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This subject requires you to do a practical placement, please see Additional Requirements for more information.
Early Childhood Professional Experience: Learning Environments for 3 to 5-year-olds
UndergraduateCUR-EDE3102026
Get practical with work placement and a digital portfolio. Apply and evaluate elements of early education including guiding behaviour and positive reciprocal relationships. Weigh up what makes a supportive learning environment for diverse learners.
- Study method
- Online & on-campus
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Enrol by
- 22 Feb 2026
- Entry requirements
- Part of a degree
- Duration
- 13 weeks
- Start dates
- 2 Mar 2026,
- 31 Aug 2026
- Price from
- $1,740
- Upfront cost
- $0
- Loan available
- HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP available
Early Childhood Professional Experience: Learning Environments for 3 to 5-year-olds
About this subject
At the completion of this subject students will be able to:
- appraise the development of teaching capabilities against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers and record evidence in the prepared digital professional portfolio
- appraise and apply approaches to guiding children’s behaviour and constructing positive reciprocal relationships with a diverse range of children and families
- interpret data collected using various methods and create differentiated teaching plans to improve learning for children aged 3 - 5 years
- create and implement differentiated teaching, assessment and reporting strategies appropriate for a diverse range of children and be able to plan and maintain positive learning environments for children aged 3 - 5 years.
- Pedagogical Approaches to early childhood environments
- Guiding behaviour
- Emotional support, routines and transitions
- Giving feedback, praise and punishment – what place do they have in the early childhood environment
- Observation, interpretation and documentation as assessment for learning
- Working with a diverse group of children
- Planning and assessment
- Designing and maintaining supportive learning environments
This subject was previously known as Early Childhood Professional Experience 3: Kindergarten to Pre-Primary Learning Environments.
This professional experience subject includes both a theory and a practical component (a placement with children aged 3 - 5 years). Throughout the subject, approaches for creating emotionally supportive, equitable, healthy, safe and effective learning environments are critically examined. The design of supportive environments is contextualised within collaborative partnerships and positive reciprocal relationships with children, families, and communities. The subject emphasises the application of differentiated learning, teaching and assessment approaches to meet the diverse needs of children in this age group. The examination of data relevant to early childhood education and the implications for learning and teaching are explored. The professional experience practical assessment is a 4-week full-time block placement intended to enable practical application of knowledge and skills covered in the theory, along with providing further insights into the complexity of the teacher’s role. All required clearances to work with children must be obtained and valid, and all other professional experience requirements met. Both theory and practical components must be passed in order to pass the subject.
To view the Professional Experience Calendar, please see below:
2026 Bachelor of Education Prof Exp Calendar (PDF)
Please Note: If it’s your first time studying a Curtin University subject you’ll need to complete their compulsory ‘Academic Integrity Program’. It only takes two hours to complete online, and provides you with vital information about studying with Curtin University. The Academic Integrity Program is compulsory, so if it’s not completed your subject grades will be withheld.
Find out more about the Academic Integrity module.
- Resource for parents/carers (50%)
- Learning and Teaching Report (50%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
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Entry requirements
Part of a degree
To enrol in this subject you must be accepted into one of the following degrees:
Core
- CUR-ECE-DEG-2026 - Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood Education)
Elective
- CUR-FAST-DEG-2026 - Fast track your Curtin on campus study
Prior study
You must either have successfully completed the following subject(s) before starting this subject, or currently be enrolled in the following subject(s) in a prior study period; or enrol in the following subject(s) to study prior to this subject:
one of
CUR-EDE360-Early Childhood Professional Experience 2: Quality Frameworks in Early Learning Centres (no longer available)
CUR-EDE325 (Not currently available)
CUR-EDE222 (Not currently available)
Please note that your enrolment in this subject is conditional on successful completion of these prerequisite subject(s). If you study the prerequisite subject(s) in the study period immediately prior to studying this subject, your result for the prerequisite subject(s) will not be finalised prior to the close of enrolment. In this situation, should you not complete your prerequisite subject(s) successfully you should not continue with your enrolment in this subject. If you are currently enrolled in the prerequisite subject(s) and believe you may not complete these all successfully, it is your responsibility to reschedule your study of this subject to give you time to re-attempt the prerequisite subject(s).
Equivalent subjects
You won't be able to enrol into this subject if you've already successfully completed or currently enrolled in the following subject(s) as they are considered anti-requisites due to the similarity of the content.
CUR-EDE322 (Not currently available)
Additional requirements
- Placement requirements - This subject includes a 4-week professional experience placement in a school. Placements are undertaken on a full-time basis in a continuous block.
- Other requirements -
This subject is not available for students who are under the age of 16.
Please note that all relevant, valid working with children checks and clearances must be provided as requested prior to commencement of the placement.
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.
Related degrees
Once you’ve completed this subject it can be credited towards one of the following courses
Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood Education)
UndergraduateCUR-ECE-DEG
Fast track your Curtin on campus study
UndergraduateCUR-FAST-DEG