| Effective Term: | 2025/05 |
| Institute / School : | Institute of Education, Arts & Community |
| Unit Title: | Nature Pedagogy 1 |
| Unit ID: | EDMAS6035 |
| Credit Points: | 15.00 |
| Prerequisite(s): | Nil |
| Co-requisite(s): | Nil |
| Exclusion(s): | Nil |
| ASCED: | 070101 |
| Other Change: | |
| Brief description of the Unit |
This unit is designed to provide Pre-Service Teachers (PSTs) with an understanding of historical and contemporary theory and pedagogical approaches, including Indigenous perspectives, to learning in and with nature as an alternative approach to curriculum design. PSTs will examine the benefits of learning in and with nature for all children, including those with additional needs. PSTs will design curriculum for teaching young children in nature settings. Health, safety and children’s general wellbeing will be considered in curriculum design. |
| Grade Scheme: | Graded (HD, D, C, P, MF, F, XF) |
| Work Experience Indicator: |
| No work experience |
| Placement Component: No |
| 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. | Demonstrate an understanding of health, wellbeing and safety and implications for and of nature learning |
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| K2. | Articulate and demonstrate the role and value of nature pedagogy as a curricula approach and how the dynamic nature of teaching, afforded through nature pedagogical approaches, link to and support other pedagogies, socially inclusive teaching and assessment practices. |
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| K3. | Demonstrate an understanding of content teaching areas, and how they can be addressed using nature and play-based pedagogies |
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| K4. | Outline legislative and curricula requirements as they relate to conducting nature programs |
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| K5. | Demonstrate a deep understanding of the importance of parent/carer and community partnerships in developing and implementing nature programs that are environmentally sustainable and model a respect for the environment. |
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| Skills: |
| S1. | Analyse and critically reflect on nature pedagogy approaches |
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| S2. | Address curriculum content areas across early education contexts |
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| S3. | Plan engaging experiences for young children in prior to school settings and as they transition to school ensuring health, safety, curricula and regulatory requirements are addressed |
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| S4. | Identify socially inclusive teaching and assessing strategies and use IT to record teaching and assessment in nature programs |
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| S5. | Differentiate strategies, content and concepts to address the needs of a full range of abilities, interests and dispositions |
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| Application of knowledge and skills: |
| A1. | Use their knowledge of nature to identify curricula content, across content teaching areas, attitudes and processes that can be addressed using nature approaches. |
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| A2. | Use their knowledge of child development and learning curricula and regulatory frameworks, to plan appropriate nature-based experiences that address the needs of a range of abilities and interests and sociocultural backgrounds in prior to school settings |
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| A3. | Using knowledge of nature approaches, socially inclusive practices, and curricula requirements, articulate the value of nature programs for the wellbeing of children and critique and reflect on their own teaching practices to highlight professional learning goals and strategies for improving teaching in nature programs |
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| A4. | Distinguish possible changes to the environment in an early childhood context and discuss how changes could be implemented with active involvement of children, families and communities |
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| Unit Content: |
Topics to be covered may include:
• Contextualising nature pedagogical approaches
• Theoretical frameworks that inform nature pedagogy such as, but not limited to Froebel, Steiner, Te Whariki
• Personal dispositions toward nature learning and the impact of personal attitudes in developing children's positive attitudes toward natural environments
• Benefits of learning with nature in early years development
• How learning with nature generates opportunities for children to understand complex integrated across-curriculum teaching areas
• Participating in nature pedagogy for all learners
• Risk and resilience when learning with nature
• Inclusive practices: social emotional, cultural, developmental, additional needs
• Planning, implementing and assessing through nature programs
• Preparing challenging environments
• Sensitive, responsive and intentional interactions with children in natural environments
• Policy and practice and nature programs: curricula and regulatory requirements
• Communicating and collaborating with parents/carers and the community
• Critically reflective practice and professional learning |
| 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 at this level will demonstrate an advanced ability in a range of contexts to effectively communicate, interact and work with others both individually and in groups. Students will be required to display high level skills in-person and/or online in: • Using and demonstrating a high level of verbal and non-verbal communication • Demonstrating a mastery of listening for meaning and influencing via active listening • Demonstrating and showing empathy for others • High order skills in negotiating and conflict resolution skills\\ • Demonstrating mastery of working respectfully in cross-cultural and diverse teams. | 1 - Yes | FEDTASK 2
Leadership | Students at this level will demonstrate a mastery in professional skills and behaviours in leading others. • Creating and sustaining a collegial environment • Demonstrating a high level of self -awareness and the ability to self-reflect and justify decisions • Inspiring and initiating opportunities to lead others • Making informed professional decisions • Demonstrating initiative in new professional situations. | 1 - Yes | FEDTASK 3
Critical Thinking and Creativity | Students at this level will demonstrate high level skills in working in complexity and ambiguity using the imagination to create new ideas. Students will be required to display skills in: • Reflecting critically to generate and consider complex ideas and concepts at an abstract level • Analysing complex and abstract ideas, concepts and information • Communicate alternative perspectives to justify complex ideas • Demonstrate a mastery of challenging conventional thinking to clarify complex concepts • Forming creative solutions in problem solving to new situations for further learning. | 1 - Yes | FEDTASK 4
Digital Literacy | Students at this level will demonstrate the ability to work competently across a wide range of tools, platforms and applications to achieve a range of tasks. Students will be required to display skills in: • Mastering, exploring, evaluating, managing, curating, organising and sharing digital information professionally • Collating, managing complex data, accessing and using digital data securely • Receiving and responding professionally to messages in a range of professional digital media • Contributing competently and professionally to digital teams and working groups • Participating at a high level in digital learning opportunities. | 3 - N/A | FEDTASK 5
sustainable and Ethical Mindset | Students at this level will demonstrate a mastery of considering and assessing the consequences and impact of ideas and actions in enacting professional ethical and sustainable decisions. Students will be required to display skills in: • Demonstrate informed judgment making that considers the impact of devising complex solutions in ambiguous global economic environmental and societal contexts • Professionally committing to the promulgation of social responsibility • Demonstrate the ability to evaluate ethical, socially responsible and/or sustainable challenges and generating and articulating responses • Communicating lifelong, life-wide and life-deep learning to be open to the diverse professional others • Generating, leading and implementing required actions to foster sustainability in their professional and personal life | 1 - Yes |
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| | Learning Outcomes Assessed | Assessment Tasks | Assessment Type | Weighting | | 1. | K2, S1 | Forum Posting PST to complete forum posting on an aspect of nature | Hurdle | U/S | | 2. | K1, K2, K3, K4, K5, S1, S4, A1, A2 APST 1.2, 1.5, 1.6, 3.1, 3.4, 3.5, 4.4, | Portfolio (Part 1) Using one of the four elements of nature (air, earth, water, light/fire) complete the mind map provided by brainstorming learning experience ideas and teaching strategies for each curriculum learning area across 0-2 years and 3-5 years. The content in the mind map should demonstrate an awareness of how teaching through nature pedagogoical approaches link to and support other teaching pedagogies. Attached to the mind map, include a document that highlights the concepts and attitudes covered and justify teaching strategies. Consideration must be given to how the experiences and teaching strategies address a diverse range of learning needs and strengths of children and how nature learning has implications for student's wellbeing, safety and development. | Portfolio | 40%-60% | | 3. | K1, K2, K3, K4, K5, S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, A1, A2, A3, A4, APST 1.2, 1.5, 1.6, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.7, 4.1, 4.2, 4.4 | Portfolio (Part 2) Planning & Evaluation Planning and Differentiation From your mindmap developed in AT2, plan two learning experiences. Using the provided scenario, modify both learning experiences to cater for the inclusion of the child. The modification should consider inclusion of additional resources, concepts, teaching and assessment strategies. Evaluation Report Write a report that discusses the value of nature programs for the wellbeing of children and reflects on the process of modification and differentiation, including the role effective teachers play in assisting children learning in and with nature. Identify areas of teaching practice that need further development, set professional learning goals and propose strategies for achieving these goals. | Planning & Evaluation Report | 40-60% |
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