1515 - Bachelor of Early Childhood Education

This course is designed to fully prepare students for a career in a range of early childhood educational settings. The course explores a wide range of issues in teaching and children's learning, and covers the key learning areas of the arts, literacy, numeracy, health, wellbeing, physical education, science, Studies of Society and Environment(SOSE), and technology. It also provides recognised teaching qualifications in primary and early childhood settings.

Students must complete teaching practice which consists of a minimum of 80 days of satisfactory supervised school experience. Those students who are employed in schools must complete a minimum of 50 per cent of supervised placement in a setting other than the school in which they are employed. Students must be available to undertake school placements on a full-time basis and attend their placement for full days at times determined by the faculty.

This course is designed to provide students with a program of studies and experiences, which should enable them to:

• develop knowledge of, and critically reflect on, the theoretical foundations of human development and of education, especially those relevant to early childhood education
• relate their own views and experiences in education, family and society to those of others and critically reflect on these
• appreciate the implications the family, social, cultural and political contexts have for children's development and learning, and how they impact on early childhood services
• understand the professional role of the early childhood educator in a diverse and complex society which is undergoing rapid and continuous social and technological change
• develop skills that will allow them to instigate and respond to change and to advocate effectively for young children, families and the early childhood profession
• demonstrate competence in general care, appropriate curriculum planning and teaching skills, as well as administration and management across a range of children's services
• develop effective research, communication and interpersonal skills
• have the skills and attitudes that foster a positive view of continued personal and professional development.

The degree consists of two groups of studies:

• teaching and curriculum studies, including teaching placements, totalling 120 points
• education studies, concerned with major issues in education, especially early childhood education, totalling 72 points.

Candidates must satisfactorily complete each of the units comprising the two groups of study, and receive a satisfactory teaching assessment to be eligible for the award.

First year

• EDF1303 Learning and educational inquiry 1 (five days professional placement)
• EDF1304 Learning and educational inquiry 2 (five days professional placement)
• EDF1305 Entering the profession 1
• EDF1306 Spaces of difference
• EDF1307 Early literacy and numeracy 1
• EDF1321 ECE movement, environment and community
• EDF1322 ECE: science and technology
• EDF1324 ECE: creative arts

Second year

• EDF2301 Multiliteracies: mediating the world
• EDF2306 Global educational contexts: policy, practice and research
• EDF2303 Movement, environment and community
• EDF2302 Re-imagining children's learning
• EDF2321 Working with diverse learners
• EDF2304 Early literacy and numeracy 2
• EDF2323 Inquiry in professional practice: upper primary (20 days professional placement)
• EDF2324 Inquiry in professional practice: junior primary (20 days professional placement)

Third year

• EDF3301 Numeracy
• EDF3303 Integrating the curriculum 1: creative exchange
• EDF3304 Integrating the curriculum 2: different places
• EDF3306 Literacy
• EDF3321 Assessment in the ECE curriculum
• EDF3322 Inquiry in professional practice: infants and toddlers (20 days professional placement)
• EDF3323 Inquiry in professional practice: child care (20 days professional placement)
• EDF3324 Contexts for child development: the developing child

Fourth year

• EDF4321 Health and wellbeing in early childhood settings
• EDF4322 Issues in child development
• EDF4323 Leadership and management in ECE
• EDF4324 Professional engagement: entering the ECE profession
• EDF4325 The early childhood curriculum (15 days professional placement)
• EDF4326 Early childhood field studies (25 days professional placement)
• EDF4327 Practice informing research
• EDF4328 Play and pedagogy

Graduates will be eligible for registration and employment as primary school teachers in Victoria, and qualified for employment in preschools, childcare centres, primary schools, and other children's services and specialist early childhood settings in Victoria. For interstate and overseas positions, applicants are advised to check with local authorities.

Bachelor of Early Childhood Education

* Where more than one award is listed, or in the case of double degrees, where more than one award is listed for one or both components of the double degree, the actual award/s conferred may depend on units/majors/streams/specialisations studied, the level of academic merit achieved (eg in the case of 'with honours' programs), or other factors relevant to the individual student's program of study.