Course Title: Inclusive Practices (Early Childhood)

Part A: Course Overview

Course ID: 034532

Course Title: Inclusive Practices (Early Childhood)

Credit Points: 12


Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

TCHE2185

Bundoora Campus

Postgraduate

360H Education

Face-to-Face

Sem 1 2006,
Sem 1 2007

Course Coordinator: Berenice Nyland

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 7805

Course Coordinator Email: 9925 7805


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

A three year degree


Course Description

What is this course about?

This course is about children with diverse abilities and is based on a philosophy of inclusion. Designed for generalist pre-service teachers it is premised on principles of social justice, human and children’s rights and anti-discrimination. An inclusive educational setting provides for all the children in the community. Using a strengths focus, accepting the principle of partial participation and acknowledging that all children can learn, the course examines the potential of the regular setting to provide relevant and high quality learning experiences for all children. Variations in development, including giftedness are explored.



Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

  • Engage in on-going research and development 
  • Identify, synthesis and evaluate information 
  • Reflect about, link and apply theory to everyday life. Generate own theories based on experience and praxis 
  • Display ability to deliver curriculum that acknowledges different contexts, cultural, linguistic and socio-economic backgrounds of families and communities.


Specific learning objectives include:
• To become familiar with government policy related to education, inclusion and children with disabilities
• To explore issues of children’s and families rights within the culture of education
• To examine common variations in development, including giftedness
• To apply general methods of observation, programming and planning to an inclusive context
• To be aware of the theoretical and philosophical approaches that impact upon educational practice and relationships within the education context
• To gain skills in adapting modalities of the education context to optimise learning opportunities.


Overview of Learning Activities

What opportunities does the course provide for me to learn? What will I be expected to do?

This course uses a combination of learning methods. These include:

• Lectures
• Tutorial discussions
• Readings
• Self directed research
• Practical experience
• Video materials
• Case studies
• Written work


Overview of Learning Resources

Distributed Learning System
There is no prescribed text for TCHE 2185


Overview of Assessment

How will I demonstrate my learning in this course?

Assessment Tasks and Value

There are two formal assessments for this course.

Task 1. Case Study

This task is designed to give pre-service teachers practical experience in observations, planning and applying principles of inclusion to the educational setting.

Pre-service teachers will select a child attending their pre-service practical setting. Preferably the child would have been identified as having additional needs. Pre-service teachers will organise parent and staff permission to carry out observations and collect background information in order to present a case study on the child. The final case study will include:

• Written permission from parents and teachers for observations to be carried out
• A structured interview with either a parent or teacher
• Five random observations (A descriptive method to be used)
• Five observations of the child interacting with a teacher, other children or parent (A descriptive method to be used)
• Each observation will be accompanied by a brief interpretive comment (10 comments)
• A development profile based on observations, comments, interview data, course material and reading (reference all sources of information in the profile). This profile will cover all areas of development
• Using principles of inclusion (week 1) design an IEP (Individual education program) for the observed child. The IEP should contain a description of how the social, physical and curricular dimensions of the setting can be changed to optimise the individual child’s inclusion in the setting (This section approximately 500 words).

Word equivalent: 2500
For pre-service teacher who do not have access to appropriate educational settings an alternative assignment in the form of an essay will be offered.
Task 2
A group presentation in class on a negotiated topic.
Word equivalent 1500