Master of Teaching (Early Childhood)

Program Overview

The Master of Teaching (Early Childhood) program equips students with the knowledge and skills to become accredited early childhood teachers. The program offers a range of specializations, including research, international education, internship, and trauma-responsive practice. Graduates are eligible to register with the Victorian Institute of Teaching and can work in diverse early childhood settings.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

• Overview:
• The Master of Teaching (Early Childhood) program equips students with the knowledge and skills to become accredited early childhood teachers.
• Graduates are eligible to register with the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT).
• The program is designed to prepare students for diverse early childhood settings.
• Objectives:
• To develop students' understanding of the emotional intelligence, social and critical-thinking skills of young children.
• To provide students with the knowledge and skills to create safe and inclusive learning environments.
• To prepare students for teaching expertise in areas such as developing numeracy and literacy in young learners.
• Program Description:
• The program is a two-year full-time or part-time equivalent course.
• Students complete 12 core units (12 credit points) and a further 4 credit points in one of the following specializations:
• Research
• International Baccalaureate Early Years (Primary Years Programme (PYP))
• Internship
• Trauma Responsive Practice
• Specialization Pathways:
• Research:
• Provides students with the skills to conduct research in early childhood education.
• International Baccalaureate Early Years (Primary Years Programme (PYP)):
• Prepares students for teaching in international PYP schools.
• Internship:
• Provides students with an immersive experience in the early childhood sector.
• Trauma Responsive Practice:
• Equips students with the skills to work with children who have experienced trauma.

Outline:

Core Units:

• Bioecological Perspectives of Child Development in the Early Years (Birth-Eight)
• Positioning Early Childhood Education and Care: the History and Philosophy
• Pedagogical Understandings of Teaching and Learning in the Early Childhood Contexts
• Children's Ecological Positioning: Seeing Children in Family and Community Contexts
• Integrative Curriculum Concepts in Play-Based Contexts: Language and Literacy
• Integrative Curriculum Concepts in Play-Based Contexts: Creative Arts
• Integrative Curriculum Concepts in Play-Based Contexts: Mathematics and Science
• Teacher as Leader
• Diverse Environments and Pedagogies
• Play Pedagogies Addressing Adversity and Trauma
• Curriculum Inquiry in Professional Experience: Education and Care Birth to Three
• Decolonising Teaching and Learning: Recognition, Relationships, and Reconciliation On Unceded Land

Specializations:

Research:

• Research Design Development and Method
• Theory and Methodology in Education Research
• Research Paper A
• Research Paper B

International Baccalaureate Early Years (Primary Years Programme (PYP)):

• Inquiry Learning Through the International Baccalaureate (PYP)
• The Inquiring Child: the Role of Play in Children's Learning
• Assessing and Documenting Learning in the Global Early Years Context
• Planning for Inquiry Learning: Professional Practice and Portfolio

Trauma Responsive Practice:

• Refugee Trauma and Education
• Trauma-Responsive and Humanitarian Practice Inquiry
• Trauma and Learning
• Trauma and Trauma-Responsive Practices

Internship:

• Internship

Assessment:

• The program is assessed through a variety of methods, including:
• Assignments
• Essays
• Presentations
• Projects
• Exams
• Students must also complete a Deakin Teaching Performance Assessment.

Teaching:

• The program is taught by a team of experienced academics who are experts in early childhood education.
• The program uses a variety of teaching methods, including:
• Lectures
• Tutorials
• Workshops
• Fieldwork
• The program also provides students with opportunities to engage in research and professional development.

Careers:

• Graduates of the Master of Teaching (Early Childhood) program are eligible to register as early childhood teachers in Australia.
• They can work in a variety of settings, including childcare centers, kindergartens, and preschools.
• The program also prepares students for careers in research and policy in the field of early childhood education.