Task
You have been given the task of designing a short early childhood program (three learning experiences) that will encourage children to be critical thinkers by disrupting dominant discourses. You need to choose just one area from those addressed this session: e.g. gender, sexuality, linguistic diversity, ethnicity or Aboriginality, then design three learning experiences concerning this topic. You are not required to implement the program for this assessment.
It is important to demonstrate how you will encourage children to be critical thinkers around your topic, so pay close attention to issues of pedagogy. This will require you to be thoughtful about the ways you incorporate the notion of socially just/anti-bias teaching in each learning activity that you include in the short program.
The short program [and thus, your assessment] needs to include these 5 tasks:
1) A rationale as to why the overall topic you have chosen is important for your centre to address (or one you have visited/had a practical experience with – if you are not currently employed in an EC setting). The rationale should include connections to your readings (300 words).
2) A brief critical discussion of either:
- How diversity and difference are evident in your service’s philosophy, with regard to your chosen topic. If you are not currently employed in an EC setting, it can be one you have visited/had a practical experience with.
OR
- What your own teaching philosophy is at this time, in light of the content in this subject.
For either discussion you must not use direct quotes, but discuss these philosophies in your own words, and draw on your readings or early childhood documents or policies (300 words).
3) Create 3 learning experiences where you begin to disrupt dominant discourses by encouraging children to think critically about your topic (250 words per experience). For each activity:
- Describe the activity and use annotations to demonstrate how each addresses the outcomes/elements of EYLF and/or NQS in regard to diversity and difference. Please see an example of the format for the learning experiences in the Resources folder on the subject’s Interact2 site. A minimum of 8 annotations in total must be made across the 3 learning activities. You can use quotes when connecting to outcomes/elements, but you also need to explain how your activity connects to these outcomes/elements of the NQS or EYLF.
- Write a combined justification explaining how the learning experiences encourage children to be critical thinkers and demonstrate a socially just/anti-bias approach to teaching. The justification should include connections to your readings (250 words).
4) Do an audit in your room for resources that might be encouraging dominant discourses around your chosen topic (e.g. if your topic is sexuality, you might note resources that represent social norms like heterosexual parents, gender roles, etc.). Make a list of these resources. Then explain how they could be utilised differently to challenge the dominant discourses they convey, or what kinds of resources could be included to show diversity around your topic (300 words).
5) Write a personal reflection considering the main ideas that have been presented in the subject materials, your experience in the cultural plunge, and what, if any, influence they will have on your classroom practice. Include a discussion on why it is important that we critically reflect on our knowledge/assumptions/bias/beliefs to become socially just teachers. The reflection should include connections to your readings (500 words).
The entire assessment should use no less than 6 references (from your readings and extra readings if possible). For the purposes of confidentiality, please do not use a service’s real name when you discuss the service philosophy.
Rationale
This assessment is designed to assist you to imagine how issues we are reading about and discussing in this subject impact upon your work as a teacher. To that end, we are asking you to think deeply about one of the topics we have addressed in the session, and to frame a short program for your centre. This should be designed so it creates opportunities for reflection and learning for the children in your service, and to advocate the celebration of diversity and difference.
In completing this assessment task, you will work towards meeting the following learning outcomes:
- critically analyse scenarios, recognising issues related to social justice and suggest changes in order to address the issues in positive ways
- recognise the power and place of early childhood education in the struggle for social justice and act to provoke thought in others
- develop strategies, pedagogies and curricula for a more inclusive and just practice in early childhood contexts and the broader community.
Marking criteria
Your assessment will be graded under the following criteria:
Criterion A) 30%
The program is thoughtful and realistic in its articulation and includes:
i) a rationale clearly supporting the choice of topic
ii) a clear discussion of service and personal teaching philosophies
iii) three learning activities relating to a chosen topic, that are described, annotated and justified
iv) a thoughtful audit of the centre resources with reference to a chosen topic
v) a personal reflection
Criterion B) (40%)
The activities within the program demonstrate:
|
Criterion |
High Distinction |
Distinction |
Credit |
Pass |
Fail |
|
A. The short program is thoughtful and realistic in its articulation and includes: • A justification clearly supporting the choice of topic |
The short program includes: an excellent justification for the choice of your topic and why it is an appropriate topic for your service; an excellent reflection of philosophies that are logically connected to diversity and difference; a comprehensive and critical reflection on the use of centre resources to assist in disrupting dominant discourses. |
The plan short program includes a very good justification for the choice of your topic and why it is an appropriate topic for your centre; a very good reflection of philosophies that are logically connected to diversity and difference; a critical reflection on the use of centre resources to assist in disrupting dominant discourses.
|
The plan short program includes a satisfactory justification for the choice of your topic and why it is an appropriate topic for your centre; a satisfactory reflection of philosophies that mention diversity and difference; a satisfactory reflection on the use of centre resources. |
The plan short program includes a basic justification for the choice of your topic and why it is an appropriate topic for your centre; a basic reflection of philosophies in regard to diversity and difference; a basic reflection on the use of centre resources. |
The plan short program fails to includes a justification for the choice of your topic and why it is an appropriate topic for your centre; fails to reflect on philosophies/or has no mention of diversity and difference; fails to reflect on the use of centre resources or shows little understanding of of the task. |
|
B) The activities within the short program demonstrate: • The ability to present a critical and reconceptualised view of the topic being explored . contains 3 learning experiences designed to promote social justice/anti-bias with children of the chosen topic. • A well articulated justification that draws upon concepts from subject readings and additional literature |
All activities are a pedagogically sound opportunity to encourage a critical or reconceptualised view of the topic and the learning design explicitly encourages children to engage critically with the notion of the topic. The rationale for all activities demonstrates a clear relationship to key concepts from a range of subject readings and additional literature. Overall, a well-conceived professional development day that could be put into practice. |
Most activities are a pedagogically sound opportunity to encourage a critical or reconceptualised view of the topic and the learning design explicitly encourages children to engage critically with the notion of the topic. The rationale for most activities demonstrates a clear relationship to key concepts from subject readings and additional literature. |
Most activities are a pedagogically sound opportunity to encourage a critical or reconceptualised view of the topic and are influenced by critical and/or reconceptualist perspectives Rationale for most activities demonstrates a clear relationship to key concepts from subject readings or additional literature. |
Some activities are pedagogically adequate to encourage a critical or reconceptualised view of the topic but may not be clearly articulated. Rationale for some activities has basic relationship to key concepts from subject readings or additional literature. |
Few activities are informative or likely to encourage a critical or reconceptualised view of the topic. Rationale for each activity has limited relationship to the subject readings or additional literature |
|
C) Professional reflection |
The professional reflection is critical and articulates, explores and analyses key ideas arising from the subject readings, considering the plunge and their teaching practices Early Childhood settings. |
The professional reflection includes some analysis of key readings and the plunge experience highlighting need for a socially just approach in Early Childhood settings. |
Clearly expresses a detailed and professional reflection that which is supported with relevant and further research and considers the plunge experience. There is also evidence of analysis in their discussions |
Utilises relevant literature and research and mentions the plunge experience to support their understandings of the content’s influence on educational practice. |
Very basic discussion of the topic in general, does not consider the plunge experience, does not discuss any relation between the readings and their teaching practices. |
|
D) Tertiary level of writing and referencing |
High level of accuracy and control in articulation of ideas. Logical and coherent text structure. Sustained evidence of correct citation and referencing |
High level of accuracy and control in articulation of ideas. Logical and coherent text structure. Consistent approach to citation and referencing. Logical and consistent structure. |
Ideas are clearly articulated using accurate sentence structure. Text structure is clearly organised. Consistent approach to citation and referencing with few errors. |
Lack of clarity in places. Text structure may lack clear organization. Minor spelling, punctuation or grammatical errors. Mostly consistent approach to citation and referencing with few errors. |
Significant number of spelling, punctuation or grammatical errors per page. Text structure lacks appropriate organisation. Inadequate citation and referencing |
i) 3 learning experiences which include a relevant and appropriate range of activities to explore the topic
ii) a well articulated justification of the teaching practices used in each learning experience that draws upon concepts from subject readings and additional literature
Criterion C) (10%)
The professional reflection includes:
i) a well articulated discussion that reflects on the key ideas raised in the modules and your plunge experience, and in relation to adopting a socially just approach to teaching
Criterion D) (20%)
Tertiary level of writing and referencing (20%)
A copy of this rubric is available in Resources on the Interact2 subject site.
Presentation
Please prepare and submit your assignment as a Word document (use size 12 font, 1.5 line spacing and 2.5cm margins). Ensure that you include the appropriate cover page and a footer that contains your name, student number and page numbers.
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The length of this task is 2500 words. Work submitted beyond 10% of the required word limit will attract a 10% penalty.