Course code: 3201 + Peninsula campus + Program coordinator: Ms Marie Hammer (telephone (03) 9904 4288 for initial inquiries)
This course is designed to communicate both theoretical and practical knowledge in the area of early childhood education and teaching. Students should form a broad conceptual understanding of the field of education and will be expected to engage as active participants in both on-campus and off- campus components of the course.
Admission is open to graduates with an approved degree in primary teacher education or graduates with an approved degree. For overseas degrees, the faculty accepts assessments made by the Victorian Department of Education and Training, GPO Box 4367, Melbourne, Victoria 3001. Telephone (03) 9637 2000 or (03) 9616 9089 (international + 61 3 9637 2000 or + 61 3 9616 0989).
Applications are made through the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC), telephone 1300 364 133 (except for international students who apply through Monash International). Application forms are available in the VTAC guide, which can be obtained from Victorian newsagents from August, or via the VTAC website at http://www.vtac.edu.au. Applications should be submitted to VTAC by the end of September (later applications may be accepted on payment of a late fee).
In order to manage your teacher training course, and particularly to teach classes effectively on your ten weeks of teaching practice, you will need to have excellent communication skills in English. You need to provide evidence of this. If you do not have a satisfactory result in English at Year 12 in Australia (including applicants with overseas qualifications), or if you have not received an official exemption from having to sit for the University Test of English as a Second Language (UTESL), you must enroll for this written test of reading, writing and listening skills. If you have no exemption and fail to sit the test, you will not be considered for selection.
Applications for exemption should be addressed in writing to English Exemptions, Faculty of Education, Monash University, P.O. Box 6, Victoria 3800, and should include evidence of your English proficiency. Completion of all secondary and tertiary studies in full English medium in a country where English is an official language will generally be accepted as grounds for exemption. Attendance at English courses may not be regarded as adequate evidence. However, results on nationally or internationally recognized tests such as the IELTS-academic (a 7 is required for most subjects) and the TOEFL (only if accompanied by the essay test result or the TWE, with a minimum score of 600 and 4.5 TWE or 250 on the CBT) or the ASLPRs (a 4 is required) can be presented.
Further enquiries regarding English requirements and exemptions may be directed to the email address: english.exemptions@education.monash.edu.au . Please note that enquiries and applications for exemption should be submitted by the 1st of October for timely applicants and the 1st of November for late applicants. The requests will receive responses one week from each of these dates.
The Language Testing Research Centre conducts the test (UTESL) at the University of Melbourne. Testing will take place on a Saturday in late October and late November. For information about the test, and for a registration form, please contact the Language Testing Research Centre on 8344 4389 (tel), 8344 5163 (fax), or by email at the following address: ltrc-info@unimelb.edu.au
If you perform well on the UTESL, or have received partial exemption, you will be asked to attend an interview at the Faculty of Education, Clayton. Interviews are normally held in late November and in December. You will be invited to attend in writing or by email, and an explanation of the interview will be provided. This interview tests your oral communication skills in English.
You do NOT need to submit a letter of exemption with your VTAC application. The institution of your first preference, of which you request an exemption, will inform VTAC and all other institutions of your exemption and oral interview results (where applicable). This will occur in December in time for the selection in January.
The course comprises eight units in which the emphasis is on the underpinning theories pertinent to best practice in early childhood teaching and the development of a strong understanding of the theories of child development. The course will also emphasise the range of early childhood services and the social context of early childhood provision, as well as the need for flexibility and responsiveness to the needs of families and young children. In particular, the course will address the relationship between service provision and the families of young children. Graduates will be encouraged to develop flexible strategies to accommodate these needs and to recognise the importance of lifelong learning as a necessary component of their professional development. The course will also develop an understanding of the ethical requirements of early childhood teachers and the practical application of these requirements.
Core units |
Minimum practicum requirements |
EDF5409 Play and pedagogy |
- |
EDF5410 Curriculum studies: early childhood |
5 days |
EDF5411 Social, political and professional contexts of early childhood teaching |
5 days |
EDF5412 Field experience |
30 days |
EDF5413 Family studies |
5 days |
EDF5414 Child development principles |
10 days |
EDF5415 Issues in child development |
- |
EDF5416 Perspectives of early childhood education |
- |
Total practicum days |
55+ days |
This is a conceptual outline only. It gives a general indication of how the
course will progress and is subject to change without notice. Students should
also consult their course coordinator to assist in planning their program. Please
check the timetable for 2003 for unit availability via our
website at http://www.education.monash.edu.au/students/current/timetables/
after 30 September.
In order to satisfy the conditions of employment established by the Australian Early Childhood Association (Victorian Branch), students who enrol with approved degrees in fields other than primary education will be required to complete an additional 15 days of mandatory field experience. Such students will therefore complete 70 days of field experience placement rather than the base level of 55 days of placement. Students must normally be available to undertake their practicum placement on a full-time basis. While some placements may be completed at a site at which the student is employed, the remainder of the placement will need to be undertaken at a site(s) other than that at which they are employed.
This course consists of one year of full-time study taken on-campus. The expected number of hours per week for a full-time student is 48. The course may also be taken on a part-time basis.
Further information regarding this course may be obtained from the Faculty of Education, Peninsula campus (telephone (03) 9904 4288) or visit our website at http://www.education.monash.edu.au.
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