EUN607 Innovations and Approaches in Early Childhood Education
To view more information for this unit, select Unit Outline from the list below. Please note the teaching period for which the Unit Outline is relevant.
| Unit code: | EUN607 |
|---|---|
| Equivalent(s): | EUN660, EUZ607 |
| Assumed Knowledge: | It is assumed that students understand educational practices in education settings and have practitioner experiences within a related education field or support profession. |
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Timetable | Details in HiQ, if available |
| Availabilities |
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Unit Outline: Semester 1 2026, Kelvin Grove, Internal
| Unit code: | EUN607 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Equivalent: | EUN660, EUZ607 |
| Assumed Knowledge: | It is assumed that students understand educational practices in education settings and have practitioner experiences within a related education field or support profession. |
Overview
This unit explores traditional and contemporary approaches and innovations in early childhood education and how they influence pedagogy, learning environments and curriculum. You will critically analyse research and case studies related to the approaches and reflect on your own practice and how the different approaches might inform and strengthen your practice.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Synthesise scholarly literature to discuss developments in curriculum and pedagogy.
- Select and create learning environment elements and experiences that enhance children's learning and development.
- Design and justify professional learning plans based on evidence and scholarly literature.
- Generate images to communicate learning environment elements that reflect contemporary early childhood education approaches.
Content
This unit will cover the following:
- Reggio Emilia approach, Montessori and Steiner
- Nature pedagogy and Bush Kindy
- Sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals in ECE
- Playwork
- Project Approach
- Critical theories
- Professional development
Learning Approaches
In this unit you will learn through engaging in the following:
- tutorials (online and on-campus)
- online learning activities
- readings
- authentic assessment tasks in which you will apply scholarly knowledge to real world scenarios and in your own context.
This unit employs interactive and discussion-based learning, case study based activities and critical reflection on the intersection of theory and experience.
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
Feedback in this unit is provided to you in the following ways:
- a range of formative exercises discussed and undertaken throughout the unit
- feedback from peers as you investigate and discuss issues raised throughout the unit
- self assessment through reflective practice
- comments about summative assessment work included with your grade
- general summative assessment feedback posted to the whole cohort via the unit Canvas site.
Assessment
Overview
This unit has two assessments:
1. Learning environment portfolio - this task draws on educational approaches in early childhood to create a portfolio of learning environment elements and experiences that support children's learning.
2. Professional learning plan - this task connects professional learning activities with an educational approach to create a personal professional learning plan.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Learning environment portfolio
You will create a portfolio of learning environment elements and experiences that showcase your philosophy and pedagogy. You will include a rationale to explain your choices of elements. Scholarly literature must support your rationale and engagement with unit materials must be evident. You will use Gen AI to help generate elements.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Assessment: Professional learning plan
You will select an approach explored in the unit that you would like to investigate further to create a personal professional development learning plan. Your plan will include a short professional history, professional goals, a rationale of why the approach will benefit your teaching, and a detailed action plan lasting a minimum of six months. Scholarly literature must support your rationale and engagement with unit materials must be evident.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.
The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.
You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.
Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.
Resources
There are no resources that are required to be purchased for this unit. Other resources will be available in the unit's Canvas site.
Risk Assessment Statement
There are no out-of-the-ordinary risks associated with this unit.
Course Learning Outcomes
This unit is designed to support your development of the following course/study area learning outcomes.EU60 Graduate Certificate in Education
- Discuss and evaluate advanced discipline-specific knowledge related to professional educational practice.
Relates to: ULO1, Learning environment portfolio, Professional learning plan - Design and justify innovative solutions to authentic problems of educational practice through the application of discipline-specific knowledge and skills.
Relates to: ULO2, ULO3, Learning environment portfolio, Professional learning plan - Employ a range of communication modes to transmit knowledge, skills, and ideas to others.
Relates to: ULO4, Learning environment portfolio
EU74 Master of Education
- Discuss, evaluate, and integrate advanced discipline-specific knowledge related to professional educational practice and research.
Relates to: ULO1, Learning environment portfolio, Professional learning plan - Design and justify innovative solutions to authentic problems of educational practice, drawing on discipline-specific knowledge and skills to lead and influence positive change.
Relates to: ULO2, ULO3, Learning environment portfolio, Professional learning plan - Employ a range of communication modes to transmit knowledge, skills and ideas to specialist and non-specialist audiences in professional and scholarly contexts.
Relates to: ULO4, Learning environment portfolio
Unit Outline: Semester 1 2026, Online
| Unit code: | EUN607 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Equivalent: | EUN660, EUZ607 |
| Assumed Knowledge: | It is assumed that students understand educational practices in education settings and have practitioner experiences within a related education field or support profession. |
Overview
This unit explores traditional and contemporary approaches and innovations in early childhood education and how they influence pedagogy, learning environments and curriculum. You will critically analyse research and case studies related to the approaches and reflect on your own practice and how the different approaches might inform and strengthen your practice.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Synthesise scholarly literature to discuss developments in curriculum and pedagogy.
- Select and create learning environment elements and experiences that enhance children's learning and development.
- Design and justify professional learning plans based on evidence and scholarly literature.
- Generate images to communicate learning environment elements that reflect contemporary early childhood education approaches.
Content
This unit will cover the following:
- Reggio Emilia approach, Montessori and Steiner
- Nature pedagogy and Bush Kindy
- Sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals in ECE
- Playwork
- Project Approach
- Critical theories
- Professional development
Learning Approaches
In this unit you will learn through engaging in the following:
- tutorials (online and on-campus)
- online learning activities
- readings
- authentic assessment tasks in which you will apply scholarly knowledge to real world scenarios and in your own context.
This unit employs interactive and discussion-based learning, case study based activities and critical reflection on the intersection of theory and experience.
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
Feedback in this unit is provided to you in the following ways:
- a range of formative exercises discussed and undertaken throughout the unit
- feedback from peers as you investigate and discuss issues raised throughout the unit
- self assessment through reflective practice
- comments about summative assessment work included with your grade
- general summative assessment feedback posted to the whole cohort via the unit Canvas site.
Assessment
Overview
This unit has two assessments:
1. Learning environment portfolio - this task draws on educational approaches in early childhood to create a portfolio of learning environment elements and experiences that support children's learning.
2. Professional learning plan - this task connects professional learning activities with an educational approach to create a personal professional learning plan.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Learning environment portfolio
You will create a portfolio of learning environment elements and experiences that showcase your philosophy and pedagogy. You will include a rationale to explain your choices of elements. Scholarly literature must support your rationale and engagement with unit materials must be evident. You will use Gen AI to help generate elements.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Assessment: Professional learning plan
You will select an approach explored in the unit that you would like to investigate further to create a personal professional development learning plan. Your plan will include a short professional history, professional goals, a rationale of why the approach will benefit your teaching, and a detailed action plan lasting a minimum of six months. Scholarly literature must support your rationale and engagement with unit materials must be evident.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.
The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.
You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.
Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.
Resources
There are no resources that are required to be purchased for this unit. Other resources will be available in the unit's Canvas site.
Risk Assessment Statement
There are no out-of-the-ordinary risks associated with this unit.
Course Learning Outcomes
This unit is designed to support your development of the following course/study area learning outcomes.EU60 Graduate Certificate in Education
- Discuss and evaluate advanced discipline-specific knowledge related to professional educational practice.
Relates to: ULO1, Learning environment portfolio, Professional learning plan - Design and justify innovative solutions to authentic problems of educational practice through the application of discipline-specific knowledge and skills.
Relates to: ULO2, ULO3, Learning environment portfolio, Professional learning plan - Employ a range of communication modes to transmit knowledge, skills, and ideas to others.
Relates to: ULO4, Learning environment portfolio
EU74 Master of Education
- Discuss, evaluate, and integrate advanced discipline-specific knowledge related to professional educational practice and research.
Relates to: ULO1, Learning environment portfolio, Professional learning plan - Design and justify innovative solutions to authentic problems of educational practice, drawing on discipline-specific knowledge and skills to lead and influence positive change.
Relates to: ULO2, ULO3, Learning environment portfolio, Professional learning plan - Employ a range of communication modes to transmit knowledge, skills and ideas to specialist and non-specialist audiences in professional and scholarly contexts.
Relates to: ULO4, Learning environment portfolio