Registry
Module Specifications
Archived Version 2017 - 2018
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Description This module builds on students' professional identities and enables students to advance an ethical dimension to their practice. The student is prepared for placement in a second early childhood care and education setting in the following Semester. The module will focus on organising and managing the learning environment. With increasing competency, students will build on meeting the care needs of very young children and plan for early learning experiences: using learning objectives, identifying resources to be acquired, outlining vocabulary to be used, interaction strategies to be adopted and review of the experience. In addition students will learn to capitalise on child-initiated play to enhance all elements of children’s learning and development, for example language and communication. The students will continue to focus on professional e-portfolio building to reflect their emerging engagement in an early childhood-based community of practice, and to integrate theory with practice. These will include complete plans for enriching and meaningful small group learning experiences. These experiences should be aligned to learning outcomes, vocabulary, interaction strategies, evaluation and policy frameworks. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Learning Outcomes 1. Critique the central values that underpin early childhood education practice. 2. Engage in greater critical analysis of children’s learning through situated enquiry-centred communities of practice with other students. 3. Demonstrate collaborative and responsive relationships while meeting the care needs of babies, or toddlers or young children and while working with staff. 4. Organise a rich learning environment appropriate to the cultural context of the setting and the children. 5. Observe, plan for, support and document emergent learning in child-initiated play – based experiences, and assess the learning that has occurred, eg. in terms of language and communication. 6. Use the professional e-portfolio to document their learning and to integrate theory and practice. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml |
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Indicative Content and
Learning Activities DescriptionThe indicative content of this module on issues in professional learning and practice builds on the foundation year and is organised within the themes outlined in the structural framework (see headings below). This approach provides for pedagogical alignment through integrating the learning across the programme, providing for a focus on the broad concepts and areas of content (foundational, environmental, inclusion, and leadership and expertise) and ensuring comprehensive preparation for professional practice in early childhood settings in the following Semester. This module builds on students’ learning and experiences from the foundation year, deepens their engagement with the themes in conjunction with their developing expertise in practice. Case studies, problem-based learning, digital films of practice, role-play, peer collaboration, discussion and analysis are used to further develop and deepen the community of practice. In this module, the second year of the programme, the focus is on exploring environments for early learning.Communicating and collaboratingWithin this theme the student’s approach to building collaborative and responsive relationships with children and staff is deepened by ensuring students: • Enhance their interaction strategies with children, for example, share conversational control with babies, toddlers or young children, by responding to baby-initiated babble, turn-taking, commenting, increasing vocabulary and acting as co-players in children’s play. • Talk with the co-operating educator about their practice.Understanding diversityWithin this theme the student’s approach to understanding diversity is deepened by ensuring students: • Know how to organise the learning environment to support diversity, for example, with reference to positive aspects of children’s homes and community culture.Applying professional knowledgeWithin this theme the student’s approach to applying professional knowledge is deepened by ensuring students know how to: • Link the theory learned in the second year course-work, for example, environments and interactions, the pioneers and approaches of ECE, play and learning and development, outdoor learning, young children thinking and learning, technology and learning, language and cultural diversity and apply it to their practice in placement.Engaging in professional practiceWithin this theme the student’s approach to engaging in professional practice is deepened by consideration of: • The role and expectations of a second year student and others in the setting community of practice, • The constituents of professional behaviour, for example, use of professional language and confidentiality. • Dealing with young children’s many care routines of, for example, nappy changing, feeding, and toileting generally and how the environment supports learning and development during these care routines. • Planning, conducting and evaluating small group learning experiences.Practising reflectively and ethicallyWithin this theme the student’s approach to practising reflectively and ethically is deepened by consideration of: • Observing children, ethically documenting children’s learning in play episodes, analysing the learning. • Engaging in constructive dialogue and feedback with the cooperating educator • Using tools such as digital audio tape as a tool for self-assessment and critical reflections on practice. • The components of the professional placement e-portfolio with particular relevance to exploring environments for early learning. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Indicative Reading List
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Other Resources 26049, Publication, Department of Children and Youth Affairs., 2011, Ensuring the safety and welfare of children/young people: Child protection policy and code of behaviour for working with children/young people, Dublin, http://www.dcya.gov.ie/viewdoc.asp?fn=/documents/Child_Welfare_Protection/DCYA_Child_Protection_Policy_Jan_2011.doc, 26050, Publication, Pobal, 2014, “Let them talk”: Evaluation of the language enrichment programme of the Ballyfermot early years language and learning initiative, https://www.pobal.ie/Publications/Documents/LET%20THEM%20TALK.pdf, 26051, Publication, Mathers, S., Eisenstadt, N., Sylva, K., Soukakou, E. & Ereky-Stevens, K., 2014, Sound foundations: a review of the research evidence on quality of early childhood education and care for children under three, implications for policy and practice, Oxford, Oxford University, www.ox.ac.uk/document.rm?id=3215, 26052, Publication, National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2011, Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment, Washington, http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf, 26053, Publication, Neylon, G., 2014, An analysis of Irish pre-school practice and pedagogy using the early childhood environmental four curricular subscales, Irish Educational Studies, http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03323315.2014.888237?queryID=%24%7BresultBean.queryID%7D#.U-jJRfldU4g, 26054, Publication, Association of Early Childhood Education Ontario, 0, Code of Ethics, http://www.aeceo.ca/files/user_files/code_of_ethics.pdf, 26055, Publication, Walsh, K., Laskey, L., McInnes, E., Farrell, A., Mathews, B. & Briggs, F., 2011, Locating child protection in preservice teacher education, Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 36(7)., http@//dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2011v36n7.1, 26056, Publication, 0, Barnardos Daily Digest; contact martina.dumpleton@barnardos.ie to receive daily news bulletins from Barnardos on issues relating to children from The Irish Times, The Examiner, the Irish Independent and The Guardian, 26057, Website, 0, Ballyfermot Language Enrichment Programme for ideas for language games with children three to six visit, http://www.thelanguagegarden.ie, 26058, Website, 0, Children’s Right’s Alliance, for communications on children’s rights, contact Communications, communications@childrensrights.ie, http://www.childrensrights.ie/, 26059, Website, 0, Early Childhood Ireland for general information visit, http://www.earlychildhoodireland.ie/, 26060, Website, 0, Information on resources for Montessori (Irish) Montessori Alliance visit, info@montessorialliance.ie, 26061, Website, 0, National Adult Literacy Association for ideas to help children from birth to learn, visit Help my kid learn at, http://www.helpmykidlearn.ie/, 26062, Website, 0, National Council for Curriculum and Assessment for podcasts, videos, and information supporting early learning in relation to Aistear: The Early Childhood Curriculum Framework visit, http://www.ncca.ie, 26063, Website, 0, Síolta, the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education visit, http://www.siolta.ie, 26064, Website, 0, Start Strong Advocacy group on ECEC visits and receive a monthly e newsletter, http://www.startstrong.ie/, 26065, Website, 0, Súgradh is the Irish voluntary charity promoting the child’s right to play, visit website for ideas about play, http://sugradh.org/, 26066, Website, 0, American daily news items on ECE; to receive ExchangeEveryDay write to, exchangeeveryday@ccie.com, 26067, Website, 0, American monthly newsletter (Extensions) is available from HighScope Foundation. Become a member for free at, http://www.highscope.org, 26068, Website, 0, Early Years is an organisation for young children in Northern Ireland see, http://www.early-years.org/, 26069, Website, 0, European e-News Bulletin called Euro Child Bjoern Becker, bjoern.becker@eurochild.org, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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