Students

ECHE6030 – Early Childhood Professional Practice 1

2026 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-intensive, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Co-Convenor (First Contact)
Katie Wright
katie.wright@mq.edu.au
Contact via Contact via iLearn Dialogue
By appointment
Co-Convenor (Second Contact)
Rebecca Andrews
rebecca.andrews@mq.edu.au
Contact via Contact via iLearn Dialogue
By appointment
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
(ECED600 or ECHE6000 or ECED817) and (ECED602 or ECHE6020 or ECED819)
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit incorporates both specialist theory and practice in early childhood education by combining university-based study with a 15 day professional experience in an early childhood setting. Central to the unit is the exploration of a variety of theories on how children learn. Students learn to record thoughtful, reflective observations, to use intentional teaching strategies to plan an appropriate curriculum and to follow the planning cycle. A range of teaching strategies for guiding children's learning and behaviour are considered. Students also engage in critical reflection as part of their commitment to teaching. Students will utilise their coursework knowledge to complete a compulsory professional experience in a prior to school early childhood setting with children aged two to five years.

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: Demonstrate the link between theory, the Early Years Learning Framework and planning for children aged 2-5 years
  • ULO2: Systematically document and critically analyse the pedagogies and practices of teaching and learning, including ways to guide children's behaviour
  • ULO3: Demonstrate the capacity to articulate a personal philosophy of professional practice as a teacher of young children
  • ULO4: Interact and build relationships with young children
  • ULO5: Critically examine ideas, issues and principles connected with professional decision-making as a teacher in an early childhood setting
  • ULO6: Demonstrate an understanding of the role of the reflective practitioner

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due Groupwork/Individual Short Extension AI Approach
Newsletter 50% No 24/08/2026 Individual Yes Open
Professional Experience documentation 50% No 03/11/2026 Individual Yes Open

Newsletter

Assessment Type 1: Professional task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 9 hours
Due: 24/08/2026
Weighting: 50%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open

This assessment will enable students to articulate appropriate teaching strategies to use with children 2-5 years and determine appropriate strategies to guide the behaviour of young children. Word count: 1000 words.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Systematically document and critically analyse the pedagogies and practices of teaching and learning, including ways to guide children's behaviour

Professional Experience documentation

Assessment Type 1: Professional task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: 03/11/2026
Weighting: 50%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open

Professional Experience Documentation: Students submit material from their Professional Experience folder (what they did whilst on PE Placement). These are reflective tasks that are completed on PE. Word Count 4000 words
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate the link between theory, the Early Years Learning Framework and planning for children aged 2-5 years
  • Systematically document and critically analyse the pedagogies and practices of teaching and learning, including ways to guide children's behaviour
  • Demonstrate the capacity to articulate a personal philosophy of professional practice as a teacher of young children
  • Interact and build relationships with young children
  • Critically examine ideas, issues and principles connected with professional decision-making as a teacher in an early childhood setting
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the role of the reflective practitioner

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
  • Academic Success 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.

3 An automatic short extension is available for some assessments. Apply through the Service Connect Portal.

Delivery and Resources

Required Textbook

Arthur, L., Beecher, B., Death, E., Dockett, S., & Farmer, S. (2024). Programming and planning in early childhood settings. South Melbourne: Cengage Learning Australia

Required Resource

Australian Government Department of Education. (2022). Belonging, Being and Becoming. The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia V2.0. Commonwealth of Australia. https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-01/EYLF-2022-V2.0.pdf

Recommended Textbook

Porter, L. (2016). Young children’s behaviour. Guidance approaches for early childhood educators. (4th ed.). Allen and Unwin.

Information about the unit iLearn site   

This unit has a full web presence through iLearn. Information for students about access to the online component of this unit is available at https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/login/index.php. You will need to enter your student username and password.  

Please do NOT contact the Unit Convenor regarding iLearn technical help. Assistance is available from IT Helpdesk: via email onehelp@mq.edu.au or Ph: 9850 4357 or 1800 67 4357. On Campus: Ground floor at 18 Wally’s Walk. 

Unit Schedule

A schedule of ECHE6030 lectures, the three online tutorials, and readings by week will be available on the Learn site. 

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 connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

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

Academic Success

Academic Success provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

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

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit https://students.mq.edu.au/support/technology/service-desk. 

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.

School of Education Procedures 

In addition, the following policies and procedures for the Macquarie School of Education apply to this unit. 

 

Academic Progression Policy 

This unit is a part of a professional course listed on Schedules 2 and 3 of the Academic Progression Policy. This course has additional requirements that are applicable for the full duration of the course, including course-specific Inherent Requirements, Fitness to Practice requirements and other compulsory course requirements. It also has rigorous academic progression standards. Inability to meet these requirements may result in a withdrawal of offer of admission and/or permanent exclusion from the course in accordance with the General Coursework Rules. 

 

Fitness to practice in a Professional Experience unit

Macquarie University operates under a ‘Fitness to Practice’ model as specified in the University's Academic Progression Policy.  For this unit, this means that, when undertaking a placement, a student is declaring that they are able to demonstrate professional competence, acceptable professional behaviour, freedom from impairment, and compliance with program specific requirements needed for a student to practice properly and safely throughout their Practical, Clinical or Professional program or unit. It is the responsibility of the student to determine whether they are fit to undertake a placement. Therefore, if a student is feeling unfit to undertake a placement, they should not do so. For more information see the Academic Progression Policy. 

 

Communication 

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

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

 

Attendance and Participation 

See the University timetable for information about when classes begin in this unit. Creating your timetable - Enrolling | Macquarie University, Sydney (mq.edu.au). 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 to request a change. 

There is an attendance requirement in this unit. Initial Teacher Education (ITE) degrees must ensure that teacher education students meet unit learning outcomes, course learning outcomes and the Graduate level of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. Since units are within an accredited ITE degree, Macquarie School of Education is required to demonstrate these outcomes and standards have been taught, practised and assessed. To meet ‘taught, practiced and assessed’ accreditation requirements, ITE units have mandatory attendance, with an expectation of at least 80% attendance at tutorials. Please see your unit iLearn site for details of how to meet attendance requirements in this unit.

 

Professional Experience Unit Expectations 

·       Important Professional Experience information can be found on Education Commons – see iLearn for details of how to self-enrol in Education Commons 

·       Students must be able to present evidence of completion of mandatory requirements prior to session census date (or as otherwise advised) to receive a placement for Professional Experience. Please check your email from the Work Integrated Learning (WIL) Office. Requirements are outlined here: https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/professional-learning/pl-resources/pre-service-teacher-resources/induction-for-pre-service-teachers/mandatory-pre-requisites-for-pre-service-teachers-participating-   

·       Students must have submitted written assessment tasks and/or completed associated unit requirements scheduled prior to the commencement of the block. 

·       Students who are completing a unit offered by another Department are expected to inform and negotiate with that unit convenor about their professional experience block dates and discuss how that unit's requirements can be met. For some situations it may mean that a student is enrolled externally for that unit so that attendance for tutorials for that unit is not impacted.  

·       Feedback from Placement Support Team and/or Tertiary Supervisors and/or Supervising Teachers is of a general nature. It is incumbent on the student to check the requirements of any assessments or Professional Experience written tasks prior to submission. 

·       Students may not be able to commence their placement until all alleged academic honesty breaches have been investigated and resolved.  

·       The timing of placements can vary. For placements early in the session, fail grades may be approved by the university prior to the end of session for students who do not meet the placement expectations of the unit. 

·       If a student is identified as being In Need of Additional Support (INAS) for Professional Practice and/or Professional Experience written tasks, the Macquarie School of Education’s ‘Additional Support’ procedure will be activated.  

 

General Assessment Information

General Submission Information 

All written assessments must be submitted electronically. Please format assessments using 12-point font and 1.5 spacing. Submissions must meet the required file type and formatting specifications outlined in the assessment guidelines. If you are unsure about the file format or have technical difficulties, it is your responsibility to seek assistance before the submission deadline. Students should be careful to check that they submit the correct file for an assessment as no re-submissions will be accepted after the due date and time, including instances where students upload an incorrect file. It is not the responsibility of unit staff to contact students who have failed to submit assessments. If you have any missing items of assessment, it is your responsibility to contact the unit convenor. 

Turnitin plagiarism detection software is used to check all written assessments. It is the responsibility of all students to ensure that their submitted work is in a format compatible with Turnitin software for plagiarism checking. Students can use Turnitin’s Originality Report as a learning tool to improve their academic writing if this option is made available in the unit. 

Word limits are strictly applied, with + or – 10% applicable. Work above the word limit will not be marked.  

 

Academic Integrity

Students should be aware of and apply the University policy on academic integrity (see: https://policies.mq.edu.au/document/view.php?id=3).

 

Artificial Intelligence

https://students.mq.edu.au/study/assessment-exams/assessments/ai-and-assessment

https://policies.mq.edu.au/document/view.php?id=394

 

Special Consideration / Late Penalties 

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day to late submissions, up until the 7th calendar day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a mark of ‘0’ (zero) will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue.  

Important to note: 

Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs) will be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special consideration application. 

Students should not request an informal arrangement from their tutor, lecturer or Unit Convenor (or equivalent). 

Where an application for Special Consideration is approved and the outcome is an extension to the due date of a task, submissions that are received after the new due date will be subject to late penalties that are calculated from the new due date. This only applies where the outcome is an extension to the due date – see the Special Consideration Policy for a schedule of all possible outcomes.

A Special Consideration outcome may result in a new question or topic. 

Applications must be made via Service Connect.  

 

University Policy on Grading                                                                         

Assignments will be awarded grades ranging from HD to F according to guidelines set out in the University's Grading System and University Assessment Policy.  

To attain a pass or higher grade in Professional Experience a student must obtain a satisfactory in both the Professional Experience component and a pass or higher grade in the academic component. For Professional Experience units the Professional Experience Evaluation Report is marked as Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory. The Macquarie Teaching Performance Assessment (MQTPA - in final WIL/PEx units) is marked as Not met, Met or Exceeds. 

 

Results 

Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed because 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 Service Connect. 

 

Withdrawing from this unit 

If you are considering withdrawing from this unit, please seek academic advice via Service Connect before doing so as this unit may be a co-requisite or prerequisite for units in the following sessions and may impact your course progression. 

Unit information based on version 2026.03 of the Handbook