TCHR5010: Competency and capability of Preschoolers
Assessment Two: Portfolio
Information Booklet
Assessment name:
Portfolio of planning cycle Due Date: This Month
Weighting:
50% Length:
2000 words Task Description:
This Portfolio is comprised of two tasks. You must submit your assessment as one document.
Task 1: Anecdotal record and learning experience
Anecdotal record
View the video of pre-schoolers provided under the link “Video for Assessment 2” and complete a detailed anecdotal record of the children’s learning (use the template provided).
The link for the video is also here: https://youtu.be/sjon4rRQ_08
Learning experience plan
Based on the anecdotal record, write a plan on the planning template of a learning experience to follow up on and enhance the pre-school children’s learning and development.
Task 2: Reflective practice
This is a real-world project based on scenarios or ethical dilemmas that you are likely to encounter in your professional work with preschoolers. It is important that you develop skills and understanding of these issues, and reflect on how to address them, with reference to your theoretical understanding, the National Quality Standards (NQS), the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and current research in the field.
Background for the scenario
You are the trained teacher in a room with 25 children aged 3-5 years. The other educators in the room include one trained with a Diploma in Children’s Services, Michelle, and the other educator, Zarla, is working towards Certificate III in Children’s Services. Your centre is open for ten and a half hours per day from 7.30am until 6pm. You work full time on a variety of eight-hour shifts. The centre is licensed for 79 children and is a for-profit early learning centre.
Scenario
One of the children, Ishmael, in your room, who is 4.0 years old, sleeps for one hour per day at your centre. The child arrives at the centre every morning at 7.45am and is picked up at 5.45pm five days per week. Both parents work full time. The parents come to you, as the teacher in the preschool room, and say they do not want Ishmael to sleep anymore at the centre because she is not going to sleep at home until 11pm. They need their sleep, as they are both busy working. How do you respond to the parents, and what do you do to ensure that the parents and the children are achieving the best outcomes possible? Address the unit material, the relevant principles of the EYLF V2.0 (AGDE, 2022) and the NQS (ACECQA, 2018)- especially Quality areas 1, 2 and 6.
Referencing and formatting
• APA Referencing style is required to be used for this task
• Include one reference list for all responses on a new page at the end of task
• A minimum of 8 (eight) academic sources are to be included in the reference list
• At a minimum, your sources for this task will include the EYLF v2.0 (AGDE, 2022), NQS (ACECQA, 2018), the unit text, and a range of broader authoritative literature. Broader literature may include contemporary textbooks, peer reviewed articles, and other authoritative sources
Formatting: Use APA 7 formatting throughout (this includes indented paragraphs, double-lined spacing). No contents page is needed for this task.
Referencing Style Resource
About APA 7th – APA 7th Referencing Guide – Library guides at Southern Cross University (scu.edu.au)
Resources
National Quality Standard https://www.acecqa.gov.au/nqf/national-quality-standard
Early Years Learning Framework https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-01/EYLF-2022-V2.0.pdf
Details of the Unit text are available via the Orientation Module on the unit Blackboard site. Support Resources
Academic Integrity – SCU guidelines
Academic Integrity Module – mandatory module for first year students
Learning Zone – workshops, Quick Guides, student appointments Submission
You must include and complete in full the provided SCU coversheet as part of your submission (this can be found in the Assessment task folder on the TCHR5010 unit Blackboard site).
Submission of your assessment is via TURNITIN. The submission link can be found in the Assessment Tasks and Submission Tab in the TCHR5010 Blackboard site.
Please note:

• It is YOUR responsibility to ensure that you have submitted the correct file and the FINAL version of your assessment for marking BEFORE the due date/time.
• After you have followed the TurnItin submission it is essential you download the Digital Receipt.
• If you have any difficulty submitting your assignment, please contact Technology Services and make sure that you log a job with them so you have evidence of your attempted submission. To avoid any last-minute problems, make sure you submit well before 11:59pm on the due date. Late Submission/Extension
  Please refer to the Special Consideration section of Policy https://policies.scu.edu.au/document/view-current.php?id=140
  Students wishing to request special consideration to extend the due date of an assessment task must submit a Request for Special Consideration form via their My Enrolment page as early as possible and prior to the original due date for that assessment task, along with any accompanying documents, such as medical certificates.
  Late Submissions & Penalties
  Please refer to the Late Submission & Penalties section of Policy https://policies.scu.edu.au/view.current.php?id=00255
  Academic Integrity
  At Southern Cross University academic integrity means behaving with the values of honesty, fairness, trustworthiness, courage, responsibility and respect in relation to academic work.
  The Southern Cross University Academic Integrity Framework aims to develop a holistic, systematic and consistent approach to addressing academic integrity across the entire University. For more information see the SCU Academic Integrity Framework.
  For this task: Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools, such as Grammarly Premium, may be used ethically for this Assessment Task. However, you must write in your own words and provide appropriate references (APA 7). Then, to further refine your assessment you are allowed to use AI tools such as Grammarly and Copilot to check your grammar, spelling and punctuation. You must acknowledge any GenAI usage, identify what has been used and how, and provide relevant evidence (e.g., screen shots) in an appendix.
  If you use GenAI tools without acknowledgment it may result in an academic integrity breach against you as described in the Student Academic and Non-Academic Misconduct Rules, Section 3.
  For example: You may use Grammarly Premium to provide feedback and suggestions on your writing for academic tone, written expression, grammar, Australian English spelling, and punctuation. You must not use GenAI to generate ideas for this assessment task. If you choose to use these tools, you must include an appendix to demonstrate your work prior to using GenAI.
  NOTE: Academic Integrity breaches include poor referencing, not identifying direct quotations correctly, close paraphrasing, plagiarism, recycling, misrepresentation, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, fabricating information.
  Grades and Feedback
  Assessments that have been submitted by the due date will receive an SCU grade. Grades and feedback will be posted to the ‘Grades and Feedback’ section on the Blackboard unit site. Please allow 10 days following submission for marks to be available.
  Marking Criteria and & allocation High Distinction + (100%) High Distinction (85-99%) Distinction (75-84%) Credit (65-74%) Pass (50-64%) Marginal Fail (35-49%) Fail (0-49%) Not addressed (0%) Task 1: Anecdotal record and learning experience (45%) Articulation of the planning cycle. Anecdotal record shows evidence of understanding children’s learning and development with links to theory, the EYLF and NQS. Demonstrates planning for Preschoolers’ learning and development, interests and competencies with links to the EYLF, NQS and theory. Exceptional articulation of the planning cycle. The anecdotal record provides rich, insightful observations with deep understanding of children’s learning and development. Comprehensive and seamless integration of relevant theory, EYLF Learning Outcomes, and NQS Quality Areas. Planning is exemplary—highly responsive to preschoolers’ interests, strengths, and competencies with clear theoretical and practical justification. Highly effective and clear articulation of the planning cycle. The anecdotal record demonstrates strong understanding of children’s learning and development, with consistently relevant and accurate links to theory, EYLF, and NQS. Planning is thoughtful and well-aligned to preschoolers’ needs, showing excellent awareness of their interests and competencies. Clear and competent articulation of the planning cycle. The anecdotal record demonstrates a sound understanding of children’s learning and development, with appropriate links to theory, EYLF, and NQS. Planning reflects preschoolers’ interests and strengths, with evidence of intentional teaching and theoretical consideration. Adequate articulation of the planning cycle. Anecdotal record shows basic understanding of learning and development, with some appropriate references to theory, EYLF, and NQS. Planning is generally relevant to preschoolers’ interests and competencies, though may lack depth or consistency in theoretical application. Limited articulation of the planning cycle. Anecdotal record shows a basic or superficial understanding of children’s learning and development. Some links to EYLF, NQS, or theory are present but may be inconsistent or underdeveloped. Planning meets minimal expectations with general references to children’s needs. Incomplete or unclear articulation of the planning cycle. Anecdotal record provides minimal insight into children’s development and contains few or unclear links to EYLF, NQS, or theory. Planning lacks depth and is not sufficiently tailored to preschoolers’ interests or competencies Poor or missing articulation of the planning cycle. Anecdotal record is inaccurate, irrelevant, or absent. No meaningful connection to EYLF, NQS, or theory. Planning is inappropriate or not evident. No attempt made to address the planning cycle, children’s learning, or relevant frameworks. No submission or content provided. Task 2: Reflective practice (45%) Reflection and response to one ethical dilemma encountered in an early childhood centre with consideration to: -All involved stakeholders’ perspectives – The unit’s readings, the EYLF and the NQS, Exceptional and deeply reflective response demonstrating critical insight into the ethical dilemma. All stakeholders’ perspectives are thoughtfully considered with empathy and nuance. Reflection Highly reflective and well-reasoned response. Demonstrates strong understanding of the ethical dilemma and thoughtfully incorporates the views of all Clear and considered reflection on the ethical dilemma. Stakeholders’ perspectives are addressed with sensitivity, and links to unit readings, EYLF, NQS, and Adequate reflection with clear effort to explore the ethical dilemma. Some perspectives are considered, though discussion may lack depth or balance. Basic reflection on the ethical dilemma with minimal critical engagement. Stakeholder perspectives are mentioned but not well explored. Limited or surface-level connections to unit readings, EYLF, NQS, or scholarly Superficial or unclear reflection. Ethical dilemma may be poorly understood or described, with minimal recognition of stakeholders’ perspectives. Few or Very limited or no reflection. Ethical dilemma is not appropriately addressed. Stakeholder perspectives are ignored or misrepresented. No meaningful use of readings, No submission or no attempt to address the ethical dilemma or related reflections. No content provided.
  and scholarly sources. is richly supported by scholarly sources, unit readings, the EYLF, and the NQS, integrated seamlessly. Response shows high-level ethical reasoning and professional integrity, going beyond expectations. relevant stakeholders. Reflection is well-supported by relevant readings, EYLF, NQS, and scholarly literature. Shows advanced critical thinking and professional awareness. scholarly sources are relevant and mostly well integrated. Shows strong ethical awareness and reflective thinking. References to readings, EYLF, NQS, and scholarly sources are present but may be limited or unevenly applied. Shows developing reflective and ethical reasoning. sources. Reflection meets minimum standards but lacks depth and clarity. irrelevant connections to required frameworks or readings. Limited demonstration of reflective or ethical thinking. EYLF, NQS, or scholarly sources. Lacks evidence of reflection or understanding. Criterion 3 Academic Literacy including correct word count, correct writing conventions, use of professional language and academic referencing (APA 7th style). A minimum of 8 academic references included. (10%) Flawless use of academic writing conventions and APA referencing with a comprehensive range of high-quality, authoritative sources. All references are accurately formatted and seamlessly integrated into the content. Word count within +/- 10% of the set word count. Accurate academic writing and APA referencing with a strong range of relevant sources. Very minor formatting errors may be present. Word count within +/- 10% of the set word count. Good academic writing and APA referencing with a range of appropriate sources, though there may be some errors or inconsistencies in formatting. Word count within +/- 10% of the set word count. Adequate academic writing and referencing with some relevant sources. Some minor and inconsistent errors with formatting. Word count within +/- 10% of the set word count. Basic academic writing and referencing with limited sources. Some errors and inconsistencies with formatting. Word count within +/- 10% of the set word count. Poor standard of academic writing and referencing with consistent errors in most/all areas. Word count significantly under or over +/- 10% of the set word count for the task Significant improvement needed in academic writing and referencing. Referencing is absent, incorrect, or irrelevant Not attempted