EDF5774 · Building STEM learning communities in early childhood

Overview

This unit provides you with knowledge and skills to build your capacity to lead STEM learning for educators and students in Early Childhood (EC) education. STEM is often identified as an essential part of a child’s education to prepare them for an ever-changing future, so understanding the issues related to STEM in early childhood through exposure to contemporary research and debates, including the role of digital technologies in STEM for young children’s inquiry literacies (creativity, emotional and collaborative inquiry) is important. Thus, this unit will support your understanding of STEM along with an appreciation for its place in the curriculum to develop and foster creativity and inquiry learning and teaching in early childhood settings. The unit will explore innovative and contemporary approaches to STEM education using current research based in early childhood settings. Further, you will develop skills to bring educators together to learn in communities and then consider their role in leading learning to develop curriculum and innovative STEM practices suited to early childhood settings. You will be provided with continuing opportunities to ask questions and discuss research-based case studies of excellent STEM leadership and teaching. Additionally, you will explore and develop your leadership capacities, through reflection and analysis of case studies. In this unit, research and practice are brought together, and you will be encouraged to apply a growth mindset and critical approach to build your expertise to lead the integration of STEM education suited to your local contexts and early childhood settings.

Offerings

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

Learning outcomes

1. demonstrate an understanding of STEM learning and its significance within the early childhood learning and curriculum frameworks
2. interact with significant theories in STEM and Early Childhood and explore how these could influence policy and practice
3. explore contemporary research relating to the role of digital technologies in STEM and consider how these shape Early Childhood education
4. synthesise research and teaching approaches relating to curriculum and pedagogical innovation in STEM, exploring how these may enrich STEM learning in early childhood
5. develop capacity to lead and support quality STEM education in early childhood
6. interpret and communicate knowledge about STEM learning and leadership in response to contemporary challenges.

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: • 12 hours of scheduled learning delivered on campus via weekly/regular directed learning activities, 12 hours of scheduled learning delivered online via a combination of synchronous and asynchronous directed learning activities, and the remaining hours to be allocated towards self-directed/independent study OR • 24 hours of scheduled learning delivered online via a combination of synchronous and asynchronous directed learning activities, and the remaining hours to be allocated towards self-directed/independent study^ ^ International students studying in Australia are not permitted to undertake this scheduled learning delivery mode 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.