Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood)

EDU10001 Introduction to Curriculum Planning and Assessment: Practicum 1

• How children learn in the early years
• Teaching with intention
• Expectations for young children
• Self-assessment of teaching
• Learning experiences
• Promoting confidence and engagement in learning
• Adapting teaching methods to the young children’s skills, knowledge and interests
• Demonstrating an awareness of children's interest contemporary technologies
• Recognising individual difference and supporting learning accordingly
• Promoting collaborative learning among children
• Engaging collaboratively with colleagues and contributing to reflective practice
• Planning for and assessing children’s learning in the early years
• Creating and maintaining safe, healthy and challenging early years learning environments
• Using relevant documents to plan, implement and evaluate learning experiences
• Intervening effectively to encourage appropriate behaviour and deal with inappropriate behaviour
• Using a range of practices and resources and materials to support children’s learning
• Relevant curriculum documents
• Link practices with key ideas in the national Early Years Learning Framework
• Family partnerships - strategies for communication with families
• Curriculum, theory and assessment
• Links between theory, research and practice
• Collaborating with families
• Code of Ethics
• Graduate Teachers Standards

EDU10002 Understanding Language and Literacy

• What is literacy?
• What is multi-literacy?
• Theories of literacy
• Theories of language development: behaviourist, nativist, interactionist, cultural-historical
• How language and literacy develop
• Culture, language and oral traditions
• Components of language: phonology, semantics, grammar, morphology, pragmatics
• Multi-lingualism
• Contemporary research into literacy development
• Technology, multimedia and literacies
• Working with families to support language development

EDU10003 The World of Maths

• Mathematics vs numeracy
• Mathematics vs numeracy in learning environments (are we preparing children with adequate numeracy skills?)
• The Golden Ratio, Tessellations, Spirographs, Oragami
• Thinking mathematically
• National Curriculum content
• Relation to maths in the world
• Theory of children’s development related to maths
• Maths as a real world subject
• Overcoming maths anxiety
• Becoming engaged and enthusiastic about mathematics and numeracy
• Problem solving skills related to numeracy
• The Origins of number and base 10 counting system
• Numeracy, Mathematics and ICTs
• Contemporary research into teaching and learning mathematics

EDU10004 Theories of Teaching and Learning

• Complexities of learning
• What is a learning theory?
• Where do theories come from and how are they used?
• Benefits and limitations of learning theories
• Application of learning theories to practice
• World views and their impact on practice
• Behavioral perspectives
• Cognitive perspectives
• Constructivist/Socio-cultural perspectives
• Post structural perspectives
• Contemporary theories from different perspectives
• Teaching and learning processes/pedagogy
• Learning and teaching with Virtual Learning Environments
• Overview of how research is used in education
• Qualitative and quantitative methods

EDU10005 Indigenous Education and Perspectives

• History and culture of Australia’s first nation Aboriginal people
• The positioning of Indigenous and traditional education systems within the nation state
• The impact of colonisation and issues related to the retaining and maintaining Indigenous and traditional knowledge through education
• The role of international organisations in protecting, preserving and maintaining Indigenous and traditional education systems
• Current and past contributions of Indigenous people
• Contemporary contexts for Indigenous people
• Reconciliation and its implications for teachers
• Anti-Bias Curriculum
• Contemporary research into cross-curriculum dimension of Indigenous perspetives
• Integrating authentic Indigenous studies in the curriculum
• Indigenous perspectives and pedagogy in and Implications for teaching not only Indigenous children but all children.
• Information Technology and Indigenous people
• Roles of teachers in supporting reconciliation in a post-apology Australia

EDU10006 Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century

• What is 21st century learning?
• What does it mean and how and why is it different.
• Personalised learning and the autonomous learner
• Teachers building learning around the needs of children, rather than learners conforming to the system
• New views of equity, diversity and inclusivity: Diversity needs to be recognised as strength and be actively fostered to encompass everyone's variations, differences, cultures and backgrounds.
• Curriculum that uses deep knowledge: curriculum in early childhood and primary education that is designed to create knowledge rather than acquiring it through a content transmission approach.
• Rethinking learners and teachers roles
• Moving beyond seeing learning in terms of being student-centered or teacher-driven and instead to think about how learners and teachers would work together in a knowledge-building, learning environment.
• A culture of lifelong learning
• Twenty-first century educational thinking requires teachers (as well as students) to see themselves as lifelong learners, able to adapt to changing educational circumstances and changing groups and needs of students.
• Future oriented education, leadership and innovation: skilled leaders; expert teachers; collaborations; advocates for change; shared exemplary practice; holistic approach; culture of continuous learning and innovation; new technologies; Developing a vision.
• The role of new technologies: how technologies that have transformed our jobs, our homes, and our lives, can also transform our schools. Multiliteracies.
• Technology in practice: key trends and emerging technologies that can be used in teaching and learning
• Global perspectives and social change: globalisation and a dynamically changing global world – the impact on education.

EDU10007 Contemporary Perspectives of Learning and Development for Early Childhood

• Revision of traditional and contemporary theoretical approaches (including humanist, behaviourist, social constructivist, social learning, ecological, critical, queer, post-structuralist, social cultural-historical)
• Revision of development and learning as categorised in the national Early Years Learning Framework
• Identity, contribution and connection to the world, wellbeing, confident learner, communicator
• Historical and philosophical underpinnings of each childhood education
• Traditional and contemporary influential philosophies and approaches (Reggio Emilia, Steiner, Montessori, Te Whariki)
• Past and present images of children and childhood
• Contemporary research perspectives of child and childhood
• The sociology of childhood
• The effects on children and families of attitudes to social class, gender, ethnicity, race and the dominant culture
• Cross-cultural perspectives on children, childhood and early childhood education

EDU20001 Developing Literacy

• Government policy and curriculum on literacy – links to EYLF and The National Curriculum
• Teaching reading, writing, speaking, listening
• New literacies and inclusion
• Literacy assessment
• Supporting multi-literacies
• Contemporary research into meta-cognition and meta-linguistics
• Planning for literacy learning
• Strategies to support informal literacy learning
• Strategies to enable ICT to expand literacy teaching
• Technological Interventions in Early Literacy
• Strategies to teach children whose home/first language is a language other than English
• Effective literacy programming options for children in school-based group settings

EDU20002 Mathematics in Practice

• Mathematics in Early Childhood education
• Pedagogical approaches to mathematics in early childhood and early primary environments
• Supporting children’s development of numeracy skills
• Strategies to support informal numeracy skills
• Australian curriculum outcomes for Mathematics from Foundation to Grade 2
• Mathematics vs. numeracy
• Formal vs. informal numeracy learning
• Strategies to enable ICT to expand numeracy teaching
• Planning and assessing mathematics in early childhood and early primary settings
• Creating a numerate environment

EDU20003 Contemporary Perspectives of Learning and Development

• Revision of traditional and contemporary theoretical approaches (including humanist and behaviourist, social constructivist, social learning, ecological, critical, queer, post-structuralist, social cultural-historical)
• The sociology of childhood
• Ecology of the child
• Ecology of socialisation
• Emotional, physical and cognitive development
• Issues that affect the school aged child in the 21st century eg bullying, social media and childhood obesity
• The role of effective learning environments

EDU20004 Understanding and Supporting Behaviour

• Factors that influence behavior in the learning environment
• Principles, policies and practices for establishing a productive learning environment
• Frameworks and models for understanding and responding to a range of challenging student behaviours
• Positive behavior support principles and practice
• Classroom climate
• Restorative practice
• Behaviour management techniques
• Behaviour intervention versus preventative behavior techniques
• External organisations and agencies working with families
• Considerations for right of ethics

EDU20005 Sustainable Education and Perspectives

• Definitions of sustainability and environmental education
• The nature of Education for Sustainability
• History of Education for Sustainability
• Global perspectives on Education for Sustainability
• Rationales for including Education for Sustainability in the curriculum
• Ecological literacy
• Developing an Education for Sustainability curriculum
• Creating and maintaining natural play spaces
• The Forest school movement
• Case studies of sustainable practice, natural play spaces and Forest schools
• The Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative (AuSSI)

EDU20006 Curriculum, Planning and Assessment for Primary: Practicum 2

• Engagement in a professional practicum under the guidance of a mentor teacher
• Lower primary School (Foundation to Grade 2) curriculum policies and documents
• Introduction to assessment practices their relationship to effective learning
• Lesson planning and documentation
• Forming professional relationships
• Self-assessment of teaching performance
• Creating and maintaining a safe and challenging learning environment
• Using a range of teaching practices and resources
• Strategies for supporting students' well-being and safety, including policy and legislative requirements
• Strategies for evaluating learning and teaching programs to improve learning
• Applying ICT strategies to engage literacy and numeracy teaching
• Code of Conduct
• Code of Ethics
• Graduate Professional Teachers Standards

EDU30001 Imagining the World through Language and Literature

• Criteria for selecting literature for children from birth, based on knowledge of a range of theories of literary criticism (for example, structuralism, post modernism, feminism)
• Exploration of a range of children's literature including:
• genres in children’s literature (for example, picture books, big books and illustrated texts, poetry, narrative/novels (fantasy, historical, realistic), short stories, informational texts)
• folklore and fairy tales
• the oral tradition
• significant authors
• historical and contemporary trend
• literature for different age groups
• cultural influences on literature
• Strategies that support children's appreciation and understanding of literature
• Relationships between children's literature and social contexts and cultures
• Effective storytelling in early childhood

EDU30002 Science and Technology

• The nature of science and scientific thinking
• The fundamentals of technology – how things work
• Attitudes and dispositions – a sense of wonder
• Science experiences for children birth to eight years
• Essential instructional content for teaching science and technology up to and including Grade 2
• The use of ICT for communication purposes and for work preparation, presentation and implementation
• Integrating science in the curriculum
• Design and sequencing of tasks in teaching science and technology
• Enquiry-based and problem-solving approaches
• Dealing with diversity and individual differences
• Maintaining a safe and challenging learning environment in school-based science classes
• Tools and practices for assessing, recording and reporting on children’s learning in science and technology
• Using ICT to facilitate children’s learning
• Federal and State departmental policy documents relating to teaching science and technology and their implications for teaching

EDU30003 Curriculum, Planning and Assessment for Infants: Practicum 3

• How infants and toddlers learn
• Self-assessment of teaching performance
• Assessing, reflecting and planning infants’ and toddlers’ learning
• Appropriate learning opportunities in the first two years
• Recognising individual differences and supporting learning accordingly
• Engaging collaboratively with colleagues and families
• Creating and maintaining healthy, safe and rich learning environments that support learning
• Helping infants and toddlers begin to learn to guide their own behaviour
• Strategies for evaluating learning and teaching programs to improve learning (e.g. environmental checklists)
• Practices and resources for supporting and assessing infants’ and toddlers’ learning
• Implementing a holistic notion of curriculum with infants and toddlers (e.g. treasure blanket)
• Routines and transitions
• Sensorial play
• Attachment theory and its implications for practice
• Importance of attachments, supported transitions and family-based approaches
• Code of Ethics
• Graduate EC Teachers Standards

EDU30004 Wellbeing and Resilience

• Theories of wellbeing including attachment theory
• Emotional wellbeing and involvement scales
• Common causes of stress in children
• Effective communication with children of different ages
• Resilience and development
• Collaborating respectfully with children, families and other professionals to develop plans to support constructive behaviour in individual children
• Impact of family, culture and community on children’s identity, behaviour and wellbeing
• Common contemporary factors that impact on children’s wellbeing
• Diverse theories about causes of disruptive or destructive behaviour
• Strategies for supporting constructive behaviour
• Setting up environments and implementing curriculum to promote positive behaviour

EDU30005 Understanding and Supporting Inclusion

• Inclusion – theory and practice (inclusive curriculum and environments)
• Ethics and inclusion
• Image and language of inclusion
• Family-centred practice - Work in partnership with families to access support, resources and additional services
• Strength-based approaches
• Early intervention services and specialists – roles, relationships and communication
• Policies, funding and legal requirements
• Characteristics of common disabilities such as Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Cerebral Palsy and Down Syndrome
• Inclusive pedagogy and practices that support children with particular types of disability
• Equity and social justice
• Anti-bias curriculum revision and how it supports children with additional needs
• Collaboration with other professionals
• Government policies and their impacts on funding

EDU30006 Families and Community

• What are the humanities in education?
• Communities and citizenship
• Cultural diversity and its impact on Australian communities
• Family structures and functioning in the contemporary Australian context and their impacts on children
• Cross-cultural child rearing
• Community engagement and partnerships
• Family-centered practice and its application to teaching in early childhood settings and schools
• Linking early learning services to their geographical and professional communities through strategic relationships

EDU30007 Imagining the World through the Arts

• The historical and pedagogical contexts for a creative arts curriculum
• The value of arts based curricula
• Inquiry based studio practices
• Exploring visual and aesthetic dimensions
• Exploring musical and rhythmic dimensions
• Exploring story and dramatic dimensions
• Creating an inclusive curriculum that encourages all children to participate in music, dance, drama and visual arts experiences
• The roles of the teacher in facilitating children's creative, aesthetic, musical and dramatic development and confidence
• Evaluating music, creative movement, and drama resources for children birth – 8 years using contemporary pedagogical frameworks
• Using voice and singing to promote language development, physical skills and movement.

EDU30008 Introduction to Educational Leadership and Management

• The nature of leadership and management
• The visionary leader
• Dispositions of leadership
• The critical importance of communication
• Developing philosophy
• Quality assurance: rethinking issues of quality
• Legal issues
• Occupational health and safety issues
• Strategic planning
• Effective communication skills
• Change management
• Marketing and promotion
• Administration in children’s services and schools
• Project management
• Ethical dilemmas and issues
• Financial management
• Systems operations
• Policies and governance
• Human resource management
• Policy development

EDU40001 The Healthy and Active Child

• Common childhood illnesses – symptoms and treatment
• Children’s growth
• Childhood nutrition
• First aid
• Safety issues in educational settings – policies, procedures and legal requirements
• Supervision for safety
• Emergency procedures in educational settings
• Hygiene
• The role of physically active play for health and wellbeing
• Challenging and creative educational environments
• Nature and outside play environments
• Physical education
• Teaching children about health, safety and nutrition
• Contemporary health issues
• Natural play spaces and connections with nature
• Risk aversion and benefit assessment
• Sharing information about children's health with children, families and communities
• Stress and the impacts of cortisol on children’s growth and development

EDU40002 Play and Environment

• Contemporary and cultural considerations with respect to children's play; an overview of the exploration of major theorists and theories
• Theories about and constructs of play
• Categories of play
• Pedagogy and play – the teacher’s role
• The environment as the third teacher – Reggio Emilia
• Setting up learning environments – theory of loose parts
• Indoor and outdoor play experiences
• Nature, natural materials and outdoor playspaces
• Selection and maintenance of learning materials and equipment
• Exploration of current understandings of the place of play in appropriate curriculum for children, in both school and prior-to-school settings
• Daily living experiences (routines) in early learning settings and their potential for learning
• Implications for multi and single age groups
• Equity and inclusion in play

EDU40003 Identity: The Early Childhood Professional

• Overview of children’s services in Australia
• History of children’s services in Australia
• Commonwealth and jurisdictional policies and initiatives in children’s services
• National Quality Reform Agenda
• Care-education divide
• Early Childhood Australia Code of Ethics
• United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
• Key components of early childhood education, including play, images of children, collaborations with families, diversity and difference and the critical importance of relationships
• What it means to be a professional and a member of a profession
• Maintain and strengthen their own resilience and wellbeing and contribute to others’ wellbeing
• What it means to be a professional
• Professional learning and identity
• Personal and professional resilience and wellbeing
• Reflective practice
• Professional associations, networks and collaborations
• Communities of practice
• Mentoring others

EDU40004 Advocacy and Social Justice

• Advocacy and the role of the professional
• Advocacy and professional identity
• Tools and dispositions for advocacy
• Critical and Socratic thinking
• Ethics and ethical decision making
• Ethical thinking and practice, including attention to the ECA Code of Ethics
• Anti-bias Curriculum
• The concept of global citizenship
• Interdependence and globalisation
• Identity and cultural diversity
• Social justice and human rights
• Peace building and conflict resolution
• Sustainable futures
• Rights of children – UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
• Diversity, equity and social justice
• Children’s agency
• Guiding children’s moral, social and ethical understandings
• Children as advocates
• Children as active contributors to communities – case studies

EDU40005 Ready to Teach Primary: Practicum 4e

• How children learn
• Transition to school
• Self-assessment of teaching performance
• Children’s cognitive, social and emotional development
• Managing groups of children
• Guiding children’s behaviour
• Adapting curriculum content to children’s abilities, knowledge, skills and interests
• Assessing children’s learning
• Recognising individual differences and adapting teaching accordingly
• Promoting collaboration and group learning among children
• Engaging collaboratively with colleagues and families
• Planning, assessing and evaluating for effective teaching
• Creating and maintaining safe, healthy and challenging learning environments
• Dealing effectively with typical inappropriate behaviour
• Using relevant curriculum documents to design learning experiences
• Using a range of teaching practices and resources
• Organisational policies and practices in primary school
• Code of Conduct
• Graduate Professional Teachers Standards

EDU40006 Ready to Teach Early Childhood: Practicum 5e

• Learning content/subject discipline areas for early childhood education
• Health and safety considerations
• Diversity, difference and inclusion
• Designing learning environments
• Organising the curriculum (including routines, transitions, timing, choices)
• Documenting planning decisions
• Assessing children’s learning
• Transition to school
• Inquiry-based and problem-solving approaches
• Diversity and individual differences
• Maintaining safe and challenging learning environments
• Tools and practices for assessing, recording and reporting on children’s learning
• The use of ICT to communicate and to plan, implement and evaluate curriculum.
• Code of Ethics
• Graduate EC Teachers Standards
• Advocacy

COM10003 Learning and Communicating Online

• Social media and communication technologies
• Models of online communication
• Current and evolving learning theories
• Identifying and evaluating sources of knowledge
• Critical analysis skills
• Referencing and attributing sources
• Creating and publishing in the online environment
• Strategies for reflecting on your own and others work