EUB347 Early Childhood Education for Sustainability: Creating Positive Futures for Children
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: | EUB347 |
|---|---|
| Prerequisite(s): | EUB141. This can be studied concurrently. |
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Timetable | Details in HiQ, if available |
| Availabilities |
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| CSP student contribution | $578 |
| Domestic tuition unit fee | $3,528 |
| International unit fee | $4,572 |
Unit Outline: Semester 2 2025, Online
| Unit code: | EUB347 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Pre-requisite: | EUB141. This can be studied concurrently. |
Overview
This unit examines the Principle of Sustainability in early years curricula and explores the content of Early Childhood Education for Sustainability (ECEfS). The unit explores how young children and educators in their communities learn about and take action for sustainability. The unit provides opportunities for enacting the UN’s 5 dimensions of sustainability: Environmental, Social, Economic, Political and Cultural. This unit emphasises approaches based on theories and pedagogies that recognise children’s agency, rights, and capabilities. ECEfS is a growing field of research and practice that highlights the importance of early education for transforming local and global communities towards more sustainable futures.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Integrate theory, curriculum and context to plan learning and teaching experiences for sustainability in early childhood contexts.
- Reflect on personal sustainability values and actions and the implications for professional practice.
- Draw on scholarly and professional early childhood education for sustainability literature to explain personal and professional sustainability decisions.
- Plan ways to collaborate with children, colleagues, families, wider communities and other professionals to promote children's learning, development and wellbeing outcomes related to sustainability.
- Articulate early childhood teaching philosophies, pedagogies and practices promoting early childhood education for sustainability to a variety of audiences.
Content
This unit will cover the following:
- Introductory knowledge of the history, philosophy and future directions of Early Childhood Education for Sustainability (ECEfS) and the theories and practices which shape sustainable practices in communities and early education contexts;
- Development of personal awareness of and commitment to sustainable living and how personal, local and global actions can contribute to more sustainable futures;
- Knowledge of global sustainability frameworks, including the Sustainable Development Goals, and how these hold the potential to ensure healthy, fair and dynamic futures for humans and other species;
- Introduction to the relevant aspects of curriculum and policy documents that endorse a broad interpretation of sustainability for early education contexts in Australia;
- Recognition of the role of children as agents of change for sustainability;
- Development of pedagogical approaches to ECEfS, and introduction to planning, implementing and evaluating quality ECEfS programs;
- Integrating ECEfS with learning areas such as Science and The Arts through multidisciplinary approaches, including First Nations approaches;
- Strategies for connecting to families to promote sustainable communities.
Learning Approaches
In this unit, you will learn by engaging in active and reflective learning. Learning activities are designed to draw upon your professional experience and prior learning.
A range of teaching and learning experiences will be used including:
- professional readings
- video and/or audio recordings
- online interactives and activities.
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
Feedback in this unit is provided to you in the following ways:
- feedback from peers in group discussions
- unit coordinator and tutor comments to the cohort
- formative assessment tasks, and
- summative assessment tasks.
Assessment
Overview
There are two assessment tasks in this unit:
1. Reflection - this task draws on personal sustainability values and practices to identify ways to promote sustainability.
2. Learning story with rationale - this task builds on your understanding of sustainability to plan for a sustainability project in an early childhood setting.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Reflection
You will engage in a personal sustainability assessment exercise. Using presentation slides and a filmed 10 minute presentation, you will reflect on your specific results and outline how you could improve your sustainability practices. You will include evidence of specific results from your use of the tool (e.g. screenshots). Your reflection must include how local and/or global environmental issues or challenges have directly affected your professional or personal life. In your presentation, include slides that demonstrate how your reflection is linked to the implications for your teaching and to the sustainability literature.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Assessment: Learning story with rationale
You will develop a project about sustainability for an early childhood context, including each dimension of sustainability as outlined in the EYLF: social, economic, and environmental. Present your sustainability project as a learning story. Include a 1000 word rationale linked to the QUT Readings to justify your approaches.
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.
Risk Assessment Statement
There are no out-of-the-ordinary risks associated with the general conduct of this unit. Workplace health and safety protocols in relation to computer use will apply.
Course Learning Outcomes
This unit is designed to support your development of the following course/study area learning outcomes.ED34 Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (Birth to Five)
- Knowledgeable: Integrate theory, curriculum and context to plan, implement and evaluate learning and teaching.
Relates to: ULO1, Learning story with rationale - Scholarly: Analyse and interpret scholarly and professional literature to inform decision-making in early childhood education and care.
Relates to: ULO3, Learning story with rationale - Collaborative: Collaborate with children, families, colleagues, wider communities and other professionals to promote child learning development and wellbeing outcomes
Relates to: ULO4, Learning story with rationale - Reflective: Critically reflect on practice to engage in continuous quality improvement in early childhood contexts.
Relates to: ULO2, Reflection - Communicative: Articulate early childhood teaching philosophies, pedagogies and practices to a variety of audiences.
Relates to: ULO5, Reflection, Learning story with rationale