Course Tutors
The purpose of the course “Practicum & Documentation and Evaluation of Pedagogical Work in Early Childhood Education” is to connect theory and practice, promote reflective practice, and document pedagogical work through the use of technology in ways that are more complex and innovative than those addressed during undergraduate studies.
Upon successful completion of the course, students will:
- Knowledge level:
- Have proven knowledge and be able to explore and implement pedagogical project programs with innovative ideas in the context of early childhood education. They will know theories of reflective practice and evaluation of pedagogical work. They will be familiar with parameters that influence the quality of pedagogical work.
- Competence level:
- Be able to design, categorize, and implement appropriate activities for children of different ages and groups with scientific accuracy and ethical responsibility.
- Be able to develop documentation methods of pedagogical practice in both simple and complex ways, and to solve potential problems in new or unfamiliar environments within a broader (or interdisciplinary) framework related to their field (e.g., in educational programs implemented for young children in museums).
- Be capable of designing pedagogical work responsibly and autonomously, and evaluating it based on prioritized evaluation criteria. Furthermore, they will be able to create methods of documenting it by combining their knowledge (technology, pedagogy, aesthetics, etc.) and addressing potential challenges.
- Recognize the importance of intervention and the necessity of interdisciplinary collaboration in managing difficulties.
- Skills level:
- Communicate the data and conclusions of documenting pedagogical work to both specialized and non-specialized audiences.
- Possess the necessary learning skills to continue their studies in a largely independent or autonomous manner.
General Competences
- Searching, analyzing, and synthesizing data and information, using the necessary technologies
- Adaptation to new situations
- Independent work
- Teamwork
- Work in an interdisciplinary environment
- Adaptation to new situations
- Decision-making
- Generation of new research ideas
- Project design and management
- Respect for diversity and multiculturalism
- Respect for the natural environment
- Demonstration of social, professional, and ethical responsibility and sensitivity to gender issues
- Exercise of critique and self-critique
- Promotion of free, creative, and inductive thinking
COURSE CONTENT
The thematic unit is developed by focusing on topics such as:
- Theoretical Foundations of Early Childhood Education: Review of basic principles and theories underpinning early childhood education.
- Theoretical issues such as the connection between theory and practice.
- Design and implementation of programs, projects, and educational activities adapted to the needs of children.
- Observation and Evaluation: Development of recording methods and tools.
- Evaluation and Quality Criteria: How pedagogical work is evaluated and which quality criteria are considered during dissemination; issues of ethics, confidentiality, etc.
- Objectives of disseminating good practices – Collaboration, outreach, reflective practice, development of interactions and human relations.
- Collaboration with parents: evaluating educational progress, involving parents in pedagogical work and its dissemination.
- Challenges in Early Childhood Education: Addressing potential problems within early childhood education; research data on proposed intervention programs.
- Transitions in educational environments: The importance of early childhood transitions and the interconnection of family, school, and community.
- Processes of pedagogical work and evaluation in formal and informal learning environments (museum, theatre, etc.). Play-based learning: methods and materials.
- Mandatory observation and involvement of the student in the pedagogical framework for at least 20 hours in a selected Early Childhood Education institution, for the purpose of documenting work and presenting it to the class group.
- There is no suggested list of institutions; the student is fully responsible for finding an appropriate placement. Often, when conditions allow, the student’s professional workplace is used. To support students who face difficulties in finding a placement, a steady option is collaboration with the “Hellenic Children’s Museum.” However, the approval of the proposed institution by the course coordinator is mandatory.