Professional Practice and Seminar EC 4r

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2015:

100% attendance is mandatory in all practicum subjects.

A current Working With Children Check (WWCC).

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

This subject further deepens teacher candidates’ professional knowledge about early childhood services including Maternal & Child Health and the Early Years of Schooling. Teacher candidates refine and reflect on their professional practice and take responsibility for planning, implementing and evaluating an education and care program for preschool children. Professional practice seminars continue to support learning with special attention being paid to developing innovative curricula that addresses the needs of individual children and encourages their growth in an environment that embraces ethical practices and democratic processes. Seminars will involve presentations, assessment tasks and in-depth reflection on theory and practice in early childhood.

On completion of this subject teacher candidates should be able to:

• Apply professional criteria to their own teaching and professional activity;
• Synthesise their theoretical and practical understandings of teaching in early childhood contexts;
• Use constructive criticism and discussion to evaluate and reflect on values and practices in relation to professional practice;
• Communicate effectively with other professionals, parents and children;
• Promote the profession of teaching in the wider community.

There is 1 assessment task:

• Satisfactory teaching performance in the block placement setting (100%);

Hurdle requirements:

• Attendance on all days of placement
• Attendance at all practicum seminar sessions.

MacNaughton, G. and Williams, G. (2009) Techniques for teaching young children Choices for theory and practice (3rd ed.) Pearson Education: Aust.(2008)

CLASS Dimensions Guide Pre-K 2008, Centre for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning.University of Virginia: Charlottesville

Belonging, Being & Becoming The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia, Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations for the Council of Australian Governments, Commonwealth of Australia, 2

Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework for Children from Birth to Eight Years, Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. (2009) State Government of Victoria.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

On completion of this subject, teacher candidates will have the knowledge, skills and understanding to enable them to:

• Be skilled communicators who can effectively articulate and justify their practices in early childhood and use professional knowledge to promote change;
• Be flexible and able to adapt to change through knowing how to learn;
• Understand the significance of developing their practice on the basis of research evidence;
• Work in teams with skills in cooperation, communication and negotiation;
• Be independent of mind, responsible, resilient, self-regulating;
• Have a conscious personal and social values base that is evident in their work in childrens’ services.