TCHR5009 THEORY TO PRACTICE: EDUCATION AND CARE FOR INFANTS AND TODDLERS

Rationale

This task allows students to reflect on theoretical perspectives and practice to develop a professional philosophy for teaching infants and toddlers. By engaging with topics such as attachment, routines, and responsive environments, students will connect research and theory to their beliefs about quality early childhood learning. Through critical reflection, students will explore how their philosophy may be translated to practice, identify potential challenges and propose strategies for overcoming them.

Task Description

Part 1 - Professional Philosophy Statement (750 words)

As an Early Childhood Teacher, you are to develop a philosophy statement outlining your beliefs and values that will inform your practice with infants and toddlers in an early childhood education and care setting.

In the development of your philosophy statement:

1. Select two (2) topics. The topics could include but are not limited to:
   • Relationships,
   • Attachment,
   • Interactions with infants and toddlers,
   • Image of the child,
   • Holistic development,
   • Routines and transitions,
   • Learning environment, and
   • Partnerships with families

The topics you choose should be ones that you most value, reside with you as an Early Childhood Teacher and you feel passionate about. Topics could derive from Modules 1-6 of the unit.
 

1. Clearly outline how each of your topics would look in your teaching practice with infants and toddlers.
2. In your statement, draw on theoretical perspectives, academic and professional sources to explain and

justify the value of your topics as they support infant and toddler learning, development and wellbeing.

You must support your philosophy with reference to:

• The unit textbook: Programme planning for infants and toddlers (3rd ed),
• The Early Years Learning Framework (V2.0),
• The National Quality Standard, and
• Relevant early childhood academic and professional sources

Part 2 - Critical Reflection (750 words)

Critically reflect on your professional philosophy statement and identify two (2) potential challenges you may face when putting your values from your philosophy into practice in an infant and toddler learning

environment. You could choose to discuss a challenge for each topic of your philosophy statement, or you could choose to discuss two challenges for one topic.

For each challenge:

1. Clearly outline the challenge (ensure it links directly to your philosophy topic/s),
2. Justify why the challenge may arise, and
3. Describe how you plan to overcome the challenge by identifying teaching strategies informed by theory, policy and your professional values.

You must support your critical reflection with reference to:

• The unit textbook: Programme planning for infants and toddlers (3rd ed),
• The Early Years Learning Framework (V2.0),
• The National Quality Standard, and
• Relevant early childhood academic and professional sources

Referencing

APA7th referencing format is required with a minimum of 10 references.

Assessment Submission

Follow the steps to submit the assessment:

• Download Assessment 1 Template and save it with your surname and initials, student number and the assessment task and unit code. For example: LastNameInitial_123456_A1_TCHR5009 _finalcopy
• Fill in the cover page and ensure you complete the GenAI acknowledgement.
• Complete professional philosophy (750 words) and critical reflection (750 words)
• Complete one reference list at the end of the Word document. (PDF will not be accepted)
• Check the draft with the draft checker on the unit site. Make any changes as needed.
• Once complete, submit the final task to the Turnitin link in the Assessment and Submission section of the unit site.
• Download the digital receipt for proof of submission.

If you have any difficulty submitting your assessment, please contact Technology Services and email

TCHR5009@scu.edu.au with evidence of your attempted submission. To avoid any last-minute problems, make sure you submit well before 11:59pm on the due date.

Useful Resources

• Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority (n.d.). Developmental milestones and the Early Years Learning Framework and the National Quality Standards.
   
• Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority. (2022). The national quality standard.

https://www.acecqa.gov.au/nqf/national-quality-standard

• Australian Government Department of Education. (2022) Belonging, being and becoming: The early years learning framework for Australia (V2.0).
• Sims, M., & Hutchins, T. (2020). Programme planning for infants and toddlers (3rd ed). Pademelon Press.

Academic Integrity

At Southern Cross University academic integrity means behaving with the values of honesty, fairness, trustworthiness, courage, responsibility and respect in relation to academic work. The Southern

Cross University Academic Integrity Framework aims to develop a holistic, systematic and consistent approach to addressing academic integrity across the entire University. For more information see the SCU Academic Integrity Framework

Students are permitted to use GenAI only for specific assessment tasks or purposes as identified in the below table for this assessment task. There are no restrictions on using grammar, spelling and referencing GenAI tools. Students must uphold the principles of the Student Academic and Non- Academic Misconduct Rules, Section 3. You are responsible for ensuring that any content generated with the assistance of these tools is accurate, properly referenced where appropriate, and demonstrably your own work. Misrepresentation of GenAI generated work as entirely your own without appropriate oversight, editing, or critical engagement may constitute a breach of academic integrity.

Academic Integrity breaches include poor referencing, not identifying direct quotations correctly, close

paraphrasing, plagiarism, recycling, misrepresentation, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and fabricating information.

You cannot include content generated by AI in your assessment (even if you have paraphrased, summarised or quoted the output). You are only permitted to use Grammarly Premium to help edit and improve the

quality of your written work. If you choose to use this, you must provide a draft of your task before it was entered into Grammarly. Attach your draft as an appendix.
 

If you opt to use GenAI as defined as acceptable for this assessment, you must keep evidence of how it was used and acknowledge how you used it in the process of completing your assessment appropriately. To help understand what to do, consult the Learning Zone’s resources.

• Quick Guide Acknowledging and Referencing GenAI Use
• Build your skills using GenAI - PAIR Framework
• The SCU Library Guide- GenAI can also help you develop your AI literacy skills. https://libguides.scu.edu.au/genAI

If you use GenAI tools in your assessment task beyond the acceptable limits, it may result in an academic integrity breach against you as described in the Student Academic and Non-Academic Misconduct Rules, Section 3.

Special Consideration

Students wishing to request special consideration to extend the due date of an assessment task must submit a Request for Special Consideration form via their MyEnrolment page as early as possible and prior to the original due date for that assessment task, along with any accompanying documents, such as medical

certificates.

Proof of Special Consideration Approval letter must be supplied to avoid delay in grades being released. Proof must be provided in Template document.

Please refer to the Special Consideration section of Policy https://policies.scu.edu.au/document/viewcurrent.php?id=140

Late Submissions & Penalties

Except when special consideration is awarded, late submission of assessment tasks will automatically lead to the imposition of a penalty. Penalties will be incurred as soon as the deadline is reached.

• a penalty of 5% of the available marks will be deducted from the actual mark at one minute after the time listed in the due date
• a further penalty of 5% of the available mark will be deducted from the actual mark achieved on each subsequent calendar day until the mark reaches zero.”

Please refer to the Late Submission & Penalties section of Policy https://policies.scu.edu.au/view.current.php?id=00255

Grades & Feedback

Assessments that have been submitted by the due date will receive an SCU grade. Grades and feedback will be posted to the ‘Grades and Feedback’ section on the Blackboard unit site. Please allow 7-10 days for marks to be posted.

Description of SCU Grades

High Distinction:

The student’s performance, in addition to satisfying all of the basic learning requirements, demonstrates distinctive insight and ability in researching, analysing and applying relevant skills and concepts, and shows exceptional ability to synthesise, integrate and evaluate knowledge. The student’s performance could be described as outstanding in relation to the learning requirements specified.

Distinction:

The student’s performance, in addition to satisfying all of the basic learning requirements, demonstrates distinctive insight and ability in researching, analysing and applying relevant skills and concepts, and shows a well-developed ability to synthesise, integrate and evaluate knowledge. The student’s performance could be described as distinguished in relation to the learning requirements specified.
 

Credit:

The student’s performance, in addition to satisfying all of the basic learning requirements specified, demonstrates insight and ability in researching, analysing and applying relevant skills and concepts. The student’s performance could be described as competent in relation to the learning requirements specified.

Pass:

The student’s performance satisfies all of the basic learning requirements specified and provides a sound basis for proceeding to higher-level studies in the subject area. The student’s performance could be described as satisfactory in relation to the learning requirements specified.

Fail:

The student’s performance fails to satisfy the learning requirements specified.