Graduate Diploma
Engage in teaching as a political and ethical practice through creating rich educational experiences that foreground Indigenous Worldviews and sustainability, supporting children become active contributors of social change and sustainable communities.
Early childhood plays an important role in social change. For children to be active, contributing citizens, they need relational teaching that focuses on social issues relevant to their context and local communities. In Australia, early childhood teachers have a responsibility to value and promote greater understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing and being, as is set out in the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF), Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF), Australia's Education and Care Services National Law, and the National Quality Framework.
Relevant to all communities, on both a local and global level, is sustainability. Understanding and acting on sustainable practices empowers children to build deep relationships with local places, including the waterways, landforms, plants, animals, and insects they inhabit the planet with. Early childhood teachers who understand the need for these relationships create learning and teaching moments that respond to social issues and contribute to making a meaningful, positive impact on the world.
Alongside the importance of teaching that centres these commitments, there is a growing need for bachelor-qualified early childhood teachers in Victoria to meet requirements introduced by the Department of Education and Training (DET), and the continual need for early childhood teachers across Australia.
The Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Teaching focuses on learning and teaching for children aged birth to eight years, providing the required qualification for registration to teach in early childhood settings from birth to age five.
Taught by internationally-recognised scholars at The Melbourne Graduate School of Education (MGSE), the online course is a radical re-thinking of how we become, belong and be as teachers in the context of our relationship with Country and Indigenous Worldviews.
It focuses on foregrounding Indigenous Worldviews and sustainability to equip you to foster a learning environment that values and promotes inclusivity, respect and sustainability for the growth of all children. By completing this course you will be able to provide rich educational experiences that make a positive impact on children and their communities.
The program may be completed in one year full time or in two years part time, and includes 60 days of placement in multiple settings. It also contributes to CDP and is eligible for financial support from DET.
In this course you will enhance your abilities to teach across the curriculum from birth through to eight years of age.* You will learn to create teaching and learning built on the image of the child as capable and contributing citizens. Central to this work is building relationships with children, families, communities, and the local place and environment.
With a focus on foregrounding Indigenous Worldviews and sustainability, you will learn to incorporate these ways of knowing, being, and doing into your daily teaching in respectful ways. You will be empowered to promote inclusivity and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, communities, organisations, and standpoints in early childhood education, and adopt a teaching style where children, families, and teachers are contributors to building sustainable communities.
*You will be qualified to teach children between birth and five years but will study learning and teaching for children aged birth up to eight years.
On completion of your Graduate Diploma, you'll be an effective Early Childhood Teacher (ECT) with experience of teaching in real education settings.
The Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Teaching will seek accreditation with the Australian Children's Education & Care Quality Authority (ACECQA). Once accredited, the Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Teaching will allow graduates to apply for registration and work in Australian early childhood education and care settings with children aged birth to five years. Graduates will also be eligible to apply for registration as an early childhood teacher with the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT). On graduating, you could also find yourself in a rewarding career in children's services coordination, quality regulation and assessment, and early intervention for children with special needs.
It takes about 20 minutes to complete the form using the online application system.
You can save your work in progress and complete the application at a later date.