Students

ECED600 – Early Childhood Philosophy and Pedagogy

2017 – S1 Day

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Guest Lecturer
Sheila Degotardi
Guest Lecturer
Wendy Shepherd
Guest Lecturer
Janet Robertson
Sheila Degotardi
Rebecca Andrews
Credit points Credit points
4
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to MTeach(Birth to Five Years) or GradCertEChild
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
This unit introduces students to the philosophical and pedagogical approaches to the field of early childhood education. Students explore the multifaceted role of an early childhood teacher through consideration of major approaches to early childhood education and participation in eight half-day field visits to an early childhood setting catering for children from birth to five years. The unit provides students with the opportunity to develop a critical understanding of i) current philosophical and theoretical approaches to early childhood education; ii) the centrality of play, social interaction and relationships as a basis for early childhood curriculum; and iii) their own identity as early childhood educators. Overall, it aims to provide students with a crucial framework for developing professional teaching practice and for their future studies in early childhood.

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:

  • An awareness of current approaches to, and debates about early childhood curriculum and pedagogy.
  • The ability to observe, document and interpret children's play/inquiry experiences in terms of what they reveal about, and their potential for facilitating children's learning and development.
  • An ability to generate appropriate play and inquiry experiences for young children based on observations and interpretations of children’s play and inquiry.
  • A theoretical and self-reflective understanding of intentional teaching strategies.
  • A willingness to actively and theoretically contribute towards their own and others’ development and learning.

General Assessment Information

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 .docx or .pdf format for submission.
  • It is the onus of the student to ensure that all assessments are successfully submitted through turnitin.
  • Faculty 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 ‘late assessments’ section below for more details);
  • Unless there are exceptional circumstances, no assessment will be accepted after the date that the assessment has been returned to other students.
  • If an assessment is considered to be below passing standard, another academic staff member 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.
  • Late submissions due to last minute technical difficulties will incur a lateness penalty.

 Assessment Extensions & 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. 

  • Students MUST 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 Guidelines:  

All assignments should cite and provide full bibliographical details of all material that you have used to inform or support your ideas. 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 Academic Honesty Handbook.

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.

Submissions of Family and Children’s Records for EC

Some assessment tasks require students to submit records about families and about children and their learning. It is expected that the records submitted are original, authentic, adheres to the ethical practices of the Early Childhood Australia Code of Ethics (2016) and is the work of the student. Issues with the authenticity of such records will be investigated for possible forgery (see Fabrication in the Academic Honesty Handbook). Please note that submitted records can only be used once for assessment purposes.

Confidentiality

Students must respect the need for sensitivity and confidentially and ensure that privacy obligations are met. There should be nothing in assessment submissions that identifies a centre or school. Use only the first name (or pseudonyms) for children, families and staff. Do not record details that enable identification of the site, and of the adults or children.

 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Assessment 1 60% No See Assessment 1A & 1B
Assessment 1A 0% No 15 Mar
Assessment 1B 0% No 5 Jun
Assessment 2 40% No 10 May

Assessment 1

Due: See Assessment 1A & 1B
Weighting: 60%

As part of developing students’ understanding and awareness of current approaches to, and debates about early childhood curriculum and pedagogy, each student will maintain an Online Reflection Journal throughout the semester. The Online Reflection Journal is an open blog that is shared with other students enrolled in the unit. Students are expected to update their own journal as well as respond to at least one other student’s journal entry. Students will contribute to their own and others’ development and learning when they update their own and respond to others’ Online Reflection Journal. All entries are to be made progressively over the course of the semester in order to meet the requirements of the unit. 

You will maintain a total of 6 entries in your Online Reflection Journal during the semester. The reflection topic for the journal entries can be found in Assessment 1A and 1B.

  • You do not need an introduction or a conclusion for each entry.
  • Use of subheadings is recommended.
  • Avoid using dot points
  • Type directly into the Journal (avoid uploading entry as an attachment).
  • Use first person; “I” in your writing.
  • Respond to another student’s journal entry by the end of that topic (entries 3-5).
  • Support your reflections with reference to relevant academic literature (unit readings and research)
  • Avoid using direct quotes from academic literature
  • Write in formal academic English
  • A reference list must be included at the end of each entry.

Two-Step Process

There is a two-step process involved when working with your Online Reflection Journal.

  1. Complete an online post in your blog and respond to someone’s post throughout the semester for each journal entry by the dates indicated for Assessment 1B.
  2. For grading purposes, submit your entries through turnitin on the due dates indicated for Assessment 1A and 1B.

Assessment 1 is made up of your Online Reflection Journal, Assessment 1A (20%) and Assessment 1B (40%). 

 

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • An awareness of current approaches to, and debates about early childhood curriculum and pedagogy.
  • A theoretical and self-reflective understanding of intentional teaching strategies.
  • A willingness to actively and theoretically contribute towards their own and others’ development and learning.

Assessment 1A

Due: 15 Mar
Weighting: 0%

Assessment 1A Weighting: 20%

Submission to Turnitin on iLearn:

You will need to copy/paste journal entries 1 and 2 from your Online Reflection Journal into one Word document for uploading to turnitin. Remember to clearly indicate the journal entry number for each entry. Please refer to the Assessment Presentation & Submission Guidelines.

Online Reflection Journal Entry 1 & 2

Details of the reflection topics for Journal Entries 1 and 2 can be found in the Assessments, Readings & Study Guide on iLearn.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • An awareness of current approaches to, and debates about early childhood curriculum and pedagogy.

Assessment 1B

Due: 5 Jun
Weighting: 0%

Assessment 1B Weighting: 40%

Submission to Turnitin on iLearn:

You will need to copy/paste journal entries 3-5 and the final entry from your Online Reflection Journal into one Word document for uploading to turnitin. Remember to clearly indicate the journal entry number for each entry. Please refer to the Assessment Presentation & Submission Guidelines.

Online Reflection Journal Entries 3-5 & Final Entry

Details of the reflection topics for Journal Entries 3, 4, 5 and the final entry can be can be found in the Assessments, Readings & Study Guide on iLearn.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • An awareness of current approaches to, and debates about early childhood curriculum and pedagogy.
  • A theoretical and self-reflective understanding of intentional teaching strategies.
  • A willingness to actively and theoretically contribute towards their own and others’ development and learning.

Assessment 2

Due: 10 May
Weighting: 40%

Assessment 2 consists of a practical component and a written component.

Submission to Turnitin on iLearn::

Observations should be recorded in .docx format (and saved as .pdf format – highly recommended) for uploading to turnitin.

This assignment is to be undertaken progressively during your professional field visits, and has been designed to prompt you to reflect upon and analyse children’s play and inquiry from a range of different perspectives.  

Practical Component

During your 3rd to 5th professional field visits, observe and actively involve yourself with the children in their play / inquiry experiences. In most cases, you will take the role of co-player or participant observer, but it is expected that you will assume a variety of roles during each visit dependent upon the context of the setting itself, the available resources and experiences, and the children’s experiences on that day. 

Written Component

Submit three (3) interpreted anecdotal observations of meaningful extracts of children’s play and/or inquiry experiences that you have observed, recorded and analysed during your Professional Field Visits.  

Details for Assessment 2 can be found in the Assessments, Readings & Study Guide on iLearn.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • The ability to observe, document and interpret children's play/inquiry experiences in terms of what they reveal about, and their potential for facilitating children's learning and development.
  • An ability to generate appropriate play and inquiry experiences for young children based on observations and interpretations of children’s play and inquiry.

Delivery and Resources

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 students responsibility to check all electronic communication on a regular weekly basis.

Resources

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

  • Assessments, Readings & Study Guide
  • Professional Field Visits Guide
  • EC Professional Experience Handbook
  • Academic Honesty Handbook

Unit Expectations

1. On-Campus Workshops (MQ Domestic students only) will be held on four Fridays from 9am - 4pm in Building X5B, Level 0, Room 041

  • ​​3 Mar, 31 Mar, 5 May & 2 Jun
  • Participation at all workshops are compulsory
  • Punctuality is expected. Consistent lateness will jeopardise a passing grade. 

ECED600 on-campus workshops have been scheduled on four Fridays. In the event of an increase in enrolments and as class size is capped at 30 students, an additional series of workshops on Saturdays to accommodate the increased number of students will be scheduled. Experience from previous cohorts suggests that enrolments for this unit may fall to 30 students and below by census date. If this happens, students who are enrolled in the Saturday Workshops will be required to move to the Friday workshops. You will be informed via iLearn if you are required to move to the Friday workshops by census date.

2. Live Online Workshops (MQ OUA students only) will be held on:

  • ​​Wed, 8 Mar, 6-7pm AEDT
  • Wed, 31 May, 6-7pm AEST
  • Participation at all workshops are compulsory

3. Students are required to contribute to all online and workshop tasks

  • Students are expected to read the relevant prescribed and non-prescribed readings before completing tasks and attending workshops
  • Students are expected to listen to the relevant iLectures before completing tasks and attending workshops.

4.. All assessment tasks must be submitted

Professional Field Visits Placement Expectations

  • Students are required to complete eight (8) half-day (4 hour) professional field visits to an early childhood centre for children aged birth-5
  • A Working with Children Check or State/Territory equivalent is required by the end of Week 3 to be eligible for a placement. Students may need to withdraw from this unit if this has not been obtained in time. 
  • To be eligible to commence the professional field visits, students must have submitted all written assessment tasks and/or associated unit component requirements prior to the commencement of the professional field visits. 
  • Students may not be able to commence their placement until all alleged academic honesty breaches have been investigated and concluded. 

**Withdrawing from this PG Unit

If you are considering withdrawing from this unit, please seek academic advice by writing to des.pg@mq.edu.au before doing so as this unit is a prerequisite for three units in semester 2 and may result in an addition of 12 months to your program. 

 

Required Textbooks

These texts can be purchased as a bundle from: Co-op Bookshop on campus or http://www.coop.com.au

Arthur, L., Beecher, B., Death, E., Dockett, S., & Farmer, S. (2015). Programming and planning in early childhood settings (6th ed.). Victoria: Cengage Learning Australia Pty Limited.

Crowther, I. (2016). Creating effective learning environments (4th ed.). Ontario: Thomson

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

The following eTextbooks can be purchased from Mia Mia Child & Family Study Centre. Please complete the order form located at http://iec.mq.edu.au/research/mia_mia/publications_and_resources/ and email to e-press.miamia@mq.edu.au to place your order. 

Mia Mia Child & Family Study Centre. (2017). The language of three things: Lids, gumnuts and cups (2nd ed.). Sydney: Macquarie University.

Mia Mia Child & Family Study Centre. (2017). A glimpse into an early childhood learning environment: Mia Mia (2nd ed.). Sydney: Macquarie University.

These texts can be downloaded from the links

Australian Government Department of Education Employment and Workplace Relations. (2009). Belonging, being & becoming: The early years learning framework for Australia.  Australia: Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved from  https://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/belonging_being_and_becoming_the_early_years_learning_framework_for_australia.pdf

Early Childhood Australia. (2016). Early childhood Australia code of ethics.  Retrieved from http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/ECA-COE-Brochure-2016.pdf​

Required Readings

The full list of required readings can be found in the Assessments, Readings & Study Guide.

 

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

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

  • An awareness of current approaches to, and debates about early childhood curriculum and pedagogy.
  • A theoretical and self-reflective understanding of intentional teaching strategies.
  • A willingness to actively and theoretically contribute towards their own and others’ development and learning.

Assessment tasks

  • Assessment 1
  • Assessment 1A
  • Assessment 1B

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

  • An awareness of current approaches to, and debates about early childhood curriculum and pedagogy.
  • The ability to observe, document and interpret children's play/inquiry experiences in terms of what they reveal about, and their potential for facilitating children's learning and development.
  • An ability to generate appropriate play and inquiry experiences for young children based on observations and interpretations of children’s play and inquiry.
  • A theoretical and self-reflective understanding of intentional teaching strategies.
  • A willingness to actively and theoretically contribute towards their own and others’ development and learning.

Assessment tasks

  • Assessment 1
  • Assessment 1A
  • Assessment 1B
  • Assessment 2

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 outcomes

  • An awareness of current approaches to, and debates about early childhood curriculum and pedagogy.
  • The ability to observe, document and interpret children's play/inquiry experiences in terms of what they reveal about, and their potential for facilitating children's learning and development.
  • An ability to generate appropriate play and inquiry experiences for young children based on observations and interpretations of children’s play and inquiry.
  • A theoretical and self-reflective understanding of intentional teaching strategies.
  • A willingness to actively and theoretically contribute towards their own and others’ development and learning.

Assessment tasks

  • Assessment 1
  • Assessment 1A
  • Assessment 1B
  • Assessment 2

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

  • An awareness of current approaches to, and debates about early childhood curriculum and pedagogy.
  • The ability to observe, document and interpret children's play/inquiry experiences in terms of what they reveal about, and their potential for facilitating children's learning and development.
  • An ability to generate appropriate play and inquiry experiences for young children based on observations and interpretations of children’s play and inquiry.
  • A theoretical and self-reflective understanding of intentional teaching strategies.
  • A willingness to actively and theoretically contribute towards their own and others’ development and learning.

Assessment tasks

  • Assessment 1
  • Assessment 1B
  • Assessment 2

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 outcomes

  • The ability to observe, document and interpret children's play/inquiry experiences in terms of what they reveal about, and their potential for facilitating children's learning and development.
  • An ability to generate appropriate play and inquiry experiences for young children based on observations and interpretations of children’s play and inquiry.

Assessment task

  • Assessment 2

Engaged and Ethical Local and Global citizens

As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate to help create a wiser and better society.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • The ability to observe, document and interpret children's play/inquiry experiences in terms of what they reveal about, and their potential for facilitating children's learning and development.
  • An ability to generate appropriate play and inquiry experiences for young children based on observations and interpretations of children’s play and inquiry.

Assessment task

  • Assessment 2

Changes since First Published

Date Description
26/02/2017 Updated postgraduate email address.
22/02/2017 Amended Disruption to Studies link.
16/02/2017 Added additional information on workshops.
03/02/2017 Minor revisions to the assessment tasks.