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Language, Literacy & Play-based Learning (EDUC91049)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5Dual-Delivery (Parkville)
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About this subject
- Overview
- Eligibility and requirements
- Assessment
- Dates and times
- Further information
- Timetable(opens in new window)
Contact information
Semester 1
Overview
Availability | Semester 1 - Dual-Delivery |
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Fees | Look up fees |
This subject investigates how children learn language and literacy, as well as the critical importance of language to children’s emergent literacy and successful learning. The content focuses on typical developmental progression and the evidence-based strategies to build rich language and literacy play-based programs in early childhood settings.
This subject references the Australian/Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Frameworks and Curricula (VEYLDF). Teacher Candidates will be introduced to the VEYLDF Outcome 5: Children are Effective Communicators.
Topics covered in this subject include adult interactions supporting infant communication and language development; family literacy and the home learning environment, including supporting multilingualism in a diverse language background; reading and writing development; evidence play-based pedagogies for language, reading and writing learning. Digital technologies as a tool to support language and literacy learning will be discussed. Indigenous perspectives will be woven into the topics to provide a meaningful approach to their incorporation in the curriculum. Teacher Candidates will be introduced to planning and designing language and literacy-rich learning environments as well as the assessment of language and literacy in the context of children’s learning and development.
Intended learning outcomes
On completion of this subject, Teacher Candidates should be able to:
- Investigate and analyse the models and theories of language and literacy development and demonstrate knowledge of the typical sequence of emergence of language and literacy skills.
- Explicate the importance of adult interaction in supporting infant communication and language development, including the home learning environment.
- Devise and implement diverse play-based language and literacy curricula that integrate the perspectives of culture, cultural identity, indigeneity, history and linguistic background as part of an early childhood programme.
- Deduce and extrapolate the language, literature, and literacy learning needs of individual children, provide timely and appropriate feedback about their learning in a range of contexts.
- Formulate practices to use digital technologies and processes to support children's diverse language learning needs in a play-based context.
- Articulate assessment strategies including formal and informal formative and summative approaches to assess and to support students' learning.
Generic skills
This subject will develop the following set of key transferable skills:
- Clinical reasoning and evidence-based practice.
- Critical and creative thinking.
- Creativity and innovation.
- Reflection for continuous improvement.
- Linking theory and practice.
- Ethical and intercultural understanding.
Last updated: 10 February 2024
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
None
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 10 February 2024
Assessment
Description | Timing | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Presentation: Online video presentation on teaching practices (1500 words equivalent)
| Early semester | 30% |
Essay: Literature review on language and literacy
| Mid semester | 20% |
Planning Document: Reflective lesson plan
| During the examination period | 50% |
Attendance Hurdle requirement: A minimum of 80% attendance at, or engagement with, all sessions identified as contact hours (may include lectures, tutorials, seminars and workshops, both synchronous and asynchronous). | Throughout the teaching period | N/A |
Last updated: 10 February 2024
Dates & times
- Semester 1
Principal coordinator Edith Nicolas Mode of delivery Dual-Delivery (Parkville) Contact hours 24 hours (16 hours of on-campus classes and 8 hours of asynchronous online activities) Total time commitment 170 hours Teaching period 28 February 2022 to 29 May 2022 Last self-enrol date 11 March 2022 Census date 31 March 2022 Last date to withdraw without fail 6 May 2022 Assessment period ends 24 June 2022 Semester 1 contact information
Last updated: 10 February 2024
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
Fellowes & Oakley (2020) Language, Literacy and Early Childhood Education, 3rd Ed, Oxford University Press.
Recommended texts and other resources
Cassano, C. M., & Schickedanz, J. A. (2015). An Examination of the Relations Between Oral Vocabulary and Phonological Awareness in Early Childhood, Literacy Research: Theory, Method and Practice, 64, 227-248.
Guhn, M., Milbrath, C., & Hertzman, C. (2016). Associations between child home language, gender, bilingualism and school readiness: A population- based study, Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 35, 95-110.
Hoff, E. (2006). How social contexts support and shape language development. Developmental Review, 26(1), 55-88.
Neumann MM, Hood M, Ford RM, Neumann DL. (2012). The role of environmental print in emergent literacy. Journal of early childhood literacy. 12(3):231-58
Salo, V. C., Rowe, M. L., & Reeb-Sutherland, B. C. (2018). Exploring Infant Gesture and Joint Attention as Related Constructs as Predictors of Later Language, Infancy, 23(3), 432-452.
Sammons, P., Toth, K., Sylva, K., Melhuish, E., Siraj, I., & Taggart, B. (2015). The long-term role of the home learning environment in shaping students’ academic attainment in secondary school. Journal of Children’s Services, 10(3), 189–201.
Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2012). Curriculum, Pedagogy and Progression in Sustained Shared Thinking, Every Child, 18(3), 34-35.
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Course Master of Teaching (Early Childhood) - Links to additional information
Melbourne Graduate School of Education: https://education.unimelb.edu.au/
Last updated: 10 February 2024