(ECE6012) Professional Practice 1

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Acknowledgement of Country

We respectfully acknowledge and recognise the traditional owners, their Elders past and present, their descendants and kin as the custodians of this land.

Contents

1. About this unit

Key staff

Prerequisites

• ECE6009 - Early Childhood Development Learning and Teaching

Corequisites

Nil.

Mode of delivery

Hybrid, In person, Online Self-Paced

Placement unit

Yes

Class contact

Unit description

In this unit preservice teachers will undertake a period of professional experience that expose them to working with children and families in Long Day Care settings. Preservice teachers will undertake 15 days professional experience with children aged from 3 - 5 years, working collaboratively with staff, families and the community. Preservice teachers will begin to articulate and connect their philosophical and theoretical standpoints to view children as capable and competent learners. Preservice teachers will also learn how to utilise the Documentation of Planning Cycle when programming for children aged 3 – 5 years.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

  1.Critically engage with major theorists and articulate theories regarding children and childhoods aged 3 to 5 years.
  2.Apply documentation of planning cycle as a means to generate curriculum.
  3.Negotiate with a mentor teacher to design, implement and critically reflect on an educational program that responds to the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF- for Victorian students) and or the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF).

Learning and teaching strategies

Students will engage in critical thinking and reflection of practice taking place through work integrated learning. This will be achieved through a student-centred approach which builds on and honours their existing knowledge and experiences and challenges students to apply new learning in practice. Learning and assessment tasks will be appropriately scaffolded to maximise students' potential to succeed.  

Graduate capabilities

In addition to discipline knowledge, skills and their application, the study of this unit is intended to contribute to students developing the capabilities needed to be:

GC1.  Adaptable and capable 21st century citizens who can communicate effectively, work collaboratively, think critically and solve complex problems
  a)  Identifying, anticipating and solving problems ranging from simple to important, complex and unpredictable problems
  b)  Accessing, evaluating and analysing information
  c)  Effective communication using known and yet to be developed tools in many contexts
  d)  Using effective interpersonal skills, collaborate with and influence, their personal, work, and community networks locally and globally
GC2.  Confident, creative lifelong learners who can use their understanding of themselves and others to achieve their goals in work and learning
  a)  Understanding of the role of culture, values and dispositions in affecting achievement of goals
  b)  Understanding how to initiate and develop new ideas
  c)  Planning and organising self and others
  d)  Decision-making
GC3.  Responsible and ethical citizens who use their inter-cultural understanding to contribute to their local and global communities
  a)  Respecting and valuing diversity
  b)  Developing capacities required to contribute to a more equitable and sustainable world, including courage and resilience
  c)  Understanding the workings of local and global communities and individual's responsibilities within these
  d)  Understanding the intricacies of balancing individual and public good

The assessments will illustrate how students can communicate effectively, work collaboratively, think critically and solve complex problems through engagement with the content and activities in the unit. Assessments will also reflect how students engage young children, families, and communities in planning, initiating new ideas, making decisions regarding construction of curriculum for children aged 3-5 years. Both formal and informal feedback will be provided to students via assessments, reflection and discussion.

Relationship to professional accreditation requirements

This unit is part of the Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood and is accredited by ACECQA.

Prescribed texts

Readings will be provided via VU Collaborate.

2. Summary of assessment

Due to this unit being a professional placement unit, mandatory attendance applies.

Further details about assessment are provided in the VU Collaborate space for this unit.

This unit is not eligible for supplementary assessment

This unit is not eligible for a conceded pass.

For more details, please see the information provided in the University Supplementary Assessment and Conceded Pass Procedure.

3. Indicative teaching schedule

(Note:) Times and locations of classes are provided at enrolment. Any changes during the study period will be notified via the unit Collaborate space.

4. Scholarly writing, plagiarism and copyright

Part of what it means to be a ‘scholar’ is to engage with the work of others, for example, to extend or refine one’s own ideas, critique the work of others, or test and extend theories. Learning and assessment activities therefore often require you to gather information from a number of sources. This may include factual information, data or calculations, visual artefacts and written texts. Whenever you use the work of another person, you must acknowledge that source using the correct referencing system. Failure to acknowledge other people’s work appropriately may be regarded as plagiarism or academic misconduct. Use of one's own previous work in satisfaction of a new assessment requirement is also not allowed unless it is an explicit requirement for the unit.

VU deals with plagiarism according to the Academic Integrity and Preventing Plagiarism Policy.

VU uses Ouriginal for the review of written assessments. Ouriginal checks submitted work against sources from across the world, and provides a report detailing the use of third party text and references. Written assessments are automatically submitted via Ouriginal in the unit site. You may be provided access to submit assessments early and review the reports, to help you understand where referencing should occur.

All students and staff of Victoria University are also bound by the requirements of the Copyright Act (1968) and the University’s Copyright Material (the Use of) Policy when using third-party copyright material in the course of their research and study. Please ensure that you familiarise yourself with this policy and the rules around the use of materials produced or owned by others. For information on copyright entitlements and responsibilities for study and research please see https://www.vu.edu.au/library/get-help/copyright-intellectual-property.

Referencing requirements within this unit

The referencing convention that is applicable to this unit is:

(No referencing requirements supplied)

Academic writing and referencing guidelines

VU provides tools to assist you in understanding appropriate referencing, including those linked below. More can be found on the library website and under ‘Support and Resources’ on your unit site.

• https://www.vu.edu.au/library/get-help/referencing
• https://www.vu.edu.au/current-students/campus-life/advice-support/learning-advice/the-learning-hub-academic-study-skills

5. Important information about assessment

Your unit of study assessment conforms to the Student Assessment for Learning Policy and procedures, which are available in the University policy library: https://policy.vu.edu.au.

Submission procedure

All paper-based assessments must be submitted with the completed assessment cover sheets.

All online assessments must have the Student Disclaimer accepted at the point of submission.

Adjustment to assessment arrangements

If you are unable to undertake or complete an assessment due to adverse circumstances the following arrangements may apply:

Late submission of assessments - Short extension of time

If you are unable to submit an assessment item on time, due to circumstances outside your control, you may apply for a short extension of time of less than five (5) days. The standard penalty for late submission without an approved short extension will be 5% of the total possible mark per day. If a submission is overdue by more than ten (10) days, five (5) days for VU Online and three (3) days in a Block, the work will not be assessed. Full details of the procedure for applying for a short extension are available here. You can download the form from the policy library or use the quick link here.

Special Consideration and Alternative Examinations

Special consideration is available for students who experience acute unexpected circumstances which have an adverse impact on their performance in assessable tasks, submission of assessment tasks or examination attendance; or who require an extension of longer than five (5) days from the due date for an assessment.

In exceptional circumstances, alternative examinations within the current examination period are available for students who apply at least five (5) working days prior to the commencement of the examination period.

You can find information and forms for special consideration and alternative examinations at https://www.vu.edu.au/current-students/your-course/assessments-progress-through-your-course/short-extensions-special-consideration.

Ongoing modified assessment

Ongoing modified assessment arrangements are available if you have a disability or medical condition that may impact upon your studies. See Disability Support at https://www.vu.edu.au/current-students/campus-life/advice-support/disability-accessibility-services.

You may need to contact a student counsellor to assist you with this process. For further information please see https://www.vu.edu.au/current-students/campus-life/advice-support/counselling-mental-health.

If you wish to be considered or apply for one of the above adjustment to assessment arrangements you should refer to the relevant procedure associated with the Assessment for Learning Policy.

Supplementary assessment and conceded pass

Supplementary assessments and conceded passes are available in some circumstances. If you wish to be considered for a supplementary assessment you should refer to the Assessment for Learning - Supplementary Assessment and Conceded Pass Procedure. Important note: Supplementary assessment is not available in Block Units.

Review of assessment outcome

The Assessment for Learning - Review of Individual Assessment Outcomes Procedure provides a process by which you may request a review of an assessment outcome.

6. Getting help and providing feedback

Support resources

Victoria University is committed to providing all students with the opportunity and support required to succeed in their studies. If you require any support regarding academic progress in your unit during the semester you are advised to speak to your unit co-ordinator.

We also offer a range of support, development and guidance services for all students. The portal (https://www.vu.edu.au/about-vu/facilities-services/it-services/myvu) provides detailed information on a range of student services that you may find helpful. More information is also available in your unit site under ‘Support and Resources’.

Providing feedback: Student Evaluation System (SES)

Your feedback on your experiences within this unit is important, because it assists VU to improve the learning experience of units and courses for future students.

We encourage you to provide informal feedback directly to your unit and course co-ordinators. The University also collects your anonymous feedback systematically through the Student Evaluation Survey (SES), which is comprised of two student evaluation instruments: the Student Evaluation of Unit (SEU) and the Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET). Students are asked to complete the SEU and SET near the end of each unit. SEU and SET results are anonymous, and are not made available to the teaching staff in the unit until after the University has released your final grades.

Student complaints resolution

Victoria University has a Student Complaints Resolution Policy to guide you through the steps you can take to resolve issues related to your time at the University. You can find more information on this process at: https://www.vu.edu.au/current-students/campus-life/advice-support/integrity-office/complaint-resolution.