Study Guide

Objective

Students know how to plan, implement and evaluate pedagogical activities for early childhood education. They know how to observe individual children and child groups and how to document the observations. Students recognize typical features of children's play and the community's culture and incorporate them while planning and action. Students know the principles pertaining to small group activities and sense of community, and they have competence to implement them in their action. Students are able to consider cultural diversity in their actions. Students know how sustainable development can be promoted. Students are able to plan early childhood education in a way which allows integrating the action into society, culture and nature.

Content

- planning, implementing and evaluating pedagogical activities
- observations in early childhood education
- pedagogical documentation
- small group activities in early childhood education
- communality in early childhood education
- multi-culturalism
- taking the principles of sustainable development into account

Materials

Literature presented at the beginning of the course. Also literature selected by the student.

Teaching methods

Orientation, independent learning assignments during pedagogical training and a feedback seminar.

Employer connections

The course is part of the Early Childhood Education studies. The course is done during pedagogical training. The course implements the Living lab method, which operates in a real working environment.

Evaluation scale

1-5

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1)

Under supervision, students know how to plan and implement pedagogical small group activities for early childhood education. Under supervision, they know how to observe children and document their observations. Students know some features of the children’s play and culture. They know some principles related to small group activity and sense of community. Students recognize principles of sustainable development and connections between early childhood education and the surrounding society, culture and nature.

Assessment criteria, good (3)

Students can plan, implement and evaluate pedagogical small group activities for early childhood education. They know how to observe children and document their observations. Students know features of the children’s culture and community and take them into consideration in their action. Students know principles related to small group activity and sense of community and take them into account in their action. Students recognise principles of sustainable development and understand what the integration of early childhood education with the surrounding society, culture and nature means.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

Students can plan, implement and evaluate pedagogical small group activities for early childhood education. They know how to observe children with sensitivity and document their observations using multiple perspectives. Students can analyze features in children’s play and culture and community and apply this knowledge to their action in wide range. Students have assimilated the principles of small group activity and the sense of community and can apply them to their action in varied ways. Students know how to apply the principles of sustainable development and how to promote the integration of early childhood education with the surrounding society, culture and nature.

Assessment methods and criteria

The course is evaluated on a scale of 1-5. The grade of the independent assignments forms the grade of the course.

Qualifications

Study Cources: The Child's Growth and Learning and Early Childhood Pedagogy

Further information

For the students who take Early Childhood Education Studies.