Early Years Education: Critical Observations

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.

Learning Outcomes

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• 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.

• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the underlying values, principles and practices relevant to Early Years education.

• Select and apply a range of relevant theoretical and research based evidence (primary and secondary sources) to extend your knowledge and understanding.

• Systematically analyse educational concepts, theories and issues of policy in an Early Years context.

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

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).

Formative

This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.

Individual Presentation

• Assessment Type: Formative

• Feedback: Feedback from the individual presentation will be verbal and include peer and self-assessment feedback. The tutor will follow up with individuals if any concerns are identified

• Final Assessment: No

• Group Work: No