Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Helen Little
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Credit points |
Credit points
4
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
(ECED602 or ECED819) or admission to MEChild or MEdLead in Early Childhood or PGDipEChild or PGCertEChild or MEd or PGDipEdS or MIndigenousEd or PGDipIndigenousEd or PGCertIndigenousEd or MSpecEd or PGDipSpecEd or PGCertSpEd
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
This unit is designed to extend students' knowledge of child development with a particular emphasis on approaches to understanding and measuring child development, considerations for quality in childcare, and evaluation of children's environments. Recent research studies of child development, especially in relation to prior-to-school settings, will be used as a major resource for examining contemporary theory and research in child development. Students will analyse research to develop their skills in using evidence-based approaches in teaching, to inform policy, and to evaluate programs within prior-to-school settings.
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
IEC Assessment Presentation & Submission Guidelines
Please follow these guidelines when you submit each assignment:
Draft Submissions & Turnitin Originality Reports
When preparing your assignments, it is essential that:
Late Assessments:
A deduction of 5% of the total possible mark allocated for that assessment would be made for each day or part day that assessment is late, weekends counting as two days. For example, if an assessment is worth 20 marks and you submit it 2 days late, you will have 2 marks (2 x 5% of 20 marks) subtracted from your awarded mark.
Extensions:
In extenuating circumstances, students may apply to the unit coordinator for an extension to the assessment due date. Reasons for the extension need to be documented through the Disruption to Studies form accessible through ask.mq.edu.au under "Disruption" and supported (e.g., a Professional Authority Form must be used in the case of illness). Note that:
IEC Academic Honesty Guidelines:
All assignments should cite and provide full bibliographical details of all material that you have used to inform or support your ideas. At the Institute of Early Childhood, students are required to use the American Psychological Association (APA) referencing procedures. Full details about how to cite and reference correctly can be found in Perrin (2015) and in the IEC Academic Honesty Handbook.
IEC has adopted the following text for information on APA referencing:
Perrin, R. (2015). Pocket guide to APA style (5th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.
Requirements to Pass the Unit
In order to receive a passing grade in this unit, you must meet the following criteria:
assessment.
Note: If you miss one piece of work, you will fail the unit. 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 2015.
Final Grades
The final grade a student receives signifies their overall performance in meeting the learning outcomes for the unit. The number assigned to a grade (Standard Numerical Grade or SNG) reflects the extent to which student attainment matches the grade descriptors.
Your raw mark for the unit (i.e., the total of your marks for each assessment item) may not be the same as the SNG which you receive. Results may be scaled to ensure there is a degree of comparability across the university, so that units with the same past performances of their students should achieve similar results. The process of scaling does not change the order of marks among students. A student who receives a higher raw score mark than another will also receive a higher final scaled mark.
Name | Weighting | Due |
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Topic quiz | 20% | 19/08/2015 |
Information for parents | 30% | 14/09/2015 |
Child development research | 50% | 16/10/2015 |
Due: 19/08/2015
Weighting: 20%
Short answer and multiple choice questions on content from lectures and readings for topics 1 - 4.
NOTE: Online quizzes are an individual assessment task and MUST BE COMPLETED by each student individually.
Due: 14/09/2015
Weighting: 30%
Information resource for parents on selected child development topic
Due: 16/10/2015
Weighting: 50%
Critical review 10 research articles
Teaching and Learning Strategy
This unit has been developed to provide a combination of direct experience, experience in communication of child development issues and concepts, and knowledge of current research in child development. Key content is delivered via online lectures and weekly readings. Internal students will explore issues related to each topic during weekly seminars. Information, tasks and discussion questions associated with these seminars will be made available to external students via iLearn each week. External students will have the opportunity to discuss topics further at the two voluntary on campus sessions.
Lectures and Required Readings
Classes
Internal Students: Two hour weekly seminar, Mondays 3-5pm
External Students: Two voluntary on-campus sessions for external students will be held 1-5pm on Saturday on 15 August and 10 October in W5A Room 202. Each on-campus session will be a chance to meet and discuss unit topics and requirements with the unit coordinator and other external students (15 August) as well as to share main points from unit readings and have the opportunity to engage in some of the seminar tasks. Please let the unit coordinator know by the 13th August via the website if you will be attending the 1st on-campus session and by 8th October for the 2nd on-campus session.
Building a Community of Learners through Social Media
Online interaction is an essential part of the unit and is integral to both the learning environment and assessment process. The aim is to create a community of learners by creating a learning environment that takes advantage of and encourages distributed expertise within the environment. Within this learning community, members each have expertise in different areas and each member is responsible for sharing their expertise with others and for seeking out others whose expertise can further their own understanding and knowledge.
As part of this process, students are encouraged to use/create their own Twitter account. If you do not already have a Twitter account you will need to create one.
This unit is focused on building your research skills and social media has an important role to play in providing a community within which you can test out your understanding of the literature. Social media can assist you to explore what other academics and professionals think about the ideas and concepts that you formulate as a result of your academic research.
Lecture Schedule and Calendar of Classes
Date |
Events |
Internal Seminar |
Relation to Assessment |
Week 1 27 July |
Introduction to unit content and requirements Lecture - Theoretical approaches Lecture – Research and evidence-based practice
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Theoretical approaches EBP |
Quiz |
Week 2 3 Aug |
Lecture – Australian studies of child development
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Australian studies
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Quiz |
Week 3 10 Aug |
Lecture – International studies on child development and early childhood education
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International studies |
Quiz |
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On-campus session for External students Saturday 15 August 1pm-5pm W5A202 |
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Week 4 17 Aug |
Lecture – Early brain development in children
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Early brain development |
A2 |
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Assessment 1 (quiz) due Wednesday 19 August (week 4) |
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Week 5 24 Aug |
Lecture – Social-emotional wellbeing and development
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Wellbeing |
A2 |
Week 6 31 Aug |
Lecture– Culture, child development and early childhood education
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Culture |
A3 |
Week 7 7 Sept |
Lecture – Key transitions in early childhood development
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Transitions |
A3 |
Recess 14 Sept – 27 Sept Assessment 2 due Monday 14 September |
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Week 8 28 Sept |
Lecture – Risk-taking behaviour and child development
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Risk-taking |
A3 |
Week 9 5 Oct |
Lecture – Effects of child abuse and neglect on the developing child
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Public Holiday NO CLASS |
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On-campus session for External students Saturday 10 October 1-5pm W5A202 |
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Week 10 12 Oct |
Lecture – Prevention/intervention
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Abuse/ neglect Prevention |
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Assessment 3 due Friday 16 October (end of week 10) Note: ECED603 Prac 19 Oct – 6 Nov |
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html
Grading Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html
Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.
In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
Our postgraduates will demonstrate a high standard of discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgment. They will have the ability to make informed choices and decisions that reflect both the nature of their professional work and their personal perspectives.
This graduate capability is supported by:
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This graduate capability is supported by:
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