ECE1101 The Young Child: Development and Ecology

ECE	1101	67001	2, 2007	EXT	The Young Child: Development and Ecology	1.00	Toowoomba
Subject	Cat-nbr	Class	Term	Mode	Description	Units	Campus

Academic group:	FOEDU
Academic org:	FOE004
Student contribution band:	National Priority Teaching
ASCED code:	070101

Staffing
Other requisites
Rationale
Synopsis
Objectives
Topics
Texts
Reference materials
Student workload
Assessment details
Important assessment information
Assessment notes
Other requirements
Production date
PDF version

STAFFING

Examiner: Leisa Holzheimer
Moderator: Linda De George-Walker

OTHER REQUISITES

State law in Queensland (Australia) requires that all adults working/undertaking professional experience/researching with children under the age of 18, in the state of Queensland are required to possess a current suitability card (Blue Card). (See "Other Requirements" for further information.) Also see: http://www.childcomm.qld.gov.au/employment/bluecard/informationSheets.html.

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). The course emphasises literacy correctness in all its forms.

OBJECTIVES

The course objectives define the student learning outcomes for a course. The assessment item(s) that may be used to assess student achievement of an objective are shown in parenthesis. On completion of this course students will be able to:

understand and discuss developmental and learning theories pertaining to children pre-birth through eight, in particular their subjective and changing nature (All assessment items)
understand and discuss child growth, development and learning from multiple perspectives (All assessment items)
analyse and interpret the biological, socio-cultural constructivist approach to child growth and development (All assessment items)
outline how children interact with each other and adults to co-construct knowledge and understanding (All assessment items)
analyse the cultural nature of development and discuss what this means for contemporary early childhood practice (All assessment items)
discuss ideas and issues from current child development research (All assessment items)
analyse and interpret children's play and social interactions (All assessment items)
identify and reflect on practical and pedagogical interactions of theory in everyday early childhood teaching practice (All assessment items)
apply a range of child study tools to facilitate an understanding of the "whole child" (All assessment items)
use written communication effectively and appropriately (All assessment items)
demonstrate competence in and appropriate use of language and literacy, including spelling, grammar, punctuation and bibliographic referencing (All assessment items).

TOPICS

	Description	Weighting (%)
1.	The ecology of child development	10.00
2.	Developmental and learning theories (pre-birth to eight)	10.00
3.	Socio-cultural constructivist theories	10.00
4.	Contemporary approaches to child development	10.00
5.	Brain research and child development	20.00
6.	Contemporary play research and the young child	10.00
7.	Studying the young child	30.00

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).

Berk, LE 2005, Infants and children: prenatal through middle childhood, 5th edn, Allyn & Bacon, Boston.

REFERENCE MATERIALS

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.

Arthur, L, Beecher, B, Death, E, Dockett, S & Farmer, S 2005, Programming and planning in early childhood setting, 3rd edn, Thomson, South Melbourne.

Bentzen, WR 2005, Seeing young children: a guide to observing and recording behavior, 5th edn, Thomson/Delmar Learning, Clifton Park, NY.

Charlesworth, R 2004, Understanding child development: for adults who work with young children, 6th edn, Delmar Thomson Learning, New York.

Fleer, M & Richardson, C 2004, Observing and planning in early childhood settings: using a sociocultural approach, Early Childhood Australia, Watson, ACT.

MacNaughton, G & Williams, G 2004, Techniques for teaching young children: choices in theory and practice, 2nd edn, Addison Wesley Longman, South Melbourne.

McDevitt, TM & Ormrod, JE 2006, Child development and education, 3rd edn, Merrill Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.

Nilsen, B 2004, Week by week: plans for observing and recording young children, 3rd edn, Delmar Thomson Learning, Albany, New York.

STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS

ACTIVITY	HOURS
Assessment	40.00
Directed Study	45.00
Private Study	80.00

ASSESSMENT DETAILS

Description		Marks out of	Wtg(%)	Due date
ONLINE QUIZZES		50.00	50.00	23 Jul 2007	(see note 1)
ASSIGNMENT		50.00	50.00	02 Nov 2007

NOTES

1.: Quizzes to be submitted weekly.

IMPORTANT ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

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.
Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks.
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.
Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must complete and submit all of the summative assessment items and achieve at least 30% in all weighted assessment items, achieve at least 30% of the total weighted marks allocated for the assignments and at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.
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 marks obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.
Examination information:
There is no examination for this course.
Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
There will be no Deferred or Supplementary examinations for this course.
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

1.	The due date for an assignment is the date by which a student must despatch the assignment to the USQ. The onus is on the student to provide proof of the despatch date, if requested by the examiner.
2.	Students must retain a copy of each item submitted for assessment. This must be produced within twenty-four (24) hours of receipt of request being made by the examiner. The student must retain this copy until the grade for this course has been finalised.
3.	In accordance with the University's assignment extension policy (Regulation 5.6.1), the examiner may grant an extension of the due date of an assignment in extenuating circumstances.
4.	The Faculty will normally only accept assessments that have been written, typed or printed on paper-based media. The Faculty will NOT accept submission of assignments by facsimile. Students who do not have regular access to postal services or who are otherwise disadvantaged by these regulations may be given special consideration. They should contact the examiner of the course to negotiate such special arrangements.
5.	In the event that a due date for an assignment falls on a local public holiday in their area, the due date for the assignment will be the next working day. Students are to note on the assignment cover the date of the public holiday for the examiner's convenience.
6.	Students who have undertaken all of the required assessments in a course but who have failed to meet some of the specified objectives of a course within the normally prescribed time may be awarded the temporary grade: IM (Incomplete - Make up). An IM grade will only be awarded when, in the opinion of the examiner, a student will be able to achieve the remaining objectives of the course after a period of non-directed personal study.
7.	Students who, for medical, family/personal, or employment-related reasons, are unable to complete an assignment or to sit for an examination at the scheduled time may apply to defer an assessment in a course. Such a request must be accompanied by appropriate supporting documentation. One of the following temporary grades may be awarded IDS (Incomplete - Deferred Examination); IDM (Incomplete - Deferred Make-up); IDB (Incomplete - Both Deferred Examination and Deferred Make-up).
8.	When there is more than one marker for a single item of assessment, the distributed patterns and means for the different markers will be compared and marks adjusted if necessary.
9.	Marking criteria are provided in course material as mark sheets/guides or as part of assignment specifications.
10.	Summative assessment items will receive a numerical score. Any ungraded assessment requirement will receive a Pass, Fail or Incomplete.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Students will require access to e-mail and internet access to USQConnect for this course.
Students are to use a recognised referencing system as specified by the examiner.
Results for this course will not be released until associated professional experience, including professional experience folder, have been successfully completed and documentation processed.
5 days observation professional experience.
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.

This version produced 7 Feb 2008.