EDUC475: Inquiry into Professional Practice for Early Childhood Education

Learning Outcomes (Aims and Objectives)

Learning Outcomes (Aims and Objectives)

By the end of this paper, students will be able to:

1. Critically design and implement effective local curriculum consistent with children?s learning, community based aspirations and national requirements;
2. Sustain professionalism in all aspects of their practice;
3. Integrate appropriate conversational te reo me ng? tikanga M?ori relevant to the early childhood setting and wider community;
4. Critically apply and evaluate sociocultural narrative assessment and teaching pedagogies so as to reflect and support the connectedness, continuity and complexity of children’s learning;
5. Articulate and justify the refinement of their personal and professional philosophy of teaching and learning.

Assignment 1 Critically Reflexive Report

Detailed Requirements for Report 1

As part of your first professional experience block develop personal and professional goals that will support you to attain the requisite level of proficiency to address the course’s learning outcomes. See Table 1 for the professional expectations for this first professional experience block. At the end of the Professional Experience Block 1, and drawing from the daily notes you have kept during the block, write a 1500 word critically reflexive account of your participation in the early childhood programme. With a focus on your personalised practicum goals:

• Write critically about how your participation in the programme changed over time with specific reference to the practices and strategies you found effective when engaging with children and their learning, your bicultural practices, and professional relationships.
• Interrogate your practice using relevant literature to support your reflection.
• Critically reflect on the changes you made to professional goals and why, including drafting new ones.
• Discuss how you have implemented the principles and strands of Te Wh?riki through your teaching.
• Comment on your progress towards addressing and learning about Our Code Our Standards and the KTTs.

Assignment 2: Inquiry into Professional Practice (Block B)

2A Professional Experience Assessment

Through design and implementation of personalised practicum the student will sustain teaching practice that evidences progress towards each of the course learning outcomes, progress towards the KTTs, and demonstrates student teacher’s development in accord with the profession’s code and standards (based on Mentor Teacher and Visiting Lecturer reports).

2B Professional Conversation

Students will provide evidence from their documentation of teaching practice to illustrate how they are addressing each of the learning outcomes of the paper and how their personalised practicum is supporting their development of practice in accord with the professional code and standards and KTTs. To be eligible for the Professional Conversation, students are required to meet the criteria outlined in the Professional Experience Assessment.

Assignment 1 Critically Reflexive Report

Detailed Requirements for Assignment Part 2A

After discussing your proposed personalised practicum plan with your mentor teacher and visiting lecturer and deciding on the specific goals to be pursued, implement your plans. Every one-two weeks of the semester, reflect on and evaluate progress, adapting your goals accordingly as you develop your professional practice of teaching in accord with the learning outcomes, KTTs and professional code and standards. 

Detailed Requirements for Assignment Part 2B

Each week as you work to implement your personalised practicum you are required to upload to your eportfolio evidence of practice from professional experience that you and your visiting lecturer can regularly discuss. The portfolio must contain documents that attest to each of the LOs for the paper, evidence of your planning and evaluation of implemented ideas for your personalised practicum, how you are addressing, with support, Our Code Our Standards (OCOS), your progress towards the KTTs, and evidence of you planning for children’s learning (including associated learning experiences and evidence).

A minimum of three pieces of evidence is required for each EDUC475 learning outcome. Evidence may be sourced from:

• Critical reflections
• Assessments/learning stories/narratives
• Mentor teacher feedback
• Feedback from visiting lecturer 14
• Planning for intentional teaching
• Critical reflections on readings
• Photos or other examples of engagement with children not included above
• Evidence of family or wh?nau voice
• Evidence of child and colleagues (other teachers’ and professionals) voice

During the final visit by the visiting lecturer near the end the Professional Experience Block, the student must ensure they have met the practice expectations to proceed to the Professional Coversation. See the Professional Experience Expectations.

Pass Descriptor

I. Development of teaching practice through personalised practicum that the student, mentor, and visiting lecturer agrees evidences each of the course learning outcomes and demonstrates student teacher’s development in accord with the profession’s code and standards and KTTs (based on Mentor Teacher and Visiting Lecturer reports).
II. Curation of teaching practice documentation that comprehensively attests to progress towards each learning outcome of the paper, the KTTs, and development of practice in accord with professional code and standards reported in professional conversation.

Context of visit:

LO 1: Critically design and implement effective local curriculum consistent with children?s learning, community based aspirations and national requirements.
LO 2: Sustain professionalism in all aspects of their practice.
LO 3: Integrate appropriate conversational te reo me ng? tikanga M?ori relevant to the early childhood setting and wider community.
LO 4: Critically apply and evaluate sociocultural narrative assessment and teaching pedagogies so as to reflect and support the connectedness, continuity and complexity of children’s learning.
LO 5: Articulate and justify the refinement of their personal and professional philosophy of teaching and learning.

Assignment 2: Inquiry into Professional Practice (Block B)

Early Childhood Mentor Teacher Report – Block B

LO 1: Critically design and implement effective local curriculum consistent with children?s learning, community based aspirations and national requirements.
LO 2: Sustain professionalism in all aspects of their practice.
LO 3: Integrate appropriate conversational te reo me ng? tikanga M?ori relevant to the early childhood setting and wider community.
LO 4: Critically apply and evaluate sociocultural narrative assessment and teaching pedagogies so as to reflect and support the connectedness, continuity and complexity of children’s learning.
LO5. Articulate and justify the refinement of their personal and professional philosophy of teaching and learning.

Assignment 3: Inquiry into Professional Practice (CIA)

3A Professional Experience Assessment

Through design and implementation of personalised practicum the student will sustain teaching practice that evidences each of the course learning outcomes, the KTTs, and demonstrates student teacher’s development in accord with the profession’s code and standards (based on Mentor Teacher and Visiting Lecturer reports).

3B Professional Conversation

Students will provide evidence from their documentation of teaching practice to illustrate how they have met each of the learning outcomes of the paper, the KTTs, and how their personalised practicum and inquiry project has supported their development of practice in accord with the professional code and standards. To be eligible for the Professional Conversation, students are required to meet the criteria outlined in the Professional Experience Assessment.

This final assessment of professional experience is designed to show that you are able to effectively integrate theory and practice as you synthesise your learning in/to practice in a manner consistent with the professional code and standards in the context of the paper’s LOs and KTTs. The figure below shows how the component parts of the CIA come together to help us come to a robust judgement about your practice at the end of the third professional experience block of the paper. 

Detailed Requirements for Assignment Part 3A

After discussing your proposed personalised practicum plan with your mentor teacher and visiting lecturer and deciding on the specific goals to be pursued, implement your plans. Ensure you are working on your capability to address each of the course LOs, the KTTs, and the professional code and standards. Every one-two weeks of the semester, reflect on and evaluate progress, adapting your goals accordingly as you develop your professional practice of teaching in accord with the plan.

Detailed Requirements for Assignment Part 3B

Each week as you work to implement your personalised practicum and inquiry project you are required to upload to your e-portfolio evidence of practice from professional experience that you and your visiting lecturer can regularly discuss. The portfolio must contain documentary evidence that attests to how you have:

a) addressed each of the LOs for the paper,
b) developed your teaching capacity in accord with the KTTs,
c) planned, evaluated, and implemented ideas for your personalised practicum,
d) achieved with support, Our Code Our Standards (OCOS),
e) planned for and taught to positively impact upon children’s learning (including associated learning experiences and evidence).
f) Implemented your EDUC579 inquiry to explore and develop a unique element of practice

This evidence will be curated by you and presented in the form of a professional conversation with your visiting lecturer at the conclusion of the professional experience. Evidence may be sourced from:

• Critical reflections
• Assessments/learning stories/narratives
• Mentor teacher feedback
• Feedback from visiting lecturer
• Planning for intentional teaching
• Critical reflections on readings
• Photos or other examples of engagement with children not included above
• Evidence of family or wh?nau voice
• Evidence of child and colleagues (other teachers’ and professionals) voice
• Your specific EDUC579 inquiry data, analysis, and practice development

During the final visit by the visiting lecturer near the end the Professional Experience Block, the student must ensure they have met the practice expectations to proceed to the Professional Coversation. See the Professional Experience Expectations.

Pass Descriptor

III. Development of teaching practice through personalised practicum that the student, mentor, and visiting lecturer agrees evidences each of the course learning outcomes, the student’s capability to address each of the KTTs, and demonstrates student teacher’s development in accord with the profession’s code and standards (based on Mentor Teacher and Visiting Lecturer reports).
IV. Curation of teaching practice documentation that comprehensively attests to synthesis of learning in/to practice across the professional code and standards in the context of the course LOs and KTTs.

Assignment 3 Part A - Professional Experience Assessment Early Childhood Visiting Lecturer Report – Block C

LO 1: Critically design and implement effective local curriculum consistent with children?s learning, communitybased aspirations and national requirements.
LO 2: Sustain professionalism in all aspects of their practice.
LO 3: Integrate appropriate conversational te reo me ng? tikanga M?ori relevant to the early childhood setting and wider community.
LO 4: Critically apply and evaluate sociocultural narrative assessment and teaching pedagogies so as to reflect and support the connectedness, continuity and complexity of children’s learning.
LO 5: Articulate and justify the refinement of their personal and professional philosophy of teaching and learning.