School: Education

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

  • Unit Title

    Contemporary and Comparative Perspectives in Early Childhood Education
  • Unit Code

    ECE6150
  • Year

    2025
  • Enrolment Period

    1
  • Version

    2
  • Credit Points

    15
  • Full Year Unit

    N
  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus
    Online
  • Unit Coordinator

    Dr Fiona BOYLAN

Description

This unit will critique contemporary, historical and comparative perspectives in early childhood education and investigate issues that impact on policy development and implementation. Students will critically analyse international perspectives, play based and alternate pedagogies and curriculum approaches relating to early childhood education. The development of the early childhood educator's professional identity will be explored and the ethical responsibilities of early childhood educators scrutinised. Students will critically examine the knowledge and skills needed for leadership, working in teams and the administration of early childhood programs. Advocating for quality early childhood programs, "closing the gap" and the rise of integrated service provision will be examined. This unit will assist students to explore the many facets of work of the early childhood educator as a pedagogical leader in early childhood education.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Critique contemporary, historical and comparative perspectives in early childhood education and investigate issues that impact on policy development and implementation.
  2. Critically analyse international perspectives, play based and alternate pedagogies and curriculum approaches relating to early childhood education.
  3. Examine the development of the early childhood educator's professional identity as an advocate for children in relation to contemporary issues.
  4. Scrutinise the ethical and legal responsibilities of early childhood educators and the implications to practice.
  5. Articulate an early childhood vision and strategies for implementation.

Unit Content

  1. Contemporary, historical and comparative perspectives in early childhood education and the Australian early childhood policy agenda.
  2. Reggio Emilia; Highscope; Project approach; Forrest schools and Bush Kinder; Montessori; and Steiner approaches to curriculum.
  3. Early childhood educator's professional identity and the ethical and legal responsibilities of early childhood educators; The National Quality Standard; the EYLF; the Australian Curriculum; the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the ECA Code of Ethics, mandatory reporting and duty of care.
  4. Knowledge and skills needed for leadership, working in teams and the administration of early childhood programs.
  5. The role of educators as advocates in contemporary issues.
  6. Early childhood vision and strategies for implementation.

Learning Experience

ON-CAMPUS

Students will attend on campus classes as well as engage in learning activities through ECU's LMS

JoondalupMount LawleySouth West (Bunbury)
Semester 28 x 4 hour seminarNot OfferedNot Offered

For more information see the Semester Timetable

ONLINE

Students will engage in learning experiences via ECU’s LMS as well as additional ECU learning technologies

Additional Learning Experience Information

A combination of lectures, workshops, guest speakers, videos, practicum, required readings and group and individually assigned work are used to achieve the unit outcomes. Students are required to become independent autonomous learners, contributors in workshops and adaptable and responsive team members.

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescriptionValue
EssayEssay40%
AssignmentContemporary Issue in Early Childhood Education50%
JournalWeekly Reading Responses10%
ONLINE
TypeDescriptionValue
EssayEssay40%
AssignmentContemporary Issue in Early Childhood Education50%
JournalWeekly Reading Responses10%

Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Assessment

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. Informal vivas may be conducted as part of an assessment task, where staff require further information to confirm the learning outcomes have been met. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

Academic Integrity

Integrity is a core value at Edith Cowan University, and it is expected that ECU students complete their assessment tasks honestly and with acknowledgement of other people's work as well as any generative artificial intelligence tools that may have been used. This means that assessment tasks must be completed individually (unless it is an authorised group assessment task) and any sources used must be referenced.

Breaches of academic integrity can include:

Plagiarism

Copying the words, ideas or creative works of other people or generative artificial intelligence tools, without referencing in accordance with stated University requirements. Students need to seek approval from the Unit Coordinator within the first week of study if they intend to use some of their previous work in an assessment task (self-plagiarism).

Unauthorised collaboration (collusion)

Working with other students and submitting the same or substantially similar work or portions of work when an individual submission was required. This includes students knowingly providing others with copies of their own work to use in the same or similar assessment task(s).

Contract cheating

Organising a friend, a family member, another student or an external person or organisation (e.g. through an online website) to complete or substantially edit or refine part or all of an assessment task(s) on their behalf.

Cheating in an exam

Using or having access to unauthorised materials in an exam or test.

Serious outcomes may be imposed if a student is found to have committed one of these breaches, up to and including expulsion from the University for repeated or serious acts.

ECU's policies and more information about academic integrity can be found on the student academic integrity website.

All commencing ECU students are required to complete the Academic Integrity Module.

Assessment Extension

In some circumstances, Students may apply to their Unit Coordinator to extend the due date of their Assessment Task(s) in accordance with ECU's Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000001386.

Special Consideration

Students may apply for Special Consideration in respect of a final unit grade, where their achievement was affected by Exceptional Circumstances as set out in the Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000003318.

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