Professional Experience
All students enrolled in the Bachelor of Early Childhood Education are required to undertake professional experience placements in a range of early childhood education settings.
Professional Experience handbook for Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (2.4 MB) (eg timetables, requirements)
Level 3
Students at this level complete a minimum of 45 days of supervised professional experience in a range of early childhood settings.
The first placement of 20 days is undertaken in daycare centres, working with 0 - 2 year old children. The second placement of 25 days is spent in a 3 - 5 year old kindergarten setting.
Some of this experience may take place in special settings where pre-school children undertake educational programs (e.g. museums, hospitals, special development centres) and students are encouraged to consider a global experience. A strength of the course for teacher graduates is this wider conception of community and family learning contexts.
Students are supervised during their placements and will be required to undertake observation or research tasks whilst on placement. An evaluation of each placement will be completed by the centre supervisor.
Two 5 day blocks are scheduled for each placement. The first 5 day block is an Orientation Block at the commencement of the placement to allow students to familiarise themselves with the children
and the environment. The second 5 day block occurs at the end of the placement, where students assume full control of teaching within the setting. See the following trimester schedules to see how the placements are organised.
Level 4
Students will complete two Work Experience in Industry units of 35 hours per unit.
Organisation of placements
Professional experience placements are organised by the Professional Experience Office, in consultation with the student as much as is possible. A satisfactory level of competence during supervised professional experience is required for award of the degree.
Professional Experience web siteInformation contained in the Handbook is updated annually and is a summary of Faculty rules in relation to professional experience. Students should be well informed about all information contained in the Handbook and refer to it as needed.
