ECE 1101 The Young Child: Development and Ecology

STAFFING:

REQUISITES:

RATIONALE:

An awareness and understanding of the growth and development of young children is essential for those working in early childhood settings. Cognisance of a diverse array of learning and development theories coupled with the power to observe from many perspectives, enhances the early childhood educator's capacity to appreciate young children as dynamic learners and to plan a responsive curriculum.

SYNOPSIS:

This course is an in depth study of growth, development and learning of children from pre-birth through eight within a socio-cultural constructivist framework. The study program is a foundation course and explores child development theories in depth whilst challenging the student to reflect on the "many ways of understanding how children develop and learn, many ways to teach, and a range of curricular options" (Lubeck, 1996, p147). The course examines past and contemporary theories, recognising that theories change, as a result of influences of the context in which they operate and the individual and social values "people develop as participants in cultural communities. Their (peoples) development can be understood only in the light of the cultural practices and circumstances of their communities - which also change" (Rogoff, 2003 pp3-.4). A feature of the course is the acquisition of skills in child study through guided observation activities applied in ECP1002 Professional Experience. The course emphasises literacy correctness in all its forms. IMPORTANT NOTE: Working with Children: State law in Queensland requires that all adults (including university students, pre-service educators, trainers, vocational teachers, industry educators) working with children under the age of 18, in the State of Queensland*, obtain approval before commencing such work. Many education courses include a practical component (professional experience, project work, research, assessment etc.) that may require engagement with children under the age of 18. It is your responsibility to ensure that you possess a current suitability card (Blue Card) before commencing any practical components of this course. DO NOT PARTICIPATE IN ANY PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE WITH CHILDREN UNDER 18 UNLESS YOU POSSESS A CURRENT 'BLUE CARD'. For further information: http://www.childcomm.qld.gov.au/employment/bluecard/informationSheets.html *If you are undertaking practical experience outside the State of Queensland, Australia you should check local requirements.

OBJECTIVES:

On completion of this course students will be able to:

1. discuss developmental and learning theories pertaining to children pre-birth through eight, in particular their subjective and changing nature
2. analyse and interpret the biological, socio-cultural constructivist approach to child growth and development
3. discuss child growth and learning from multiple perspectives
4. outline how children interact with each other and adults to co-construct knowledge and understanding
5. analyse the cultural nature of development and discuss what this means for contemporary early childhood practice
6. discuss ideas and issues from current child development research;
7. analyse and interpret children's play and social interactions
8. identify and reflect on practical and pedagogical interactions of theory in everyday early childhood teaching practice
9. apply a range of child study tools to facilitate an understanding of the "whole child"
10. use written communication effectively and appropriately
11. write clearly, grammatically correctly and with accurate spelling and punctuation.

TOPICS:

TEXT and MATERIALS required to be PURCHASED or accessed:

ALL textbooks and materials are available for purchase from USQ BOOKSHOP (unless otherwise stated). Orders may be placed via secure internet, free fax 1800642453, phone 07 46312742 (within Australia), or mail. Overseas students should fax +61 7 46311743, or phone +61 7 46312742. For costs, further details, and internet ordering, use the 'Textbook Search' facility at http://bookshop.usq.edu.au click 'Semester', then enter your 'Course Code' (no spaces).

REFERENCE MATERIALS:

STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS:

ASSESSMENT DETAILS:

NOTES:

1.

Professional Practices (Observation Records Interpretations) occur weekly during the semester. Letter grades will be used in this course and displayed in the notes section of Gradebook.

IMPORTANT ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

1. Attendance requirements:
   There are no attendance requirements for this course. However, it is the students' responsibility to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.
2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
   To complete each of the assessment items satisfactorily, students must obtain at least a grade of C- for each assignment. To complete each of the assessment items satisfactorily, students must demonstrate their ability to write clearly, grammatically correctly and with accurate spelling and punctuation.
3. Penalties for late submission of required work:
   If students submit an assignment after the due date without prior approval then a penalty of 10% of the total marks available for the assignment will apply for each working day late.
4. Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
   To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must submit all of the summative assessment items and achieve at least 50% of the available weighted marks for those items.
5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
   The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the weighted aggregate of the grades obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.
6. Examination information:
   There is no examination for this course.
7. Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
   There will be no Deferred or Supplementary examinations for this course.
8. University Regulations:
   Students should read USQ Regulations 5.1 Definitions, 5.6. Assessment, and 5.10 Academic Misconduct for further information and to avoid actions which might contravene University Regulations. These regulations can be found at the URL http://www.usq.edu.au/corporateservices/calendar/part5.htm or in the current USQ Handbook.

ASSESSMENT NOTES

OTHER REQUIREMENTS:

1. Students will require access to e-mail and internet access to USQConnect for this course.
2. Students are to use a recognised referencing system as specified by the examiner.
3. Results for this course will not be released until associated professional experience, including professional experience folder, have been successfully completed and documentation processed.
4. 5 days observation professional experience.
5. IMPORTANT NOTE: Working with Children: State law in Queensland requires that all adults (including university students, pre-service educators, trainers, vocational teachers, industry educators) working with children under the age of 18, in the State of Queensland*, obtain approval before commencing such work. Many education courses include a practical component (professional experience, project work, research, assessment etc.) that may require engagement with children under the age of 18. It is your responsibility to ensure that you possess a current suitability card (Blue Card) before commencing any practical components of this course. DO NOT PARTICIPATE IN ANY PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE WITH CHILDREN UNDER 18 UNLESS YOU POSSESS A CURRENT 'BLUE CARD'. For further information: http://www.childcomm.qld.gov.au/employment/bluecard/informationSheets.html *If you are undertaking practical experience outside the State of Queensland, Australia you should check local requirements.