PLEASE REFER TO INFORMATION ON iLEARN FOR FURTHER DETAILS OF ASSESSMENT TASKS AND MARKING CRITERIA

All assessment tasks for this unit are submitted online.

Assessment Presentation & Submission Guidelines

Please follow these guidelines when you submit each assignment:

• Allow a left and right-hand margin of at least 2cm in all assignments.
• Please type all assignments using 12-point font and 1.5 spacing.
• All assessments must be submitted through Turnitin in .doc or .pdf format for submission.
• It is the onus of the student to ensure that all assessments are successfully submitted through Turnitin.
• Assignment cover sheets are NOT required for this unit.

Draft Submissions & Turnitin Originality Reports

• Students may use Turnitin’s Originality Report as a learning tool to improve their academic writing if this option is made available in the unit.
• Students are strongly encouraged to upload a draft copy of each assessment to Turnitin at least one week prior to the due date to obtain an Originality Report.
• The Originality Report provides students with a similarity index that may indicate if plagiarism has occurred. Students will be able to make amendments to their drafts prior to their final submission on the due date.
• Generally, one Originality Report is generated every 24 hours up to the due date.

When preparing your assignments, it is essential that:

• Students must retain a copy of all assignments before submission, and retain the copy until your final grade for the subject has been received;
• Marks will be deducted if you submit your assessment late (refer to the ‘Assignment extensions and late penalties’ section below for more details);
• If an assessment is considered to be below passing standard, another staff member on the unit will provide a second opinion. No failed assessment may be re-submitted.

Final Submissions

• Students are responsible for checking that their submission has been successful and has been submitted by the due date and time.

Assignment extensions and late penalties

Applications for extensions must be made via AskMQ at https://ask.mq.edu.au as a "Disruption to Studies" request before the submission date. Students who experience a disruption to their studies through ill-health or misadventure are able to apply for this request. Extensions can only be granted if they meet the Disruption to Studies policy and are submitted via ask.mq.edu.au. This will ensure consistency in the consideration of such requests is maintained.

In general, there should be no need for extensions except through illness or misadventure that would be categorised as unavoidable disruption according to the University definition of same, and currently available at:

https://students.mq.edu.au/study/my-study-program/special-consideration/disruption-to-studies

Late submissions without extension will receive a penalty of 5% reduction of the total possible mark for each day late (including weekends and public holidays). You are reminded that submitting even just 1 day late could be the difference between passing and failing a unit. Late penalties are applied by unit convenors or their delegates after tasks are assessed.

No assessable work will be accepted after the return/release of marked work on the same topic. If a student is still permitted to submit on the basis of unavoidable disruption, an alternative topic may be set. 

Students should keep an electronic file of all assessments. Claims regarding "lost" assessments cannot be made if the file cannot be produced. It is also advisable to keep an electronic file of all drafts and the final submission on a USB untouched/unopened after submission. This can be used to demonstrate easily that the assessment has not been amended after the submission date.

• Please notify the unit coordinator of your intention to request an extension (via Dialogue in iLearn), however, an extension will only be granted on receipt of the completed form submitted through ask.mq.edu.au, 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

 Academic Honesty

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) 6th referencing procedures. Full details about how to cite and reference correctly can be found in Perrin (2015) or online APA guides.

The following guide can be purchased from the Co-op Bookshop. This is a required text: 

Perrin, R. (2015). Pocket guide to APA style (5th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.

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

Relevant Documents

The information in this Unit Guide must be read in conjunction with the following documents available for download from iLearn:

• Unit Readings,
• Assessment details and marking criteria

Electronic Communication

During semester time, staff may contact students using the following ways:

• Dialogue function on iLearn
• Official MQ Student Email Address

It is the student’s responsibility to check all electronic communication on a regular weekly basis.

Learning and Teaching Methods

The unit is offered in both internal and external mode. Content in this unit will be delivered using a combination of live and pre-recorded lectures, required readings, individual study tasks and weekly tutorials (on campus days for external students).

The timetable for internal students is as follows:

Lecture: Monday 9am (E4B308 - 6 Eastern Rd)

Tutorial: Monday 10 - 11.30am. (E4B308 - 6 Eastern Rd) Note: tutorials will commence in Week 1

Compulsory on campus days for external students will be held on Thursday 27 and Friday 28 April. 

Unit Expectations 

• In order to be eligible for a passing grade, students must meet the following attendance requirements:
  • Internal students: Attend weekly tutorials – punctuality is expected.
  • External Students: Attend all on-campus sessions – punctuality is expected.
• Students are required to contribute to all online and tutorials tasks
• Students are expected to read weekly readings before completing tasks and attending tutorials
• Students are expected to listen to weekly lectures before completing tasks and attending tutorials
• All assessment tasks must be submitted

Required Readings:

Week 1: Historical, contemporary approaches and Theoretical Approaches

Tovey, H. (2014). Outdoor play and the early years tradition. In T. Maynard & J. Waters (Eds), Exploring outdoor play in the early years (Chapter, 1, pp. 16-28). Maidenhead: Open University Press.

Sandseter, E.B.H., Little, H. & Wyver, S. (2012). Do theory and pedagogy have an impact on provisions for outdoor learning? A comparison of approaches in Australia and Norway. Journal of Adventure Education & Outdoor Learning, 12(3), 167-182. doi: 10.1080/14729679.2012.699800

Week 2: Contemporary issues

Waller, T., Sandseter, E.B.H., Wyver, S., Ärlemalm‐Hagsérd, E., & Maynard, T. (2010). The dynamics of early childhood spaces: opportunities for outdoor play? European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 18(4), 437-443. doi: 10.1080/1350293X.2010.525917

Week 3: Regulatory context of outdoor learning environments

Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority [ACECQA]. (2011). Guide to the National Quality Standard. http://files.acecqa.gov.au/files/National-Quality-Framework-Resources-Kit/NQF03-Guide-to-NQS-130902.pdf

Australian Government Department of Education, Employment, and Workplace Relations [DEEWR]. (2009). Belonging, being and becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia. Canberra: DEEWR. http://files.acecqa.gov.au/files/National-Quality-Framework-Resources-Kit/belonging_being_and_becoming_the_early_years_learning_framework_for_australia.pdf

Cummins, E & Reedy, A. (2015). Getting the balance right. Risk management for play. Melbourne: Play Australia. (Part B, excerpts)

Week 4: Natural playspaces

Dowdell, K., Gray, T., & Malone, K. (2011). Nature and its influence on children’s outdoor play. Australian Journal of Outdoor Education, 15(2), 24-35.

Week 5: Playing outside; Outdoor environments for infants and toddlers

Little, H., & Wyver, S. (2008). Outdoor play: Does avoiding the risks reduce the benefits? Australian Journal of Early Childhood, 33(2), 33-40.

Huggins, V., & Wickett, K. (2011). Crawling and toddling in the outdoors: very young children’s learning. In S. Waite (Ed), Children learning outside the classroom. From birth to eleven (Chapter 2, pp. 20-34). London: Sage.

Bilton, H., Bento, G., & Dias, G. (2017). Becoming safe through taking risks (Ch. 4). Taking the first steps outside: Under threes learning and developing in the natural environment. Milton Park, Abingdon, UK: Routledge. 

Week 6: Thinking outdoors

Petriwskyj, A. (2013). Science. In D. Pendergast & S. Garvis (Eds), Teaching early years: curriculum, pedagogy and assessment (Chapter 7, pp. 107-124). Sydney: Allen & Unwin.

Luken, E., Carr, V., & Brown, R. (2011). Playscapes: Designs for play, exploration and science inquiry. Children, Youth and Environments, 21(2), 325-337. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7721/chilyoutenvi.21.2.0325

Week 7: Sustainable practice and environmental responsibility

Elliott, S. (2014). Sustainability and the Early Years Learning Framework (Chapter 3). Sydney: Pademelon Press.  

Week 8: Creative play

Drown, K., & Christensen, K. (2014). Dramatic play affordances of natural and manufactured outdoor settings for preschool-aged children. Children, Youth and Environments, 24(2), 53-77. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7721/chilyoutenvi.24.2.0053 

Week 9: Physically active play

Archer, C., & Siraj, I. (2015). Encouraging physical development through movement play (Chapter 3). London: Sage.

Week 10: Managing risk in play

Cummins, E & Reedy, A. (2015). Getting the balance right. Risk management for play. Melbourne: Play Australia. (Part A, excerpts)

Week 11: Environments beyond the gate

Elliott, S., & Chancellor, B. (2014). From forest preschool to Bush Kinder: An inspirational approach to preschool provision in Australia. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 39(4), 45-53.

Week 12: Supporting participation and inclusion

Ärlemalm‐Hagsér, E. (2010). Gender choreography and micro-structures - early childhood professionals' understanding of gender roles and gender patterns in outdoor play and learning. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 18(4), 515-525.

Lofdahl, A. (2010). Who gets to play? Peer groups, power and play in early childhood settings. In L. Brooker & S Edwards (Eds.) Engaging play (Chapter 9, pp.-122- 135). Maidenhead, UK: Open University Press.

Week 13: Relationships based learning and teaching

Waters, J., & Bateman, A. (2015). Revealing the interactional features of learning and teaching moments in outdoor activity. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal , 23(2), 264-276.

ECHE310 Lecture Schedule 2017