Operational Culture Supporting the Inclusiveness of Early Childhood Education and Care and Multidisciplinary Cooperation (10 cr)

Learning outcomes

The student is able to
- develop and reinforce the inclusiveness of early childhood education and care and culture that supports diversity
- act in a sensitive manner and take into account and support the diversity of families and children
- support the comprehensive wellbeing of children and families in early childhood education and care
- guide children and families to the necessary services and support measures
- plan, implement, evaluate, and develop multidisciplinary cooperation in a child and family oriented manner

Materials

- National Core Curriculum for Early Childhood Education and Care (2022):
https://www.oph.fi/sites/default/files/documents/National%20core%20curriculum%20for%20ECEC%202022.pdf
- Act of Early Childhood Education and Care (2018)
Unofficial Translation:
https://www.finlex.fi/en/laki/kaannokset/2018/en20180540.pdf
- Convention on the Rights of the Child https://www.unicef.org/child-rights-convention/convention-text#
- Finnish Education Evaluation Centre (FINEEC / KARVI) https://karvi.fi/en/early-childhood-education/
- EVERY DAY QUALITY IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND CARE: https://karvi.fi/app/uploads/2020/06/FINEEC_T1620.pdf
- GUIDELINES AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EVALUATING THE QUALITY OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND CARE: https://karvi.fi/app/uploads/2019/03/FINEEC_Guidelines-and-recommendations_web.pdf

Other literature is openly available online - will be informed when the course starts.

Teaching methods

The course is part of the qualification of an early childhood education social pedagogue (varhaiskasvatuksen sosionomi).

The lessons and workshops will take place online via Zoom. Attendance requirement at online lessons and workshops will be 80% / 100% to achieve the versatile theoretical and practical skills required for an early childhood education social pedagogue / teacher.

The course includes individual, paired and small group assignments, working life cooperation, home study and knowledge sharing seminars. Instructions for the assignments will be available at Canvas workspace a week before the course start.

Employer connections

Visiting experts and working life cooperation is utilized in learning tasks and project work.

Exam schedules

The course starts on
21.03.2024 14.00 - 17.00 online at Zoom.
You will get the Zoom link and more information one week before the course starts (by email).

Other online lessons:
28.03.2024 14.00 - 17.00
04.04.2024 14.00 - 17.00
18.04.2024 14.00 - 17.00
25.04.2024 14.00 - 17.00
16.05.2024 14.00 - 17.00

In addition to the online lessons you will have meetings with your study peers online (you can set up the dates and times by yourself in connection with the assignment due dates).

Completion alternatives

1) RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING
Any competence that corresponds to the learning outcomes of the course can be included in it through recognition and accreditation of prior learning. The starting point is competence-based thinking: what matters is your competence itself, not how and where you acquired it. The procedures for the recognition and accreditation of prior learning are Recognition of prior studies and Demonstration of competence.
Where to start:
At first you would need to go carefully through the objectives, contents and assignments of the course to evaluate if there would be some entity / several entities where you already have know-how and competence? If yes, think how you can demonstrate your competence (e.g. earlier certificates, individual essay, short research or development project at your workplace, report, portfolio). Within one week of the start of the course contact the responsible teacher henna.jalasmaki@laurea.fi to arrange a Zoom meeting where we will discuss and identify your competence and agree on the method of demonstrating your competence.

OR

2) RECOGNITION OF WORK-BASED LEARNING
If you are working in ECEC at the same time that studying it would be possible to find an alternative way to complete the course or some part of it by recognizing what information and skills you can learn (or have already learned) at your workplace.
Where to start?
At first you would need to go carefully through the objectives, contents and assignments of the course to analyze if there would be some entity / several entities which you can learn at your work place?
If yes, think how you can learn those things in practice and how you can demonstrate your competence (e.g. essay, short research or development project at your workplace, report, portfolio).
Within one week of the start of the course contact the responsible teacher henna.jalasmaki@laurea.fi to arrange a Zoom meeting where we will discuss and identify your work situation, general and personal goals and agree on the method of learning and demonstrating your competence.

Student workload

The scope of the course is 10 credits and means for the student 270 hours spent studying. It is important that you write down the due dates of the assignments in your calendar and reserve enough time to study the themes and issues. The course has both individual and group assignments and the modules rhythm the progress of the studies. For pair/ group works the students need to fix their schedules to fit with each other.

Content scheduling

In the course, you will actively reflect on your own activities as a social pedagogue in ECEC in a diverse operating environment. You will get to know the learning community and how it is built together with children and families, taking diversity into account. We approach inclusion for example through digital methods and pedagogical documentation. We will investigate perspectives on children's holistic well-being from the perspectives of inclusive early childhood education, multidisciplinary cooperation, and support for children and families.

The course consists of three modules:
- Module 1. Me on my way to become an expert in inclusion and diversity (2 credits)
- Module 2. Operating culture of inclusion and diversity (4 credits)
- Module 3: Multidisciplinary cooperation (4 credits)

Evaluation scale

H-5