Course Title: Professional Experience: Principles and Practices in Early Childhood Education
Part A: Course Overview
Course Title: Professional Experience: Principles and Practices in Early Childhood Education
Credit Points: 12.00
Terms
Course Code |
Campus |
Career |
School |
Learning Mode |
Teaching Period(s) |
TCHE2622 |
Bundoora Campus |
Undergraduate |
360H Education |
Face-to-Face |
Sem 1 2020, Sem 1 2022, Sem 1 2023 |
TCHE2622 |
Bundoora Campus |
Undergraduate |
360H Education |
Internet |
Sem 2 2023, Sem 1 2024 |
Course Coordinator: Julie Carmel
Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 7804
Course Coordinator Email: julie.carmel@rmit.edu.au
Course Coordinator Location: Bundoora Bld 220
Course Coordinator Availability: By appointment
Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities
None
Course Description
This course is designed to develop your teaching practice in a work-integrated learning context, with children aged three to five years.
In this course you will explore curriculum documents and frameworks and study curriculum planning, programming and evaluation. You will extend your knowledge of social and emotional development in young children and an understanding of wellbeing and safety of children aged three to five years. You will explore transitions and continuity of learning, contemporary theories and ethics in professional practice.
The course includes a 20 day work integrated learning experience in which your knowledge and skills will be applied and assessed in a real or simulated workplace context and where feedback from industry and/ or community is integral to your experience.
Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development
Program Learning Outcomes
In this course you will develop the following program learning outcomes:
- Demonstrate broad and coherent theoretical and technical knowledge in education
- Critically analyse and apply theoretical and practical knowledge and skills to your professional practice in curriculum, pedagogy and assessment across a range of disciplines, reflecting a graduate level of proficiency in teaching
- Apply initiative, judgement, creativity, critical thinking and problem solving skills and the capacity to work responsibly, ethically and inclusively in individual and collaborative professional contexts to enhance your practices
- Show commitment to professional learning by being an independent, open-minded, resilient and critically reflective learner, seeking out, learning from constructive feedback and adapting to meet the demands of the profession
- Communicate effectively with different stakeholders in the education field through a broad range of communication modes and digital technologies in diverse educational contexts.
Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:
| Course Learning Outcomes: | AITSL Standards |
CLO1. Describe and analyse how contemporary theories impact on early childhood practice and policy development |
1.2 |
CLO2. Explain and discuss the pedagogy, principles and practices underpinning current learning and development in early childhood education |
1.1, 1.2 |
CLO3. Understand relevant legislative, administrative and organisational policies and processes that apply to Early Childhood educators |
7.2 |
CLO4. Understand the importance of transitions and continuity of learning |
1.2 |
CLO5. Engage with children aged 3-5 in developmentally appropriate ways based on theoretical understandings of child development |
1.2, 4.1, 4.4 |
CLO6. Design and evaluate key elements of quality learning environments for young children. |
3.1, 3.2 |
Overview of Learning Activities
Your learning in this course will involve a range of activities including online lectures, workshops, practical activities, individual tasks, collaborative group work, discussion and individual reflection. You are required to be proactive and self-directed in your learning, asking questions of your lecturer, mentor teacher and/or peers and seeking out information as required, especially from the numerous sources available through the RMIT library, and through links and material specific to this course that is available through myRMIT Studies Course Site.
This is the first in a series of Early Childhood professional experience courses within the Primary Early Childhood Specialisation (PEC). This course is designed to develop your teaching practice in a work-integrated learning context. You will be required to complete a 20-day placement in a kindergarten setting with children aged 3-5.
Overview of Learning Resources
RMIT University will support your access to learning resources for this course. Readings from current educational literature will be provided through your online course site and will be drawn from highly regarded academic journals, books and conferences as well as reports, websites and other online resources.
The University Library provides extensive scholarly resources to supplement your suggested readings and research and is able to request books or articles from any library in the world. Guides to the literature in your discipline area are available from http://rmit.libguides.com/sb.php?subject_id=67929
Assistance with referencing and avoiding plagiarism is available here http://www1.rmit.edu.au/library/referencing
The Library and the Study and Learning Centre are also on hand to support and assist in the development of your academic skills to make best use of such resources within your academic studies. http://www1.rmit.edu.au/library
Overview of Assessment
You will be assessed on how well you meet the course’s learning outcomes and on your development against the program learning outcomes. Assessment will cover both theoretical and practical aspects of your learning. You will be able to develop your work in relation to your own specific areas of interest in your professional practice.
Assessment Task 1 Written Report discussing how EC educators apply knowledge of social and emotional development of children aged 3-5 to encourage, develop and establish respectful relationships. (50%) CLO1, CLO2,
Assessment Task 2: Portfolio An analysis of the learning environment and written observations, planned play spaces and reflection. (50%) CLO1, CLO2, CLO3, CLO4, CLO5, CLO6
Assessment in this course is directly connected to your successful participation in professional experience. The end-of-placement report from your supervising teacher(s) on your professional development and participation in professional experience is an important component of your assessment. It will provide evidence of your ability to demonstrate the relevant professional practices and course learning outcomes specifically associated with the assessment tasks in the course.
Feedback will be given on all assessment tasks.
In order to pass this course, you are required to receive a satisfactory assessment on your professional experience, in accordance with expectations outlined below in this course guide. If you fail to meet this requirement, for reasons other than those approved by special considerations, you will not pass the course. If granted Special Consideration, you will become eligible to complete supplementary professional experience to pass the course.
If you have a long term medical condition and/or disability it may be possible to negotiate to vary aspects of the learning or assessment methods. You can contact the program coordinator or the Equitable Learning Services if you would like to find out more.
Your course assessment conforms to RMIT assessment principles, regulations, policies, procedures and instructions which are available for review online: http://www.rmit.edu.au/students/assessment