Course Overview

Intro

This course will enable candidates to enhance new knowledge and skills to become competent Early Years Educators in teaching young learners between the ages of 3 and 5 years in Kindergarten.

This course is indicated for individuals who are presently working as a kindergarten educator or intends to work as a kindergarten educator (teaching 3- to 5- year-old children) in the near future (for placement purposes, the latter learner would need to find a voluntary placement in Kinder classes). This course will provide the necessary skills for those interested in becoming Kindergarten Educators 1, 2 and 3 within the Maltese Educational context be it government, church or independent schools in Malta.

Overall Competences

Upon completion, the individual will be able to:

• Demonstrate the ability to acquire knowledge pertaining to the Early Years (EY) educational field within the Maltese educational context, including an understanding of the common challenges present in the content, design and implementation of various legislations, policies and frameworks;
• Manage the practice placements creatively, show initiative and take responsibility for decision-making in the unpredictable EY educational context, whilst continuously reflecting on the practice throughout;
• Manage one’s own learning to creatively learn about what constitute 21st-century skills and the strategies that can be implemented to help young learners develop such skills;
• Demonstrate initiative in learning about the correct way of observing young learners within an educational context
• Demonstrate the ability to create, prepare and implement lesson plans and associated resources (activities) according to the developmental needs of young learners;
• Develop the learning skills necessary to learn independently about what constitutes the emergent curriculum, debunk current myths about it and design an EY classroom environment that promotes and allows for proper implementation of the emergent curriculum;
• Demonstrate a high degree of autonomy in learning about how Maltese and English literacy, and numeracy, develops in young learners in line with their development, and implement effective strategies for young learners to learn literacy and numeracy;
• Develop the learning skills necessary to learn independently about the characteristics of the Reggio approach and the Project approach to learning in the EY and their implementation in the EY classroom;
• Show creativity and initiative in managing activities and tasks related to pedagogies in EY and in promoting holistic child development in an EY context;
• Demonstrate responsibility to evaluate the impact of the different pedagogies that can be used taking into consideration the wider picture of the secondary socialisation of young learners and show initiative in acknowledging the increase in cultural and identity pluralism, in the evaluation and application of EY pedagogies;
• Show autonomy in learning about the various philosophical approaches and inquiries which underpin EY education, debunk common myths related to such approaches and sustain arguments related to how the EY cycle provides philosophical reflections on the role of society, people and knowledge;
• Demonstrate a high degree of autonomy in learning about what constitutes digital literacy and how it can be implemented within the EY setting to create meaningful learning experiences for young learners;
• Demonstrate creativity in learning about effective ways of communicating with young learners, with the ultimate aim of developing positive relationships conducive to learning;
• Show creativity and initiative in learning about what constitutes sustainable development (SD) and about the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and in implementing Eduction for SD in an EY educational setting;
• Demonstrate the ability to manage knowledge on what constitutes STEM education and what role this has within the EY setting;
• Show autonomy in learning about the various digital tools available for young learners which support early learning in STEM and be able to design an EY classroom environment that allows for STEM education to take place;
• Demonstrate the ability to design an EY classroom environment that allows for creativity to take place through the use of effective strategies;
• Demonstrate the ability to design an EY classroom environment that allows for humanities and democracy education to take place;
• Develop autonomy in gaining the necessary skills to be able to implement strategies targeted at fostering supportive and caring learning environments for the benefit of young learners;
• Demonstrate the ability to design an EY classroom environment that promotes and allows for robust classroom management which supports young learners in fostering strong social-emotional skills while preventing misbehaviour;
• Demonstrate the ability to design an EY classroom environment that allows for experiential learning to take place.
• Show initiative and creativity in developing projects in relation to rights, equity and justice with the EY classroom and at school-level;
• Demonstrate the ability to design an EY classroom environment that allows for collaboration amongst young learners to take place;
• Show creativity and initiative to develop projects related to the health and wellbeing of young learners, and take responsibility for them;
• Demonstrate initiative and creativity in acquiring knowledge of the basic theories of disability and general practices for effectively supporting young learners within the EY classroom environment
• Demonstrate the ability to design a culturally responsive EY environment that promotes and allows for a proper multicultural education;
• Develop learning skills required for further studies to a higher level with autonomy;
• Demonstrate creativity in analysing one’s own values and beliefs about educational aims and appreciate that such analysis is the basis for understanding the professional and vocational aspect of EY Educators;
• Demonstrate initiative in learning about quality assurance in the EY setting;
• Demonstrate creativity in integrating and analysing the pedagogical influence for a developmentally appropriate FUN movement education where fundamentals of physical activity are taught through fun games and relationships;
• Describe and identify potential barriers for inclusion for the Gifted learners;
• Integrate knowledge from various sources and reflect on various conceptual frameworks and how these impact transition processes and young learners’ lives;
• Demonstrate initiative in learning about the most important skills involved in successful academic reading and writing.

Mode of Delivery

The Bachelor of Education (Honours) in Early Years will be delivered through blended learning, with 50% of contact hours delivered online and the other 50% of contact hours delivered face-to-face.

Accreditation by MFHEA

For more information kindly click here to view the complete accreditation information

Course Structure

Location

Malta Leadership Institute
Valley Towers, Suite 9
Valley Road
Birkirkara BKR9022
Malta