TCHR3001 EARLY CHILDHOOD MATTERS

ASSESSMENT 2: Position Paper

Summary

Title	Position Paper
Due Date	Week 6: Sunday 16^th April by	11:59am
Length	2000 words
Weighting	50%
Submission	Microsoft Word document submitted to Turnitin (NOT a PDF)

Task Description

This task requires students to select ONE issue presented in Modules 4 to 6 and outlined in the task (obesity, early childhood workforce or technology) and write a position paper on that issue.

Rationale

As an early childhood teacher, you will be required to identify and respond to issues that impact upon the early childhood education and care stakeholders, and profession through exploring perspectives on a range of issues and presenting your own position on these issues.

cannot use sub headings in this task, it should be one discussion with no headings. Instead you need to use topic sentences in your paragraphs to highlight where you are addressing the a to e areas for your chosen issue.

Task Instructions

Drawing on relevant literature, select ONE of the issues outlined below and write a response to each of the points outlined for that issue.

Obesity (Module 4)

Introduce the issue of obesity in early childhood

Outline why obesity is an issue for early childhood education and care, who it affects and how

Critically review obesity as an issue from the various perspectives presented in the literature

(this could include media articles)

Present and justify your position on obesity as an early childhood teacher

Outline how this issue could be resolved or improved in early childhood

Early childhood workforce (Module 5)

Introduce the issue of workforce in early childhood education and care

Outline who early childhood education and care workforce issues affect and how

Critically review workforce issues in early childhood from the various perspectives presented in the literature (this could include media articles)

Present and justify your position on workforce issues within early childhood education and care

Outline how workforce issues within the early childhood profession could be resolved or improved

Technology Use (Module 4)

Introduce the issue of technology in early childhood education and care

Outline who the issue of technology use in early childhood education and care affects and how

Critically review technology use as an issue in early childhood education and care from the various perspectives presented in the literature (this could include media articles)

Present and justify your position on technology use within early childhood education and care

Outline how issues with technology use within early childhood education and care could be resolved or improved

Additional Information

Remember to answer each of the points outlined (a to e) in relation to the issue you select.

You need to support all areas of your response with relevant literature (unit materials, current literature, publications).

An introduction (outside of the task outline) and conclusion is not needed in your response.

Formatting:

Include a cover page that contains:

The title of the task in bold

Your name (as author),

Your faculty (Faculty of Education)

The unit code and name (TCHR3001 Early Childhood Matters)

Your unit assessor’s name (Kelly Simpson)

The due date

Include a title of the issue you are responding to at the start of your position paper

Include a reference list on a new page at the end of your task.

Double line space your writing and your reference list.

Resources

Academic Integrity – SCU Guidelines

SCU Student Learning Zone – workshops, Quick Guides, student appointments

Referencing Style

Your position paper should be proofread and edited so that:

It is free from spelling and grammar errors

All formatting is according to APA 7^th guidelines – see the SCU LibGuide Formatting for APA 7

APA 7 formatting and referencing are required in Faculty of Education assessments.

Task Submission

The due date for this assessment is Week 6: Sunday 16^th of April by 11:59am

Submission of your position paper is in WORD format via TURNITIN. DO NOT upload a PDF.

Label the Word file with your SURNAME and the ASSESSMENT NUMBER, e.g., SIMPSON_A2.docx

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.

The submission link can be found in the Assessment Tasks and Submission tab in the TCHR3001 Blackboard site. This will not be visible until after Assessment 1 has been submitted.

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, 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.

Special Consideration

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 MyEnrolment 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. To apply, see – SCU Special Consideration

Late Submissions & Penalties

Except when special consideration is awarded, late submission of assessment tasks will lead automatically to the imposition of a penalty. Penalties will be incurred as soon as the deadline is reached.

a penalty of 5% of the available marks will be deducted from the actual mark at one minute after the time listed in the due date

a further penalty of 5% of the available mark will be deducted from the actual mark achieved on each subsequent calendar day until the mark reaches zero.”

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

NOTE: Academic Integrity breaches include: poor referencing, not identifying direct quotations correctly, close paraphrasing, plagiarism, recycling, misrepresentation, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, fabricating information.

You are not permitted to use any text generating software, including generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) such as chatbots, to complete this assignment.

Grades & Feedback

Assignments that have been submitted by the due date will receive an SCU grade, an originality report and written feedback. Grades and feedback will be posted to “Grades & Feedback” section on the Blackboard unit site. Please allow 7-working days for marks to be posted.

Assessment Criteria

See the marking rubric for the marking criteria and grading standards.

Assessment Rubric

Marking Criteria and % allocation	High Distinction 100% +	High Distinction (85-99%)	Distinction (75-84%)	Credit (65-74%)	Pass (59-64%)	Fail 1-49%	Absent Fail 0%
Criterion 1: Position paper introduces chosen issue for ECEC and argues who the issue affects and how. 10%	Achieves all the criteria for a high distinction to an exemplary standard, without any errors.	Position paper identifies the issue for ECEC and argues who this issue affects in an outstanding manner.	Position paper identifies the issue for ECEC and argues who this issue affects and how in a very good manner.	Position paper identifies the issue for ECEC and argues who this issue affects and how well.	Position paper satisfactorily identifies the issue for ECEC and argues who this issue affects and how.	Position paper does not identify the issue for ECEC and omits to argue who this issue affects and how.	Not attempted.
Criterion 2: Position paper critically reviews various perspectives of the chosen issue with reference to current literature and publications. 10%	Achieves all the criteria for a high distinction to an exemplary standard, without any errors.	Position paper is outstanding in the critical review of various perspectives of this issue with reference to current literature and publications.	Position paper is very good in the critical review of various perspectives of this issue with reference to current literature and publications.	Position paper is good in the critical review of various perspectives of this issue with reference to current literature and publications.	Position paper is satisfactory in the critical review of various perspectives of this issue with reference to current literature and publications.	Position paper is poor in the critical review of various perspectives of this issue with reference to current literature and publications.	Not attempted.
Criterion 3: Position paper presents the writer’s perspective on	Achieves all the criteria for a high distinction to an exemplary standard,	The writer’s position on the position paper has been clearly presented with	The writer’s position on the position paper has been clearly presented and is	The writer’s position on the position paper has been presented and is	The writer’s position on the position paper has been presented and is	The writer’s position on the position paper has not been presented and	Not attempted.
the chosen issue and justifies these perspectives. 10%	without any errors.	excellent justification of the impact on early childhood education and care with reference to current literature.	very well justified with reference to the impact on early childhood education and care with reference to current literature.	well justified with reference to the impact on early childhood education and care with reference to current literature.	satisfactorily justified with reference to the impact on early childhood education and care with reference to current literature.	there is no justification with reference to the impact on early childhood education and care with reference to current literature.
Criterion 4: Position paper displays thorough engagement with the unit materials, current literature and publications. 10%	Achieves all the criteria for a high distinction to an exemplary standard, without any errors.	The position paper reflects deep engagement with the unit materials, current literature and publications.	The position paper reflects very good engagement with the unit materials, current literature and publications	The position paper reflects good engagement with the unit materials, current literature and publications.	The position paper reflects satisfactory engagement with the unit materials, current literature and publications.	The position paper reflects little or no engagement with the unit materials, current literature and publications.	Not attempted.
Criterion 5: Standard of writing and presentation – spelling, punctuation, grammar, paragraph structure, APA 7th referencing. 10%	Achieves all the criteria for a high distinction to an exemplary standard, without any errors.	Excellent standard of writing and presentation with no errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, paragraph structure, APA 7th referencing	Very good standard of writing and presentation with minor errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, paragraph structure, APA 7th referencing	Good standard of writing and presentation with some errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, paragraph structure, APA 7th referencing	Satisfactory standard of writing and presentation with many errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, paragraph structure, APA 7th referencing	Poor standard of writing and presentation with many errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, paragraph structure, APA 7th referencing	Not attempted.

Description of SCU Grades

High Distinction:

The student’s performance, in addition to satisfying all of the basic learning requirements, demonstrates distinctive insight and ability in researching, analysing and applying relevant skills and concepts, and shows exceptional ability to synthesise, integrate and evaluate knowledge. The student’s performance could be described as outstanding in relation to the learning requirements specified.

Distinction:

The student’s performance, in addition to satisfying all of the basic learning requirements, demonstrates distinctive insight and ability in researching, analysing and applying relevant skills and concepts, and shows a well-developed ability to synthesise, integrate and evaluate knowledge. The student’s performance could be described as distinguished in relation to the learning requirements specified.

Credit:

The student’s performance, in addition to satisfying all of the basic learning requirements specified, demonstrates insight and ability in researching, analysing and applying relevant skills and concepts. The student’s performance could be described as competent in relation to the learning requirements specified.

Pass:

The student’s performance satisfies all of the basic learning requirements specified and provides a sound basis for proceeding to higher-level studies in the subject area. The student’s performance could be described as satisfactory in relation to the learning requirements specified.

Fail:

The student’s performance fails to satisfy the learning requirements specified.