EDEC4014: Semester 2, 2025

Units EDEC4014 Semester 2 2025 [Normal day]

Unit outline_

EDEC4014: Trauma-Informed Early Education

Semester 2, 2025 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

This unit provides students with foundational knowledge and skills to lead a team approach to trauma-informed education and behaviour guidance. By developing neuroscience-informed knowledges of trauma and sociocultural perspectives of behaviour in early childhood, students will gain understandings about why and how these behaviours occur; identify risk factors and contributors to trauma; implement family-centred practice; and engage with proactive and relational-based strategies to build children’s resilience. Students will also explore self-care strategies to minimise possible negative wellbeing impacts of supporting young children’s challenging behaviour.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Education
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	18 credit points in 4000-level EDEC coded units
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	EDEC2005, EDEC2011, EDEC3007, EDEC4007
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Marianne Fenech, marianne.fenech@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Lauren Bedford-Rolleston, lauren.bedford-rolleston@sydney.edu.au

Assessment

The census date for this unit availability is 1 September 2025

Details
Criteria

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length	Use of AI
Presentation	Reading summary Reading summary presentations and practical hand-out/resource	20%	Multiple weeks	10 minutes + 500-word summary	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:
Conversation	Reflections on portfolio content Students will work on a portfolio task each week. Students will submit their portfolios (1000 wd), then discuss and share reflections based on what has been submitted in the portfolio (10 mins)	40%	Week 08	1500wds (10 mins + 1000-word portfolio)	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:
In-person written or creative task	Case study self-assessment tool Students will complete case study scenarios. Students can bring one double sided page of notes to refer to during the test.	40%	Week 09	2.5 hours	AI prohibited
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Detailed information for each assessment task can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100
Distinction	75 - 84
Credit	65 - 74
Pass	50 - 64
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

You can use generative AI tools for open assessments. Restrictions on AI use apply to secure, supervised assessments used to confirm if students have met specific learning outcomes.

Refer to the assessment table above to see if AI is allowed, for assessments in this unit and check Canvas for full instructions on assessment tasks and AI use.

If you use AI, you must always acknowledge it. Misusing AI may lead to a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy.

Visit the Current Students website for more information on AI in assessments, including details on how to acknowledge its use.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The University expects students to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

Our website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. This includes advice on how to avoid common breaches of academic integrity. Ensure that you have completed the Academic Honesty Education Module (AHEM) which is mandatory for all commencing coursework students

Penalties for serious breaches can significantly impact your studies and your career after graduation. It is important that you speak with your unit coordinator if you need help with completing assessments.

Visit the Current Students website for more information on AI in assessments, including details on how to acknowledge its use.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy reflects the University’s commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction to the unit - introducing trauma	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 02	Vicarious trauma and educator wellbeing	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 03	Introducing trauma-informed approaches, risk, and resiliency	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 04	Leading trauma-informed behaviour guidance approaches while addressing inequities	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 05	Trauma informed education: The early childhood education and care setting	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 06	Trauma-informed education: In partnership with families and the community	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 07	Trauma informed education: Working with the individual child	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 08	Reviewing and tying it all together	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Adopt strengths-based and relational approaches to understanding young children’s complex behaviour.
LO2. Use theory and research to explain trauma and trauma-informed behaviour guidance approaches.
LO3. Demonstrate an ability to draw on strategies that support a behaviour guidance approach and which minimise or alleviate the harm that trauma exerts on children’s development and functioning.
LO4. Explain the factors that can contribute to trauma.
LO5. Identify and explain how resilience factors can counterbalance the possible negative outcomes of risk factors.
LO6. Critically reflect on the early childhood setting as a potential contributor of children’s challenging behaviours, and the complexities involved in implementing a service-wide trauma-informed and/or behaviour guidance approach.
LO7. Demonstrate strategies intended to support educator wellbeing and alleviate vicarious trauma.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Anecdotal and empirical evidence shows that graduate early childhood teachers do not feel well prepared to guide children’s challenging behaviour. The 2022 updated Early Years Learning Framework (Curriculum framework for early childhood education) introduced trauma-informed education as a necessary pedagogy, however, this is an area that currently is only briefly mentioned in one unit throughout the entire degree. In line with the National Guidelines for trauma-aware education, the unit will support preservice teachers to understand trauma and behaviour, how to lead trauma-informed education to work toward a whole-centre approach, understanding risk and resilience factors, implementing trauma-informed and behaviour guidance approaches at the individual level, implementing trauma-informed and behaviour guidance approaches at the classroom level, and vicarious trauma and how to protect themselves against it. All assessment tasks address the knowledge and skills that early childhood teachers require in this area of their practice.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

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