Sharon Davies. Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood)
Bachelor of Education: Early Childhood
AQF Skills Specification: Communication skills to present a clear, coherent and independent exposition of knowledge and ideas
Definition/Rationale: Communication skills are fundamental to developing an understanding of both learning and teaching. In the role as learner and as educator pre-service teachers are able to interact and
understand the most effective means of transmitting the message to an individual or group. It is also the ability to articulate specific skills and concepts related to teaching and learning in a variety of early learning
contexts.
National Professional
Standards for Teachers
Know their students and
how they learn
First Year of Study
Second Year of Study
Third Year of Study
BEd Graduate
Novice Teacher
≈200 university credits
≈400 university credits
≈600 university credits
800 university credits
< 5 years Teaching
Describe multiple ways an
individual can communicate.
Isolated use of communication
skills to communicate.
See self as transmitter of
knowledge.
Aware of a variety of different
audiences, needs and cultures.
Can list listening skills that
support positive relationships
with children.
Able to paraphrase and
summarise information to
describe the physical, social and
cognitive characteristics of
children and how they learn.
Recognise that there is a
relationship between the sender
and the receiver of the
knowledge.
Able to observe and respond to
new situations recognising the
need for appropriate verbal, non
verbal, written and ICT skills.
Recognise the need to integrate
communication skills into
teaching practice.
Describe the need to use
appropriate listening skills.
Able to analyse information
related to the physical, social and
cognitive characteristics of
children to communicate how
they learn.
Know that communication must
be different for diverse
audiences.
Able to use a variety of different
modes to communicate with
children.
Demonstrate effective listening
skills that support positive
relationships with children.
Able to synthesise a wide variety
of information related to the
physical, social and cognitive
characteristics of children to
communicate how they learn.
Be able to effectively
communicate using appropriate
verbal, non verbal, written and
ICT skills to engage with
children.
Able to consider a variety of
different audiences, needs and
cultures when communicating.
Able critically evaluate
information related to the
physical, social and cognitive
characteristics of children to
communicate how they learn.
To be able to conduct action
learning projects to communicate
how children learn.
Apply and synthesise knowledge
and ideas using verbal, non
verbal, written and ICT skills
Recognise the interactive nature
of communication and the active
role that children play in effective
communication
Make judgements related to the
effectiveness of their interactions
with a variety of different
audiences, needs and cultures.
Be able to describe the need to
understand the concepts,
substance and structure of the
content.
Be able to memorise and use
some teaching strategies.
Recognise the impact of
communication skills on teaching
practice.
Able to give clear instructions to
children.
Communicate understanding of a
variety of concepts, substance
and structure of the content.
Be able to articulate and use
several teaching strategies.
Able to recognise when the
teaching approach may need to
be differentiated to meet the
diverse needs of children.
Able to describe and rationalise
their understanding of the
concepts, substance and
structure of the content.
Be able to effectively articulate
and appropriately select from a
variety of communication means
and teaching strategies that are
responsive to the strengths and
needs of children.
Able to emphasis the relationship
between communication skills
and effective teaching.
Be able to articulate the
integration of relevant curriculum
documents in written planning
documents.
Be able to explicitly describe and
appropriately select from a broad
range of teaching strategies that
are responsive to the strengths
and needs of children.
Ability to use different methods to
communicate – monitoring
children’s comprehension and
understanding in different ways.
Produce a series of logical and
organised experience plans.
Able to describe the need to
organise content into learning
and teaching sequence.
Able to describe the diverse
needs of students.
Produce a series of
comprehensible and organised
experience plans.
Able to articulate how content
and delivery has been
differentiated to suit differing
student needs.
Produce a series of
comprehensible and organised
experience plans that
communicate long term planning.
Ability to effectively differentiate
content and delivery to suit
different student needs through
verbal interactions with students
Be able to describe the need to
be reflective and flexible in their
approach to interactive teaching
and learning techniques.
Know the content and how Describe own understanding of
concepts, substance and
to teach it
structure of the content.
Communicate need to consult
curriculum documents.
Be able to articulate the need for
teaching strategies
Have some knowledge of
communication and skills of
communication
Describe the communication
skills required during teaching
practice.
Plan for and implement
effective teaching and
learning
Produce clear and organised
experience plans.
Describe differing student needs
and abilities.
Describe own teaching
performance.
Sharon Davies. Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood)
Create and maintain safe,
and supportive learning
environments
Describe the importance of
providing authentic environments
that support interpersonal
communication and learning.
Builds a rapport with children
through positive verbal and nonverbal interactions.
Describe the importance of
knowing written documents,
policies and legislation related to
children’s safety and protection.
Know the importance of
providing authentic environments
that support communication and
learning.
Able to describe verbal and nonverbal skills that assist children
to build relationships with peers
and other adults.
Able to describe a variety of
different avenues of
communication for interacting
with children, caregivers and
other professionals from different
cultures.
Describe the importance of
providing authentic environments
that support interpersonal
communication and learning.
Able to model verbal and nonverbal skills to assist children to
build relationships with peers and
other adults.
Able to describe the need to
adapt communication when
interacting with children,
caregivers and other
professionals from different
cultures.
Communicate intentions of the
learning using the environment,
the placement of resources.
Able to select, combine and
arrange the environment to
communicate a sense of
belonging, encourage being and
becoming.
Able to adapt communication
when interacting with children,
parents, caregivers and other
professionals from different
cultures.
Able to select and use a variety
of different communication
strategies to continually improve
interactions in a variety of
learning environments.
Able to reflect on the
effectiveness of communication
when interacting with children,
parents, caregivers and other
professionals from different
cultures
Assess, provide feedback
report on student learning
Describe the need for
assessment and reporting to
stakeholders.
Able to record observations of
children using different methods.
Describe the teaching and
learning cycle.
Ability to differentiate and
articulate to others the difference
between appropriate and
inappropriate assessment tools.
Ability to describe planning
documents and discuss how
assessment has informed
teaching.
Use a variety of formal and
informal communication skills to
report student learning to
stakeholders.
Use a variety of different
communication strategies and
reporting systems to
communicate student
achievements.
Able to accurately discuss their
own professional judgement and
evaluation of student
achievements.
Critically evaluate and
communicate evaluations related
to different systems of
assessment and reporting.
Engage in professional
learning and reflection
Able to reflect upon and state
own existing communication
abilities.
Seek constructive feedback from
others.
Reflect on verbal and written
feedback related to
communication style from other
professionals.
Describe factors that affect
interpersonal communication.
Seek and apply constructive
feedback from others related to
communication skills.
Be critical when reflecting on
own communication abilities.
Use regular self reflection to
recognise the development of
communication skills.
Able to recognise factors that
affect own interpersonal
communication.
Able to identify and communicate
professional learning needs
related to developing
communication skills.
Actively seek professional
development to enhance
communication skills.
Able to describe strategies to
revise or change factors that
affect interpersonal
communication.
Able to reflect on the selection
and application of the type of
communication used.
Recognise the relationship
between theoretical learning and
practical application of
communication skills and their
importance to effective teaching.
Able to develop own strengths
for enhancing interpersonal
communication.
Be active in seeking research to
reinforce understandings and
skills related to effective
communication techniques.
Be responsive to rapid
technological innovations.
Contribute to school and
professional community
Recognise the need to
communicate and share ideas
with other professionals,
integrated services, stakeholders
and parents using
communication modes.
Able to describe own skills
related to collaborating with
others.
Recognise the need to
communicate and share ideas
with other professionals,
integrated services, stakeholders
and parents using
communication modes.
Ability to communicate and share
ideas with other professionals,
integrated services, stakeholders
and parents.
Ability to recognise opportunities
to communicate and collaborate
with others.
Be able to communicate and
share ideas effectively with other
professionals, integrated
services, stakeholders and
parents using a range of different
communication modes.
Ability to be constructively and
positively communicate and
collaborate with others.
Ability to synthesise knowledge
and ideas and present
understanding in order to
contribute to the school and
professional community.
Ability to motivate others to
communicate and share ideas.
Seek active engagement with
members of the teaching
profession and the wider
community.
Sharon Davies. Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood)
Rubric template designed by Genevieve Johnson. This rubric template is adapted from the standards rubrics http://boliver.ning.com/page/standards-rubrics-1 which are
adapted from AAC&U VALUE Rubrics. The stages of skill development are separated into each of the four years of the Early Childhood Undergraduate degree. Each
column is further identified by stating completion of university credits. The novice teacher column has been included to demonstrate how the skills are developed
throughout the under graduate course and how they will continue to develop during the first years of teaching. Essentially, this shows our commitment to producing ‘work
ready’ graduates and the continual development and refining of teaching capabilities.
Content of the rubric reflects the National Professional Standards for Teachers and the AQF Specifications and was developed by referring to the following references:
Bredekamp, S. (2011). Effective practices in early childhood. Sydney: Pearson.
Gestwicki, C. (2010). Home, school & community. Australia: Cengage Learning.
Introducing the Graduate Employability. Indicators Retrieved from
http://api.ning.com/files/qKX6gakInqnxerhrHv0xMrL5palRigeP8YDAvqHfLBPwLWh2xqPnwdtCiioFVBjqIKw-2KuLyTb29eRAxq00S7SpYhMXSp27/IntroducingtheGEI.pdf
National professional standards for teachers (2011). Retrieved from http://www.aitsl.edu.au/verve/_resources/AITSL_National_Professional_Standards_for_Teachers.pdf
Mottet, T.P., Vogl-Bauer, S., & Houser, M. L. (2012). Your interpersonal communication. Sydney: Pearson
Standards rubrics - Written Communication Standards Template. Retrieved from http://boliver.ning.com/page/standards-rubrics-1
Standards rubrics - Oral Communication Standards Template. Retrieved from http://boliver.ning.com/page/standards-rubrics-1
Wortham, S. C. (2005). Assessment in early childhood (4th ed). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson.