Unit Outline

This unit is designed for students enrolled in the Bachelor of Education Graduate Certificate (Early Childhood), specialising in teaching children aged birth to 8 years. This unit interrogates current early childhood curricula and pedagogies. Topics include planning using relevant state, national and Australian curricula; program implementation in accordance with the National Quality Frameworks and Standards; intentional teaching; catering for inclusivity and diversity; alternative early childhood approaches (for example, Montessori, Steiner & Reggio); the importance of play and authentic assessment.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1	interpret, analyse and appraise early childhood curricula, standards, pedagogies and assessment strategies
2	develop, plan, and implement strategies for teaching and learning in early childhood settings
3	critically analyse and evaluate current and relevant literature
4	apply knowledge and transmit ideas to others
5	communicate using academic writing, expression and English conventions (including spelling, punctuation, and grammar), APA referencing conventions, and scholarly literature

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Anti-requisite (mutual excl)	ESM780

Alterations as a result of student feedback

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	AT1 Online Quiz	Week 3	0 %	LO4
Assessment Task 2:	AT2 Essay	Week 9	50 %	LO1, LO3, LO5
Assessment Task 3:	AT3 Powerpoint Presentation and Supporting Statement	Week 13	50 %	LO1, LO2, LO4, LO5

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: AT1 Online Quiz

Task Description:

By the end of Week 3, as part of measuring student engagement, you are required to complete a compulsory online quiz. You must refer to material from the recommended readings, lectures, and the unit outline. Multiple attempts are permitted. If you do not successfully complete this online quiz, your enrolment may be cancelled, or you may be withdrawn from the unit.

Completion of this Assessment Task relates to Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) 6.1, 6.2

Task Length:

15-20 minutes approximately

Due Date:

Week 3

Weight:

0 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Student engagement (100%)	LO4

Assessment Task 2: AT2 Essay

Task Description:

The aim of this task is for you to identify silences in early childhood curriculum documents. The silences are those aspects that are embedded or not clearly articulated within the selected curriculum documents.

To complete AT2 you must read widely on the topic, going beyond the set readings. Select one of the topics listed below that is relevant to your teaching and context, and that is of professional interest to you in your work as an early childhood educator / teacher.
▪ Learners with additional needs
▪ Learners for whom English is Another Language or Dialect (EAL/D)
▪ Learners from diverse backgrounds (cultural, socio-economic, or religious)
To address the task:
▪ Briefly describe your teaching context
▪ Explain the significance of the topic for you, your work and your early childhood teaching
▪ Explain and discuss the relevance of the topic in relation to the early childhood pedagogies and your selected curriculum document

Identify silences in the curriculum document that relate directly to your topic. Specifically, what is not included in the curriculum document that would help you to address the topic you have identified? You must refer to current / relevant literature to respond to this question. Your response to this point is the most substantial part of your scholarly paper.

Standard descriptors for these criteria are included in the assessment rubric, located at the end of the assessment section/unit outline/in the Assignment description in MyLO.

Completion of this Assessment Task relates to Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) 1.1, 1.3

Task Length:

2000 words

Due Date:

Week 9

Weight:

50 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Interpret, analyse and appraise early childhood curricula and pedagogies (45%)	LO1
2	Critical analysis and evaluation of current and relevant literature (45%)	LO3
3	Communicate using academic writing, expression and English conventions (including spelling, punctuation, and grammar), APA referencing conventions, and scholarly literature (10%)	LO5

Assessment Task 3: AT3 Powerpoint Presentation and Supporting Statement

Task Description:

The aim of this task is for you to demonstrate your planning skills and articulate the reasoning which informed the planning. This assignment is an individual two-part assessment task. The first part is a PowerPoint presentation suitable for presentation to an audience of peers enrolled in this unit.

Part A: PowerPoint (Use the proforma provided)
You are required to use the PowerPoint proforma provided in MyLO under the Assessment tab – you can personalise the design. Format should be consistent using the headings provided on each slide. You must also use the PowerPoint notes section as a place for the script for your presentation. The notes section will allow you to add further detail that helps to explain the slide information.
▪ Use the video clip provided as a stimulus for your own planning
▪ Extend on the child’s learning through reference to an appropriate curriculum document
▪ Develop two learning outcomes from the relevant curriculum document
▪ Plan two learning experiences/activities that will allow the child to achieve the learning outcomes.
▪ Identify two assessment strategies that you would use to assess student learning.

Part B: Supporting statement (1400 words)
Part B is a supporting statement which justifies your decisions about the curriculum, pedagogical and assessment you have made in Part A. As examples, refer directly to your PowerPoint, and use current and relevant literature to support your claims. In the word document header, you must include your First and Last names, Assignment Task 3, unit code and word count.
Save both of your files in accordance with University file naming conventions.
Standard descriptors for these criteria are included in the assessment rubric, located at the end of the assessment section/unit outline/in the Assignment description in MyLO.

Completion of this Assessment Task relates to Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) 1.2, 2.3

Task Length:

2000 words

Due Date:

Week 13

Weight:

50 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Interpret, analyse and appraise early childhood curricula and pedagogies (45%)	LO1
2	Apply knowledge and transmit ideas to others (15%)	LO2
3	Justify pedagogical decisions in relation to curricula, teaching and assessment strategies (30%)	LO4
4	Communicate using academic writing, expression and English conventions (including spelling, punctuation, and grammar), APA referencing conventions, and scholarly literature (10%)	LO5

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see Important Guidelines & Support.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Review of results and appeals

You are entitled to ask for a review of the marking and grading of your assessment task if there is an irregularity in the marking standards or an error in the process for determining the outcome of an assessment. Details on how to request a review of a mark for an assignment are outlined in the Review and Appeal of Academic Decisions Procedure.

Required Resources

Required reading materials

You will need access to the following:
Australian Children's Education & Care Quality Authority [ACECQA] (2022). Belonging, being and becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia – V2.0, 2022. https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-01/EYLF-2022-V2.0.pdf
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA] (2022). The Australian Curriculum – Version 9.0. https://v9.australiancurriculum.edu.au/

Reading Lists provide direct access to all material on unit reading lists in one place. This includes eReadings and items in Reserve. You can access the Reading List for this unit from the link in MyLO, or by going to the Reading Lists page on the University Library website.