EDE3103 Perspectives of Early Years Curriculum, Play and Pedagogy

Requisites

Pre-requisite: EDE2010 and Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: BEED or BEDU (Early Childhood) or BECH

Other requisites

Students must have successfully completed the entire previous year’s Professional Experience courses in order to enrol in this course. Students must be available for a prescribed period of time to undertake a placement in a school or other approved site as required in this course.

Before commencing this course students will be assumed to have read the full details of Professional Experience particulars and familiarised themselves with the requirements. Please see the Education Placement Professional Experience website https://www.usq.edu.au/current-students/assessment/professional-experience and the Professional Experience Book for full details.

State law in Queensland (Australia) requires that all adults working/undertaking professional experience/researching with children under the age of 18, in the state of Queensland must hold a valid Blue Card http://www.bluecard.qld.gov.au/volunteers/doineedabluecard.html OR Exemption Card http://www.bluecard.qld.gov.au/faqs/exemption-card-faqs.html

Students need to lodge their blue card application or renewal online . Students will need to register with blue card services and validate their identification online. If successful, the student will be provided an online account number to send to the Professional Experience Team to ensure there are no delays with their placement. Students will not be able to commence their placement without a current blue card. USQ recommends students lodge their renewal at least 28 days prior to the expiry of their current card. https://www.usq.edu.au/current-students/academic/education-placements/blue-cards

Where a student is denied approval for a blue card, enrolment in any initial teacher education program will be withdrawn (refer to https://www.bluecard.qld.gov.au/disqualification.html).

If undertaking Professional Experience outside of Queensland, students are advised to check the Working with Children requirements of the state within which Professional Experience will be undertaken (refer to https://www.usq.edu.au/current-students/assessment/education-placements/working-with-children).

Synopsis

The course extends upon pre-service educator's understandings of the historical, contemporary and post-structuralist theory on play, and how this can impact on and inform practices for supporting children's agency, play, development and learning. The importance of the role of the educator is examined as pre-service early childhood educators explore age appropriate pedagogical skills and strategies to facilitate and scaffold meaning-making in children's play and the co-construction of appropriate learning environments. Pre-service educators will also investigate skills and strategies required for the facilitation and support of transitions for children through play. The course provides early childhood educators with the opportunity to develop understanding and awareness of key features and themes of early childhood curriculum, frameworks and approaches. Pre-service educators will examine factors that impact on curriculum decision making and their role in the learning environment.

A 15-day professional experience placement is attached to this course. For full details of the Professional Experience particulars, please refer to the Professional Experience website and the Professional Experience Book.

Course offers