Early Childhood and Education (MA)

<div id="tab2" class="tab grid_8 alpha hide-on-small" style="display: block;"> <div class="courseLinks hide-on-medium-down"> <img src="/media/liverpoolhope/styleassets/cssimages/media,975,en.gif" alt="print Icon" style="width : 24px; height : 24px; "> <span><a href="javascript:window.print()">print this page</a></span> <span class="st_sharethis_custom" st_processed="yes"><a href="#">share this course</a></span> </div> <h2>Curriculum</h2> <p>The full Masters award requires you to gain 180 credits, including a dissertation. The curriculum is constructed from 60-credit ‘Blocks’ of provision, from which students will choose two of the combinations permitted. Each 60-credit Block comprises either two 30-credit or four 15-credit modules.</p> <p><strong>Early Childhood block</strong></p> <p>Term 1</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Development of Young Children’s Thinking and Learning in Socio-Cultural Context</span><span style="text-decoration: underline;"> (30 credits)</span></p> <p>This module studies a range of theories relating to young children’s learning. It briefly visits traditional learning theories of Vygotsky, Bruner, and modern theorists. The majority of the module expands on the traditional aspects by examining attitudes and practices which provide for optimal learning. This examination includes social, cultural, historical and political influences on learning in national and international contexts. There are opportunities for students to engage with international literature and to benefit from the breadth of experiences brought to the debate by students from a variety of backgrounds.</p> <p>Term 2</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Children’s Rights and Participation (30 credits)</span></p> <p>This module will develop an understanding of children’s rights, starting with the UNCRC. It will examine the implications of the convention in national and international contexts, both politically and practically. This course will examine the contemporary meanings of children’s rights and participation. It will analyse the concept of participation in relation to listening and consultation.&nbsp; Through Shier’s (2001) model of participation, it will consider how participation is facilitated in practice. It will enable to students to examine their own ability to facilitate participation through critical reflection. It will also examine the wider implications of facilitation in the context of the children, welfare and the state.</p> <p>AND</p> <p><strong><strong>Disciplines of Education</strong></strong></p> <p>Term 1<br> <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Core Philosophers of Education (15 credits)</span></p> <p>This module examines the development of philosophy of education from a historical perspective.&nbsp; The approach taken in this module is similar to that of 'history of ideas' modules in philosophy courses where a range of historical figures from philosophy of education will be discussed.&nbsp; Students will engage with historical figures such as Plato, Hegel, Rousseau, Buber, Dewey and more modern thinkers such as Arendt and Freire.&nbsp; In this module students will critically engage with these philosopher's views on education.&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">History of British Education 1750 to the Present Day (15 credits)</span></p> <p>This module explores the political, social and cultural factors that have helped shape reform processes in British education (primary, secondary and university-level) since the late 18^th century. Throughout this module, seminars will focus on interactions between pupils, students, teachers, activists and state institutions in attempts to alter systems of education as well as forms of teaching and learning. In particular, students will have the opportunity to explore how significant social, economic and political shifts such as the industrial revolution, the introduction of universal suffrage and the creation of the welfare state shaped attempts to transform education in the United Kingdom over the last 250 years.</p> <p>Term 2</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Educational Inequalities in the Global Age (15 credits)</span></p> <p>This module examines education and inequality in a global age. This module will look at the role education plays in reinforcing and/or equalising societal hierarchies with a particular focus on social class, gender and ethnicity/race. The impact of wider social developments, such as marketisation of education and globalisation will be examined. The theories taught on this module will include critical and emancipatory theories, drawing on the work of sociologists such as Pierre Bourdieu and Basil Bernstein, as well as approaches of feminist and critical race theory. Drawing on these theories, students will analyse and evaluate the potential of education for social justice.&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Psychology of Education (15 credits)</span></p> <p>The module will explore contemporary theoretical approaches within developmental psychology. It will be covering biological, cognitive, social cognitive, neuro-cognitive, social and emotional areas development. The module will also be both research informed with a specific focus on the inter-relationships with classic and contemporary research paradigms within early and mid-childhood development and current theorising. A range of research outcomes relating to deep critical awareness of current theoretical and methodological advances in developmental psychology and how these impact on current views of child development will be central to this module.</p> <p>OR</p> <p><strong>Pedagogy: Theory and Practice block</strong></p> <p>Term 1</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Learning, Teaching and Assessment (30 credits)</span></p> <p>This module aims to develop participants’ understanding of a range of learning, teaching and assessment strategies which promote learners’ progress in order that all can achieve their full potential. They will be helped to develop self-direction and originality in problem-solving in relation to the module content, and act autonomously in planning and implementing change in their educational setting, taking account of current thinking and literature in related areas.</p> <p>Term 2</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Curriculum Theory &amp; development (30 credits)</span></p> <p>This module aims to support development of subject knowledge in the participant’s subject discipline or age phase specialism. It is focused on contribution to curriculum development within the educational setting. Participants will be guided in critiquing a range of guidance and policy documents relevant to practice with a view to identifying the key concepts and perspectives on which they are based and how they relate to and influence practice.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>After completion of the taught phase (when both Blocks are completed and 120 credits has been successfully gained) then students will begin the research phase, whereby they will study a Research Methods module and then embark on a Dissertation that synthesises the two Blocks that they have studied.&nbsp;</p> </div>