ECE728 - Pedagogical Understandings of Teaching and Learning in the Early Childhood Contexts
| Year: | 2026 unit information |
|---|---|
| Enrolment modes: | Trimester 1: Burwood (Melbourne), Online Trimester 2: Burwood (Melbourne), Online |
| Credit point(s): | 1 |
| EFTSL value: | 0.125 |
| Cohort rule: | This unit is only available to students enrolled in E661, E761, E764 |
| Prerequisite: | E661 & E761 students must have passed ECE735 |
| Corequisite: | Nil |
| Incompatible with: | Nil |
| Study commitment: | Students will on average spend 150-hours over the teaching period undertaking the teaching, learning and assessment activities for this unit. |
| Scheduled learning activities - campus: | 4 x 6-hour on-campus intensive (seminars) per trimester in non-placement teaching weeks (weeks TBA) |
| Scheduled learning activities - online: | 1 x 2-hour online seminar per week 1 x 1-hour online meeting per week in non-placement teaching weeks (approx. 8-9 weeks) |
| In-person attendance requirements: | ^Professional Experience 40-days on-site professional experience (placement) per trimester in an Early Childhood education service (both Long Daycare and Sessional Preschool) For the most up-to-date advice regarding your placement please see here. Placements for this unit are scheduled across multiple placement blocks. Students will be assigned to one of these blocks and cannot choose their preferred placement window. It is the student's responsibility to ensure they are available for placement at any time within the designated placement periods, as scheduling may occur at any point within these timeframes. Please note: Placement periods may take place during or outside standard trimester teaching dates. |
Content
In this unit students will complete 40-days of professional experience placement to support theoretical and practical understanding of the role of a graduate early childhood teacher in the Australian context. Furthermore, unit content will support students to apply advanced knowledge and skills to research literature, policy and curriculum approaches in early childhood education and care contexts.
Students will gain an in-depth knowledge and understanding of teaching and learning in early childhood education and care. They will engage in an examination of pedagogical theory and critical discussions of teacher identity formation in the context of early years discourses as shaping a personal philosophy and pedagogy for informing teaching. Furthermore, they will develop advanced knowledge and application of a diversity of assessment strategies and teaching practices within an integrative, play-based approach.
Students will engage with discourses of diversity and inclusion as they recognise children’s socio-cultural contexts and reflect an understanding of the image of the child in their assessment and planning. Students will draw on strengths-based and child-centred approaches to see the learner in context and identify pedagogies to support, foster and nurture the child as a competent and capable learner.
Unit fee information
Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study and their study discipline, and your study load.
Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.
For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current Students website.
Commonwealth Prac Payment
From 1 July 2025, the Australian Government is intending to introduce the Commonwealth Prac Payment (CPP) to assist eligible students with costs related to mandatory placements in higher education courses for teaching, nursing, midwifery and social work.
Hurdle requirements
Professional Experience
Professional Experience for Preservice Teachers enrolled in School of Education courses, the Professional Experience component is assessed primarily by the site-based teacher (Mentor) who advises the Unit Chair. Satisfactory completion of the professional experience placement is required to pass this unit.