Foundations of Learning and Development: A Child Centred Approach

Course aim

To enable students to learn and reflect upon a body of research related to human development, learning and thinking, and to begin to understand the application of these theories in educational settings for children and young people from 0-18 years. To further students' understanding of the family and community contexts of care and education processes within education settings to equip students with the capacity to research, analyse and practically address and use appropriate educational techniques in relation to social issues affecting children and families’ safety and well-being.

Course content

Students will develop an understanding of a range of theories and theoretical perspectives which have been developed over time and are encompassed within a constructivist approach to learning. Students will explore Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory, Vygotsky’s Socio-cultural Theory, Behaviourism, Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory, Emotional, Social and Moral Developmental Theories, Brain Development; Information Processing Theory, Bronfenbrenner’s Bio-Ecological Systems Theory, and Dynamic Systems Theory. Students will explore how theoretical perspectives underpin children and young people’s development and learning and inform educational practice.

Students will develop an understanding of social context of adversity and challenge for children and families such as poverty, parental mental illness, family breakdown, domestic violence, child neglect and abuse and the effects on children. Students will gain an understanding of how to identify indicators of adversity, support children and their families in adverse situations and apply supportive educational practice.

Students will be provided with an understanding of theoretical perspectives of children’s learning and development, which will inform their understanding of how children’s living environments influence their learning and development. These concepts will feed into educational practice as a whole and will inform all other courses in the Master of Teaching program.

Textbook(s)

Briggs, F 2012, Child protection: the essential guide for teachers and other professionals whose work involves children, 1st edn, JoJo Publishing, Docklands, Victoria

Duchesne, S & McMaugh, A 2016, Educational psychology, 5th edn, Cengage Learning Australia, South Melbourne, Victoria

Prerequisite(s)

Nil

Corequisite(s)

Nil

Teaching method

Note: These components may or may not be scheduled in every study period. Please refer to the timetable for further details.

Assessment

Essay, Project

Fees

EFTSL*: 0.125
Commonwealth Supported program (Band 1A)
To determine the fee for this course as part of a Commonwealth Supported program, go to:
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Fee-paying program for domestic and international students
International students and students undertaking this course as part of a postgraduate fee paying program must refer to the relevant program home page to determine the cost for undertaking this course.

Non-award enrolment
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Not all courses are available on all of the above bases, and students must check to ensure that they are permitted to enrol in a particular course.

* Equivalent Full Time Study Load. Please note: all EFTSL values are published and calculated at ten decimal places. Values are displayed to three decimal places for ease of interpretation.