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EDEC28007 - Play, Purpose, and Pedagogy

General Information

Unit Synopsis

Universally, play is recognised as a context for learning with the child’s right to play and the benefits of play enshrined in the national and international policy context. As both a context and process, play enables children to question, to theorise, to create, to wonder and to imagine. The pedagogical approaches adopted by teachers within early childhood settings are informed by a range of sources including understandings about how young children learn, emerging research and relevant learning frameworks. In this unit, you will research early learning theory and contemporary research to explicate how and why play pedagogies align with children’s development and characteristics as learners. The central role of educators in creating environments that support children’s play will also be examined. You will be asked to consider the challenges that educators may encounter as they enact play pedagogies. A focus on critically reflective practice will support your analysis of the contemporary context and an interrogation of your personal assumptions about play.

Details

Level Postgraduate
Unit Level 8
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 1
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites There are no pre-requisites for the unit.

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 3 - 2024

Term 1 - 2025 Profile
Online

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Portfolio 50%
2. Creative work 50%

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).

Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades

Past Exams

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Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Unit learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Synthesise knowledge of child development, learning theory, contemporary research and a commitment to inclusive practice to recommend how and why play pedagogies align with children’s stages of development and characteristics as learners
  2. Communicate a deep understanding of the role of the teacher/educator, including their role in creating supportive environments and supporting children's play in play spaces
  3. Synthesise knowledge of the key principles of play and theoretical concepts included in the principles of play (agency, child rights, identity, culture, participation, sociality) to explicate the affordances provided within play spaces
  4. Identify personal assumptions about play and articulate how these assumptions may influence pedagogical practice and curriculum decision making
  5. Engage with critically reflective practice to support analysis of the contemporary context
  6. Analyse and represent contemporary considerations/challenges when enacting play pedagogies and propose ways to address such challenges/considerations.

This unit contributes to meeting the curriculum content requirements outlined by the Australian Children's Education & Care Quality Authority (ACECQA).

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 - Portfolio • • •
2 - Creative work • • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Professional Level
• Advanced Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 - Knowledge • • • • • •
2 - Communication • •
3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills • • • •
4 - Research •
6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility • • •
8 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures • • • •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Professional Level
• Advanced Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8