Program Overview

Unit of Study TCH10518 - Early Childhood Matters

Unit Snapshot

• Unit type: UG Coursework Unit
• Credit points: 12
• AQF level: 7
• Level of learning: Advanced
• Former School/College: Former School of Education
• Pre-requisites:
  • TCH10516 - Constructions of Childhood
  • OR TCH20002 - Children, Families and Communities
  • OR enrolled in Graduate Diploma in Education (Early Childhood)
• Co-requisites: TCH20002 - Children, Families and Communities
• Enrolment information: N/A

Unit Description

Provides students with an understanding of the key issues, debates, and challenges in contemporary early childhood education and care. Students develop skills to investigate and critically examine issues from a range of perspectives, and argue their position on these issues with reference to authoritative literature and their personal approach/philosophy of learning, development, and teaching within early childhood and care.

Unit Content

Module 1: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood Education and Care

1. Analysing what creates an issue within early childhood education and care? Identifying current issues in early childhood education and care.
2. Investigating issues of importance to the profession and educators.
3. Investigating issues of importance to parents and carers.
4. Investigating issues of importance to children.
5. Investigating issues identified by the media, or making 'news'.
6. Investigating issues of importance to local
   ational or international communities.

Module 2: Personal Position on a Contemporary Issue in Early Childhood Education and Care

1. Reflecting on personal approach/philosophy of ECEC against contemporary issues highlighted in Module 1.
2. Identifying the range of positions on a selected ECEC issue to establish your own position.
3. Positioning a personal view on a selected issue within ECEC.

Availabilities

Learning Outcomes and Graduate Attributes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand, and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes.

On Completion of This Unit, Students Should Be Able To:

1. Identify a range of issues important in early childhood education and care.
2. Analyse a range of positions highlighted in authoritative literature on contemporary issues related to early childhood education and care.
3. Work collaboratively within a team through the planning and implementation of a group project that creates scenarios of contemporary issues related to early childhood education and care and present the scenario as a role play.
4. Critically reflect on their personal approach/philosophy of learning, development, and teaching within early childhood education and care in relation to a personal position on contemporary issues.
5. Argue a position they will take on current issues in early childhood education and care, in relation to the literature.

Prescribed Learning Resources

Session 1

• Prescribed Texts: No prescribed texts.
• Prescribed Learning Resources may change in future Teaching Periods.

Graduate Attributes

• GA1: Intellectual rigour - A commitment to excellence in all scholarly and intellectual activities, including critical judgement.
• GA2: Creativity - An ability to develop creative and effective responses to intellectual, professional, and social challenges.
• GA3: Ethical practice - A commitment to sustainability and high ethical standards in social and professional practices.
• GA4: Knowledge of a discipline - Command of a discipline to enable a smooth transition and contribution to professional and community settings.
• GA5: Lifelong learning - The ability to be responsive to change, to be inquiring and reflective in practice, through information literacy and autonomous, self-managed learning.
• GA6: Communication and social skills - The ability to communicate and collaborate with individuals, and within teams, in professional and community settings.
• GA7: Cultural competence - An ability to engage with diverse cultural and Indigenous perspectives in both global and local settings.