Detailed information for each individual assessment can be found on the iLearn site under Assessment.

Assessment Submission

Assessment task 1 Quiz: This will be an online assessment based on the content of the lectures given in Weeks 1 - 3. This assessment will be open on Wednesday 27^th August only between the specified hours (refer to iLearn site for details). Make sure you put aside time to complete the assessment. You should have your textbook/reading, lecture notes, and any other resources with you.There will be 20 questions and you will only be able to attempt the assessment once. 

Assessment task 2A, Information leaflet: Submitted through the iLearn website via relevant link. 

Assessment task 2B, Essay:  submitted through the iLearn website via the Turnitin link in the assignment section of the site.

Both Assignment 2A and 2B must be submitted online by 11.55pm on the due dates.  

Assessment task 4 Exam: The exam is scheduled by Macquarie University (not IEC) and will take place during the second half examination period. You are expected to present yourself for examination at the time and place designated in the University Examination Timetable. The timetable will be available in Draft form approximately eight weeks before the commencement of the examinations and in Final form approximately four weeks before the commencement of the examinations. All students are expected to ensure that they are available until the end of the teaching semester, that is, the final day of the official examination period.

Notes about TURNITIN:

When writing assignments, it is essential that students acknowledge the source of information correctly and do not breach Academic Honesty. TURNITIN is an electronic resource which detects material that has been copied from another source. Information about the importance of referencing and how to reference can be found in the IEC referencing guide on the iLearn site. Information on how to submit assignment to TURINITIN is provided on the iLearn site for this unit. 

Presentation and other information for assignments

• The left hand margin should be at least 3cm wide to allow for comments (for essay only).
• Use 12pt font size and 1.5 or double line spacing (for essay only).
• You should keep a copy of your assignment.
• You are expected to comply with the Macquarie University Academic Honesty policy.  If you have problems interpreting the guidelines, please contact your tutor before submitting the assignment.
• Assignments are to be submitted on the due date via the relevant link on iLearn.
• Unless there are exceptional circumstances, no assignment will be accepted after the date that the assignment has been returned to other students. 
• All failing assignments will be double marked when the failure is due to unsatisfactory content.  Failures that are the result of deductions for lateness or loss of marks for referencing, presentation, or plagiarism may not be double-marked.

Word Limit

All sections of the assignment, apart from references are included in the word limit.  If your assignment seriously exceeds the word limit, it will be marked only to the point at which the word limit is reached plus 10% leeway. If it falls seriously short of the word limit it is likely that the criteria for content will not have been met. 

Late Assignments:

A deduction of 5% of the total possible mark allocated for that assignment will be made for each day or part day that assignment is late, weekends counting as two days. For example, if an assignment is worth 30 marks and you submit it 2 days late, you will have 3 marks (2 x 5% of 30 marks) subtracted from your awarded mark. 

Extensions:

In extenuating circumstances, students may apply to the unit coordinator for an extension to the assignment due date. Reasons for the extension need to be documented in accordance with the Disruptions to Study policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html

The Disruption to Studies Notification must be completed by the student and submitted online through www.ask.mq.edu.au. Refer to the Disruptions to Studies procedures: http://studentadmin.mq.edu.au/disruption%20to%20studies.html

Note that:

• Students MUST notify the unit coordinator prior to submitting their request through ask.mq.edu.au.
• Extension will only be granted in receipt of the completed form submitted through Tracker, plus documentation.
• Emails are not appropriate means of extension requests.
• It is essential that you plan ahead and organise your study time effectively. Poor time management is not grounds for an extension
• In the case of computer malfunctions, a draft of your assignment may be requested. Please ensure that you print out a draft regularly, so that it is available for submission on request.   
• Extensions are usually not granted on the due date.

Work Awarded a Fail

All assessments awarded a fail will be double marked, or double checked in the case of multiple choice items. There are no resubmissions in this unit.

Eligibility for a Passing Grade

In order to be eligible to receive a passing grade in this unit all assessment tasks must be completed.  This means you must complete the on-line quiz, submit the 2 written assignments and sit for the exam. It is not the responsibility of unit staff to contact students who have failed to submit assignments or have missed the exam. 

If you have any missing items of assessment, it is your responsibility to make contact with the unit coordinator to determine whether it is possible to complete the unit in 2014.

Students in this unit should read this unit outline carefully at the start of semester.  It contains important information about the unit.  If anything in it is unclear, please consult the unit coordinator.

This unit offers a critical overview of current theory, research and practice in the early and middle childhood period 4-12 years. The unit covers aspects of children’s cognitive, social/emotional, and physical development and relationships during the preschool and primary school years. Particular attention is paid to the implications of research and theory for early childhood educators within the Australian social/cultural context.

The vast changes that occur in all aspects of a child’s development during the 4-12 year age range make this a fascinating period in the life-span. As you may know, there are many conflicting views concerning the mechanisms underlying such change.  You will find for almost every topic examined in this unit that there are differences of opinion, questions unanswered, different interpretations of research findings and many areas in which research is still to be done.  For this reason, it is expected that you will not approach your study in this unit as merely learning a set of facts.  Rather, you should continually be critically analysing the material presented, and contrasting the approaches of authors with conflicting theories. You should also consider practical application of major concepts in your professional contexts. 

Technology Used and Required

Students are required to access iLearn at least once per week and for submission of assessment tasks. Other technologies (e.g iPads) introduced in tutorial sessions.

Lecture and Tutorial Times

Please check the university timetable for updates https://timetables.mq.edu.au/2014/. Lectures are currently scheduled for Thursday 9am and 10am. 

Tutorials are timetabled for Thursdays 12pm; 1pm; 3pm and 4pm. Fridays 9am; 10am; 11am; 1pm amd 2pm. 

Students should note that it may not be possible to enrol in the popular tutorial times as these fill quickly.

Note: There are no tutorials in Week 1. 

To gain the most benefit from tutorials, students are required to access relevant lectures before attending the associated tutorial.  For students attending Thursday tutorials, this is only possible by attending the live lectures. It is assumed that students have acquired the required background information before engaging in tutorial tasks. Students attending the Friday tutorials are also expected to complete the associated lectures before attending the tutorial.  If it is not possible to attend the live lecture, you must listen to the Echo360 recording.

Teaching and Learning Strategy

Weekly content is delivered through lectures and readings. Tutorials and assessment tasks are used to explore content in more detail.

To gain the most benefit from tutorials, students are required to access relevant lectures before attending the associated tutorial. 

This unit has a workbook available as a PDF file on iLearn. The workbook is to be used to record notes from tutorials, lectures and your readings. You should bring your workbook with you to all classes. Internal students will work through the tasks at their weekly tutorials. 

Textbook: White, F., Hayes, B., & Livesey, D. (2013). Developmental psychology: From infancy to adulthood (3rd ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Education.

Supplementary Readings: Available from Library e-reserve.

Dunn, J. (2005). Commentary: Siblings in their families. Journal of Family Psychology, 19(4), 654-657.

McCall, R., & Green, B. (2004). Beyond the methodological gold standards of behavioral research: Considerations for practice and policy. Social Policy Report, 18(2), 2-12.

Pakarinen, E., Kiuru, N., Lerkkanen, M., Poikkeus, A., Siekkinen, M., & Nurmi, J. (2010). Classroom organisation and teacher stress predict learning motivation in kindergarten children. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 25(3), 281-300.

Twigg, D., & Pendergast, D. (2013). Social and emotional well-being. In D. Pendergast and S. Garvis (Eds), Teaching early years. Curriculum, pedagogy and assessment (pp.231-243). Sydney: Allen & Unwin.