Overview

This is the first professional experience unit for the Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood and Primary), the Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood Teaching) and the new Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood Education). In this unit, pre-service teachers will undertake 20 days of professional experience in an approved early childhood setting, with children aged two to five years under the supervision of an approved mentor/registered teacher. The unit provides pre-service teachers with knowledge, skills and dispositions needed to teach children effectively. Pre-service teachers will gain knowledge about a variety of theoretical approaches to curriculum and assessment and become familiar with the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and demonstrate competence against all the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) appropriate to the course stage of this professional experience.

Teaching Periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 1
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
26-February-2024
26-May-2024
Last self-enrolment date
10-March-2024
Census date
31-March-2024
Last withdraw without fail date
12-April-2024
Results released date
02-July-2024
Teaching Period 1
Location
Online
Start and end dates
11-March-2024
09-June-2024
Last self-enrolment date
24-March-2024
Census date
05-April-2024
Last withdraw without fail date
26-April-2024
Results released date
02-July-2024
Teaching Period 2
Location
Online
Start and end dates
08-July-2024
06-October-2024
Last self-enrolment date
21-July-2024
Census date
02-August-2024
Last withdraw without fail date
23-August-2024
Results released date
29-October-2024
Semester 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
29-July-2024
27-October-2024
Last self-enrolment date
11-August-2024
Census date
31-August-2024
Last withdraw without fail date
13-September-2024
Results released date
03-December-2024
Teaching Period 3
Location
Online
Start and end dates
04-November-2024
09-February-2025
Last self-enrolment date
17-November-2024
Census date
29-November-2024
Last withdraw without fail date
27-December-2024
Results released date
04-March-2025

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Identify and take observations of elements of the cultural, community and family contexts of children’s lives and their implications for curriculum and assessment
  • Define a range of intentional teaching practices-including monitoring, planning and recording- that engage children in learning appropriate to their interests, abilities and needs
  • Plan and implement a variety of learning experiences, demonstrating the ability to articulate and evaluate aims, objectives, procedures and outcomes
  • Demonstrate skills in creating rich and engaging learning environments
  • Interact and communicate effectively with young children with the main aims of building and strengthening relationships and supporting learning
  • Reflect critically on their teaching
  • Effectively integrate, into education programs, elements of the cultural identity and linguistic background of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students

Teaching methods

Swinburne Online

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Placement
Placement
37.50 4 weeks 150
Online
Directed Online Learning and Independent Learning
12.50 12 weeks 150
TOTAL300

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Live Online
Lecture
1.00 12 weeks 12
On-campus
Class
2.00 12 weeks 24
Placement
Placement
37.50 4 weeks 150
Specified Activities
Various
4.00 12 weeks 48
Unspecified Activities
Various
5.50 12 weeks 66
TOTAL300

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
Professional Experience Portfolio Individual  Pass Only 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 
Professional Experience Report Individual  Pass Only 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 

Content

  • Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Graduate) Standards 1-7
  • Code of Ethics/Code of Conduct/Fitness to Practice
  • How children learn in the early years 
  • Teaching with intention
  • Expectations for young children 
  • Self-assessment of teaching
  • Learning experiences
  • Promoting confidence and engagement in learning
  • Adapting teaching methods to the young childrens skills, knowledge and interest
  • Demonstrating an awareness of childrens interest contemporary technologies
  • Recognising individual difference and supporting learning accordingly
  • Engaging collaboratively with colleagues and contributing to reflective practice
  • Planning for and assessing childrens learning in the early years 
  • Creating and maintaining safe, healthy and challenging early years learning environments
  • Using relevant documents to plan, implement and evaluate learning experiences
  • Intervening effectively to encourage appropriate behaviour and deal with inappropriate behaviour
  • Relevant national and/or state or territory curriculum and framework documents
  • Family partnerships-strategies for communication with families
  • Links between theory, research and practice

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.