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

This field studies unit engages you in the challenges of addressing social, cultural, political and legislative issues to provide quality inclusive educational experiences for young children. You will have opportunities to refine a number of techniques for teaching and working collaboratively with children, their parents, university peers, host teachers, university personnel, and other professionals. You will develop knowledge and understanding of the roles, responsibilities and relationships involved in working as an early childhood educator. You will formulate a personal approach to teaching and a plan for continuing self-directed professional education as a beginning teacher. This field studies unit also engages you with issues surrounding the law, ethics and professionalism as these relate to education in early childhood settings.

Designated Unit
This is a designated unit. Designated units are field experience units deemed to be critical to progress in your course. At the end of each semester, if you fail to achieve a satisfactory level of performance in a designated unit you may be eligible for a period of probation or exclusion.

Aims

The aims of this unit are to identify and discuss professional issues for beginning teachers in the early years and to develop strong links between research, theory and practice by emphasising inquiry- and evidence-based approaches to teaching and learning in early childhood settings.

Objectives

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

1. Design and implement meaningful and intellectually challenging learning experiences that are engaging and provide flexible learning experiences for the diverse range of individuals and groups in the early years. Learning experiences are to promote inquiry-based learning and negotiated curriculum. [QCT Standards 1, 2, 3 & 4]
2. Implement a range of monitoring and assessing techniques and use that information to inform ongoing teaching and improve the learning in the early years classroom [QCT Standard 5]
3. Create and maintain safe and supportive learning environments for early years learners and support students' personal development and participation in society [QCT Standards 6 & 7]
4. Develop productive and collaborative relationships with children, their parents, university peers and other professional personnel which form part of a learning community [QCT Standards 8 & 9]
5. Demonstrate commitment to reflective practice and lifelong learning and understand the responsibilities of working within legal and ethical frameworks and the professional obligations of teachers [QCT Standard 10]
6. Demonstrate acceptable standards of communication and professional responsibility [QCT Standards 2 & 9]

Content

This unit will cover the following topics and will contribute to your developing Professional Learning Profile:

• You will explore the complexities of the roles, responsibilities and relationships involved in working as an early childhood educator. This will involve working collaboratively with others to explore concepts relating to the professional work of teachers and your professional learning needs during the phase of your induction.


• You will identify and examine a range of contemporary early childhood issues, including ethical and legal issues.


• It explores the many dimensions of the professional practice of beginning teachers. A 33-day field experience is part of the process of induction into the education profession.


• It prepares you to move from course completion to beginning teaching and provides you with opportunities to investigate practical applications of theory and research.


• The unit content contributes to your Professional Learning Profile.

Approaches to Teaching and Learning

This unit focuses on professional learning and teaching in the early years of schooling. It will use a combination of keynote lectures, online teaching resources, tutorials, videos and online discussion forums. You will undertake self-directed learning tasks and your own research into contemporary issues.

Assessment

Assessment in the unit is both formative and summative and will be viewed in terms of the principle of 'assessment as learning'. Formative assessment is provided through verbal and online feedback, and through written comments on assignment work. There are two items of summative assessment in the unit: Field Studies and a Professional Learning Profile. Summative assessment will be based on a grade of Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory for each item. A grade of Satisfactory must be obtained in both summative assessment items to pass this unit.

This is a designated unit. Students who do not successfully complete both assessment items will be required to repeat the unit including the 33 days field experience.

Assessment name: Demonstration
Description: Supervised field experience in appropriate educational setting.
Length: 33 days of supervised teaching experience at a time specified by the university. This will incorporate some single day visits prior to the block period. Consult the Field Studies Calendar for specific dates.
Relates to objectives: 1 - 6
Internal or external: Both
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Final day FS

Assessment name: Professional Plans
Description: Building on from your learning goals identified from FS1 (which are mapped against the Professional Standards for Teachers) you will develop and refine a Professional Learning Profile that provides evidence of your emergent philosophy, values and beliefs about teaching as well as demonstrating your learning across the QCT's Professional Standards for Queensland Teachers
Length: 1800 words.
Due Date: At end of field studies block.
Relates to objectives: 1 - 6
Internal or external: Both
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: End FS

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

Texts

There is no set text for EDP422 however students will be required to download a copy of the Early Years Curriculum Guidelines from the QSA website

References:

Costantino, P.M. & De Lorenzo, M.N. (2009). Developing a professional portfolio: A guide for success. (3^rd ed.). New Jersey: Pearson

Risk assessment statement

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

The Commission for Children and Young People Act 2000 (Qld) requires that all students undertaking a field experience as part of this unit will need a valid suitability card or Blue Card which has been registered with QUT before they can commence their placement.

Please refer to http://www.studentservices.qut.edu.au/enrol/course/spec_req/bluecard.jsp for full details and appropriate forms.

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: 31-Oct-2012