Units

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Sample subject outline - Semester 1 2013

Note: Subject outlines often change before the semester begins. Below is a sample outline.

Rationale

In increasingly uncertain times, early childhood professionals must engage in complex work in contexts characterised by shifting knowledge and changing professional relationships. Effective, competent and confident early childhood professionals must be able to explain and justify their stance on a range of issues, apply their specialised knowledge in diverse situations, make informed decisions based upon professional judgments, and understand and accept the consequences of their actions. In this unit, you will learn about professional ethics and responsibilities, professional dispositions, skills and strategies for working effectively with children families and communities, and the importance of critical reflection and ongoing professional learning. Although a number of these issues have been raised throughout your university course, this unit brings these issues together so that you will be able to respond confidently to situations that may arise in your future professional practice.

Aims

The aim of this unit is to deepen your knowledge and understanding of professionalism within education, and the related roles and responsbilities of an early childhood professional. Recognition and appreciation of professional and ethical behaviour, the principles of effective teaching and learning in the early years, and critically reflective practice underpin this unit. The unit will support you to reflect on, identify and articulate your core ideas, values and beliefs about effective teaching and learning in the early years in preparation for your transition to the profession.

Objectives

On completion of this unit, you should be able to:

1. Demonstrate understanding and commitment to the legal, ethical and professional responsibilities of early childhood teachers. [QCT Standard 10]
2. Build respectful, productive and collaborative relationships with children, families, colleagues and community members that promote and support effective teaching and learning. [QCT Standards 8 and 9]
3. Demonstrate understanding and commitment to critically reflective practice and ongoing professional learning. [QCT Standard 10].
4. Undertake ethical and meaningful assessment to promote and support effective teaching and learning. [QCT Standard 5]
5. Provide evidence of attaining acceptable standards of academic, professional and personal written English language literacies relating to this unit. [QCT Standard 2]

Content

This unit focuses on the complex roles and responsibilities of early childhood professionals in a range of settings catering for children birth-8 years. It critically examines professional and ethical behaviour, professional roles and relationships, and the principles underpinning effective teaching and learning in the early years. Strategies to support critically reflective practice on ongoing professional learning are explored and discussed.

Approaches to Teaching and Learning

You will deepen your knowledge and understanding of professionalism in early childhood education and care by engaging in a variety of learning activities, including lectures, workshops, personal research and reading. Your learning will be supported through collaborative reflective pracitce with peers (online and during workshops). Both assessment tasks are designed as learning experiences, and will support you to reflect on, identify and articulate your developing identity as an early childhood professional.

Assessment

Assessment in this unit is both formative and summative. There are two items of summative assessment. You are required to complete both assessment items satisfactorily, in order to gain an overall passing grade for this unit.Students can expect formative feedback through their engagement in collaborative reflection and discussion with staff and peers, online and in workshops. Summative feedback will be provided in the form of assessment rubrics, comments on individual assignments and general feedback provided through the Blackboard site for this unit.

Assessment name: Essay
Description: Personal teaching statement.
Length: 600 - 1000 words.
Relates to objectives: 1, 2, 3 & 5.
Weight: 50%
Internal or external: Both
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Mid-Semester

Assessment name: Critique (written)
Description: Ethical and meaningful assessment in ECEC.
Length: 600 - 1000 words.
Relates to objectives: 2, 3, 4 & 5.
Weight: 50%
Internal or external: Both
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Late-Semester

Academic Honesty

QUT is committed to maintaining high academic standards to protect the value of its qualifications. To assist you in assuring the academic integrity of your assessment you are encouraged to make use of the support materials and services available to help you consider and check your assessment items. Important information about the university's approach to academic integrity of assessment is on your unit Blackboard site.

A breach of academic integrity is regarded as Student Misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties.

Resource materials

References

Baptiste, N., & Reyes, L.- V. (2005). Understanding ethics in early care and education. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.
Dali, C., & Urban, M. (Eds.). (2010). Professionalism in early childhood education and care: International perspectives. New York: Routledge.
Fleer, M., Edwards, S., Hammer, M., Kennedy, A., Ridgway, A., Robbins, J., et al. (Eds). (2006).Early childhood learning communities: Sociocultural research in practice. Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Newman, L., & Pollnitz, L. (2005). Working with children and families: Professional, legal and ethical issues. Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Risk assessment statement

There are no out-of-the-ordinary risks associated with the general conduct of this unit. Workplace health and safety protocols in relation to computer use will apply.

Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of semester.

Last modified: 29-Oct-2012