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Exploring, questioning, inferring, predicting, hypothesising, planning, observing, analysing, communicating, responding and problem solving are essential components of an early years program for young children from birth to eight years. Planning inquiry is a fundamental component of the curriculum documentation (e.g. Early Years Learning Framework and the Australian Curriculum) with which educators will be engaging. Inquiry and its associated knowledge and understandings, skills and dispositions, prepares children for life-long learning. Integrated programs are powerful in providing age-appropriate opportunities for confident and involved learners who are connected with and contribute to their world. Educators require an in-depth grasp of the knowledge and understanding outcomes of science curricula, well-versed skills for guiding young learners through scientific inquiries, and a repertoire of documentation strategies appropriate for assessing scientific thinking.

This course is designed to investigate the knowledge and understandings, skills and dispositions young children utilise and develop as they connect with their world and continue to grow as active participants in their family, community and society. Pre-service educators will interrogate the three strands of science, in accordance with the Australian Curriculum. The course also draws upon the practice principles and learning outcomes of the national Early Years Learning Framework to present content for infants through to the transition into the early years of school. Pre-service educators will examine pedagogical approaches, theoretical perspectives and research which assist them develop an understanding of what inquiry looks like when planning for and assessing scientific learnings of young children.

A 15-day professional experience placement is attached to this course. Students need to pass the competency Assessment in this Course and reach a total passing Mark of 50% to be awarded a passing Grade in this course. Failure of the Professional Experience component will result in a fail grade for the course, regardless of the graded mark. Full details of the Professional Experience particulars can be found on the Professional Experience website and in the Professional Experience Book.

The course objectives define the student learning outcomes for a course in accordance with the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership’s (AITSL) Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST). On successful completion of this course pre-service educators should be able to:

1. develop knowledge of science and science as it relates to the everyday cognition of infants and young children in their everyday lives (APST 1.2, 2.1);
2. design and justify an integrated program of learning experiences aligned with curriculum, and seek constructive feedback from a supervising teacher to improve teaching and learning (APST 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.2,6.3);
3. organise classroom activities, provide clear directions and implement a range of communication and teaching strategies which promote young children’s engagement in, and learning through, science understanding, knowledge and skills aligned with curriculum (APST 1.5, 3.3, 3.5, 4.2);
4. link theory with practice by undertaking tasks during professional practice that apply differentiated teaching, learning, assessment and supportive behaviour skills (APST 1.5, 2.2, 4.3);
5. critically reflect with a supervising teacher about assessment creation, data collection and moderation as processes to better know their students and how they learn, and to plan evidence-based teaching and learning (APST 5.1, 5.3, 5.4, 6.3, 7.2);
6. evaluate ICT and other teaching resources that support the development of the multi-literacies of science (APST 2.5, 2.6, 3.4);
7. seek and apply constructive feedback from their practicum placement supervisors and teachers to improve their teaching practices (APST 6.3, Professional Experience);
8. demonstrate professionalism during pre-service teacher placements through observation, practice and assessment of pre-service teacher professional practice (1.1, 1.3, 3.1, 3.6,4.1, 4.4, 5.2, 7.1, 7.4).