Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor, Lecturer, Tutor
Rebecca Andrews
Contact via contact via iLearn dialogue only
X5B 269
By appointment
Lecturer and Tutor
Sheila Degotardi
Contact via contact via iLearn dialogue only
X5B 367
By appointment
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Credit points |
Credit points
4
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
Admission to MTeach(Birth to Five Years) or GradCertEChild
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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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.
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
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.
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 |
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Electronic Communication
During semester time, staff may contact students using the following ways:
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 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
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:
3. Students are required to contribute to all online and workshop tasks
4.. All assessment tasks must be submitted
Professional Field Visits Placement Expectations
**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
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.
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).
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 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.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
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.
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