472-100 Learning, Teaching and Play

460-105 Teaching and Professional Practice

This subject will explore the role of teachers in supporting learning and development for children from birth to five years of age using strategies that recognise young children as active participants in their own learning. It will provide an overview of the relationship between learning, play, and the quality of the teachers' interactions. Students will examine the role of observation and record keeping, and the early childhood environment in supporting play-based learning. Students will be exposed to curriculum strategies.

Written tasks equivalent to 2000 words and a 2-hour examination

• F Hughes, Children, Play and Development. 2nd edn, Allyn & Bacon, 1995.
• G MacNaughton and G Williams, Techniques for Teaching Young Children. Melbourne, Addison Wesley and Longman, 1998.
• L Berk, Child Development. Boston, Allyn and Unwin, 2000.
• J Johnson, J Christie and T Yawkey, Play and Early Childhood Development. New York, Longman, 1999.