EDF5822 · Early childhood education and practice

Overview

The focus of this unit centres on teaching approaches through historical evolution of early childhood education and care from the work of the 19th-century pioneers to the contemporary practices and influences of today. You will explore the pedagogies and contexts to develop your emerging teaching philosophy and advance skill sets for supporting the foundations for young children’s lifelong learning and development. You will engage with key research and policy relevant to children’s life changes and transitions for the purpose of supporting children’s continuity of learning as they transition from early childhood education to formal schooling. This will include observations and critical reflection for identifying young children’s developmental strengths and challenges to establish evidence-based planning and practice. In addition, you will engage with key research and policy relevant to transition to school for the purpose of supporting children’s continuity of learning as they experience life changes and transitions in early childhood education through to formal schooling. You will examine ethical conduct and professional standards of the profession to begin developing and examining your emerging philosophy of early childhood practices and how this will be informing your emerging identity as an early childhood teacher. You will examine ethical conduct and professional standards of the profession to begin developing and examining your emerging philosophy of early childhood practices and how this will inform your emerging identity as an early childhood teacher.

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

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

Learning outcomes

1. investigate and describe historical and contemporary philosophies and theories in early childhood education and care and understand their implications for current practices
2. examine key policy trends in relation to leadership, management and administration and how they are shaping the early childhood profession
3. create pedagogical planning intent through observational data
4. demonstrate professional and ethical and professional standards knowledge and understandings that are consistent with the early childhood profession
5. critically reflect on your own emerging understandings of early childhood leadership and professional identity, including strengths, challenges and uniqueness and articulate what it means to be a professional.

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 on campus via weekly/regular 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. *Subject to variation due to professional experience requirements

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