Contemporary Contexts of Early Childhood Education

This course will explore contemporary contexts of early childhood education in the contemporary world including current policies and practices, and the theoretical and philosophical perspectives that inform them, including child development, sociology, and philosophy. To engage students in dialogue about early childhood education as a discipline that is based in relationships, is holistic in approach, and guided by broad principles that underpin early years curriculum, pedagogy, and policy. Students will develop an understanding of the contemporary landscapes of early childhood education in Australian and global contexts. Students will explore key curriculum and policy documents including the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF), the Australian Curriculum, Graduate Teacher Standards, National Quality Standards (NQS), Early Childhood Australia (ECA) Code of Ethics, the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians, and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Students will develop an understanding of contemporary pedagogical approaches including attachment based care, democratic and inquiry based such as those used in Reggio Emilia, emergent curriculum, intentional teaching, and play-based learning. Students will develop critical understandings of current early childhood education thinking and practice, and how it is strongly influenced by historical and philosophical underpinnings that shape the image of the child, teachers, and families.