Outline

Overview

Central to quality in early childhood services is recognition that families are the most important contributors to their children's care, welfare, social and educational outcomes. Families' perspectives on education and care of infants, toddlers and young children inform early childhood sector policy development and are central to planning early childhood programs. Early childhood services are most beneficial to children, families and the broader community when educators partner with families and both understand and apply the concept of partnership. When working in partnership, families and early childhood professionals develop a shared appreciation of each child's home and early childhood service contexts. Family partnerships are built on mutual trust over time as families' interests and concerns about their children are shared with educators and as families and educators collaborate to create culturally rich and responsive learning environments. Early childhood teachers also have a reciprocal responsibility to share their knowledge and expertise with families to promote children's development and learning. In this unit students develop communication skills, leadership qualities and relationship-building with families, as they relate to quality education, care and service provision in early education and care settings.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	EDMT6633
Academic unit	Education
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	42 credit points including EDMT5541 EC Professional Experience 0-2
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Marianne Fenech, marianne.fenech@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Essay Case study analysis	0%	Formal exam period Due date: 15 Jun 2021 at 23:59	2500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Participation	Seminar contributions Weekly contributions	0%	Multiple weeks	1500 wds equivalent
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Family communication and engagement Video role play (8-10 mins)	0%	Week 08 Due date: 26 Apr 2021 at 23:59	2000 wd equivalent
Outcomes assessed:
= hurdle task ? = group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Seminar contributions – Pass/Fail

Resource – Pass/Fail

Essay – Pass/Fail

Please refer to more detailed information available in Canvas.

Assessment criteria

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

See sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades for further details

For more information see guide to grades.

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 Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

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.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	1. Unit overview; 2. Review of sociocultural theory and its relevance for partnering with families and communities	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 02	Regulatory requirements and professional expectations	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 03	Partnering with the community to better partner with families	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 04	Communicating professionally with families	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 05	Strengths-based approaches to working with families	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 06	Partnering with families through periods of transition	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 07	Integrated service provision and inter-professional work	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 08	Families experiencing disadvantage	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: The Sydney School of Education and Social Work requires attendance of at least 90 percent of all seminars, workshops or lectures. Where a student is unable to attend at the required rate evidence of illness or misadventure may be required and the student may be required to undertake extra work. Students should discuss the circumstances of their absence(s) with the co-ordinator of the unit of study. Further details are provided in the School canvas site: https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/13426

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.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed on the Reading List link available in Canvas.

Required textbook: Rouse, E. (2020). Partnerships in the early years. South Melbourne, Victoria: Oxford University Press.

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.

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

LO1. use theory and research to demonstrate understanding of the critical role family and community partnerships play in early childhood education.
LO2. critically reflect on the diversity of families in Australia and the importance of inclusion in developing authentic, respectful partnerships with all families
LO3. articulate regulatory and professional requirements in relation to partnerships with families and the community.
LO4. demonstrate critical thinking and knowledge of strengths-based approaches to partnering with families, giving consideration to implications for practice, including program, curriculum development and effective transitions
LO5. appreciate that effective partnerships with families require the use of professional communication principles, skills and practices
LO6. develop appropriate and inclusive strategies for engaging families, particularly families who are marginalised
LO7. establish collaborative working relationships with relevant professionals to support families and the development and wellbeing of children

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

Alignment with Competency standards

Outcomes	Competency standards
	Australian Children's Education & Care Quality Authority - 1.8. Transitions and continuity of learning (including transition to school). 4.1. Developing family and community partnerships 4.4. Socially inclusive practice
	Australian Children's Education & Care Quality Authority - 4.1. Developing family and community partnerships 4.2. Multicultural education 4.3. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives 4.4. Socially inclusive practice 4.5. Culture, diversity and inclusion
	Australian Children's Education & Care Quality Authority - 3.1. Early Years Learning Framework 4.1. Developing family and community partnerships
	Australian Children's Education & Care Quality Authority - 1.8. Transitions and continuity of learning (including transition to school). 3.1. Early Years Learning Framework 4.1. Developing family and community partnerships 4.2. Multicultural education 4.3. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives 4.4. Socially inclusive practice 4.5. Culture, diversity and inclusion
	Australian Children's Education & Care Quality Authority - 4.1. Developing family and community partnerships 5.3. Ethics and professional practice
	Australian Children's Education & Care Quality Authority - 4.1. Developing family and community partnerships 4.2. Multicultural education 4.3. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives 4.4. Socially inclusive practice 4.5. Culture, diversity and inclusion
	Australian Children's Education & Care Quality Authority - 1.8. Transitions and continuity of learning (including transition to school). 4.1. Developing family and community partnerships 5.3. Ethics and professional practice

Responding to student feedback

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

Changes made to timing of assessment task based on student feedback

Additional information

Site visit guidelines

If you are undertaking professional experience/field education placement as part of your enrolment in this unit of study, please assess your specific needs and requirements for the safe and successful completion of an external placement within a host organisation. You will be given the opportunity to disclose any health issues that have a work health and safety significance before arranging a placement so that your safety, and the safety of others, can be properly assessed. The Professional Experience Coordinator/Field Education Manager will work to ensure that the workplace assignment to you is appropriate for your needs and requirements. If you are experiencing disability, and require reasonable adjustments to be arranged, please contact Disability Services as early as possible prior to commencing the internship. Please note, in all cases, and for the purpose of organising reasonable adjustments, only the impact and not the nature, of your disability will be disclosed to the host organisation.

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

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Alignment with Competency standards

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Site visit guidelines

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

EDMT6633: Family, Community and Contexts

Semester 1, 2021 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Alignment with Competency standards

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Site visit guidelines

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect