This unit of study is the first part of Education I and provides a general introduction to education and teaching. The unit integrates the following themes: knowledge, culture and the curriculum; teaching as a process and way of life; and, teachers as life-long learners and researchers. Within this unit, students are also mentored by more experienced students during their first semester transition to the university. At the conclusion of the unit students should have developed and demonstrated an understanding of the complex character of teachers' work.

This unit, which is the second part of Education I introduces students to the study of human development, with a particular emphasis on the development of early childhood through to adolescence. The unit addresses one of the major goals of Education I, II and III: the learning of a body of knowledge on 'human development (child and adolescent in particular)'. It is premised on the view that development is a complex and dynamic process and that teaching from this developmental perspective inevitably transforms teachers into problem solvers who adapt and modify their teaching and learning approaches, based on knowledge of factors that promote each child's optimal development. The unit will also consider the impact of history, culture, and social context on learning and development. A core assumption of the unit is that the study of human development is cross disciplinary; involving in particular psychology, philosophy of science and neurobiology, and that existing developmental theories are open to question and continuing debate. Students are therefore encouraged to engage in this study with critical and creative minds. The unit focuses on the processes and products of human development, related to cognitive, emotional, social, moral & spiritual, motor, and language development. The classical theories will be considered in some detail and examined in the light of contemporary theory and research, drawing in particular on Dynamic Systems Theory and the neurobiology of the brain.

This foundational unit of study helps students become familiar with the range of early childhood settings available for children from birth to five years. Students will begin to become familiar with the early childhood landscape, the regulations and quality framework governing early childhood services and the literature relating to quality care and education in early childhood services. This unit incorporates a series of eight visits to community-based early learning settings.

An in-depth knowledge and awareness of the nature and context of the play of infants, toddlers and young children is essential for early childhood educators. This unit enables students to observe and understand children's play and to provide a framework for planning developmentally appropriate play-based learning experiences.

This unit provides students with the ability to plan and operate healthy and safe early childhood learning and care environments. Students will learn about minimising infection and promoting children's health and wellbeing. Students will also undertake Child Protection training in accordance with the legislative requirements of the Children Care and Protection Act of NSW Department of Community Services. Students must obtain or provide evidence of a current First Aid Certificate to complete this unit.

This unit explores the historical and contemporary influences on childhood and the social constructions of families and childhoods in Australia and throughout the world. Students will explore how concepts of childhood impact on the education and care of infants, toddlers and young children. The image of the child and children's rights are a focus in a global society and as a result traditional understandings of 'childhood' as being universally experienced within cultures are being challenged.

This unit of study is the first part of Education II. Its aim is to provide a general introduction to educational psychology. The important issues of the unit include constructivist and other approaches to learning, critical thinking skills, problem solving, technologically supported learning and motivation. This unit plays an important role in supporting later teaching and curriculum studies in the Bachelor of Education degree. At the end of this unit of study, students will have made substantial progress towards understanding the utility of research in psychology for educators. They will have the capacity to describe learning and teaching activities in terms of their psychological efficacy, especially as it relates to young people. Similarly they will have been introduced to the theory and practice of assessment and evaluation in educational settings, and the impact of assessment on learning and motivation. They will have had training in two Department of Education and Community policies, Good Discipline and Effective Learning, and Student Welfare.

This unit of study is the second part of Education II. Its aim is to provide a general introduction to the social, political and economic contexts of education. The two themes studied in the Unit are: Schools and communities, and Educational systems, markets and globalisation. At the end of this unit of study, students should have the capacity to discuss the impact of a range of educational practices and policies on schools, students and families. Similarly, students will be familiar with broad movements in contemporary educational reform and their association with national and global economic change. As a result of working collaboratively on a substantial project students will develop a range of research skills. Through policy analysis tasks and workshop activities, students will be familiar with NSW Department of Education and Communities policies and procedures relating to gender, Indigenous education, and cultural diversity.

Sociocultural and linguistic characteristics have an impact upon children's development in home and early childhood settings. This unit explores the influences of cultural and community contexts, especially Indigenous Australian cultures on early childhood development and learning within early childhood settings. Central to creating inclusive, enriching early childhood learning environments is educators' understanding of the significance of the personal and social attributes that children bring to the setting. Strategies for establishing positive engagement with children and families are essential to creating inclusive learning environments and curricula. This unit explores current theories and practices surrounding the diversity of Australian cultural contexts and their influences on children's development, the importance of promoting and valuing home cultures in planning enriching early childhood environments and students' own beliefs and values in the consideration of the issues above, as well as those of others.

This unit of study assists students to develop knowledge and skills in the language arts at the early childhood level. It assists students to gain an understanding of different theories about how infants, toddlers and young children develop language. It helps students to develop skills and knowledge about how to help young children begin to make meaning from the moment they are born through the preschool years in terms of how they learn to talk, listen, and interact with those around them. There is a strong emphasis on play as a vehicle for language learning and family involvement in an inclusive and supportive learning environment for young children.

Working with young children from birth to five requires understandings, knowledge and skills in the Creative Arts. This unit explores the fundamental importance of the Arts in the ongoing development of young children's imagination and creativity. Through workshops, readings, observations and other activities, students will examine the theoretical underpinnings, research literature and practical knowledge required to help young children build on their innate love of music, movement, song, art, dance and drama. Observing and assessing young children's engagement with the creative arts through their spontaneous play is an important feature of this unit. The unit also emphasises the centrality of providing rich, quality Creative Arts experiences in early childhood settings.

This unit is the first of four professional experience units that provide opportunities for students to gain teaching experience in early childhood education and care settings. It enables students to apply the theories and strategies covered in other units of study and to reflect on the links between theory and practice. This first professional experience placement will consist of observations and documentation of 3 to 5 year old children's development and social engagement as they go about their daily activities in an early childhood setting. Students will prepare and present learning experiences for individuals and small groups based on assessments of children's strengths, interests and engagement with learning evidenced from observational data.

Power, entitlement, social justice and ethical discourses are all concepts with which early childhood educators must familiarise themselves and act upon in leadership and educator roles with children under five years. This unit enables students to become aware of and to develop reflective understandings about contemporary issues affecting families and early childhood contexts, professional accountability, professional conduct, responding ethically, communicating ethically with people from a wide and diverse population, and conflict and issue resolution.

Infants and toddlers begin exploring their environment and making sense of their world from birth, constantly developing new skills over their first two years of life. . Early childhood educators have a responsibility to ensure that the development of infants and toddlers takes place in a safe, secure and supported environment where they can become knowledgeable and confident, autonomous learners, able to interact respectfully with others according to their age and stage of maturity.

This unit of study supports students' developing knowledge, skills and understanding of the cognitive development of infants, toddlers and young children and in particular the way understandings about number, patterns, measurement, spatial awareness and other mathematical concepts are supported in the early childhood context. The unit provides students with the ability to help young children gain a beginning understanding and knowledge of ordering, seriation, temporal and numerical order, ordinal number, classification, and one to one correspondence leading to the relationship between logical concepts and mathematics.

This unit addresses issues relating to the education of students with special education needs. They include the impact of the philosophy and principles of inclusive education and current legislation, evidence based approaches to curriculum, teaching and learning practices for students with special education needs. A specific focus is given to supporting students with challenging behaviours in a range of settings.

This unit focuses on the professional organisation and management of dynamic early childhood services which are responsive to children's, families' and communities' needs, provide quality developmental and learning programs and operate within good business and human resources regimes. Specifically, it covers management, leadership and responsibility issues for supervisors and educators in organising and sustaining early childhood services. Additionally, it helps foster an awareness of the social and political context within which early childhood services operate.

Infants, toddlers and young children are naturally curious about the world around them, questioning, making assumptions and conducting experiments through play to determine how things work. This unit of study assists students to develop knowledge and skills in the teaching of science at the early childhood level. It provides students with the ability to help infants, toddlers and young children gain a foundational understanding of scientific concepts such as physics, biology, astronomy and technology as part of their everyday world.

This is the second of four Professional Experience units in the Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood ). This unit focuses on caregiving and education for infants and toddlers in a birth-2 years settings. It focuses on observing and documenting the development of infants and toddlers across all domains and the design and preparation of quality learning experiences to meet care-giving and learning outcomes in consultation with families. Students complete 15 days of Professional Experience (plus lead-up visits days) with children aged birth to 2 years in an early childhood setting. During this period they will also undertake a number of administrative and leadership tasks linked to EDEC3004 Management & Administration in EC.

This unit of study is designed to introduce you to the field of research in education. You will develop an appreciation of the broad range of research topics in education and their associated forms of systematic inquiry. The unit will prepare you to read and interpret research, and to conduct small scale investigations in a range of contexts such as classrooms or schools, or within another setting in which learning opportunities are afforded. These settings might include online communication, outdoor education, excursions, coaching, tutoring, and informal learning associated with home and community contexts. The kinds of research questions considered might include pedagogy, curriculum, policy, and organizational issues, and might consider the perspectives of students, teachers, parents, policymakers and/or the broader community. In preparing an individual research proposal, you will draw upon the research literature to develop your topic and to select a form of inquiry that is suited to it.

This unit will provide an introduction to the Honours program, and facilitate the development of a research project that will be conducted as part of EDUF4021. Students will develop an understanding of a range of education research methodologies through participating in seminars, online discussions, attending lectures for Reading and Designing Research (EDUF4044), and under the supervision of an academic member of staff. They will demonstrate their emerging understanding in their specific field of research through the development of a research proposal, including a detailed literature review, and oral presentation to their peers.

Family perspectives and partnerships are central to quality early childhood contexts. This unit focuses on developing understandings, knowledge and skills around working collaboratively with families from diverse socio-cultural and linguistic backgrounds to develop optimal early childhood education and care environments.

This unit is designed to enable students to plan, implement and evaluate appropriate curriculum for infants, toddlers and young children in early childhood settings. It focuses on requirements mandated in the national and jurisdictional quality assurance and regulatory frameworks, and the underpinnings of curriculum decision making and planning including observation and assessment, socio-cultural contexts, research, children's developmental trajectories and family partnerships.

Professional Experience EC 3 is the third Professional Experience unit in the Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood). This unit focuses on curriculum development and models and the importance of partnering with families especially when working with infants, toddlers and preschoolers. Students will be expected to take increasing responsibility as the primary caregiver for children in the birth to 2 year range. There are 20 days of block professional experience in a birth to 5 years early learning setting (plus 2 lead-up centre visits) embedded in this unit.

In this unit students focus on multiliteracies and ways in which early childhood educators can support and extend young children's thinking and literacy learning. The contexts and impacts of popular culture and print and digital technologies are explored within the framework of home, culture and community and formal early learning contexts. Students will also focus on the importance of partnering with families and other educators to support early learning and to create optimal transitions between early childhood settings and to school.

The role of the professional in early childhood services is multifaceted and complex. In this unit students explore what it means to be in positions of authority and leadership in early childhood services and to become strong advocates for quality provision of early childhood education and care and for the well-being of young children and their families.

This unit enables students to experience the professional work of early childhood teachers over a sustained period - 30 days, in a Birth to 5 year old setting or preschool. The unit requires students to demonstrate growing independence as critically reflective early childhood teachers, to reflect on developing professional profiles and to evaluate these experiences in relation to on-going professional growth. Students will build to a teaching load of four days per week (or equivalent) with the balance of the time focused on developing a teacher-led research project designed to explore and/or improve an aspect of pedagogy, curriculum or child development.

In this unit, students will undertake a research project developed as part of EDUF4020 under the supervision of an academic member of staff, and possibly as part of a team. Students will demonstrate a deep understanding of their research project, including links to the analysis of data, interpretation of the literature in relation to their research findings, knowledge of the research methods utilised, and understanding of relevant ethical issues. Under the direction of their supervisor, will develop a research report for examination and dissemination to the wider research field, and make a presentation to peers and colleagues within the Faculty.

This unit of study dissects the role played by youth sport and sport in Australian society from an historical and socio-cultural perspective. Youth sport in this unit encompasses physical education, school sport, organised community sport as well as any organised youth physical activity. This unit endeavours to place greater emphasis on theories that have emerged regarding youth sport and sport issues. These include how youth sport and sport in general have been constructed over time and how each relates to themes such as class, gender, age, ethnicity, sexuality, social identity, policy, politics commercialism, nationalism and racism. This unit will encourage students to critically analyse how sport is both constructed and is produced in the context of particular social values and beliefs. The unit is structured in a way to encourage the development of arguments and ideas through tutorial presentations, research projects and a portfolio which relate to these topic areas. This unit of study is designed to encourage student-based multi-disciplinary inquiry as laid out by the Education III design. It is designed also to encourage students to become informed citizens and life-long learners.

The unit emphasis is on the underpinning global education trends of the developed world. A number of themes are dealt with in this global context, in particular youth transition, Indigenous education issues in Australia, the USA and New Zealand, the emergence of international curriculum and assessment and a number of education system case studies. These case studies will include the education systems of France, Great Britain, Germany and Brazil. The unit will appeal to students who are likely to work in the increasingly global world of teaching and may be involved in latter years in working in organizations such as UNESCO, the OECD or the World Bank.

Curriculum is an essential component to all schools and all education systems. Understanding what, why and how curricula are constructed is an important skill for all teachers. The unit also examines controversial issues in curriculum including the teaching of values in schools and the role of values education documents for NSW schools. Many recent developments in curriculum are reviewed including NAPLAN, national assessment and MySchool. Evaluation and assessment are often misunderstood concepts. Cultural, social and political influences drive decisions about who, what and how will be evaluated. Evaluation and assessment are often conflated with large scale testing regimes because they can lead to easily quantifiable results. A broader and more accurate understanding of these terms is important for all educators.

This unit of study explores relationships between education, poverty and development in international contexts, particularly in the global South. It acknowledges the importance of a broad-ranging view of development, including its economic, political, and cultural dimensions. The unit examines key indicators related to poverty and education, and explores the educational implications of the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) in the global South. The roles of multilateral, bilateral and non-state agencies in educational development is investigated to discuss the multiple actors in global development and the politics of aid. Case studies of educational development processes in specific countries are used to contextualise the key issues explored in the unit and to provide students with an understanding of how development reforms are experienced and contested at local, regional, and national levels. The unit is especially designed for those who have an interest in developing countries, who may be teaching or writing about development issues, or who may be interested in careers in international and development education, whether in Australia or overseas.

Mentoring is increasingly used to assist in transitional educational situations such as the transition to teaching, transition from primary to high school and transition from junior to senior school. Mentoring provides the mentor with the opportunity to make meaning of their experiences and to share these experiences with the mentee. Mentoring provides the mentee with support, guidance and challenge within the unfamiliar community of practice they are entering. In educational contexts mentoring as theory and practice has assumed critical importance in introducing pre-service teachers to the professional practice of teaching. This unit of study examines mentoring in schools and universities and other organisational structures. Students use a range of sociological theories and constructs in order to develop a critical understanding of mentoring as professional practice and to devise a mentor programme suitable for implementation in an educational setting of their own choosing.

This unit of study examines four themes from current research on learning and teaching which have significant implications for enhancing learning outcomes in educational settings: (1) the self-system, learning and achievement; (2) collaborative learning: cognitive and motivational factors; (3) information processing and the design of instruction; and (4) learning from text, illustrations and multimedia. Each of these themes is defined by a central question (e.g. how is the self-system organised and what is its relationship to student achievement?) which is examined through several bodies of related recent research. In addition to lectures on each theme, students present the results of their collaborative self-directed research on one of the themes in a series of presentations held in the last five weeks of the unit of study. At the completion of the unit students should be able to analyse, synthesise, and draw conclusions from theory and research in each of the four themes considered, derive educational implications and applications for an educational level (e.g. primary, secondary), demonstrate the skills involved in collaborative and self-directed learning, and demonstrate competence in oral and written communication skills.

How can we explain the ideas, practices and institutions which make up the modern Australian school? This unit looks for the answers in the history of Australian education. Why is schooling compulsory? Why are there separate primary and secondary schools? Why do teachers need university degrees? Why do so many children and young people attend religiously-affiliated schools? What are the origins of current school funding regimes? Understanding the histories of current educational arrangements helps us better understand the present and offers useful knowledge for shaping the future of schooling. The unit looks at Australian schooling from the colonial period to the twenty-first century with a particular emphasis on the period from the 1950s.