Overview

This unit provides pre-service teachers with the knowledge, skills and resources that enable them to offer a variety of science experiences to young children. It will teach an appropriate science and technology curriculum for children aged birth to five years of age.

Requisites

Teaching Periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Teaching Period 3
Location
Online
Start and end dates
06-November-2023
11-February-2024
Last self-enrolment date
19-November-2023
Census date
01-December-2023
Last withdraw without fail date
29-December-2023
Results released date
05-March-2024
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

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Summarise the importance of science content, processes and attitudes in teaching young children
  • Describe key science and technology concepts and explain how to promote concept development for children aged birth to five years of age
  • Evaluate teaching approaches to science and technology appropriate to the content area and levels of understanding of the children they teach including assessment strategies
  • Design learning opportunities, and learning plans that contribute to children’s interest in and understanding of scientific thinking using relevant science and technology curriculum documents from the relevant Early Years Learning Framework and/or the Victorian Early Years Developmental Learning Framework
  • Create opportunities for design, technology and digital technologies to be integrated with science learning experiences

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Live Online
Class		1.00 12 weeks 12
On-campus
Class		2.00 12 weeks 24
Specified Activities
Various		4.00 12 weeks 48
Unspecified Activities
Various		5.50 12 weeks 66
TOTAL150

Swinburne Online

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Online
Directed Online Learning and Independent Learning		12.50 12 weeks 150
TOTAL150

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
PortfolioIndividual 50% 3,4,5 
ReportIndividual 50% 1,2,5 

Content

  • The nature of science and scientific thinking
  • A big history approach to science
  • The fundamentals of technology – how things work
  • Attitudes and dispositions – a sense of wonder
  • Science experiences for children birth to five yesrs
  • Essential instructional content for teaching science and technology
  • The use of ICT for communication purposes and for work preparation, presentation and implementation
  • Integrating science in the curriculum
  • Design and sequencing of tasks in teaching science and technology
  • Inquiry-based and problem-solving approaches
  • Maintaining a safe and challenging learning environment
  • Tools and practices for assessing, recording and reporting on children’s learning in science and technology
  • Using ICT to facilitate children’s learning
  • Federal and State departmental policy documents relating to teaching science and technology and their implications for teaching

Study resources

Reading materials

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