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Unit outline_

EDEC4012: Early Childhood Internship

Semester 2, 2021 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

This unit is the final professional experience unit students undertake before embarking on their teaching careers. The unit requires students to take an educational leadership role within their setting, demonstrating professional ethics and implementation of their teaching philosophy. Students will be expected to take a critical approach to teaching with a focus on fairness, equity and inclusion and reflective practice. During the extended 30 day placement students will further refine their pedagogical practice through a concurrent practitioner research project undertaken in the co-requisite EDEC4011 Research unit.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit Education
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
168 credit points including all prior professional experience units and successful completion of EDEC4010
Corequisites
? 
EDEC4011
Prohibitions
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator Tina Stratigos, tina.stratigos@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s) Wilma Murdoch, wilma.murdoch@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Internship placement:

A 30-day internship plus one-day lead-up visit to be completed Monday to Thursday over eight weeks.  Assessment components of the placement include 100% attendance, supervising teacher’s report and portfolio

 

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Mid-semester break Individual or small group consultations Lecture and tutorial (1.5 hr)  
Week 01 Communities of practice Lecture and tutorial (1.5 hr) LO2
Week 02 Specialist teaching techniques Lecture and tutorial (1.5 hr) LO1 LO3
Week 03 Assessment and planning Lecture and tutorial (1.5 hr) LO1 LO3
Week 04 Professional identity and pedagogical leadership Lecture and tutorial (1.5 hr) LO1 LO2 LO4
Week 05 Professional challenges Lecture and tutorial (1.5 hr) LO3 LO4
Week 06 Reflective practice scenarios Lecture and tutorial (1.5 hr) LO2 LO3
Week 07 Reflective practice scenarios & solution focus Lecture and tutorial (1.5 hr) LO2 LO3

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed through the Library Reading List  available on Canvas

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. Take increasing leadership responsibility for planning, implementing and assessing quality early childhood curriculum in collaboration with other educators
  • LO2. Take increasing leadership responsibility for communicating and collaborating professionally and respectfully with staff, families, children and community
  • LO3. Critically reflect on practice and exercise professional judgement, making links between theory, philosophy, child development and practice
  • LO4. Clearly articulate a professional identity and philosophy informed by theory and contemporary practice

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

Alignment with Competency standards

Outcomes Competency standards
LO1
Australian Children's Education & Care Quality Authority - ACECQA
1.1. Learning, development and care
2.4. Teaching methods and strategies
3.1. Early Years Learning Framework
3.9. Curriculum planning, programming and evaluation
6.1. Leadership
LO2
Australian Children's Education & Care Quality Authority - ACECQA
4.1. Developing family and community partnerships
6.3. Professional identity and development
LO3
Australian Children's Education & Care Quality Authority - ACECQA
2.4. Teaching methods and strategies
3.9. Curriculum planning, programming and evaluation
LO4
Australian Children's Education & Care Quality Authority - ACECQA
5.2. Contemporary theories and practice
5.3. Ethics and professional practice
6.3. Professional identity and development

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Changes made to practice/written assessment tasks in Pebble Pad

Work, health and safety

Please make yourself familiar with the inherent requirements for this course:  https://sydney.edu.au/students/student-responsibilities/inherent-requirements.html

Please make yourself familiar with the professional experience handbook:  https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/13426/pages/professional-experience-in-education including information on Working With Children Check, workplace health and safety induction, infectious diseases and pregnancy. 

You may wish to discuss your immunisation status with your doctor prior the professional experience placement, particularly when working with infants and toddlers.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.