Teaching Period 1, 2014 EDU10001 Introduction to Curriculum Planning and Assessment: Practicum 1 Assessment 1: Practicum portfolio PART A: Practicum preparation Weighting: 25% Due date: 9am AEST Monday 7 April (Week 5) Word limit: 1,500 (+/- 10%)
Assessment overview
This assessment task requires you to analyse curriculum documents and consider how an early childhood setting is implementing the EYLF within their particular context. This assessment will support you in developing an understanding of your practicum context and the national curriculum requirements for early childhood education in Australia.
  Assessment details
In preparation for this task you will need to:
a) pre-arrange a visit to your practicum education setting
b) use this opportunity to introduce yourself, familiarise yourself with the setting and collect relevant documentation and contextual information for this assessment. See information and documentation ideas on the following pages.
c) ensure you have access to a copy of the Early Years Learning Framework [EYLF] (2009) and familiarise yourself with the five learning outcomes for children aged birth to five years.
  This task has four components:
1. Introduction: Write an introduction to your practicum portfolio that briefly describes the context of your practicum setting eg. Type of service, general location, demographics, age range and group you will working with, any specific characteristics and philosophical perspectives.
2. Analysis: Analyse the education setting documents and information you have collected and find links to the EYLF learning outcomes. Write a paragraph for each learning outcome, providing evidence of how your practicum setting is addressing each of the outcomes. For example: Outcome 2: Children are connected to and contribute to their world The children service handbook identifies that children participate in regular excursions to local places of interest and external education services like zoos and botanic gardens. * Note: each learning outcome will require at least three examples.
3. Summary: Provide a summary with your analysis of any strengths and perceived gaps in
 
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relation to how the educational setting addresses the EYLF learning outcomes.
4. Conclusion: Write a conclusion that sums up your findings and includes three perceived gaps that you have chosen to investigate further during your practicum.
Assessment criteria 1. Introduction ? Demonstrates a clear understanding of the specific features and demographics of the practicum education setting. 2. Analysis ? Demonstrates an understanding of the 5 learning outcomes of the EYLF (2009). ? Provides evidence and practice examples of the five learning outcomes that that are culturally and contextually appropriate to the practicum setting. 3. Summary and conclusion ? Identifies strengths and perceived gaps in how the setting addresses the outcomes. ? Sums up findings and selects three areas to further explore during practicum. 4. Format and structure ? Spelling, grammar and expression are of a high standard. ? Professional experience portfolio is presented as an academic piece of work. ? Subheadings may be used for this assessment task. ? Links to national and practicum setting curriculum documents throughout the paper, including correct use of APA-style referencing. ? A reference list is provided, NOT a bibliography
* Note: It is a requirement for the successful completion of this unit that pre-service teachers must receive a pass grade from the practicum and successfully complete their theoretical aspect (submitted assessments)
Example information and documentation to collect
During your first meeting with your mentor, take some time to familiarise yourself with your setting and the learning environment. The questions below are a guide only – while it is useful information, you are not required to thoroughly address every area in this assessment.
Ideas for independent research and observations
Community information: ? Where is the setting located? (e.g. rural, inner/outer suburbs, farm, bayside, integrated with a primary school or company) ? Is it placed within an affluent, middle class or low socio-economic area? ? Is there an indigenous, refugee or migrant population?
Physical environment: ? What is the building structure like? (purpose-built, remodeled home, modern etc.) What are the outdoor areas like? (size, shared space or individual spaces for each age/group, natural settings etc.)
 
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EDU10001 Introduction to Curriculum Planning and Assessment: Practicum 1
? What are the indoor environments like?
The learning environment: ? What resources are available? ? What stands out about the curriculum? Is it play-based? Structured? Are any current projects evident?
The Early Years Learning Framework: ? Did you observe any particular EYLF practice principles and/or teaching strategies in your visit or in the discussion/ documentation? ? Did you notice any evidence of the EYLF learning objectives (in observations/pamphlets/ displays/ conversations/ documentation)?
Ideas for documentation to collect (important to note that settings will not necessarily have or be willing to share all of these documents):
? Parent/student handbook. ? Philosophy statement. ? Curriculum documents (information sheets about curriculum or examples of documentation/assessment the setting may be willing to share with you). ? Website address. ? Marketing material (brochures, newsletters). ? Any policies that will affect how you plan/implement your learning experiences.
Ideas for questions to ask your mentor (broad overview only; do not ask for class lists or use full names or personal information of children/families):
Background of the group: ? What age range and demographic will I be working with? ? What sort of diversity exists within the group to which we are catering? (this could be culture, language, ability, gender) ? How many children are in my groups? ? Will I have the same children each day, on particular days, or is everyday different?
Background of the centre: ? What are the operating hours of the setting? ? What are the hours of attendance for the children and teaching team I will be working with? ? What are the centre policies that will influence the learning environments and experiences that I can create?
Previous learning experiences: ? What have the children been learning or interested in this year?
Future learning experiences: ? Are there any other learning experiences or events planned for the time I am on prac, such as excursions, visitors or themed days?
 
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Assessing learning experiences: ? How is learning currently identified and recorded?