Course Title: Learning Through Play

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Learning Through Play

Credit Points: 12.00

Terms

Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

TCHE2659

Bundoora Campus

Undergraduate

360H Education

Face-to-Face

 Sem 2 2020,
Sem 2 2021,
Sem 2 2022,
Sem 2 2023

Course Coordinator: Julie Carmel

Course Coordinator Phone: 03 9925 7804

Course Coordinator Email: julie.carmel@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: Bundoora 220.03

Course Coordinator Availability: by appointment


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

None


Course Description

In this course you will investigate the importance of play in early childhood and its significant role towards building all round competence in areas of children’s learning and development. You will engage in theoretical perspectives and research that promote the value of play and its relationship in planning play based curriculum in early childhood educational settings and schools. Play based curriculum within national and state curriculum frameworks will be examined together with planning programs where observation serves as a tool for the cycle of planning, documenting and assessing children’s learning experiences. The links between play-space design and the provision of loose materials with high affordance for play to promote children’s learning across curriculum related to science, numeracy, technology, social, emotional and environmental education will be emphasised.

 


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

Program Learning Outcomes 

In this course you will develop the following program learning outcomes: 

  • Demonstrate broad and coherent theoretical and technical knowledge in education  
  • Critically analyse and apply theoretical and practical knowledge and skills to your professional practice in curriculum, pedagogy and assessment across a range of disciplines, reflecting a graduate level of proficiency in teaching  
  • Consolidate and synthesise expert content and pedagogical content knowledge and develop highly effective classroom teaching skills in an area of specialisation 
  • Apply initiative, judgement, creativity, critical thinking and problem solving skills and the capacity to work responsibly, ethically and inclusively in individual and collaborative professional contexts to enhance your practice 


Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to: 

 

AITSL Standards

1. Describe play based learning as it applies to early childhood and school settings

1.2

2. Plan for play based learning in a range of settings by facilitating play spaces with high affordances for play

2.3

3. Analyse and critique the theoretical perspectives underpinning curriculum documents

2.1

4. Articulate the importance of play in the lives of children

1.2

5. Apply knowledge of play based learning within important curriculum documents

2.3

 


Overview of Learning Activities

To successfully complete this course you will need to participate in tutorials and other learning events. You will need to complete regular weekly learning tasks that may involve online activities, reading broadly, analysing video material and case studies, reporting critically on set questions, researching course topics, and completing prescribed assessment tasks.

You are required to be proactive and self-directed in your learning, asking questions of your lecturer and/or peers and seeking out information as required, especially from the numerous sources available through the RMIT library, and

through links and material specific to this course that is available through myRMIT Studies Course Site.

You will also be required to actively and effectively engage with peers in collaborative problem-solving activities and other forms of group work.        


Overview of Learning Resources

RMIT University will support your access to learning resources for this course. Readings from current educational literature will be provided through your online course site and will be drawn from highly regarded academic journals, books and conferences as well as reports, websites and other online resources.

The University Library provides extensive scholarly resources to supplement your suggested readings and research and is able to request books or articles from any library in the world. Guides to the literature in your discipline area are available from http://rmit.libguides.com/sb.php?subject_id=67929

Assistance with referencing and avoiding plagiarism is available here http://www1.rmit.edu.au/library/referencing

The Library and the Study and Learning Centre are also on hand to support and assist in the development of your academic skills to make best use of such resources within your academic studies. http://www1.rmit.edu.au/library


Overview of Assessment

You will be assessed on how well you meet the course’s learning outcomes and on your development against the program learning outcomes. Assessment will cover both theoretical and practical aspects of your learning. You will be able to develop your work in relation to your own specific areas of interest in your professional practice.

Task 1.  Critique of Play-based learning (50%)  CLO1, CLO3, CLO4

Task 2.  Planning Play-based learning  (50%) CLO2, CLO5

Feedback will be given on all assessment tasks.

If you have a long term medical condition and/or disability it may be possible to negotiate to vary aspects of the learning or assessment methods. You can contact the program coordinator or the Equitable Learning Services if you would like to find out more.

Your course assessment conforms to RMIT assessment principles, regulations, policies, procedures and instructions which are available for review online: http://www.rmit.edu.au/students/assessment