours in total across the semester. To achieve a passing standard in this unit, students will find it helpful to engage in the full range of learning activities and assessments utilised in this unit, as described in the learning and teaching strategy and the assessment strategy. The learning and teaching and assessment strategies include a range of approaches to support your learning such as reading, reflection, discussion, webinars, podcasts, video etc.
This unit includes an early childhood workplace immersion experience where pre-service teachers will examine the nexus between theory and practice by knowing, doing and being in the context. The supervised and assessed placement will consist of a maximum of 5 individual days in an early childhood setting for children aged from Birth to 35 months.
Professional Experience
The professional experience placement includes 5 days placement Birth to 35 months experience, as individual days. There is also a 3-week block placement of continuous engagement. (The lecturer-in-charge may exempt students who have already completed EDCX202 from some or all of the placement days).
Recommended progression of professional experience engagement
Single Days: Undertaken in EDEC unit: Proposed Teaching Expectations
Days 1-3
- Observation and active participation in small group teaching; assisting the supervising teacher in the teaching and learning process, plus managing context routines
- Observation of teachers in the learning context, their teaching and practices, management of contexts and individuals
- Observe communication skills that the teacher and room leader use with babies, toddlers, children, parents and other staff
- Critical reflection on pre-service teacher’s role in the education setting as participant, leader, team member, co-teacher/collaborator
Days 4-5
- Structured observations and small group/team teaching
- Plan / implement and assess two sequential learning experiences per day individually or with the other pre-service teacher (if in a paired placement)
- Managing context routines or transitions connected to sequenced learning experiences
- Ongoing observation of teachers, room leader, and other education stakeholders (e.g. specialists, leadership teams, other teachers etc.) in the education setting, their teaching and practices, management of the learning environment, as well as the infants and toddlers
- Continual self-reflection and evaluation
- Negotiate with Supervising Teacher and the other pre-service teacher (if in a paired placement) your responsibilities in the first week of block.
BLOCK: Undertaken in EDET200 unit: Proposed Teaching Expectations
Weeks 1-3:
a) Plan, prepare and implement learning experiences informed by observations that support young children’s interests
b) Plan, prepare, implement and reflect on two learning experiences per day
c) Take responsibility for managing some individual and whole group routines
d) Engage in half day continuous teaching including management of transitions and whole group routines.
e) Conduct observations of the practices of the Supervising Teacher and room leader.
f) Reflection, self-reflection and evaluation.
AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS - GRADUATE LEVEL
On successful completion of this unit, pre-service teachers should be able to:
ACECQA CRITERIA
On successful completion of this unit, pre-service teachers should have developed their ability to:
Representative texts and references
Required text(s)
Australian Curriculum https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/
Early Years Learning Framework https://www.education.gov.au/early-years-learning-framework-0
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) www.acara.edu.au
Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (2009). Being, belonging and becoming: Early years learning framework for Australia. Canberra, ACT: Commonwealth of Australia.
Recommended references
Ailwood, J., Boyd, W., & Theobald, M. (2016). Understanding early childhood education and care in Australia. Crows Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin.
Clark, A. (2010). Transforming children’s spaces. Oxon, UK: Routledge.
Ebbeck, M., & Waniganayake, M. (2010). Play in early childhood education: Learning in Diverse contexts. South Melbourne, Vic: Oxford University Press.
Fleer, M., Edwards, S., Hammer, M., Kennedy, A., Ridgway, A., Robbins, J., & Surman, L. (2006). Early childhood learning communities: Socio-cultural research in practice. Frenchs Forest, NSW:
Foreman, P. (2014). Inclusion in action (4th ed.). South Melbourne, Vic: Cengage Learning Australia
McArdle, F., Gibson, M., & Zollo, L. (2015). Being an early childhood educator: Bringing theory and practice together. Crows Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin.
McCrea, N. L. (2015). Leading and managing early childhood settings. Inspiring people, places and practices. Port Melbourne,Vic: Cambridge University Press.
McLachlan, C., Fleer, M., & Edwards, S. (2013). Early childhood curriculum : Planning, assessment and implementation (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Roopnarine, J. (2012). Approaches to early childhood education (6th ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Education
Szarkowicz, D. (2006). Observations and reflections in childhood. South Melbourne, Vic: Thomson