Overview
You will engage with the national policy landscape to understand how it is both responsive to contemporary issues facing young children and their families in the 21st century and aspirational, articulating goals for the future. You will analyse policy texts that focus on strategies for providing equitable access to high quality education and care for children with special needs and their families. You will articulate how policies reflect the values and agendas of government, contemporary research/reports, beliefs about children and childhood and expectations for how early childhood services and educators contribute to implementing policy that addresses disadvantage and builds a democratic, equitable and just society. Central to this unit is an understanding of the social construction of childhood, of the educator and of what is valued for children in the 21st century. You will explicate and analyse the dominant images and constructions of children and childhood that are evident in policy texts and policy discourse and derive implications of policy for practice and ethical considerations and responsibilities.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 2 - 2018
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Unit evaluation
Assignment 2
Support for this task will be continued via modelling the interview process and expectations.
- Access, evaluate and report on professional literature that supports the development of policy related to access and participation of children with special needs in early childhood education and care services
- Explicate the contextual issues and underpinning social values that propelled the development of policy for young children with special educational needs
- Analyse the representation of children with special needs in policy documents
- Engage with literature and professional ethics and responsibilities to reflect on stakeholder roles, implementation issues and implications for practice of policy in action
- Describe and discuss the implications for practice that are derived from the central concepts/values/principles embedded in the policy
- Justify the importance of strong partnerships between children, parents, carers and families, and the broader community in creating responsive and healthy early childhood environments and contributing to sustainable futures
- Identify and implement strategies to facilitate child participation in building a sustainable, democratic, equitable and just society and critically reflect on the child’s perspective
- Complete a professional placement in a childcare setting with a minimum of 10 days working with children birth to 2 years requiring observation, planning and implementation of learning experiences.
Successful completion of the unit "Policy and Research in Early Childhood" provides opportunities for students to demonstrate the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers focus areas 1.1, 1.2, 1.6, 3.7, 4.1, 6.2, 6.4, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3. Additionally students build understandings required by the registering body for early childhood (ACECQA - Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority) including socially inclusive practice, ethical and professional practice and research.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 60% | ||||||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 40% | ||||||||
| 3 - Professional Practice Placement - 0% | ||||||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
| 1 - Communication | ||||||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | ||||||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | ||||||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | ||||||||
| 5 - Team Work | ||||||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | ||||||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | ||||||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | ||||||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | ||||||||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||||||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 60% | ||||||||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 40% | ||||||||||
| 3 - Professional Practice Placement - 0% | ||||||||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 6th Edition (APA 6th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
j.riek@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Unpacking Policy
Sources of contemporary policy texts
Chapter
The chapter references and relevant readings will be provided on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Significant policies shaping the early childhood education context.
Chapter
The chapter references and relevant readings will be provided on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Social construction of childhood and interrogating dominant images of childhood.
Chapter
The chapter references and relevant readings will be provided on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Social construction of childhood and interrogating dominant images of childhood.
Chapter
The chapter references and relevant readings will be provided on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Multiple perspectives of childhood.
Chapter
The chapter references and relevant readings will be provided on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Stakeholders and pedagogical approaches.
Chapter
The chapter references and relevant readings will be provided on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Understanding community professional networks regarding policy.
Chapter
The chapter references and relevant readings will be provided on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Teacher action research.
Chapter
The chapter references and relevant readings will be provided on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Using a critical lens to examine policy.
Chapter
The chapter references and relevant readings will be provided on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Building and sustaining community partnerships
Chapter
The chapter references and relevant readings will be provided on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Implications for children.
Chapter
The chapter references and relevant readings will be provided on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Policy as advocacy for children's rights.
Chapter
The chapter references and relevant readings will be provided on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Written Assessment
Government policy is underpinned by a commitment to providing equitable access to high quality education that is free from discrimination for all children, including those with special needs and/or disabilities. Further to this, the goals of the Melbourne Declaration commit to encouraging children themselves and parents, carers, families and the broader community to hold high expectations for improving educational outcomes and reducing the effect of disadvantage caused by disability.
You are required to select an early childhood policy that contributes to improving outcomes for children with special educational needs, including children with disability and complete an analysis. Suitable policies for this task may include: Early Years Learning Framework; QSA - QLD Kindergarten Learning Guidelines; National Quality Standard. The analysis must be no longer than 2000 words and will explicate and discuss the following:
• the history of the policy (Criterion 1)
• the values and beliefs privileged in the policy (Criterion 2)
• justifications for policy implementation (Criterion 1 & 2)
• dominant images evident in the policy (Criterion 1 & 2)
• whose interests are privileged and or silenced in the policy (Criterion 2)
• key stakeholder roles for policy implementation (Criterion 3)
• accountability measures for implementation (Criterion 3)
• management of implementation and accountability (Criterion 3)
• ethical considerations (Criterion 3)
• Implications for practice including strategies for inclusion and participation of young children with special needs and/or disability in mainstream settings. (Criterion 4)
Week 6 Friday (24 Aug 2018) 11:59 pm AEST
Students will receive timely and useful feedback on all assessment tasks completed during Term, with sufficient time to allow for academic support and advice where necessary, prior to the submission of the next assessment task.
Criterion 1:
Access and evaluate an early childhood policy describing: The historical social values and contextual issues that have shaped the policy related to access and participation of children with special needs; in addition to the underpinning legislative requirements and the resulting dominant images of children with special needs.
Criterion 2:
Examine policy to identify and discuss:
Whose values, beliefs and interests are privileged and silenced; how these are used to justify the policy implementation and any research of how students learn and this informs the implications for teaching (Australian Professional Standards for Teachers 1.2).
Criterion 3:
Reflect upon and consider the professional ethics related to the policy in terms of:
The role stakeholders play in practicing the key principles described in the codes of ethics and conduct; including the application of accountability measures (Australian Professional Standards for Teachers 7.1).
Criterion 4:
Develop and recommend implications for practice:
Based on the knowledge and understanding of physical, social and intellectual development of students (Australian Professional Standards for Teachers 1.1); that includes strategies for involving parents/carers in the educative process (Australian Professional Standards for Teachers 3.7) and strategies for inclusion, differentiation and participation of young children with special needs and/or disability in mainstream settings (Australian Professional Standards for Teachers 1.2, 1.6).
Criterion 5:
Academic detail:
Student presents information in accordance with accepted academic conventions including spelling, grammar, paragraphing and accurate use of APA style and APA referencing.
- Access, evaluate and report on professional literature that supports the development of policy related to access and participation of children with special needs in early childhood education and care services
- Explicate the contextual issues and underpinning social values that propelled the development of policy for young children with special educational needs
- Analyse the representation of children with special needs in policy documents
- Engage with literature and professional ethics and responsibilities to reflect on stakeholder roles, implementation issues and implications for practice of policy in action
- Describe and discuss the implications for practice that are derived from the central concepts/values/principles embedded in the policy
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
2 Written Assessment
You are required to access a policy and procedure document from an early childhood education and care service that contributes to improving outcomes for children with special educational needs, including children with disability; and investigate the role professional literature, ethics and stakeholders played in the policy development. You will analyse the policy, and accompanying procedural document if applicable, to identify and describe the central concepts/values/principles embedded in the policy.
In addition to this, you will interview an early childhood teacher from that service about their understanding of the policy, any implementation issues and implications for practice, not only for early childhood professionals, but also for children, parents, carers, families and the broader community. Guiding questions for the interview are:
What role did professional literature, ethics, research and the various stakeholders play in the policy development?
What key messages from the policy document influence your practices in implementing inclusive practices to support student participation and engagement in classroom activities?
How did you learn about the policy and the implications for your teaching practice and work with families?
How does the policy and procedural document support your work with students with special needs and their families?
You will describe the teachers understanding and implementation of the policy, and begin to draw conclusions about the ways in which the policy values children's empowerment and engages them, their families and communities in creating a sustainable learning environment that is responsive to the child's needs and rights.
Finally you will develop recommendations for policy review drawing on the central concepts of agency, democracy, social and cultural responsiveness, equity and respect for diversity.
Word Limit 2000-2500 words. This paper must be no longer than 2500 words.
Week 12 Friday (5 Oct 2018) 11:59 pm AEST
Feedback on this final assessment response will be available after the date for Certification of Grades for the term
Criterion 1:
Analysis of the organizational inclusion/special needs policy provides:
- Provides insights related to the role professional literature, ethics and stakeholders played in the policy development.
- Identifies the central concepts / values / principles embedded within the policy, and the influence this has in supporting inclusive student participation and engagement in classroom activities (Australian Professional Standards for Teachers 4.1).
- Identifies connections between the relevant legislative, administrative and organisational policies and processes required for teachers (Australian Professional Standards for Teachers 7.2)
Criterion 2:
Examination of the procedures derived from the policy explores:
Implementation issues and implications for relevant and appropriate sources of professional learning for teachers (Australian Professional Standards for Teachers 6.2) to inform and support the development of effective partnerships with families which are sensitive and confidential (Australian Professional Standards for Teachers 7.3).
Criterion 3:
Research teacher understanding of policy:
Identifies the impact on children, parents, carers, families and the broader community, and the opportunities for these stakeholders to work together to create a sustainable learning environment that is responsive to the child's needs and rights.
Criterion 4:
Develop recommendations for policy review which includes:
- Strategies to facilitate child participation in building a sustainable, democratic, equitable and just society and critically reflect on the child’s perspective.
- A broad range of strategies for involving parents/carers in the educative process (Australian Professional Standards for Teachers 3.7).
- A rationale for continued professional learning and the implications for improved student learning (Australian Professional Standards for Teachers 6.4).
Criterion 5:
Academic detail:
Student presents information in accordance with accepted academic conventions including spelling, grammar, paragraphing and accurate use of APA style and APA referencing.
- Engage with literature and professional ethics and responsibilities to reflect on stakeholder roles, implementation issues and implications for practice of policy in action
- Describe and discuss the implications for practice that are derived from the central concepts/values/principles embedded in the policy
- Justify the importance of strong partnerships between children, parents, carers and families, and the broader community in creating responsive and healthy early childhood environments and contributing to sustainable futures
- Identify and implement strategies to facilitate child participation in building a sustainable, democratic, equitable and just society and critically reflect on the child’s perspective
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Team Work
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
3 Professional Practice Placement
Assessment 3 - 10 Day Placement
Completion of all tasks associated with either the Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care placement requirement or 10 day child care placement with young children.
Pass/Fail Assessment task.
Exam Week Friday (19 Oct 2018) 11:59 pm AEST
Three weeks after submission.
No Assessment Criteria
- Complete a professional placement in a childcare setting with a minimum of 10 days working with children birth to 2 years requiring observation, planning and implementation of learning experiences.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Team Work
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
