The Master of Teaching (Early Childhood) qualifies graduates to apply an advanced body of knowledge in a range of contexts and with the professional capacities to be creatively and innovatively responsive to the changing and challenging demands of being educators of learners aged from birth to 8 years. The degree provides a pathway for lifelong learning and professional development as a reflective practitioner.

 

The Master of Teaching (Early Childhood) program qualifies graduates to teach children from birth to eight years of age in education settings, including long day childcare, kindergarten and junior primary school. Graduates combine theory and contemporary professional practice to engage children in learning, employing observation, planning, implementation and critical reflection. Graduates develop an understanding of the diverse social circumstances of families and communities and the importance of the rights of the child, enabling them to employ inclusive approaches that respect children and families, thus optimising children’s development, learning and wellbeing.

 

The Master of Teaching (Early Childhood) program is based on the following premises: the distinctiveness of the early childhood years; an ecological approach to children and their education; a holistic model of pedagogy; a multi-service understanding of the early childhood profession; a multi-disciplinary conception of the contemporary theoretical, policy and practice-based elements of early childhood education; inquiry into personal practice, a commitment to praxis of these critical elements and a view of teacher candidates as adult learners.