Addressing Challenges in Early Childhood Education (10181.1)

Please note these are the 2026 details for this unit
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Addressing Challenges in Early Childhood Education
Available teaching periods Delivery mode Location
View teaching periods On-campus
 Bruce, Canberra
EFTSL Credit points Faculty
0.125 3 Faculty Of Education
Discipline Study level HECS Bands
Academic Program Area - Education Level 4 - Undergraduate Advanced Unit Band 1 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan 2021)
Band 1 2021 (Commenced Before 1 Jan 2021)
In this unit students will contextualise contemporary challenges in early childhood educational environments. Students will extend their knowledge and skills when planning teaching and learning for a diverse range of students including students from an EAL/D and culturally diverse backgrounds, Indigenous students and students with a disability. Students will also consider how students transition from early childhood settings to school settings. Students will propose an action research project based on a contemporary challenge as professional learning to improve their teaching.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

1. Differentiate lesson and unit plans to cater for learner diversity within their early childhood classrooms;
2. Identify and evaluate effective strategies to address potential challenges early childhood educators may experience; and
3. Plan action research projects as professional learning to improve their teaching.


Graduate attributes

1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively
1. UC graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills
2. UC graduates are global citizens - make creative use of technology in their learning and professional lives
2. UC graduates are global citizens - behave ethically and sustainably in their professional and personal lives
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - reflect on their own practice, updating and adapting their knowledge and skills for continual professional and academic development
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - adapt to complexity, ambiguity and change by being flexible and keen to engage with new ideas


Prerequisites

Must have passed 36 credit points including 9869 Designing Learning for Diversity and Inclusion AND 10178 Philosophies and Pedagogies in Early Childhood Education.

Corequisites

None.

Incompatible units

None.

Equivalent units

None.

Assumed knowledge

None.
Availability for enrolment in 2026 is subject to change and may not be confirmed until closer to the teaching start date.
Year Location Teaching period Teaching start date Delivery mode Unit convener
2025 Bruce, Canberra Semester 2 28 July 2025 On-campus Ms Kate McIntosh
2026 Bruce, Canberra Semester 2 10 August 2026 On-campus Dr Andi Salamon
The information provided should be used as a guide only. Timetables may not be finalised until week 2 of the teaching period and are subject to change. Search for the unit timetable.

Required texts

Online course: Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability. Disability Standards for Education for pre-service teachers: https://www.nccd.edu.au/professional-learning/disability-standards-education-pre-service-teachers    

Online course: Australian Childhood Foundation.  Trauma Responsive Practice in Education: https://professionals.childhood.org.au/training-development/trauma-responsive-practice-in-education/ 

Online course: Postive partnerships - Introduction to Autism: https://learninghub.positivepartnerships.com.au/login/index.php

Submission of assessment items

Extensions & Late submissions

Approval of extenuating circumstances will be dependent upon the production of supporting documentation and at the discretion of the unit convener.

All assessment items required to be submitted online must be submitted via the appropriate Canvas drop box. It is the student's responsibility to upload the correct and corresponding draft or assessment item to the right submission section. Assignments must be submitted in a format accessible to the assessor(s), as stated on the relevant canvas site. If the unit convener and/or tutor are unable to access a submission, or if no submission has been made by the due date and time, a standard late penalty of 10% of the total marks possible for the task may be applied per day, for three days, after which the submission will receive a score of ‘0' in keeping with UC's Assessment Policy.

Special assessment requirements

All assignment tasks must be attmepted to pass the unit. 

Normally an aggregate mark of 50% is required to pass the unit.

Provision of valid documentation

Please note that the University takes student conduct very seriously. All documentation provided to University staff must be

valid and the provision of fraudulent documentation carries with it potentially serious consequences, including suspension

and/or exclusion from the University. Note that all allegations of student misconduct will be referred to the Associate Dean for

Education (ADE) as a prescribed authority for investigation.

Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at UC. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.

Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.

UC students have to complete the Academic Integrity Module annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).

UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.

Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.

Learner engagement

Unit breakdown of hours

10 hours online lectures

20 hours tutorial participation

30 hours workshop preparation

90 hours assessment preparation and online course participation

Participation requirements

Successful engagement with all learning activities in this accredited Initial Teacher Education course is necessary to demonstrate that you have met the Graduate career stage of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (AITSL, 2011).

For some students successful completion of the professional experience component is crutial to success in the whole unit. Refer to assesment (5a) on the Canvas site for further details. Students must make themselves familiar with the processes and policicies of professional experience. 

Students will be advised if placements are required for this unit to meet accreditation minimum requirements.  

Required IT skills

Basic computer skills are assumed.

In-unit costs

Students will pay $33 to complete the online course for Trauma Responsive Practice in Education. The link is available in the assessment section.

Work placement, internships or practicums

For some students this unit involvest involves work integrated learning: Placement. Students must adhere to University policy during Work Integrated Learning activities, including the Student Conduct Rules 2018, the WIL Policy and WIL Procedure, and the Assessment Policy and Assessment Procedure. Students required to complete placement shall be advised. 

This unit has pre-placement requirements (e.g. Working with Vulnerable People registration, immunisation/s). You must complete Pre-Place: Preparation for Work Integrated Learning prior to commencement of your Placement. You can self-enrol in this module through the UC Learn site here.

You are also required to complete details in InPlace, refer to inplace.canberra.edu.au. If you have any queries related to InPlace please contact placement@canberra.edu.au.

Contact your unit convener if you have any concerns with meeting the requirements of this unit.

 

 

Additional information

Provision of information to the group

Notifications through the Canvas Announcements Forum or the Canvas Discussion Forums are deemed to be made to the whole class.  It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that they check for announcements on the Unit's Canvas website (forum messages are also emailed to student email addresses only).  Students should ensure they check their student email regularly.  The Canvas discussion forums will be checked by staff regularly.

Theoretical foundations

This unit will assist students to develop an understanding of learning theories that help teachers connect to students. The theoretical foundations help align theory to the practice of teaching.

Use of student email account

The University Email policy states that "students wishing to contact the University via email regarding administrative or academic matters need to send the email from the University account for identity verification purposes".  Therefore, all unit enquiries should be sent by email using a student university email account. Students should contact the Service Desk ( servicedesk@canberra.edu.au ) if they have any issues accessing their university email account.

This unit involves research-led education. There are active researchers delivering this unit who are able to engage students in deep and active learning and encourage them to apply basic research skills to inform educational practice.

Next step

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