Students

ECHP499 – Early Childhood Internship

2017 – S2 External

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Helen Little
Convenor
Catherine Patterson
X5B224
Credit points Credit points
6
Prerequisites Prerequisites
ECHP421 or ECHP42 or (ECHP222 and ECST330)
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
This unit is based on the concept of an internship as a bridge between university life and a career as an early childhood teacher. It is designed to develop independent graduates who become confident and competent professional decision makers. Students have the opportunity to develop skills in working with children and their families by taking substantive professional responsibility in an early childhood centre or a school classroom. Students are required to attend the internship site for 30 days and work closely with a professional mentor. Critical and analytical thinking and self-evaluation are key components of this unit.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

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

  • Refine your teaching practices as an early childhood teacher
  • Take substantial responsibility for your own learning
  • Develop confidence in justifying your professional decision-making
  • Demonstrate a depth of knowledge about a selected aspect of early childhood practice

General Assessment Information

These assignments may vary depending on the internship placement. 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Working with Children 25% No Week 5
Working with Adults 25% No Week 10
Teacher Research Report 50% No Week 15
Professional Evaluation 0% No Week 15

Working with Children

Due: Week 5
Weighting: 25%

A practical report linking relevant literature and professional experiences. 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Refine your teaching practices as an early childhood teacher
  • Take substantial responsibility for your own learning
  • Develop confidence in justifying your professional decision-making

Working with Adults

Due: Week 10
Weighting: 25%

A practical report linking relevant literature and professional experiences. 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Refine your teaching practices as an early childhood teacher
  • Take substantial responsibility for your own learning
  • Develop confidence in justifying your professional decision-making

Teacher Research Report

Due: Week 15
Weighting: 50%

A report on a teacher research project completed during internship days. 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Refine your teaching practices as an early childhood teacher
  • Take substantial responsibility for your own learning
  • Develop confidence in justifying your professional decision-making
  • Demonstrate a depth of knowledge about a selected aspect of early childhood practice

Professional Evaluation

Due: Week 15
Weighting: 0%

Professional Experience Evaluation Report 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Refine your teaching practices as an early childhood teacher
  • Take substantial responsibility for your own learning
  • Develop confidence in justifying your professional decision-making

Delivery and Resources

ECHP 499 is designed as a flexible, self-study program, and it is important to draw up your own timeline to meet the required expectations. The content of the unit is focused on the independent exploration of yourself as a teacher through your work during professional experiences and your written assignments for the university.

Some students enjoy the challenge of independent study, while others find it difficult to work to their own schedule without a weekly timetable provided in a unit outline, or a structure provided by recorded lectures. In ECHP 499, you control your own learning and you should develop some personal strategies to make sure you remain focused on your study. Some strategies will be explored in on-campus sessions. 

Policies and Procedures

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_2016.html

Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html

Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/complaint_management/procedure.html​

Disruption to Studies Policy (in effect until Dec 4th, 2017): http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html

Special Consideration Policy (in effect from Dec 4th, 2017): https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/special-consideration

In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/

Results

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.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Graduate Capabilities

Creative and Innovative

Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • Demonstrate a depth of knowledge about a selected aspect of early childhood practice

Assessment task

  • Teacher Research Report

Capable of Professional and Personal Judgement and Initiative

We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Refine your teaching practices as an early childhood teacher
  • Develop confidence in justifying your professional decision-making
  • Demonstrate a depth of knowledge about a selected aspect of early childhood practice

Assessment tasks

  • Working with Children
  • Working with Adults
  • Teacher Research Report
  • Professional Evaluation

Commitment to Continuous Learning

Our graduates will have enquiring minds and a literate curiosity which will lead them to pursue knowledge for its own sake. They will continue to pursue learning in their careers and as they participate in the world. They will be capable of reflecting on their experiences and relationships with others and the environment, learning from them, and growing - personally, professionally and socially.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • Take substantial responsibility for your own learning

Assessment tasks

  • Working with Children
  • Working with Adults
  • Teacher Research Report
  • Professional Evaluation

Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills

Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Refine your teaching practices as an early childhood teacher
  • Demonstrate a depth of knowledge about a selected aspect of early childhood practice

Assessment tasks

  • Working with Children
  • Working with Adults
  • Teacher Research Report
  • Professional Evaluation

Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • Take substantial responsibility for your own learning

Assessment tasks

  • Working with Children
  • Working with Adults
  • Teacher Research Report
  • Professional Evaluation

Problem Solving and Research Capability

Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Take substantial responsibility for your own learning
  • Develop confidence in justifying your professional decision-making
  • Demonstrate a depth of knowledge about a selected aspect of early childhood practice

Assessment tasks

  • Working with Children
  • Working with Adults
  • Teacher Research Report
  • Professional Evaluation

Effective Communication

We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • Refine your teaching practices as an early childhood teacher

Assessment tasks

  • Working with Children
  • Working with Adults
  • Teacher Research Report
  • Professional Evaluation