EUB348 Language and Literacy in Early Childhood (Work Integrated Learning)

Unit Outline: Semester 2 2026, Online

Overview

This unit will develop your understanding of and capacity to develop language acquisition and literacy in young children from birth to age 5. You will learn how to develop young children's early reading, writing and oral language capacities. You will explore early years literacy and pedagogies, including play-based, inquiry approaches, and direct and intentional teaching practices. The Early Years Learning Framework and other relevant guidance and support documents will be used as the basis of an exploration of the ways teachers plan for children to build knowledge and skills in language and literacy in their prior-to-school contexts.

You will participate in 8 days of work integrated learning placement. This will provide opportunities to reflect and expand on material covered in this unit. This placement may be undertaken in your place of employment, subject to criteria.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. Explain the concepts and principles of how children learn about language and literacy, including those from diverse backgrounds.
2. Draw on curriculum and other frameworks, children's literature and digital texts to plan and analyse literacy experiences.
3. Describe the principles of selecting and using resources, including digital technologies and multimodal texts in innovative ways to engage children in their learning.
4. Communicate in a written manner using the conventions of English.
5. Seek and apply constructive feedback from supervisors, teachers and peers to improve teaching practices.
6. Demonstrate professional and ethical conduct during work integrated learning placement.

Content

Learning Approaches

In this unit you will learn by engaging in active learning both individually and with your peers. The learning activities and your independent study will introduce new concepts and understandings and these will be further expanded in experiences that you will engage in as a part of WIL experiences and activities.

A range of teaching and learning experiences will be used including:

• multi-modal lectures and tutorials
• online study materials
• online discussion forums/sessions
• practical applications of content.

These activities will encourage you to discuss, question and problem-solve. You will be also expected to undertake personal research, reading, writing, observation, designing, collaborative learning activities and assessment tasks.

Your work integrated learning placement will involve 8 days of supervised teaching practice, formal discussions and observations and integration with early childhood settings.

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
• supervising teacher
• formative assessment tasks, and
• summative assessment tasks.

Assessment

Overview

This unit has three assessment tasks:

1. Portfolio - apply your learning about the principles for selecting resources to build an annotated bibliography and plan literacy learning experiences aligned with curriculum.

2. Work Integrated Learning Project - this task connects your learning from the unit about how young children learn literacy and language with observations made during your WIL.

3. Work Integrated Learning Feedback Form - this task assesses your engagement in professional conversations and demonstration of professional conduct during your work integrated learning placement.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Portfolio

You will write an annotated bibliography of ten books suitable for inclusion in an early childhood birth to five literacy program in your work integrated learning placement. You will need to visit your work integrated learning placement site to understand the context of your setting and write a description that informs your selection of books. The annotated bibliography must include a justification for the inclusion of the books for your setting.

Select one of the books and in a multimedia presentation discuss three learning experience ideas for engaging the children in learning with that book and relate to selected curriculum documents and are suitable for your context.

You will submit both the annotated bibliography and the presentation.

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

Assessment: Work Integrated Learning Project

During your work integrated learning placement you will observe three young children participating in literacy episodes where they engage with a multimodal text. You will document your observations, interpret what you observe and discuss your observations and interpretation with your supervising teacher drawing on their knowledge of these children. Finally you will analyse your observations drawing on the theories and concepts learnt as a part of the unit.

Your final submission will include your observations, notes from professional conversations and analysis drawing on the theories and concepts from this unit.

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

Assessment: Work Integrated Learning Feedback Form

You will submit your completed Work Integrated Learning Feedback Form. You must sign the form and it must also be signed by the supervising teacher and site co-ordinator.

This piece of assessment will be graded as Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory.

Note: As part of this task you will complete 8 days of work integrated learning placement in your early childhood education and care setting.

Threshold Assessment:

You must achieve a passing grade (satisfactory) on this task to successfully pass this unit. If this task is unsatisfactory, it cannot be resubmitted.

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.

Requirements to Study

Requirements

Meet, and show evidence of, the public health or employment vaccination mandates/requirements of your state jurisdiction. 

Blue Card

A blue card is required to complete this unit. A blue card confirms that you have passed a screening of your criminal history (the Working with Children Check) and have been approved to work with children and young people. For more information on the blue card and how to apply please visit the QUT website.

Costs

There may be costs related to immunisations. 

Resources

Resource Materials

Prescribed text(s)

Woods, A., & Exley, B. (2019) Literacies in early childhood: Foundations for equity and quality. Docklands, VIC: Oxford University Press.

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.

Managing the risk associated with your work integrated learning placement is bound in an agreement with the systemic employment bodies and individual sites where necessary. The Workplace Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld) places duties of care on everyone to ensure the health and safety of themselves and others in the workplace.

Students should be aware of and comply with the QUT work integrated learning policy.

Course Learning Outcomes

ED34 Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (Birth to Five)

1. Knowledgeable: Integrate theory, curriculum and context to plan, implement and evaluate learning and teaching.
   Relates to: ULO1, ULO2, ULO3, Portfolio, Work Integrated Learning Project
2. Collaborative: Collaborate with children, families, colleagues, wider communities and other professionals to promote child learning development and wellbeing outcomes
   Relates to: ULO5, Work Integrated Learning Project
3. Professional: Apply policy, legislative requirements, codes of conduct and ethical principles to early childhood practice.
   Relates to: ULO6, Work Integrated Learning Project
4. Communicative: Articulate early childhood teaching philosophies, pedagogies and practices to a variety of audiences.
   Relates to: ULO4, Portfolio, Work Integrated Learning Project