TCHR5001: Principles and Practice in Early Childhood Education

Assessment 2: Design Task

Semester 2, 2026

Course Code: TCHR5001

Course Title: Principles and Practice in Early Childhood Education

Assessment Item: Assessment 2

Type: Design Task

Due Date: Friday 2 October 2026, 11:59 pm AEDT (end of Week 6)

Group Type: Individual

Length: 1500 words (±10%)
(750 words across the three written statements + 750 words distributed at your discretion across the design elements and explanations)

Weighting: 50%

Submission: Word document via Turnitin using the provided Assessment 2 Template

Generative AI: Permitted with strict conditions and mandatory acknowledgement

Unit Learning Outcomes

This assessment aligns with the following ULOs:

• ULO1: Identify and analyse the role of play in learning and examine the challenges pertaining to play and pedagogies.
• ULO2: Discuss the diversity of approaches to pedagogies utilised in early childhood education and care, and how they position children, teachers, and parents/carers.
• ULO3: Analyse the relationships between philosophy, theory, and pedagogy to the learning environment for all young children (birth–5 years).
• ULO4: Critically reflect on personal philosophy to play and pedagogies for learning and teaching as an early childhood professional.

Rationale

Early childhood professionals design learning environments and experiences that respond to children’s interests, support holistic development, and respect diversity and inclusion. Thoughtful design decisions must be grounded in contemporary theory, research, and policy including the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF), National Quality Standard (NQS), United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and evidence-based pedagogical approaches. This task provides structured opportunity to demonstrate theoretically informed, intentional design practice.

Task Description

Design one indoor or outdoor play space (or a defined corner), one small-group play-based learning experience, and one play-based resource for children in one chosen age group (0–1 years, 1–2 years, 2–3 years, or 3–5 years). Each element must be supported by a written statement that explains the pedagogical reasoning. Use the Assessment 2 Template provided on Blackboard.

Task Instructions

1. Part A: Play Space Design (including 250-word statement)
   Design an entire play space or one clearly defined corner (indoor or outdoor). Insert your design (hand-drawn scan/photo or digital image) into the template and label key features and resources. Write a 250-word statement explaining how your personal philosophy of play-based pedagogy has shaped the design decisions for the chosen age group. Reference relevant theory, policy, and literature.
2. Part B: Play-Based Learning Experience Plan (including 250-word statement)
   Complete the provided learning experience plan template for a small-group experience located in your designed play space. Link objectives to specific EYLF Learning Outcomes. Write a 250-word statement explaining the theoretical perspectives that underpin the experience and justify the pedagogical choices.
3. Part C: Play-Based Resource Design (including 250-word statement)
   Design one original or adapted play-based resource suitable for the chosen age group. Insert image/description into the template. Write a 250-word statement explaining the resource’s intended use, how it supports children’s learning, development and wellbeing, and the developmental domains it addresses.

Supporting Evidence Requirements

• Draw on theoretical perspectives from Module 2 (constructivism, socio-cultural theory, Reggio Emilia, etc.)
• Integrate EYLF (AGDE, 2022), NQS, UNCRC, ECA Code of Ethics, and developmental milestone information where relevant
• Use a minimum of six scholarly/professional sources including the unit textbook
• Minimum six references in total (more encouraged); APA 7th required

Formatting and Submission Requirements

• Use the official Assessment 2 Template (includes SCU cover page)
• Font: Arial or Times New Roman 12 pt, 1.5 line spacing for written statements
• File name: Surname_Initials_TCHR5001_Assessment2 (e.g. KamenaracO_TCHR5001_Assessment2)
• Include GenAI declaration at end of reference list if any tool was used
• Submit via Turnitin link on Blackboard

Generative AI Policy – Permitted & Prohibited Uses

Permitted: clarifying concepts, generating preliminary ideas, editing drafts, summarising readings.

Prohibited: generating definitions, writing final arguments, producing or refining the submitted text.

All use must be acknowledged in a declaration at the end of the reference list. Failure to acknowledge constitutes an academic integrity breach.

Assessment Rubric (50 marks total)

 The outdoor play space designed for 3–5-year-olds features a loose-parts construction zone, a mud kitchen, a quiet reading nook under shade cloth, and a nature investigation area with logs and sensory bins. Rounded edges, soft-fall surfacing beneath climbing structures, and wide pathways ensure physical safety and wheelchair accessibility. My philosophy positions children as capable, curious constructors of knowledge; therefore the layout deliberately promotes open-ended materials that invite collaborative problem-solving and risk assessment. The nature-themed collage experience invites children to gather leaves, bark and flowers then arrange them on large paper using glue sticks and natural dyes. Open-ended questions such as “What happens when we layer the red leaves over the green ones?” promote sustained shared thinking and vocabulary expansion. The Nature Exploration Kit contains child-safe magnifying glasses, cotton collection bags, laminated identification cards, and a waterproof field journal. Children use the kit independently or in pairs to observe and record minibeasts and plants, developing fine motor control, scientific observation skills, and a growing sense of environmental responsibility. Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development is clearly evident when educators scaffold children’s emerging theories about insect behaviour during shared documentation (Bodrova & Leong, 2021). These designs collectively demonstrate responsive, theory-informed pedagogy that values children’s agency and holistic growth.

References

• AGDE (2022) Belonging, being & becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia V2.0. Australian Government Department of Education. https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-01/EYLF-2022-V2.0.pdf
• Bodrova, E. and Leong, D.J. (2021) Tools of the mind: The Vygotskian approach to early childhood education. 3rd edn. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429454042
• Edwards, S., Strachan, J. and Little, H. (2020) ‘Evaluating outdoor play: A strengths-based approach to risk and resilience’, Early Years, 40(4), pp. 407–423. https://doi.org/10.1080/09575146.2018.1541453
• Lloyd, E. and Greenacre, L. (2022) ‘Inclusive outdoor play for young children: A rights-based perspective’, International Journal of Early Years Education, 30(3), pp. 289–304. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669760.2021.1981042
• Waller, T. and Warden, J. (2023) ‘Forest school and risky play in early childhood: International perspectives’, Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, 23(2), pp. 145–160. https://doi.org/10.1080/14729679.2022.2048841