Unit rationale, description and aim
This unit provides opportunities for pre-service teachers to analyse and respond to assumptions about childhoods, families and communities and the nature of early childhood experiences for young children. This unit enables pre-service teachers to use their knowledge of early childhood education to critically analysis philosophical, historical and contemporary perspectives and theories as they apply to the Australian and international early childhood context. Multiple perspectives informing teaching, including cross-cultural factors, will be considered in relation to children’s play and learning. The roles, responsibilities and, professional and ethical attributes of early childhood teachers will be critiqued. Concepts, theories and skills in this unit will be developed at an advanced level and opportunities for integration of theoretical and practical knowledge will be provided.
This unit aims to assist pre-service teachers to use their knowledge to investigate identities of young children and develop the capacity to critically reflect on practices of advocacy and curriculum decision making in early childhood education and care contexts.
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.
Critically reflect on assumptions about childhoods...
Learning Outcome 01
Analyse how significant theories, models, and them...
Learning Outcome 02
Evaluate the continuing effect of a range of socia...
Learning Outcome 03
Identify and analyse the social and cultural influ...
Learning Outcome 04
Examine how ECEC settings operate and examine the ...
Learning Outcome 05
Content
Topics will include:
- Philosophy of contemporary ECEC
- Ethical and professional codes of conduct.
- Advocacy on behalf of the child, the family and the field of ECEC
- Professional attributes, roles and responsibilities of the early childhood teacher
- Political, economic, cultural and social factors in relation to children, families and ECEC
- Philosophical, historical and contemporary perspectives and theories (e.g. Comenius, Locke, Rousseau, Pestalozzi, Froebel, Montessori, Steiner, Isaacs, Dewey, High Scope, Reggio Emilia)
- Multiple perspectives on young children’s learning and development in a diverse world
- Teaching/pedagogical practices and play as a teaching and learning tool
- Ecologies of childhood: past, present and future perspectives
- The changing nature of Australian families
- Images of childhood and views of children
- Social and cultural influences on children’s play and learning (toys, games, stories, songs)
- Education for the Information Age: ICT and pedagogy
- Multimedia and children and childhood
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.
Minimum Achievement Standards
The assessment tasks for this unit are designed to demonstrate achievement of each learning outcome.
The total of assessment tasks will amount to the equivalent of4,000 words.
Overview of assessments
Assessment Task 1: Students will design an inter...
Assessment Task 1:
Students will design an interview schedule of questions that explores childhood experiences and influences upon these experiences. The students will respond to the interview questions themselves, and then interview one other person using the same interview questions. The interviews will be transcribed. Students will compare, contrast and analyse the two transcripts in light of historical and contemporary perspectives of and societal influences upon children and childhoods.
50%
Assessment Task 2: Situational analysis - situat...
Assessment Task 2:
Situational analysis - situating professional experience placements. Students will investigate and collect information on the community surrounding their professional experience placement. This information will be used to complete a situational analysis of the surrounding community which will then be used to reflect upon how this impacts upon/is reflected in their professional experience placement. Particular emphasis will be placed upon the images of childhood and families available in the surrounding community and how this does or does not reflect the children and families at the professional experience placement. Students will be required to consider their role as an educator in ensuring positive images of children and families are portrayed in their professional experience placement and in the surrounding community.
50%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
Pre-service teachers will be involved in a variety of teaching-learning strategies to progress and demonstrate their understandings in this unit. Participants will be involved in a variety of teaching-learning strategies to support learning, including: 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 with a normal expectation of 36 hours of directed study and the total contact hours should not exceed 36 hours. Directed study might include lectures, tutorials, webinars, podcasts etc. The balance of the hours then become private study.
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 the following specific knowledge: