Course Description

The course will educate preschool teachers to be:

• Aware of the relationship between theory and practice
• Aware of how theoretical knowledge may be applied in day-to-day work in day-care centres
• Able to reflect critically
• Able to provide and receive supervision
• Aware of their professional role

Target areas

The semester plans are governed by the topics within the areas of competence. At the beginning of each course/semester, the semester plan is presented to the Head of the Department of Pedagogy and the Academic Affairs Committee. The course description/semester plan provides a description of the relevant learning activities, aims and types of assessment.

Students who successfully complete the course will have acquired an all-round pre-school teacher education. Students will work with various types of skills using various approaches throughout the course of the study programme.

The first year of study: The child, the pre-school teacher and the day-care centre

Pedagogy as a subject

Knowledge of project work

Group psychology

• Student perspective

The ethical principles of the day-care centre

• History of education
• History of day-care centres
• History of pre-school teachers

Basic introduction to system theory

Didactics

Methods of data collection

• Observation
• Interviews

Supervision

Developmental psychology and pedagogy theories

• Developmental psychology theories
• Areas of development
• Variations in development

The second year of study: Play, learning and social interaction

Play

• Various perspectives on children’s play

Learning

• Various approaches to learning

More about the ethical principles of the day-care centre

• The child’s rights
• Basic knowledge/social competence

Fundamental pedagogical approach

• Curriculum theory

Third year of study: the pedagogical leader and ‘the good day-care centre’

Conditions regarding the development of the child

• ‘The good childhood’
• Collaboration with parents
• Theories of networking
• Comparative pedagogy
• Indigenous populations/minorities

Professional-ethical practices and knowledge of the profession

• Power and powerlessness
• Power of definition
• Authority
• Equality

Day-care centre as an organisation

• Leadership
• Staff collaboration
• Interdisciplinary organisation
• Notion of quality

Supervision

• • Supervision theories
  • Supervision methods

Assessment Methods

After each academic year students will be assessed on the course unit and awarded ECTS. The forms of assessment reflect the content of the course and the working methods that have been used. External examiners may assess the written examinations.

First semester (10 ECTS)

Written individual examination requiring short answers, 3 hours – Didactics – graded mark

Oral group examination – pass/fail

Second semester (10 ECTS)

Written individual examination, 6 hours – Developmental Psychology – graded mark

Documentation of teaching practice – pass/fail

Third semester (5 ECTS)

Documentation of learning process in an interdisciplinary project – pass/fail

Written individual examination, 6 hours – Play and Learning – graded mark

Fourth semester (5 ECTS)

Documentation of teaching practice – pass/fail

Fifth semester (5 ECTS)

Throughout the period of teaching practice, students will collect samples of various types of work in their student work portfolios. Each student’s portfolio will document that specific aims have been achieved, and that the student has carried out the assignments related to the teaching practice. At the end of the fifth semester a selection of the assignments will be included in the presentation portfolio. The assignments are chosen according to criteria determined by the student’s teaching practice supervisor. The individual oral examination will be based on the presentation portfolio (pass/fail).

Individual oral examination/test, documentation – pass/fail

Sixth semester (10 ECTS)

Written individual examination, 6 hours – The Day-care centre as an Organisation – graded mark

Before a final grade may be awarded, the candidate must have received passing grades on all assignments and for the documentation of the teaching practice. A single grade, A-F, will be entered on the diploma, where A is the highest passing grade, and E the lowest passing grade.

Please refer to Telemark University College’s examination regulations for further information.

Minor adjustments may occur during the academic year, subject to the decision of the Dean