ECE220 - Science 1: Science and Environmental Awareness for Young Children
| Year: | 2025 unit information |
|---|---|
| Enrolment modes: | Trimester 1: Burwood (Melbourne), Online, Community Based Delivery (CBD)* |
| Credit point(s): | 1 |
| EFTSL value: | 0.125 |
| Prerequisite: | Nil |
| Corequisite: | Nil |
| Incompatible with: | Nil |
| Study commitment | Students will on average spend 150-hours over the teaching period undertaking the teaching, learning and assessment activities for this unit. This will include educator guided online learning activities within the unit site. |
| Scheduled learning activities - campus | 1 x 3-hour on-campus seminar per week (in non-placement teaching weeks – approx. 6-7 weeks)
NIKERI (CBD): 3 x 6-hour on-campus intensive (workshops/seminars) per trimester 8 x 1-hour online seminars per week for 8-weeks |
| Scheduled learning activities - online | 1 x 1.5-hour online seminar per week (in non-placement teaching weeks – approx. 6-7 weeks) |
| Note: | *Community Based Delivery (CBD): only for students of the National Indigenous Knowledges, Education, Research and Innovation NIKERI Institute (located at the Waurn Ponds campus) |
Content
The content is organised around key science concepts cognitively appropriate for babies, toddlers and pre-school children. A range of issues are addressed:
- science understandings relevant to the early childhood settings
- the nature of science and its relationship to society and the environment
- the nature of learning in science and the environment; teaching approaches and strategies for linking science with the other curriculum areas
- collecting and interpreting documentation to assess children's scientific understandings
- setting learning goals to build on children’s scientific learning
- planning and implementing learning experiences that use a diverse range of teaching strategies, resources and communication to support children’s scientific learning
- contemporary issues in curriculum provision and the teaching of science and the environment through play
- the importance of language in the exchange of science ideas with children
Aspects of science that are relevant to early childhood and primary educators are presented - for example, investigation of living things, materials, properties of water, air, electricity and magnetism, light, sound. Environmental concepts are integrated throughout the program. This unit will identify teaching approaches and strategies for supporting learning in early childhood settings. It will demonstrate, through practical activities applied through play, how young children develop their scientific and environmental understandings.
In class experiences, provide students with hands on practice of science activities and tasks that can be implemented with children in early childhood and primary (F – 2) classrooms. Students will practice the set up of learning environments, communication strategies (verbal and non-verbal) to support learning and assessment techniques. These authentic experiences will support students completion of assessment task 2.
Unit Fee Information
Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study and their study discipline, and your study load.
Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.
For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current Students website.