Unit Guide

General Information

Unit convenor and teaching staff	Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and Lecturer Philip Li philip.li@mq.edu.au Contact via Email/ilearn Room 217, 29 Wally's Walk By appointment Tutor and Marker Iliana Skrebneva iliana.skrebneva@mq.edu.au Contact via Email/iLearn Room 242, 29 Wally's Walk Friday 11am - 13pm Tutor and Marker Elizabeth Arrabalde arrabalde@bigpond.com Contact via Email/iLearn Room 242, 29 Wally's Walk By appointment
Credit points	Credit points 10
Prerequisites	Prerequisites (130cp at 1000 level or above including ECH120 or ECHE120 or ECHE1200 or ACSH100 or ACOM1001 or ECHE2200) or (130cp at 1000 level or above and admission to BTeach(ECS))
Corequisites	Corequisites
Co-badged status	Co-badged status
Unit description	Unit description This unit introduces students to the macro context in which they teach. Students will critically consider the socio-political context of early childhood education; management and governance structures of schools and prior-to-school settings; and the legal and professional accountabilities of early childhood teachers. From studying this unit students will develop foundational understandings of effective management and leadership, an awareness of their professional and legal responsibilities, skills in policy development, and critical understandings of children's rights and quality early childhood education.

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:

ULO1: Understand and critically engage with the ever changing socio-political and legal context within which schools and early childhood settings operate.
ULO2: Have developed a critical awareness of diverse early childhood and school management structures, and the implications of each for teachers' organisational roles and responsibilities.
ULO3: Have a sound working knowledge of teachers' legal and professional accountabilities, as per federal and state government legislation and professional standards.
ULO4: Critique organisational policies, and understand how centre/school policies play a critical role in supporting teachers to meet their legal and professional accountabilities.
ULO5: Demonstrate a commitment to leading and managing and leading ethically and professionally, with due regard for children's rights.
ULO6: Appreciate the impact of effective management and leadership on the provision of quality education for young children.
ULO7: Understand the importance that a leader's professional values, judgement and vision play in the ways they and their school/early childhood setting engages with the socio-political and legal context.
ULO8: Consider systems or policy advocacy as a professional responsibility.

General Assessment Information

Assessment Presentation and 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
It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that all assessments are successfully submitted through Turnitin.
Faculty assignment cover sheets are NOT required.

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.

Please note:

Students should regularly save a copy of all assignments before submission,
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

In general, there should be no need for extensions except through illness or misadventure that would be categorised as serious and unavoidable disruption according to the University definition of same, see: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/my-study-program/special-consideration

Applications for extensions must be made via AskMQ according to the Special Consideration policy. Extensions can only be granted if they meet the Special Considerations policy and are submitted viahttps://ask.mq.edu.au/. This will ensure consistency in the consideration of such requests is maintained.

Late submissions: Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – two (2) marks out of 100 will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g., quizzes, online tests. Late penalties are applied by unit convenors or their delegates after tasks are assessed.

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.

Requesting a re-assessment of an assignment

If you have evidence that your task has been incorrectly assessed against the grade descriptors you can request a re-mark. To request a re-mark you need to contact the unit convenor within 7 days of the date of return of the assignment and provide a detailed assessment of your script against the task criteria. Evidence from your assignment must be provided to support your judgements.

Note:

Please do not request a re-mark for a Failed assessment as they are all double-marked as a part of the moderation process.
The outcome of a re-mark may be a higher/lower or unchanged grade.
Grades are standards referenced and effort is NOT a criterion.

Unit with Quiz Assessment

Online quizzes are an individual assessment task and MUST BE COMPLETED by each student individually. Similarities in responses between students will be checked and investigated for possible collusion. Please see the Academic Honesty Handbook for more information.

University policy on grading

Criteria for awarding grades for assessment tasks

Assignments will be awarded grades ranging from HD to F according to guidelines set out in the University's Grading Policy. The following descriptive criteria are included for your information.

Descriptive Criteria for awarding grades in the unit

In order to meet the unit outcomes and successfully pass this unit, students must make a genuine attempt at all assessment tasks. Where any submitted assessment task is considered to be unsatisfactory in this regard, the highest possible final grade that can be awarded for the unit will be 45.

Students will be awarded grades ranging from HD to F according to guidelines set out in the policy:https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/assessment-in-effect-from-session-2-2016

The following generic grade descriptors provide university-wide standards for awarding final grades.

Grade	Descriptor
HD (High Distinction)	Provides consistent evidence of deep and critical understanding in relation to the learning outcomes. There is substantial originality and insight in identifying, generating and communicating competing arguments, perspectives or problem solving approaches; critical evaluation of problems, their solutions and their implications; creativity in application as appropriate to the discipline.
D (Distinction)	Provides evidence of integration and evaluation of critical ideas, principles and theories, distinctive insight and ability in applying relevant skills and concepts in relation to learning outcomes. There is demonstration of frequent originality in defining and analysing issues or problems and providing solutions; and the use of means of communication appropriate to the discipline and the audience.
Cr (Credit)	Provides evidence of learning that goes beyond replication of content knowledge or skills relevant to the learning outcomes. There is demonstration of substantial understanding of fundamental concepts in the field of study and the ability to apply these concepts in a variety of contexts; convincing argumentation with appropriate coherent justification; communication of ideas fluently and clearly in terms of the conventions of the discipline.
P (Pass).	Provides sufficient evidence of the achievement of learning outcomes. There is demonstration of understanding and application of fundamental concepts of the field of study; routine argumentation with acceptable justification; communication of information and ideas adequately in terms of the conventions of the discipline. The learning attainment is considered satisfactory or adequate or competent or capable in relation to the specified outcomes
F (Fail)	Does not provide evidence of attainment of learning outcomes. There is missing or partial or superficial or faulty understanding and application of the fundamental concepts in the field of study; missing, undeveloped, inappropriate or confusing argumentation; incomplete, confusing or lacking communication of ideas in ways that give little attention to the conventions of the discipline.

Note: If you fail a unit with a professional experience component, the fail grade will be on your transcript irrespective of the timing of the placement.

Withdrawing from this unit

If you are considering withdrawing from this unit, please seek academic advice via https://ask.mq.edu.au before doing so as this unit may be a co-requisite or prerequisite for units in the following sessions and may impact on your progression through the degree.

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.

Assessment Tasks

Name	Weighting	Hurdle	Due
Blog Reflections	30%	No	11/4/2021
Leading a Learning Community	30%	No	varies
End of Semester Examination	35%	No	7/6/2021
ASSET Survey	5%	No	End of semester

Blog Reflections

Assessment Type ¹: Reflective Writing
Indicative Time on Task ²: 30 hours
Due: 11/4/2021
Weighting: 30%

On the basis of these weekly postings, critically reflect on the key learnings that you have developed. In 600 words, explain how your knowledge and skills about management and leadership of educational settings have developed through your engagement in this unit. Ask yourself, what have you learned that you think will be particularly useful to you as a leader or emerging leader in an early childhood setting? What, if anything, have you learned about yourself through your study of leadership in this unit? The three postings should help you to illustrate your learnings and emerging understanding of becoming an EC leader/manager. 600 words.

On successful completion you will be able to:

Understand and critically engage with the ever changing socio-political and legal context within which schools and early childhood settings operate.
Have developed a critical awareness of diverse early childhood and school management structures, and the implications of each for teachers' organisational roles and responsibilities.
Have a sound working knowledge of teachers' legal and professional accountabilities, as per federal and state government legislation and professional standards.
Critique organisational policies, and understand how centre/school policies play a critical role in supporting teachers to meet their legal and professional accountabilities.
Demonstrate a commitment to leading and managing and leading ethically and professionally, with due regard for children's rights.
Appreciate the impact of effective management and leadership on the provision of quality education for young children.
Understand the importance that a leader's professional values, judgement and vision play in the ways they and their school/early childhood setting engages with the socio-political and legal context.
Consider systems or policy advocacy as a professional responsibility.

Leading a Learning Community

Assessment Type ¹: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task ²: 30 hours
Due: varies
Weighting: 30%

Assessment #2 comprises of two parts: Part 1 – is based on a group COLLABORATION and Part 2 – is based on your INDIVIDUAL REFLECTIONS. The requirements for each part is specified separately. For Part 1, students may be allocated the same grade/mark as a group, or this could be varied depending on your participation/contribution. Peer assessment of the tutorial presentations will also be considered in determining your grade for Part 1. For Part 2, an individual grade/mark will be allocated on the basis of the 400 words submitted. 400 words.

On successful completion you will be able to:

Understand and critically engage with the ever changing socio-political and legal context within which schools and early childhood settings operate.
Have developed a critical awareness of diverse early childhood and school management structures, and the implications of each for teachers' organisational roles and responsibilities.
Have a sound working knowledge of teachers' legal and professional accountabilities, as per federal and state government legislation and professional standards.
Critique organisational policies, and understand how centre/school policies play a critical role in supporting teachers to meet their legal and professional accountabilities.
Demonstrate a commitment to leading and managing and leading ethically and professionally, with due regard for children's rights.
Appreciate the impact of effective management and leadership on the provision of quality education for young children.
Understand the importance that a leader's professional values, judgement and vision play in the ways they and their school/early childhood setting engages with the socio-political and legal context.
Consider systems or policy advocacy as a professional responsibility.

End of Semester Examination

Assessment Type ¹: Examination
Indicative Time on Task ²: 30 hours
Due: 7/6/2021
Weighting: 35%

The final assessment task in ECH315 is a two hour written exam. The exam will include a series of multiple-choice and short answer questions and a short essay based on the topics covered in this Unit. You will be assessed on your ability to apply the material covered in the Unit to each of the scenarios, and your capacity to critically and thoughtfully meet your legal and professional accountabilities.

On successful completion you will be able to:

Understand and critically engage with the ever changing socio-political and legal context within which schools and early childhood settings operate.
Have developed a critical awareness of diverse early childhood and school management structures, and the implications of each for teachers' organisational roles and responsibilities.
Have a sound working knowledge of teachers' legal and professional accountabilities, as per federal and state government legislation and professional standards.
Critique organisational policies, and understand how centre/school policies play a critical role in supporting teachers to meet their legal and professional accountabilities.
Demonstrate a commitment to leading and managing and leading ethically and professionally, with due regard for children's rights.
Appreciate the impact of effective management and leadership on the provision of quality education for young children.
Understand the importance that a leader's professional values, judgement and vision play in the ways they and their school/early childhood setting engages with the socio-political and legal context.
Consider systems or policy advocacy as a professional responsibility.

ASSET Survey

Assessment Type ¹: Report
Indicative Time on Task ²: 5 hours
Due: End of semester
Weighting: 5%

Completing the Annual Student Survey of Education for Teaching (ASSET) Survey is part of the assessment for this unit. The ASSET findings will provide the Department of Educational Studies with a detailed understanding of our students and their experiences; including, who they are, their attitudes and beliefs about education, and how prepared they feel to work as teachers. In addition, as part of the registration of the Department of Educational Studies teacher preparation programs with the NSW Education Standards Authority, we are specifically required to collect impact data on programs. The proposed annual survey will serve the purpose of providing part of these mandatory data. Further, it will provide the Department of Educational Studies with valuable information to revise and improve the programs offered to students. Finally, you may elect to make your de-identified data available to researchers in the Department if you choose.

On successful completion you will be able to:

Understand and critically engage with the ever changing socio-political and legal context within which schools and early childhood settings operate.

¹ If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

² Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Lectures and tutorials (for internal students) begin in Week 1 of Session.

Activities completed during weekly tutorials (internal) or on campus days (external) are essential for building the core knowledge and/or skills required to demonstrate the learning outcomes of this unit [and to meet the AITSL Graduate Teacher Standards and/or ACECQA requirements]. Attendance at all tutorials or on campus days is expected and the roll will be taken.

Students are required to attend the tutorial in which they are enrolled. Any changes to tutorial enrolments must be completed officially through e-student. Please do not contact the unit convenor requesting a change.

Unit Expectations

Students are expected to read weekly readings before completing tasks and attending tutorials
Students are expected to listen/attend weekly lectures before completing tasks and attending tutorials
In order to be eligible for a passing grade, students must meet the following attendance requirements:

Internal Students: Participate in at least 80% of all tutorials – punctuality is expected. Consistent lateness or absence will jeopardise a passing grade

External Students: Participate in all on-campus sessions – punctuality is expected.
All assessment tasks must be submitted

Note: It is not the responsibility of unit staff to contact students who have failed to submit assignments. If you have any missing items of assessment, it is your responsibility to make contact with the unit convenor.

Electronic Communication

It is the student’s responsibility to check all electronic communication on a regular weekly basis. Communication may occur via:

Official MQ Student Email Address
The Dialogue function on iLearn
Other iLearn communication functions

School of Education Relevant Documents

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

* Academic Honesty Handbook

* Unit Reading & Assessment Guides

REQUIRED AND RECOMMENDED TEXTS AND/OR MATERIALS

Required texts:

Waniganayake, M., Cheeseman, S., Fenech, M., Hadley, F., & Shepherd, W. (2017). Leadership. Contexts complexities in early childhood education (2nd Ed.). South Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

Students will access additional required readings from the library e-reserve or the unit ILearn page.

Unit Schedule

All students are expected to have listened to the weekly lecture and completed all assigned readings BEFORE tutorials or on-campus sessions.

External students on-campus days for this unit will be held on Thursday 23rd and Friday 24th April. Time and room details will be posted on the Unit iLean page closer to the on-campus dates. Sessions run at the on-campus day will provide external students with the opportunity to clarify unit content and undertake activities similar to those covered in the tutorials for internal students. They are essential to student engagement and learning and attendance on both days is expected. Failure to attend, or to have an approved Special Consideration Request for non-attendance, may result in a Fail grade for the unit.

External students are expected to have listened to the weekly lectures and completed all assigned readings up to the date of the on-campus days.

UNIT iLEARN PAGE

The unit iLearn page contains links to all of the lectures and readings required for this unit. In addition a discussion forum is provided. Internal and external students are expected to access the discussion forum for peer interaction, support and general questions directed to the unit coordinator. The unit coordinator will monitor the website regularly but the discussion board is essentially provided for students to talk with each other. The logon for the web site can be found at: https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/login/MQ/

Ilearn is used to communicate general announcements and provide a forum for discussion about unit content. All students are expected to visit this site regularly (at least once each week) to keep up to date with announcements and postings, and to communicate with peers enrolled in this unit. It is expected that all postings made on iLearn will relate to the Unit and will be done respectfully and constructively.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

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

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) 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 or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

School of Education Procedures

In addition, the following policies and procedures of the School of Education are applicable in this unit.

Attendance for undergraduate units

All Internal tutorials begin in Week 2 of the Session.

Activities completed during weekly tutorials (internal) or on-campus days (external) are essential for building the core knowledge and/or skills required to demonstrate the learning outcomes of this unit [and to meet the AITSL Graduate Teacher Standards and/or ACECQA requirements]. Attendance at all tutorials or on-campus days is expected and the roll will be taken.

Unit Expectations

· Students are expected to read weekly readings before completing tasks and attending tutorials

· Students are expected to listen/attend weekly lectures before completing tasks and attending tutorials

Electronic Communication

It is the student’s responsibility to check all electronic communication on a regular weekly basis. Communication may occur via:

· Official MQ Student Email Address

· The Dialogue function on iLearn

· Other iLearn communication functions

External Students

1. The on-campus sessions on 23 - 24 April 2021 are essential to student engagement and learning and attendance on all days is expected. Failure to attend or to have an approved Special Consideration, may result in a Fail grade for the unit. Please see attendance requirements in this unit guide.

2. Prior to the on-campus sessions, you should have read the prescribed readings and listened to the lectures. Summarise the main points and make a note of the key terms and definitions. Prepare any discussion questions of your own that you wish to share.

3. Please make effective use of the online component of the unit and access iLearn regularly. Keep up to date with listening to the lectures on a weekly basis.

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 help you improve your marks and take control of your study.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources.

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

If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@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.

Unit information based on version 2021.03 of the Handbook

Macquarie University

ECHE3150 – Leading and Managing as Early Childhood Teachers

2021 – Session 1, Special circumstances

General Information

Important Academic Dates

Learning Outcomes

General Assessment Information

Assessment Tasks

Blog Reflections

Leading a Learning Community

End of Semester Examination

ASSET Survey

Delivery and Resources

Unit Schedule

Policies and Procedures

Student Code of Conduct

Results

Student Support

Learning Skills

Student Services and Support

Student Enquiries

IT Help