EDUC9231 Professional Experience 1 (Early Childhood)

2020

4.5

7 x 1-hour lectures per semester
1 x 280-hour field placement per semester

1 Admission into MTEC-Master of Teaching (Early Childhood)
2 18 units of EDUC topics
3 2 of EDUC9222, EDUC9126
Must Satisfy: (1 and 2 and 3)

EDUC3665 has been successfully completed

Professional Experience 1 (Early Childhood) occurs in the first year of the Masters of Teaching (Early Childhood) program. Five preliminary day visits (in the topic EDUC9130) are followed by 6 consecutive week-block (total 35 days), spent in a metropolitan or country early childhood setting. Emphasis is placed on the planning, implementation and evaluation of teaching programs. Close links are established between curriculum studies at Flinders and centre/school curricula through the designing, evaluating, implementing, analysing and theorising about their placement site's curriculum inquiry focus.

At the conclusion of this teaching experience, judgements are made about the pre-service teacher's readiness to continue to the final placement topic: EDUC9304: Professional Experience: Final Assessment.

This professional learning experience provides students with an opportunity to:

• make a meaningful contribution to children's learning and the setting's curriculum goals and priorities
• deepen their understandings of how children learn and develop through a process of praxis, in which they research, inquire, test and use the theoretical knowledge that they have acquired and are acquiring.
• use a variety of observation techniques to gain insight into the types of experiences, activities and ideas that engage young children
• plan, implement and evaluate a curriculum that involves and engages children in deep and meaningful learning
• engage in praxis, or theoretically informed teaching
• document children's involvement and engagement in the curriculum and assess their learning over an extended period of time
• recognise the importance of families in children's lives and learning
• work as a constructive, collaborative and cooperative team member
• document and organise evidence of their developing professional knowledge, professional practice and professional relationships

As a result of this professional learning experience, it is anticipated that students will:

• plan and execute a substantial curriculum inquiry that effectively contributes to young children's learning over time

• be competent observers of children's learning and development

• be able to plan, implement and evaluate experiences/activities that are responsive to the observed needs and interests of young children

• take an increasing degree of responsibility for planning, implementing and evaluating a curriculum that engages individual children and groups of children in deep and meaningful learning

• be aware of the factors that lead to high levels of involvement and engagement in curriculum experience/activities

• make teaching decisions and adopt teaching approaches that are theoretically informed

• document and assess children's learning in ways that capture its complexity and competence

• investigate ways of communicating effectively with families about children's learning and development

• reflect on the impact and effectiveness of their approach to teaching on children's learning

• collaborate respectfully, honestly and openly with children, families and other educators in order to achieve shared goals for children's learning