EDF5043 · Environmental and sustainability education in early childhood communities

Overview

In this unit you will critically engage with place-based environmental sustainability education, with particular emphasis on Indigenous knowledge of Country. Taking a relational conceptual approach that honours Country, you will develop your capability for innovative sustainability leadership in your pedagogical practice. Emphasis is given to critical engagement with local, national, global and Aboriginal and Torre Strait Islander approaches and policies to environmental sustainability and their relevance to early childhood education from birth to five. You will design learning experiences that consider how place-based environmental sustainability shapes relationships between human and more-than-human to support biodiversity, social and cultural equity and environmental justice. You will have the opportunity to undertake a project to lead and generated new place-based perspectives and solutions to complex problems, such as how to engage young children in meaningful learning around climate change as an aspect of environmental sustainability in Australia.

Offerings

The Handbook publishes no offerings for this unit.

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

The Handbook lists no prerequisite, corequisite or prohibition for this unit.

Learning outcomes

1. clearly articulate the relevance of place-based early childhood education and related conceptual approaches to environmental sustainability education
2. demonstrate a deep understanding of how place, environment and sustainability shape relationships between people, places and Country in early childhood education
3. demonstrate advanced knowledge of early childhood curriculum and policy in relation to place-based and environmental sustainability across local, national and global contexts
4. critically analyse pedagogical practices and approaches to engage children in place-based, environmental sustainability learning
5. research and design learning experiences that explore complex problems through a place- based approach.

Workload

The minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per teaching period comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Usually, you can expect to engage with: • 24 hours of scheduled learning delivered online via synchronous directed learning activities; and • the remaining hours to be allocated towards self-directed/independent study Scheduled learning activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.