An Early Childhood Teacher is a degree qualified professional who works in early childhood education and care settings to support the development of pre-school aged children and deliver educational programs based on the Early Years Learning Framework.

Early Childhood Teachers’ focus is holistic – integrating all dimensions of children’s learning including physical, personal, social, emotional and spiritual wellbeing and cognitive aspects of learning.

Early Childhood Teachers are committed to practice that support children’s learning in partnership with children and their families.

Examples are:

• Complying with academic and non-academic misconduct policies and procedures such as CQUniversity’s Student Charter, Student Misconduct Policy and Student Behavioural Misconduct Procedures, and Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
• Treating personal information obtained in educational settings as private and confidential.
• Demonstrating an ability to reflect on ethical dilemmas and issues and take responsibility for ensuring awareness of ethical behaviour.
• Demonstrating the applicable codes of ethics as they apply in the practice of education.
• Respecting diversity by demonstrating sensitivity to religious, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds and individual differences to support equitable access to education and learning.
• Receiving a positive notice resulting from a Working With Children Check (WWCC).

Examples are:

• Being reflective with personal behaviours appropriate for professional performance and being positive and receptive to processing constructive feedback on your teaching competence, use of interpersonal communication and academic progress.
• Interacting with people from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures in a calm and composed manner that shows respect for difference, including when dealing within difficult situations.
• Demonstrating cultural communication competence and reponsiveness to resolve conflict and negotiate mutually agreeable outcomes in tutorials and professional placement settings while refraining from the use of words/actions that show intolerance of difference.
• Successfully demonstrating the ability to manage challenging behaviours during professional placements to create and maintain safe and supportive learning environments.
• Successfully processing your own emotions and behaviour when dealing with highly emotive people when challenging situations and/or behaviours arise in a variety of educational settings.
• Maintaining behavioural stability through successfully distinguishing your own personal behaviours, experiences and emotions from other stakeholders in a variety of educational settings.

Examples are:

• Complying with legislative and regulatory requirements for teaching. e.g. Codes of Ethics for teachers.
• Complying with relevant child protection and safety legislation and report any notifiable concerns to your professional placement supervisor.
• Understanding and complying with Anti-discrimination legislation and Disability Standards for Education as they apply to practice in educational settings.
• Understanding and adhering to professional policy around the use of social media.

Examples are:

• Verbally communicating in the English language with accuracy, appropriateness and effectiveness.
• Completing oral presentations for assessment and delivering lessons and learning sequences that have a positive impact on student learning in educational settings.
• Listening to other's point of view and actively participating in discussion activities related to the course.
• Using language that is appropriate to the context of the individual, group or workplace; and selecting and using questioning and feedback strategies that actively engage students across the full range of abilities and backgrounds in learning during professional placements.
• Establishing rapport with a wide range of educational stakeholders from differing socio-cultural environments in a wide range of contexts associated with teaching.
• Demonstrating appropriate facial expressions, eye contact, body movements and gestures to reinforce on-task behaviour, promote student learning and encourage the participation of all students in educational settings during professional placements.
• Recognising and interpreting non-verbal cues of others and responding appropriately during activities related to the course.
• Recognising and interpreting non-verbal cues of supervising teachers, students, members of the broader community and responding appropriately, sensitively and supportively to these cues during placement.
• Competently and appropriately constructing written assessment work in a logical, coherent manner, and with correct grammar and punctuation to the required academic standards.
• Clearly communicating the intended message and documenting information in a written form that meets legal and educational requirements.
• Expressing complex and detailed information and knowledge of curriculum and assessment processes in documentation for planning, observation, teaching and reflection tasks accurately and professionally in placement contexts.
• Documenting evidence of meeting professional standards and impact on student learning using accurate and effective written communication. 

Examples are:

• Conceptualising and using appropriate knowledge in response to academic assessment items.
• Completing academic learning activities and assessment tasks within reasonable set timeframes.
• Reading, analysing, comprehending and synthesising multiple sources of information including early learning centre policy and legislative, systemic and organisational requirements for the effective enactment of professional placement in educational settings.
• Interpreting student assessment data to determine learning needs and modifying teaching practice during placements in educational settings.
• Applying knowledge of policy and procedures in educational practice.
• Listening actively to information within a variety of academic and practical situations.
• Paraphrasing, summarising and referencing in accordance with appropriate academic conventions associated with the American Psychological Association (APA) referencing format used by the School of Education and the Arts.
• Reading and accurately interpreting information related to early learning centre teaching contexts.
• Completing documentation that is accurate, clear and concise.
• Reading and interpreting curriculum documents and teaching programs to plan for effective teaching and learning during placements.
• Identifying the literacy demands of learning areas across the curriculum and plan strategies to build students' literacy competence during professional placements.
• Demonstrating competency in applying mathematical knowledge and numeracy skills to identify opportunities for enhancing students’ numerate thinking across the learning areas of the curriculum.
• Applying effective use of mathematical knowledge and numeracy skills to collate, summarise and interpret test scores in numerical form and defend planned responses to students’ learning needs during placements.

Examples are:

• Focussing on and recognising objects that are either near or far, e.g. reading learning resources such as lecture and tutorial screens face-to-face on-campus or on-line; as well as reading examination papers and/or on-line computer quizzes.
• Monitoring the safety, behaviour (including non-verbal behaviour) and engagement of children in the early learning centres.
• Observing the behaviour (including non-verbal behaviour) in non-classroom settings situations in early learning centres.
• Monitoring, supervising, assessing and managing classroom activities consistently and accurately.
• Sufficiently hearing verbal communication from other students and lecturers during activities related to the course of study or learning environment.
• Supporting young children to accomplish tasks such as climbing, and this support requires tactile communication.
• Supporting young children as they toilet.
• Providing tactile and/or emotional support to children in the event of injury, and/or responding to children in a first-aid capacity, and/or responding to other circumstances where tactile communication is appropriate e.g. a grieving child.

Examples are:

• Building and maintaining professional relationships with a range of people including students/colleagues/early learning centre-based personnel and families in order to support student learning.
• Displaying empathy and respect towards others (children/staff/families) and recognising and reflecting on the multiple points of view held by others.
• Treating personal information obtained in educational settings as private and confidential.
• Demonstrating sensitivity to religious, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds and individual differences when interacting with others.

Examples are:

• Reflecting on topics taught during the course of study, including on situations that may be difficult or sensitive, yet still require reflective processing, judgement or action.
• Identifying when a practice issue is outside your scope or expertise.
• Identifying when your practice may be negatively affected by personal experience and/or reactions.
• Reflecting on your progress against the required standard of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers during placement and identifying sources and strategies to enhance practice and improve professional learning.

Examples are:

• Appropriately and actively participating in activities related to the course of study, which could be either on-line or during professional placements.
• Undertaking examinations and on-line quizzes with adequate, sustained levels of physical energy and concentration.
• Maintaining an up-to-date record of planning, teaching, observation and reflection tasks on a daily basis during professional placements.

Examples are:

• Incorporating a range of gross motor skills while participating effectively in activities related to the normal day-to-day activities of a teacher within an early childhood learning context.
• Maintaining balance while safely preparing and transferring equipment for use within an early childhood learning context (for example, setting up equipment for outside play).
• Utilising teaching materials and equipment that require motor coordination.
• Moving with ease around a range of classroom environments that include a range of furniture configurations and equipment while performing various tasks associated with working in an early childhood learning context.
• Supporting children as they engage in gross motor activities (climbing, swinging, jumping, hitting).
• Utilising a range of fine motor skills related to the normal day-to-day activities of a teacher to both prepare materials for classroom activities and implement activities with children (writing, moving mouse, operating a keyboard, supporting care related activities).
• Interacting with mobile devices such as iPads safely and ethically.
• Confidently and competently modelling fine motor skills for children (hand using scissors, using brushes).

Examples are:

• Relating positively and effectively with a wide variety of stakeholders (for example, families, administrative staff).
• Understanding, acquiring and demonstrating the components of emotional intelligence to effectively work with others.
• Engaging in personal reflection as a mechanism for increasing self-awareness regarding how individuals interact and impact others.
• Demonstrating cultural competence in all interactions.
• Demonstrating the skills of collaborating with fellow students and colleagues and staff while engaged in work integrated learning.
• Interacting with teaching staff in schools and early learning centres in a respectful and courteous manner.
• Reflecting on your engagement and feedback from others (fellow students, colleagues and work integrated learning supervisors) and continue to develop skills to improve interpersonal engagement.
• Critically self-reflecting on situations that may/may not have gone well and generating new understandings from the situation/s.

Examples are:

• Competently using a desktop operating system such as Microsoft Windows or Mac OS X.
• Competently using productivity software such as Microsoft Office and operating associated electronic technologies such as (but not limited to) digital scanners, copiers, cameras and video cameras, a tablet computer or a mobile phone in the contemporary educational environment.
• Using a range of digital tools to create presentations and construct learning stories about children’s learning
• Demonstrating an understanding of the relevant issues and the strategies available to support the safe, responsible and ethical use of ICT in learning and teaching.
• Using a range of ICTs to enhance student learning during professional placements in schools and early learning centres.

Students must meet the inherent requirements for teaching and must ensure they adhere to any requirements within the scope of teaching across the curriculum learning areas.

Vaccination Advice

To be eligible to complete placements in early childhood settings, pre-service teachers may be required to show proof of immunisation against measles, mumps and rubella and influenza. Regulations may be introduced in your state prior to, or at the time of, your scheduled placement/s and you must adhere to these requirements.

Students must be in possession of a current Positive Notice Blue Card (or equivalent “Working with Children” check issued in other Australian states or territories) to be eligible for placement in a school site.