Posted: July 23rd, 2024

WEEK 6 TCHR2002 Assessment 2: Portfolio short responses

WEEK 6 TCHR2002 Assessment 2: Portfolio short responses

– Study Notes: Answer Writing Guide Tips.

Exploring Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood Education: Media Representation, Family Diversity, and Policy Impact.

Introduction

Early childhood education plays a crucial role in shaping the future of our society. As pre-service teachers, understanding the complex issues affecting children, families, and communities is essential for developing effective partnerships and implementing appropriate practices. This paper examines a current childhood issue through critical text analysis, explores its implications for family and community diversity, and considers its alignment with early childhood policies and practices.

Topic 1: Critical Text Analysis

For this analysis, we will examine a recent article from The Guardian titled “UK children face mental health crisis as cases of anxiety and depression soar” by Rachel Hall, published on March 15, 2024 (Hall, 2024). This article addresses the growing concern of mental health issues among children in the United Kingdom, a topic that has significant implications for early childhood education and care.

Summary

The article reports on a substantial increase in cases of anxiety and depression among children in the UK over the past five years. Hall (2024) cites data from the National Health Service (NHS), indicating a 39% rise in referrals to child and adolescent mental health services since 2019. The piece highlights various contributing factors, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, increased academic pressure, and the pervasive influence of social media on young people’s lives.

Critical Analysis

The article’s framing of childhood mental health as a “crisis” reflects a contemporary construction of childhood that emphasizes vulnerability and the need for protection. This aligns with the perspective discussed by Carrington and Livingstone (2018), who argue that the digital age has led to a reconceptualization of childhood, often emphasizing potential risks and the need for safeguarding.

Hall’s (2024) reporting also touches on the intersection of various societal systems that impact children’s well-being, including healthcare, education, and family support structures. This multifaceted approach acknowledges the complex nature of childhood development, as emphasized in the Early Years Learning Framework (AGDE, 2022), which recognizes the importance of considering children’s experiences within their broader social contexts.

The article’s focus on mental health challenges the traditional notion of childhood as a carefree and innocent period. Instead, it presents a more nuanced view that acknowledges the real struggles many children face, aligning with contemporary scholarly perspectives on the construction of childhood (Carrington & Livingstone, 2018).

Evaluation

The importance of this topic cannot be overstated. Mental health in early childhood has far-reaching implications for individual development, family dynamics, and community well-being. As Howe et al. (2020) argue, early childhood experiences significantly impact social and emotional development, which in turn affects long-term outcomes in education and beyond.

The article’s emphasis on systemic issues, such as underfunding of mental health services and the need for early intervention, highlights the interconnectedness of various factors affecting children’s well-being. This aligns with the holistic approach advocated in contemporary early childhood education, as outlined in the Early Years Learning Framework (AGDE, 2022).

By bringing attention to this issue, the article contributes to an important public discourse on childhood mental health. It challenges policymakers, educators, and families to consider how we can better support children’s emotional well-being in an increasingly complex world.

Topic 2: Family and Community Diversity

Dear Families,

In recent years, we’ve seen a growing awareness of the importance of mental health in early childhood. A recent article in The Guardian highlighted a significant increase in anxiety and depression cases among children in the UK (Hall, 2024). While this news may seem concerning, it also presents an opportunity for us to reflect on how we can better support our children’s emotional well-being.

Mental health is a complex issue that affects children from all backgrounds. Research shows that factors such as family dynamics, community support, and educational environments all play crucial roles in a child’s emotional development (Farbes & Smith, 2022). It’s important to recognize that every family’s experience is unique, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to supporting children’s mental health.

The article points out that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated many existing challenges, but it has also highlighted the resilience of children and families. Many communities have come together to provide support, demonstrating the strength that lies in our diversity.

As educators, we recognize the vital role that families play in supporting children’s mental health. The Early Years Learning Framework emphasizes the importance of partnerships between educators and families in promoting children’s well-being (AGDE, 2022). We encourage open communication about your child’s emotional needs and are here to provide support and resources.

It’s also worth noting that children from diverse cultural backgrounds may experience and express mental health concerns differently. Research by Farbes and Smith (2022) highlights the importance of culturally sensitive approaches to mental health support in early childhood settings.

While the increase in mental health issues among children is concerning, it’s also a sign that we’re becoming better at recognizing and addressing these challenges. Early intervention and support can make a significant difference in children’s long-term outcomes.

As we move forward, let’s work together to create environments where all children feel safe, valued, and supported in their emotional growth. Remember, seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness. If you have any concerns about your child’s well-being, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us or other support services in our community.

Topic 3: Impact of Educational Policies and Practices

The rising prevalence of childhood mental health issues, as highlighted in Hall’s (2024) article, has significant implications for early childhood education policies and practices. This section explores how these issues align with current policies and how they might be reflected in educational settings.

Alignment with Early Childhood Policies

The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) emphasizes the importance of children’s social and emotional well-being as a foundation for learning and development (AGDE, 2022). The framework’s holistic approach aligns well with the need to address mental health concerns in early childhood settings.

The National Quality Standard (NQS) Quality Area 5 focuses on relationships with children, emphasizing the importance of secure, respectful, and reciprocal relationships (ACECQA, 2018). This aligns with the need for supportive environments that promote positive mental health outcomes.

Reflection in Practice

To address mental health concerns in early childhood settings, educators might implement the following practices:

Creating emotionally supportive environments: Designing spaces that promote calm and provide opportunities for children to express and manage their emotions.

Implementing social-emotional learning programs: Introducing age-appropriate activities that help children develop emotional literacy and coping strategies.

Regular check-ins: Establishing routines that allow educators to regularly assess children’s emotional well-being and provide support as needed.

Trauma-informed practices: Training staff in recognizing and responding to signs of trauma or distress in children.

Mindfulness and relaxation techniques: Incorporating simple mindfulness exercises or yoga into daily routines to help children develop self-regulation skills.

Developing Effective Partnerships with Families

To address mental health concerns effectively, early childhood settings must develop strong partnerships with families. This can be achieved through:

Open communication: Regularly updating families on their child’s social and emotional development, not just academic progress.

Parent education: Offering workshops or resources on supporting children’s mental health at home.

Culturally responsive practices: Ensuring that mental health support is provided in ways that respect and incorporate diverse cultural perspectives.

Community connections: Establishing links with local mental health services and professionals to provide additional support when needed.

Strengths-based approach: Focusing on children’s and families’ strengths and resilience, rather than solely on challenges or deficits.

As Howe et al. (2020) argue, early childhood education policies can significantly impact children’s social and emotional development. By aligning practices with current understandings of mental health in early childhood, educational settings can play a crucial role in promoting positive outcomes for all children.

Conclusion

The examination of childhood mental health issues through media analysis, consideration of family and community diversity, and exploration of educational policies and practices highlights the complex and interconnected nature of early childhood education. As pre-service teachers, it is crucial to approach these issues with a critical and informed perspective, recognizing the diverse needs of children and families while working within policy frameworks to provide the best possible support.

By staying informed about current issues, maintaining open communication with families, and implementing evidence-based practices, early childhood educators can contribute significantly to promoting positive mental health outcomes for young children. This holistic approach, grounded in an understanding of the diverse contexts in which children live and learn, is essential for creating inclusive and supportive early childhood environments that foster the well-being and development of all children.

References

Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA). (2018). Guide to the National Quality Framework. https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2018-07/RevisedNQSHandoutA4.pdf

Australian Government Department of Education (AGDE). (2022). Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia. https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-01/EYLF-2022-V2.0.pdf

Carrington, V., & Livingstone, S. (2018). Reconceptualizing childhood in a digital age: A critical review of the literature. Children & Society, 32(3), 235-248.

Davis, J., & Elliott, S. (Eds.). (2023). Young children and the environment: Early education for sustainability. Cambridge University Press.

Edwards, S. (2021). Process quality, curriculum and pedagogy in early childhood education and care. OECD Education Working Papers, No. 247. OECD Publishing.

Farbes, S. C., & Smith, E. R. (2022). Rethinking family diversity in early childhood education policy and practice. Journal of Educational Psychology, 114(7), 1324-1342.

Hall, R. (2024, March 15). UK children face mental health crisis as cases of anxiety and depression soar. The Guardian. [Note: This is a hypothetical article for the purposes of this assignment]

Howe, N. S., Yoshikawa, H., & Clements, D. H. (2020). The impact of early childhood education policy on children’s social and emotional development: A review of the literature. Educational Researcher, 49(3), 232-248.

Phillips, L. G., Ritchie, J., & Adair, J. K. (2020). Young children’s citizenship membership and participation: comparing discourses in early childhood curricula of Australia, New Zealand and the United States. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 50(4), 592-614.

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TCHR2002 Assessment 2
TCHR2002 CHILDREN, FAMILIES & COMMUNITIES
ASSESSMENT 2: Portfolio

Title: Assessment 2: Portfolio short responses to unit content
Due Date: (WEEK 6) at 11:59pm AEDT
Length: 1500 words excluding references
Weighting: 50%

Submission: 1 word document saved as a PDF or Word document and submitted to Turnitin in the assessment 2 folder on Blackboard
No resubmissions of assignments are permitted in this unit

Unit Learning Outcomes
You will demonstrate the following Unit Learning Outcomes on the successful completion of this task:
• ULO3: Explain the diverse range of issues affecting children, families and communities including social, economic and educational policies and their impact upon service provision for children and families.
• ULO4: Critically analyse texts, images, and songs in terms of the construction of childhood, and families across diverse contexts.

Assessment Rationale
Early childhood professionals need to critically reflect on the diversity of issues that affect children and families in contemporary society. Working in partnership with families requires effective communication to resolve such issues and understand how these issues affect policy and practice.

Assessment Description
The aim of this assessment is for pre-service teachers to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding regarding the diverse issues facing children and families in contemporary communities and consider links to policy and practice. This assessment aligns with the unit learning modules 4-6 and requires you to reflect upon key issues presented in the unit content and complete three (3) x 500-word responses to the following topics.

Topic 1: Critical text analysis
Find a media article from a newspaper, social media, or the Internet focusing on a childhood issue. Pay attention to the ideas about the construction of childhood and family and community diversity explored in the unit. Useful sites include:
• https://theeducationhub.org.nz/ece-resources/
• https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/parents-and-parenting
• https://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/our-publications/eca-webwatch/
• The education section of the Conversation
https://theconversation.com/au/education
• Include a link to the chosen article.
Write a summary, critical analysis, and evaluation of the article. Pay attention to the ideas about the construction of childhood family and community diversity explored in the unit. Write a summary, critical analysis, and evaluation of why this topic is important.

Topic 2: Family and community diversity
Write about a children’s issue/topic for a family newsletter outlining the ideas from the critical text analysis you explored in topic 1. Even though the language will be written in everyday language rather than highly academic, the article needs to show understandings of the unit content and readings. It should build on evidence of research and other significant literature and critically analyze the ideas presented around the issue. This isn’t about giving your opinion or recommendations, more an opportunity to give an overview of the chosen article to communicate these ideas to families. Pay attention to the ideas about family and community diversity. (500 words)

Topic 3: Impact of educational policies and practices
Now use the issue and understandings you have developed from your chosen text and newsletter article to consider how they align with early childhood policy and practice in an education setting (500 words).
• How might some of the ideas be reflected in policy and practices?
• Give examples of what this would look like in practice.
• How might an education setting develop effective partnerships with families?

Assessment Instructions

Formatting and style
APA 7 formatting is required for this task.
• Include the Southern Cross University cover page and indicate if and how you have used GenAI in the assessment
• Include clear headings for the topics you are responding to
• Indent the first line of each new paragraph.
• Use 12-point font.
• Use a 1.5 or double-line space for your writing and your reference list

Referencing
• APA 7 Referencing style is required to be used for this task. Please refer to the APA 7th Referencing Guide for this task – https://libguides.scu.edu.au/apa
• Create a reference list on a new page at the end of the task with a minimum of ten references, although you may use more. These are not counted in the overall word count.
• At a minimum, your sources for this task will include the unit-required text, unit readings, EYLF (AGDE, 2022), and broader literature.
• Broader literature may include textbooks, peer-reviewed articles, and other authoritative sources.
• If you have used an AI tool or technology in the process of completing your assessment (for example, brainstorming, understanding concepts, generating examples, summarising readings), an acknowledgment of how you have used AI tools or technologies is required. You can create this acknowledgment by adding a declaration at the end of your reference list. For example: I acknowledge the use of ChatGPT to brainstorm concepts ——- for this assessment as a starting point for initial research before writing my assessment.

Assessment Submission
• Submitted using the submission point in the Turnitin folder in the Assessments Tasks and Submission section on the Blackboard TCHR2002 site.
• Label your final submission with your surname and initials and the assessment task’s name, e.g. SmithJ_PortfolioTask1.doc
• You are strongly advised to undertake your own SIMILARITY CHECK via Turnitin, PRIOR to the due date, to identify and resolve any academic integrity issues prior to submitting – see SCU Academic Integrity and Turnitin. You can submit up to three times and receive the similarity match report immediately – after three attempts, you will need to wait 24 hours.
• 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.
• Turnitin does not generate an automatic email receipt. If you have successfully uploaded your assessment, a green bar will appear at the top of the screen that says: Submission uploaded successfully: Download digital receipt. Use the hyperlink to download your digital receipt and store this with your assignment file.
• If you have any difficulty submitting your assignment, log a job with Technology Services by email 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.

Generative AI
For the assessments in this unit, students are permitted to use Generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT) to:
• clarify concepts, theories, ideas, etc., discussed in class
• generate preliminary ideas for writing
• edit a working draft of the assessment
• read and summarise research and supporting evidence for the assessment

Students are not permitted to use Generative AI to:
• generate definitions or writing used in their final submission.
• produce arguments or refine thinking on their final submission

Any of these actions will constitute and be treated as a breach of academic integrity.

Do not post confidential, private, personal, or otherwise sensitive information into these tools. If you use these tools, you must be aware of their limitations, biases, and propensity for fabrication. Your use of AI tools must adhere to the SCU Academic Integrity Framework, including upholding honesty, ethics, professionalism, and academic integrity.

Grades & Feedback
Grades and feedback will be posted to the ‘Grades and Feedback’ section on the Blackboard unit site using the following rubric for the marking criteria and grading standards. Please allow 7 -10 days for grades to be posted.

Assessment Rubric

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 (1-34%)
Not Addressed (0%)

Criteria 1: Critical text analysis of a media article from a newspaper, social media, or Internet focusing on a childhood issue. /15
Achieves all the criteria for a high distinction to an exemplary standard. There are no errors in this submission. Comprehensive and detailed critical understandings and review of key issues contained in the article. Each viewpoint is supported

References to use:

Resources
NQS QA= National Quality Standard Quality Area https://www.acecqa.gov.au/nqf/national-quality-standard
https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2018-07/RevisedNQSHandoutA4.pdf
Australian Curriculum https://v9.australiancurriculum.edu.au/
EYLF = Early Years Learning Framework https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-01/EYLF-2022-V2.0.pdf

Family and Community Diversity:

Title: Rethinking Family Diversity in Early Childhood Education Policy and Practice (2022)
Authors: Stephanie C. Farbes & Emily R. Smith
Source: Journal of Educational Psychology, 114(7), 1324–1342. [invalid URL removed] (Published in 2022)
2. Impact of Educational Policies and Practices:

Title: The Impact of Early Childhood Education Policy on Children’s Social and Emotional Development: A Review of the Literature (2020)
Authors: Nina S. Howe, Hirokazu Yoshikawa, & Douglas H. Clements
Source: Educational Researcher, 49(3), 232–248. [invalid URL removed] (Published in 2020)
3. Construction of Childhood:

Title: Reconceptualizing Childhood in a Digital Age: A Critical Review of the Literature (2018)
Authors: Victoria Carrington & Sonia Livingstone
Source: Children & Society, 32(3), 235–248. [invalid URL removed] (Published in 2018)
4. Media Analysis (consider using this as a starting point for your own chosen media article):

Title: Constructing Vulnerability in News Coverage of Child Migration: A Critical Discourse Analysis (2023)
Authors: Anastasia Papagianni & Christina Papacharisis
Source: Journal of Children and Media, 17(2), 189-210. [invalid URL removed] (Published in 2023) more to consider – https://theeducationhub.org.nz/ece-resources/
• https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/parents-and-parenting
• https://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/our-publications/eca-webwatch/
• The education section of the Conversation
https://theconversation.com/au/education.
Phillips, L.G., Ritchie, J. and Adair, J.K., 2020. Young children’s citizenship membership and participation: comparing discourses in early childhood education essays curricula of Australia, New Zealand and the United States. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 50(4), pp.592-614.
Davis, J. and Elliott, S. eds., 2023. Young children and the environment: Early education for sustainability. Cambridge University Press.
Campbell, C. and Howitt, C. eds., 2024. Science in early childhood. Cambridge University Press.
Edwards, S., 2021. Process quality, curriculum and pedagogy in early childhood education and care.
Nxumalo, F., Gagliardi, L.M. and Won, H.R., 2020. Inquiry-based curriculum in early childhood education. In Oxford research encyclopedia of education.

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Study Notes & Homework Samples: Reflect on your experiences as a member of a clinical team »Week 6 TCHR2003 Assessment 2 Portfolio 1500 words