EDU40004: Advocacy and Social Justice Assignment 3: Report

EDU40004: Advocacy and Social Justice Assignment 3: Report

Word limit: 1600 words (+/- 10%)

Weighting: 40%

Social justice issues may have direct and indirect impacts on everyday learning and teaching. For example, poverty as a category may affect children's wellbeing, as it may prevent children and their families from gaining necessary resources or access to a balanced diet. This then affects children's health, learning and development. In these cases, strategies in the classroom to support inclusion may not be sufficient. Teachers also need to investigate and advocate for change in the community and wider society, to promote and support the rights of the child.

This assignment task requires you to research an issue in early childhood education that you feel passionate about and would like to make changes. Gibbs (2003) defines advocacy as involving 'speaking out, acting, and writing to promote and defend the girths, needs and interests of people who are in some way disadvantaged.' It includes two themes:

To protect 'people who are vulnerable or discriminated' (pp. 67).

To empower 'people who need a stronger voice by enabling them to express their own needs and ultimately make their own decision' (pp. 67).

You will present your research results in the form of a report with recommendations of advocacy and activism strategies to promote the rights, interests and needs of children and their families.

You will need to identify an issue relevant to one or more of the categories of diversity and difference discussed in the unit that affects children and families. You are then asked to develop a report that outlines the issue; the underlying and associated factors; and potential strategies to address the issue in practice beyond the immediate learning environment.

You will need to ensure that you:

explore the issue in relation to categories of diversity and difference, social justice principles, and implications for children's equity in practice

explore factors and effects of the issue in relation to the rights, interests and needs of children and their families and how this impacts on early childhood education

consider and research strategies that could assist in advocating or developing actions toward addressing the issue within broader contexts such as community and/or broader levels

develop your analysis and findings into a report with key recommendations. Your report will demonstrate a clear understanding of the selected issue, social justice principles andstrategies for advocacy.

The report will include the following components:

Title of report.

Executive summary(no more than 200 words):

Write a short, sharp summary of your whole report.

Introduction(approximately 200 words):

Introduce the selected issue and outline key factors and the broader categories of diversity and difference the issue relates to.

Outline a rationale for having chosen the issue, why it's important to Australian early childhood education.

Provide information about the background, purpose and aims and principles framing the report, and the issues and factors you are aiming to investigate and address.

Findings and discussion(approximately 700 words):

Describe the identified issue and discuss how it relates to social justice in the context of Australian early childhood education.

Discuss factors contributing to the issue.

Identify challenges and barriers related to the selected issue.

Examine the issue to identify the potential impact on equity and inclusive child participation in early childhood education.

Discuss the effects of the issue in relation to the rights, interests and needs of children and their families.

Identify and evaluate strategies for advocacy and/or activism that aim to address the issue or the contributing factors, including at a broader leveleither with families, at the school level, or beyond.

Recommendations and conclusion(approximately 500 words):

Summarise your key findings from the report. You can list the findings and use dot points.

Based on your research, provide recommendations of three strategies to address the issue you have chosen, including:

purpose and issues to be addressed

a succinct description of strategies.

References and appendices(not included in the word count):

Include a reference list of all literature sources cited and/or referenced in the report, using APA referencing.

If you are using any statistical data or wish to include further articles, tables or evidence you've mentioned in the report, you can optionally include these in an appendix. Please note that eLAs may briefly review the appendices if needing to better understand or clarify sections of the report but will not assess this section specifically.

Must include :

a critical understanding of and the issue and advocacy with sophisticated links to theory and contemporary perspectives

recommendations are highly creative and original

across all sections, your writing is concise and logical, with richly integrated ideas that convey meaning and purpose

your use of literature across all sections of the folio demonstrates familiarity with the current field of research and your statements are consistently supported by relevant and recent references. Flawless use of APA referencing style is evident and there are no errors in spelling, grammar or punctuation.