Availabilities:
| Location | Domestic | International |
|---|---|---|
| Online | Session 2 | N/A |
Unit aim
Provides students with an understanding of the key aspects of an early childhood educator’s practice. Involves observation and documentation of children’s learning, an understanding of the importance of building and maintaining relationships with children, parents and the community. The importance of flexible learning environments for children’s learning and development is considered.
Unit content
- Contexts of and influences on early childhood education and care (ECEC) in Australia:
- Histories; influences: internationally, nationally, regionally; funding; management; quality ECEC; staffing; regulatory frameworks;
- The importance of relationships with children, families, colleagues and the community:
- Attachment, personal philosophy, the setting
- Building the relationships respecting diverse histories and backgrounds including an Indigenous perspective on kinship; Inclusive practices that build relationships with families, honouring and celebrating diversity
- Observation and documentation of children’s learning:
- Strategies and techniques: Why document? What to document? How to document?
- Alignment with personal philosophy to learning and teaching in early childhood
- The teacher as researcher
- Constructing flexible ECEC learning environments:
- The importance of the physical and human environment to support learning and development
- The relationship between the physical and human environment on children’s learning and development – indoor outdoor, routines, transitions, aesthetics, the use of time, space grouping
- The importance of early childhood environmental education
- Contemporary theories of professional practice: child rights, queer theory, feminist theory
Learning outcomes
Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.
Learning outcomes and graduate attributes
| On completion of this unit, students should be able to: | GA1 | GA2 | GA3 | GA4 | GA5 | GA6 | GA7 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | deconstruct the historical and comparative contexts of ECEC in Australia regarding structure, management, mandatory policy and current and prospective legislative and regulatory frameworks | Intellectual rigour | Ethical practice | Knowledge of a discipline | ||||
| 2 | analyse the importance of relationships to the learning and development of children, families, colleagues and communities respecting the diversities of their histories and background | Intellectual rigour | Ethical practice | Knowledge of a discipline | ||||
| 3 | Identify and analyse contemporary theories of professional practice for educators in the early years. | Intellectual rigour | Ethical practice | Knowledge of a discipline | ||||
| 4 | analyse, evaluate and discuss the ways in which observation and documentation are used in early childhood programs and classrooms to promote children's learning | Intellectual rigour | Ethical practice | Knowledge of a discipline | ||||
| 5 | understand how to establish flexible learning environments that include sustainable practices | Intellectual rigour | Ethical practice | Knowledge of a discipline | ||||
Prescribed texts
Session 2
- Arthur, L, Beecher, B, Death, E, Dockett, S & Farmer, S, 2018, Programming and planning in early childhood settings, 7th edn, Cengage, Melbourne. ISBN: 9780170264105.
Teaching and assessment
Online
| Teaching method |
| Workshop online 1 hour (10 weeks) |
| Assessment | |
| Short written response | 50% |
| Critical review | 50% |
Fee information
Domestic
Commonwealth Supported courses
For information regarding Student Contribution Amounts please visit the Student Contribution Amounts.
Commencing 2019 Commonwealth Supported only. Student contribution band: 1
Fee paying courses
For POSTGRADUATE or UNDERGRADUATE full fee paying courses please check Domestic Postgraduate Fees OR Domestic Undergraduate Fees
International
Please check the international course and fee list to determine the relevant fees.