Module overview
The module will incorporate critical observation and analysis of diverse aspects of Early Years education. You will develop your knowledge and understanding of the values and theories that underpin current practice in Early Years settings. Your time in school might normally include lesson observations, discussions with teachers, meetings with staff, working with individuals or small groups of pupils/students in classrooms alongside teachers/tutors, or examination of school policy documents.
An enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) with Child Barred List check is required for this module and must be in place before the start of the second week. PLEASE NOTE: DBS can take up to ten weeks to obtain; failure to meet this requirement will result in you having to choose an alternative module. It is your responsibility to obtain the DBS clearance at your own cost. Please contact the Education Student Office at: eds-studentoffice@soton.ac.uk regarding application.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Learning Outcomes
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the underlying values, principles and practices relevant to Early Years education.
- Systematically analyse educational concepts, theories and issues of policy in an Early Years context.
- Select and apply a range of relevant theoretical and research based evidence (primary and secondary sources) to extend your knowledge and understanding.
- Organise and articulate opinions and arguments in speech and writing using relevant specialist vocabulary.
- Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of societal and organisational structures and purposes of Early Years education, and the possible implications for learning and the learning process.
Syllabus
The module will incorporate critical observation and analysis of diverse aspects of Early Years education, locating issues in their social, cultural, historical and political contexts, with particular attention to problematizing familiar practice and exploring underlying values and associated tensions.
Topics normally covered in this module will include:
- The day-to-day life of an Early Years educational setting
- Current state of play in terms of the Early Years curriculum
- Historical overview of the development of Early Years curricula
- Cross-cultural approaches to Early Years education
- Significant recent legislation and its impact
- Shifting values underlying Early Years education
- Approaches to inclusion
- Classroom patterns of interaction
- Social contexts for learning
- The positioning of children as pupils and learners
- Being an Early Years practitioner: role and identity
- The role of assessment in Early Years school learning
- Critical reflection on own educational history
- Accountability structures in Early Years education
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
This module is taught through a mix of lectures and seminars along with directed reading and suggested additional research. Typically, there will be an interactive lecture and seminar each week with the exception of the weeks during your visits to an Early Years setting. You will be expected to carry out critical observations in an Early Years setting (a minimum of 8 hours).
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Teaching | 24 |
| Placement | 8 |
| Independent Study | 118 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
General Resources
Development Matters.
Early Years Foundation Stage Framework.
Preparing University Students for the Moral Responsibility of Early Years Education. This research collected the voices of students in a UK university, better to understand their perception of their 'moral responsibility' as trainee early years educators.
Internet Resources
The Rose Review on the teaching of early reading.
Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum.
Journal Articles
Early Years: An international Journal of Research and Development.
Early Child Development and Care.
International journal of Early Years Education.
Education 3 - 13.
Textbooks
Dowling, M. (2010). Young children's personal, social and emotional development. London: Paul Chapman Pub..
Pound, L. (2011). Influencing early childhood education. Berkshire: Open University Press.
Riley, J. (2007). Learning in the Early Years 3 - 7. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications.
Moyles, J. (2010). The excellence of play. Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Outdoor Learning in the Early Years. London: Routledge.
Sylva, K. (2010). Early childhood matters. London: Routledge.
Moyles, J., Georgeson, J. and Payler, J.. Early Years foundations meeting the challenge. Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Pound, L. (2011). Theories and approaches to learning in the Early Years.
Whitebread, D. and Coltman, P. (2008). Teaching adn learning in the Early Years. London: Routledge.
Contemporary Issues in the Early Years. London: Sage.
Tassoni, P. and Hucker, K. (2000). Planning play and the Early Years. Oxford: Heinemann.
Teaching and Learning in the Early Years. Oxon: Routledge.
Assessment
Formative
This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.
Individual PresentationSummative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Essay | 80% |
| Presentation | 20% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Coursework assignment(s) | 100% |
Repeat
An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Coursework assignment(s) | 100% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External