Overview

The unit provides early childhood pre-service teachers with the characteristics and theoretical approaches to play and collaborative learning and their role in the curriculum. The importance of physical environments and play resources are explored in practice outlining how they promote children’s active engagement with authentic learning and promote the resilience and wellbeing required for success. The unit details relationships between children's play and inquiry across the range of subject disciplines and learning areas and provides students with practical opportunities to analyse experiences that foster learning in early childhood education.

Teaching Periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 1
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
26-February-2024
26-May-2024
Last self-enrolment date
10-March-2024
Census date
31-March-2024
Last withdraw without fail date
12-April-2024
Results released date
02-July-2024
Teaching Period 2
Location
Online
Start and end dates
08-July-2024
06-October-2024
Last self-enrolment date
21-July-2024
Census date
02-August-2024
Last withdraw without fail date
23-August-2024
Results released date
29-October-2024

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Evaluate the teacher’s roles in supporting and encouraging children’s play and inquiry in inside and outside learning environments
  • Compare contemporary and traditional theories of play
  • Examine play and understand its complexities, including cultural influences and global perspectives
  • Assess key aspects and features of play environments that support learning for children aged Birth-to-eight years of age
  • Describe and define aesthetic and creative features of environments that invite engagement, active learning and constructive play
  • Analyse nature pedagogy, natural materials and outdoor play spaces in children’s play

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Live Online
Lecture
1.00 12 weeks 12
On-campus
Class
2.00 12 weeks 24
Specified Activities
Various
4.00 12 weeks 48
Unspecified Activities
Various
5.50 12 weeks 66
TOTAL150

Swinburne Online

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Online
Directed Online Learning and Independent Learning
12.50 12 weeks 150
TOTAL150

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
EssayIndividual 50% 1,2,3 
PortfolioIndividual 50% 4,5,6 

Content

  • Contemporary and cultural considerations with respect to children's play; an overview of the exploration of major theorists and theories
  • Theories, critique and constructs of play
  • Categories of play
  • Pedagogy and play – the teacher’s role
  • The environment as the third teacher – Reggio Emilia approach
  • Setting up learning environments – theory of loose parts
  • Indoor and outdoor play experiences in EC settings and schools
  • Nature pedagogy, natural materials and outdoor play spaces
  • Selection and maintenance of learning materials and equipment
  • Exploration of current understandings of the place of play in appropriate curriculum for children, in both school and prior-to-school settings
  • Daily living experiences (routines) in early learning settings and their potential for learning
  • Implications for multi and single age groups
  • Equity and inclusion in play

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.