Unit rationale, description and aim
This unit introduces pre-service teachers to curriculum studies in early childhood education. Emphasis will be given to the roles early childhood teachers play in building curriculum continuities across children’s prior experiences and their current and future learning. Students will learn about the range of factors that influences curriculum documents and curriculum practice. They will investigate early childhood pedagogy that impacts on learning, teaching and assessment, and which supports connections and continuities across diverse contexts. Students will engage with a range of current early childhood policies and curriculum documents. Students will develop relationship skills to enable professional connections and continuities and analyse their roles as professional practitioners and advocates. Pre-service teachers are challenged to reflect on these roles and to articulate a vision for their teaching that embodies respect for human dignity in all dimensions of their personal lives and professional practice. Students’ learning in this unit is explored and put into practice through guided field experience and block practicums with children in the 3-5 year old age range.
This unit aims to assist pre-service teachers to examine a range of historical, contemporary and critical perspectives about curriculum in early childhood education, including how constructions of childhood influence constructions of curriculum, and put into practice their learnings through guided field experience and block practicums.