Students

ECED600 – Early Childhood Philosophy and Pedagogy

2018 – S1 Day

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor, Lecturer, Tutor
Rebecca Andrews
contact via iLearn dialogue only
Contact via contact via iLearn dialogue only
X5B 269
By appointment
Lecturer and Tutor
Sheila Degotardi
contact via iLearn dialogue only
Contact via contact via iLearn dialogue only
X5B 367
By appointment
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

 See Unit Outline on iLearn.

The following guide can be purchased from the Co-op Bookshop. Perrin, R. (2015). Pocket guide to APA style (5th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.

Submissions of Family and Children’s Records 

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
Asst 1A Reflection Journal 20% No See Unit Outline on iLearn
Asst 1B Reflection Journal 40% No See Unit Outline on iLearn
Assessment 2 40% No See Unit Outline on iLearn

Asst 1A Reflection Journal

Due: See Unit Outline on iLearn
Weighting: 20%

Assessment 1A 

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 in the Unit Outline on iLearn.

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.

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 Unit Outline 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 willingness to actively and theoretically contribute towards their own and others’ development and learning.

Asst 1B Reflection Journal

Due: See Unit Outline on iLearn
Weighting: 40%

Assessment 1B 

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 in the Unit Outline on iLearn.

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.

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 Unit Outline on iLearn.

Details of the reflection topics for Journal Entries 3, 4, 5 and the final entry can be can be found in the Unit Outline 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: See Unit Outline on iLearn
Weighting: 40%

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

Submission to Turnitin on iLearn::

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 Unit Outline on iLearn. 
On successful completion 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.

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:

  • Unit Outline
  • Professional Field Visits Guide

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

  • ​​2 Mar, 30 Mar, 4 May & 1 Jun
  • Participation at all workshops is expected.
  • 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, 14 Mar, 5-6pm AEDT
  • Wed, 31 May, 5-6pm AEST
  • Participation at both workshops is expected

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 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

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

http://files.acecqa.gov.au/files/National-Quality-Framework-Resources-Kit/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 Unit Outline.

 

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Undergraduate students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/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/study/getting-started/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

  • Asst 1A Reflection Journal
  • Asst 1B Reflection Journal
  • Assessment 2

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

  • Asst 1A Reflection Journal
  • Asst 1B Reflection Journal
  • 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

  • Asst 1A Reflection Journal
  • Asst 1B Reflection Journal
  • 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

  • Asst 1A Reflection Journal
  • Asst 1B Reflection Journal
  • 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.

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.