| Effective Term: | 2025/05 |
| Institute / School : | Institute of Education, Arts & Community |
| Unit Title: | The Neophyte Professional in Early Childhood Contemporary Society |
| Unit ID: | EDMAS6058 |
| 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 support PSTs as they prepare for their final Professional Experience placement and as they enter the Profession as an Early Childhood Teacher (ECT). PSTs will examine and explain their professional responsibilities, associated with advocating for and providing play-based learning environments that also support children's agency in their own learning. PSTs will make connections to research and theory to support their understandings. They will draw on the APST, curriculum frameworks, National Quality Standards, National Regulations, and ECA Code of Ethics to develop a Curriculum Vitae and address key selection criteria. As PSTs enter the profession, they will be called upon to work alongside and support vulnerable children and families. They will develop knowledge and understanding of ways in which trauma experiences can impact mental health, social and emotional wellbeing, behaviour and learning within early learning contexts. Underpinning the content of the unit is the understanding that effective teachers manage challenging behaviour through supportive, responsive techniques rather than coercive or punitive measures. Within this unit, brain-based insights, relationship based approaches, and responsive teaching methods are explored to identify effective strategies for establishing a safe, supportive learning environment for children. A range of universal, targeted, and individual strategies for supporting communication, wellbeing, participation, engagement, and achievement will be investigated through a trauma-informed, multi-tiered approach to planning. PSTs will examine relationships between wellbeing, behaviour and learning. Particular attention will be given to examining trauma-informed pedagogies and implications of legislative requirements, government, and community initiatives and whole of service approaches. |
| 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. | Contextualise and extend knowledge and skills relevant to the development of ongoing professional learning |
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| K2. | Explore the process of early childhood teacher registration and validation |
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| K3. | Recognise characteristics and indicators of trauma, mental health concerns and challenging behaviour in learners and describe ways in which trauma, mental health, social and emotional wellbeing and behaviour can affect learners and impact learning access and participation |
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| K4. | Examine current frameworks that support planning and development of welfare and behaviour policies and documents |
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| K5. | Explain a range of preventative and responsive strategies for supporting learners and managing problematic incidents |
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| K6. | Be aware of the requirements for applying for teaching positions in Government and Non-Government Early Childhood Settings including expectations in interviews, understanding key selection criteria identified by employers and ways to demonstrate knowledge, skills and capacities through evidence |
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| Skills: |
| S1. | Effectively utilise a range of communication modes to demonstrate teaching competence. |
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| S2. | Explore different types of professional discussion |
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| S3. | Re-visit a teaching philosophy, develop a curriculum vitae and respond to key selection criteria |
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| S4. | Demonstrate strategies that support learners and prevent and/or manage problematic situations |
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| Application of knowledge and skills: |
| A1. | Utilise strategies that support learners, especially those that display indicators of trauma, mental health and challenging behaviours. |
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| A2. | Engage in a professional conversation with colleagues |
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| A3. | Address key selection criteria and develop a Curriculum Vitae. |
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| Unit Content: |
• Child safety, adverse childhood experiences, indicators of trauma and risk, and protective factors
• Emotional and sensory regulation: theory and practice
• Positive attitudes and responsive approaches for teaching learning
• Proactive and preventative strategies that support children and families in the learning community
• Personalised planning approaches for warm and responsive caregiving
• Creating a trauma sensitive learning environment
• Making pedagogic decisions to inform teaching practices
• Constructive feedback loop to improve teaching practice
• Research and theory to reflect on the teaching cycle to improve practice
• Iterative nature of data usage, planning, teaching and assessing
• Using the e-portfolio
• Choosing and selecting evidence to demonstrate competency
• Teaching reflections and the impact of teaching on learning
• Teacher registration and validation
• Developing a CV and addressing key selection criteria |
| 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. | 1 - Yes | 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 | 3 - N/A |
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| | Learning Outcomes Assessed | Assessment Tasks | Assessment Type | Weighting | | 1. | K1, K3, K5, S1, S2, S4, A1, A2, APST 6.1, 6.3 | Using evidence gathered from Professional Experiences, other assessment and learning, and continued e-portfolio development, justify and advocate for the use of play-based learning and the importance of children's agency in children's wellbeing. The evidence presented should consider strategies that support children displaying indicators of trauma, mental health concerns and challenging behaviour. Evidence should also link to APSTs. PSTs are to propose next steps in their professional learning and highlight networks and organisations that may support their growth as a neophyte professional | Presentation | 40% - 60% | | 2. | K2, K4, K6, S3, A3, APST:6.1, 7.2 | From the provided key slection criteria, produce a document that addresses these criteria and, develop a Curriculm Vitae which should include a current teaching philosophy. | Professional documentation | 40%-60% |
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