| Effective Term: | 2025/05 |
| Institute / School : | Institute of Education, Arts & Community |
| Unit Title: | Social Justice and Agency in ECE Settings |
| Unit ID: | EDECE4004 |
| Credit Points: | 15.00 |
| Prerequisite(s): | Nil |
| Co-requisite(s): | Nil |
| Exclusion(s): | Nil |
| ASCED: | 070101 |
| Other Change: | |
| Brief description of the Unit |
Children’s agency is centred on the beliefs that children have a right to participate in decisions that affect them, are capable of making choices and decisions, and can initiate and lead their own learning. In this unit, Pre-Service Teachers (PSTs) consider the frameworks and models of children’s participation in which the concept of agency can be considered and theorised. Social justice and children’s rights are considered as important interrelated concepts. PSTs identify and discuss children’s agency and how it can be supported or inhibited. Ways of listening to children and ensuring their authentic participation, particularly with regard to their learning, are considered. PSTs design a learning program, within an open-ended learning environment, that acknowledges and supports their agency and builds on children’s culture, strengths, interests and knowledge. |
| Grade Scheme: | Graded (HD, D, C, P, MF, F, XF) |
| Work Experience Indicator: |
| No work experience |
| Placement Component: | |
| Supplementary Assessment:Yes |
| Where supplementary assessment is available a student must have failed overall in the Unit but gained a final mark of 45 per cent or above, has completed all major assessment tasks (including all sub-components where a task has multiple parts) as specified in the Unit Description and is not eligible for any other form of supplementary assessment |
| Course Level: |
| Level of Unit in Course | AQF Level(s) of Course | | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | | Introductory | | | | | | | | Intermediate | | | | | | | | Advanced | | |  | | | |
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| Learning Outcomes: |
| Knowledge: |
| K1. | Examine the concept of children’s agency, and the implications for children’s learning and development. |
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| K2. | Examine and consider children’s rights and the implications for professional practice with children. |
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| K3. | Critically reflect on agency from a social justice, equity and diversity perspective. |
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| K4. | Develop strategies that enable each child to be listened to, heard and takes into account their views and feelings of each child. |
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| K5. | Consider social justice and agency in learning from different cultural perspectives, including children with diagnosed impairments or health conditions, children from ATSI backgrounds and children from NESB backgrounds. |
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| Skills: |
| S1. | Plan learning experiences for children that acknowledge and support their agency. |
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| S2. | Observe children and analyse and discuss observations from a sociology of childhood perspective. |
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| Application of knowledge and skills: |
| A1. | Design a learning program, within an open-ended environment for children that acknowledges and supports their agency and builds on children’s culture, strengths, interests and knowledge. |
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| A2. | Identify and discuss children’s agency and how it can be supported or inhibited. |
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| Unit Content: |
Topics will be drawn from:
• United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
• Sociology of Childhood
• Models of children’s participation
• Using information, gathered from the views and perspectives of children to inform practice
• Agency, social justice and the Early Years Learning Framework
• Children as agents in Early Childhood education
• Co-construction of curriculum with children
• Identifying and enabling children’s agency
• Listening to children
• Planning and designing open ended learning environments and learning experiences |
| Graduate Attributes: |
| Federation University recognises that students require key transferable employability skills to prepare them for their future workplace and society. FEDTASKS (Transferable Attributes Skills and Knowledge) provide a targeted focus on five key transferable Attributes, Skills, and Knowledge that are be embedded within curriculum, developed gradually towards successful measures and interlinked with cross-discipline and Co-operative Learning opportunities. One or more FEDTASK, transferable Attributes, Skills or Knowledge must be evident in the specified learning outcomes and assessment for each FedUni Unit, and all must be directly assessed in each Course.
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| FED TASK and descriptor | Development and acquisition of FEDTASKS in the Unit | | Level | FEDTASK 1
Interpersonal | Students will demonstrate the ability to effectively communicate, inter-act and work with others both individually and in groups. Students will be required to display skills in-person and/or online in: • Using effective verbal and non-verbal communication • Listening for meaning and influencing via active listening • Showing empathy for others • Negotiating and demonstrating conflict resolution skills • Working respectfully in cross-cultural and diverse teams. | Level 2 - Student demonstrates some independence within provided guidelines | FEDTASK 2
Leadership | Students will demonstrate the ability to apply professional skills and behaviours in leading others. Students will be required to display skills in: • Creating a collegial environment • Showing self -awareness and the ability to self-reflect • Inspiring and convincing others • Making informed decisions • Displaying initiative | Level 1 - Students require directions and boundaries from mentor | FEDTASK 3
Critical Thinking and Creativity | Students will demonstrate an ability to work in complexity and ambiguity using the imagination to create new ideas. Students will be required to display skills in: • Reflecting critically • Evaluating ideas, concepts and information • Considering alternative perspectives to refine ideas • Challenging conventional thinking to clarify concepts • Forming creative solutions in problem solving. | Level 2 - Student demonstrates some independence within provided guidelines | FEDTASK 4
Digital Literacy | Students will demonstrate the ability to work fluently across a range of tools, platforms and applications to achieve a range of tasks. Students will be required to display skills in: • Finding, evaluating, managing, curating, organising and sharing digital information • Collating, managing, accessing and using digital data securely • Receiving and responding to messages in a range of digital media • Contributing actively to digital teams and working groups • Participating in and benefiting from digital learning opportunities. | N/A - Not Applicable | FEDTASK 5
Sustainable and Ethical Mindset | Students will demonstrate the ability to consider and assess the consequences and impact of ideas and actions in enacting ethical and sustainable decisions. Students will be required to display skills in: • Making informed judgments that consider the impact of devising solutions in global economic environmental and societal contexts • Committing to social responsibility as a professional and a citizen • Evaluating ethical, socially responsible and/or sustainable challenges and generating and articulating responses • Embracing lifelong, life-wide and life-deep learning to be open to diverse others • Implementing required actions to foster sustainability in their professional and personal life. | Level 2 - Student demonstrates some independence within provided guidelines |
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| | Learning Outcomes Assessed | Assessment Tasks | Assessment Type | Weighting | | 1. | K1, K2, K3, K5, A2 | Respond to a given scenario involving a young child/ren. Identify and discuss children’s agency and how it was encouraged or inhibited. | Written responses | 10-20% | | 2. | K1, K2, K3, K4, K5, S1, A1 | Design an open-ended learning environment with planned learning experiences for a diverse group of children in an Early Childhood Centre, describing opportunities for children’s participation and how children’s agency is supported. | Learning plan | 30-50% | | 3. | K1, K2, K3, K5, S2 | Provide a series of vignettes, developed from personal placement observations of children. Analyse and discuss children’s agency, using a Childhood studies or Social Justice lens | Written observations, analysis and discussion | 30-50% |
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