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Overview

In this unit, students develop the skills and knowledge required to build professional relationships and develop strong and effective partnerships within and across educational communities. Students will investigate different models of partnership, including how these models might be adapted and applied in their professional work with families, communities, and industry. Students will come to understand the ethics and protocols for building and working in partnership with diverse cultural groups and will develop the practical skills necessary to mobilise and apply these understandings in their professional roles. Students will undertake 20 days of professional experience (ready-to-teach) with 3-5 year olds.

Unit learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

1. Identify the key stakeholders in partnership work and how they might come together to support children’s learning and development
2. Understand the professional nature of the educator’s role in partnership work including how this role is positioned in education policy, theory, educational research, and context
3. Investigate the ethics and protocols for building relationships and working in partnership with diverse cultural groups, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families
4. Apply the learnings from educational policy, theory, research, ethics, and protocols for working with diverse cultural groups, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, when planning for partnership work
5. Analyse and evaluate partnership plans, including the ‘professional self’ in the partnership process.
6. Create a personal learning plan for strengthening professional knowledge, skills, and expertise in partnership work.

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Assessment

Students must achieve a minimum overall score of 70% for the Professional Experience Placement Report, including meeting the Early Childhood National Quality Standards (NQS) Elements 2.2.2 (Incident and Emergency Management), 2.2.3 (Child Protection), 4.2.2 (Professional Standards and 7.1.3 (Roles and Responsibilities).

This report is assessed on a four-point scale:

• Not met (0%-49%)
• At risk (50%-69%)
• Met (70%-89%)
• Exceeding (90%-100%).
   

Students who achieve an ‘At Risk’ result will be offered one opportunity to improve their assessment through an appropriate supplementary task determined by the Unit Convenor.

This hurdle requirement is in line with Initial Teacher Education Accreditation and meets the National Program Standard 5.4 (Professional Experience-Providers work with their placement school(s)/systems to achieve a rigorous approach to the assessment of pre-service teachers’ achievements against the Graduate Teacher Standards) set by the Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership that partner with State Teacher Education registration organisations to register all qualified Early Childhood Teachers.

Content

• Defining Partnership in the Professional Context 

• Policy, Legislation and Curriculum in Partnership Work 

• Key Theories and Frameworks in Partnership Work 

• Diversity and Intercultural Learning in Partnership Work 

• Stakeholders Roles and the Professional Self 

• Contextual Considerations 

• Planning for Partnership 

• Professional Communication 

• Skills and Strategies to Support Partnership Work 

• Evaluation and Reflective Practice 

• Leading Change and Professional Growth 

• GA1 Communication - Verbal communication  

• GA2 Communication - Communicating using different media  

• GA3 Teamwork - Collaboration and negotiation  

• GA4 Teamwork – Teamwork roles and processes  

• GA5 Digital literacies– Information literacy  

• GA6 Digital Literacies– Technical literacy