Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood Studies)

Course notes

Important course notes

• Non standard timetable requirements

  Students have the opportunity to complete a fast-tracked final year and achieve eligibility for employment in schools from Term 4 during the same year.
  

• Internship option

  The internship equips Pre-Service Teachers with the mastery and knowledge to lead their own classrooms. Pre-Service Teachers are placed in either classrooms or early learning settings where they will fulfil a diversity of roles, tasks and duties to provide a well-rounded experience of working as a teacher. Students will be required to attend the school or early learning setting for 4 days per week (8 hours each day) during term 3.

  Attendance requirements

  Generally host Schools and Centres require that the Pre-Service Teachers attend the placement on a full time basis and otherwise meet their specific attendance requirements of the particular placement. There is limited scope for ECU to negotiate any deviations from these requirements.

  Clearances and/or Risk Management Protocols Required

  The Department of Education Western Australia and cooperating non-government schools have the right to determine 'fit and proper persons' to enter and practice in schools. For these reasons, all pre-service teachers 18 years of age and over will be required to have a current Department of Education Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC) and a current Working with Children Check, or the equivalent clearance issued by the relevant State authority before commencing this period of Professional Practice
  
  Further information can be found at http://www.ecu.edu.au/schools/education/professional- practice/clearances

  Professional practice rules

  During the placement, it is imperative that Pre-Service Teachers always demonstrate professionalism and respect for industry partners. Pre-Service Teachers must abide by the professional standards set out in the ECU Student Code of Conduct and comply with the applicable University policies and rules.
  The Student Code of Conduct can be found at: http://policysearch.ecu.edu.au/PolicySearch/Record/767/file/document
  The host School/Centre has absolute discretion to terminate the Pre-Service Teachers placement prior to completion of the placement. Situations where this discretion has been exercised are typically where the School/Centre has had concerns about Pre-Service Teacher's conduct or performance. ECU may also withdraw a Pre-Service eacher from placement in certain circumstances. Early termination or withdrawal from the professional practice placement may result in a Fail grade for this unit.

• Practicum requirement

  In each year of the program, students undertake compulsory Professional Experience and in the final year, students undertake an Assistant Teacher Program (ATP) comprising of one term of approximately 10 weeks of continuous teaching practice. The Assistant Teacher Program is conducted during the final year of the course in the second term of the school year.
  

  Attendance requirements

  Generally host Schools and Centres require that the pre-service teachers attend the placement on a full time basis and otherwise meet their specific attendance requirements of the particular placement. There is limited scope for ECU to negotiate any deviations from these requirements.

  Clearances and/or Risk Management Protocols Required

  To undertake a Professional Practice in a school or childcare setting, all pre-service teacher education students over the age of 18 must have supplied ECU with evidence of the following two clearances:
  
  A valid Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC) from the Department of Education WA.
  A valid Working with Children Check (WWCC) from the Department for Child Protection and Family Support WA.
  
  Further information can be found at http://www.ecu.edu.au/schools/education/professional-practice/clearances
  

  Professional practice rules

  During the placement, it is imperative that Pre-Service Teachers always demonstrate professionalism and respect for industry partners. Pre-Service Teachers must abide by the professional standards set out in the ECU Student Code of Conduct and comply with the applicable University policies and rules.
  The Student Code of Conduct can be found at: http://policysearch.ecu.edu.au/PolicySearch/Record/767/file/document
  The host School/Centre has absolute discretion to terminate the Pre-Service Teachers placement prior to completion of the placement. Situations where this discretion has been exercised are typically where the School/Centre has had concerns about Pre-Service Teacher's conduct or performance. ECU may also withdraw a Pre-Service eacher from placement in certain circumstances. Early termination or withdrawal from the professional practice placement may result in a Fail grade for this unit.

• Registration

  Students will need to graduate to be eligible to register with the Teacher Registration Board of Western Australia (TRBWA). Registration with the Teacher Registration Board of Western Australia (TRBWA) is required to practice in the profession.

  Graduates must meet the Teacher Registration Board of WA (TRBWA) literacy and numeracy proficiency requirements prior to graduation for teacher registration in Western Australia. Further information is available at http://www.trb.wa.gov.au

Course Learning Outcomes

1. Apply broad discipline knowledge to a range of theoretical and practical early childhood situations.
2. Communicate early childhood knowledge and values in professional and public contexts.
3. Demonstrate a global outlook with respect for cultural diversity, including Indigenous cultural competence.
4. Demonstrate autonomy, accountability and judgement for own learning and professional practice.
5. Think creatively to anticipate challenges and generate discipline specific solutions/responses.
6. Think critically to analyse, interpret and conceptualise complex early childhood problems.
7. Use digital technologies and literacies to access, evaluate and synthesise relevant information from multiple sources.
8. Work collaboratively and demonstrate initiative to implement social, sustainable, and ethical values.

Quick guide to uni-speak

• • ATAR

    ATAR is the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank, the primary criterion for entry into most undergraduate university courses in Australia. The ATAR is a percentile score which denotes a student's ranking relative to their state-wide peers upon completion of their secondary education.

  • CRICOS code

    CRICOS is the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students. A CRICOS code is allocated to education institutions (like ECU) who are approved to recruit, enrol and deliver education to overseas students. Courses with a CRICOS code are available to international students who meet the entry requirements.

  • Majors

    A major, or unit set, is your chosen area of in-depth study in an undergraduate course. It usually involves 8 units of study, or one-third of the units in a 3-year degree. Talk to your Student Information Office if you need help choosing a major subject.

  • Minors

    Minors include between 4 and 6 study units in a specific discipline. Not all courses require you to complete a minor. Your minor subject doesn't appear on your printed degree (parchment), but is part of your academic transcript.

  • Full-time

    If you're enrolled in 3 or more units in a semester this is considered full-time study. To complete most 3-year degrees studying full-time you'll need to complete 4 units per semester, i.e. 24 units over 3 years.

  • Part-time

    If a course is available to study part-time you can generally expect it to take twice as long to complete as it would in full-time mode. Part-time students are enrolled in 1 or 2 units maximum per semester.

    Note: International students who hold a student visa can only choose the full-time study option for our courses. This is to ensure the course is completed within the duration of the student visa.

• • Semester 1

    Most courses start in Semester 1 each year, usually in the last week of February. Some courses can be started in Semester 2 (we call this mid-year). There's a week of Orientation before each semester to help you get used to uni life.

  • Semester 2

    A lot of our courses start in Semester 2 each year, usually in the last week of July. We call this mid-year. There's a week of Orientation beforehand to help you get used to uni life.

  • Credit Points

    We use a points system to make it easier for you to understand your study progress. Most Bachelors degree study units are allocated 15 credit points. If you're studying a 3-year full-time degree you'll need to successfully complete 360 credit points - that's 24 units x 15 points per unit.

  • Core Units

    These are compulsory units you have to successfully complete as part of your course.

  • Recommended Electives

    An elective is a unit you choose to study that counts towards your course requirements, but isn't compulsory. For some courses we recommend elective units. In some situations, a course coordinator may approve an elective unit as a replacement for a compulsory one.