MA Early Years Education

from little acorns...

Understanding children’s learning – promoting children’s learning

School of Early Childhood

If you work with young children, you must keep up with the times!

Our knowledge and understanding of children’s learning in all its rich complexities, is being challenged constantly. The implications of research evidence from, for example, neuroscience is daunting for the layperson. These advances influence and steer public policy – and in Wales we are at the forefront of exciting new developments such as the Foundation Phase 3 – 7 years.

What will you study...?

The MA Early Years Education (EYE) programme is designed for those students who are graduates and who want to develop their knowledge and skills to a more advanced level. The programme takes a critical and analytic overview of children’s early learning and will set it in the context of social learning and societal influences. All the School of EYE’s programmes are rooted in powerful underpinning values including the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the primacy of play in children’s early learning.

Part 1 of the programme includes the following taught modules:

• Research with and for children
• The learning child: learning from birth to 7 years
• Well-being and learning in the early years
• The challenging adult: the role of adults in children's early learning

and a choice of option modules which include;

• The Reggio Approach: challenges and opportunities
• Celebrating Diversity: multicultural awareness in the early years
• Learning in the outdoor environment
• Self directed study
• Promoting bilingualism in the early years

On successful completion of Part 1 you will progress to Part 2 which is the research module. You will undertake a research project on an area of interest for you and, with supervision, you will present a 20000 word dissertation for the award of the MA Early Years Education.

MA EYE graduates have gone on to further their careers as advisory teachers in the Foundation Phase, headteachers, CSSIW senior management, integrated centre management, Further Education lecturing, two are on the staff of the School of EYE. But it may be that you are interested in this fascinating field of study and have no career plans.

Mode of study

The course is offered part time over 4 years with some distance learning possible.

Programme Specification

The main educational aims of the programme are to enable students to acquire:

• a comprehensive insight into theories about children’s learning;
• a thorough understanding of the significance of play in the development of young children;
• a critical understanding of the contexts of young children’s lives that impact on their well being and life chances;
• analytical expertise in issues concerning young children, for the enhancement of research, policy and practice;
• a critical appreciation of the complexity of the relationship between the growing and learning child and her environment, her relationships, her genetic make-up and her cultural context;
• a critical appreciation of the importance of a multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary approach to understanding children’s needs and the delivery of children’s educational services;
• a thorough understanding of complex issues relating to quality in early years provision;
• an in-depth understanding of the nature of the educational, social, political, and cultural issues that impact on quality provision for young children;
• practical and innovative approaches to planning for learning and observing children’s learning, within the context of the seven areas of learning;
• an inquisitive and critical mindset and a positive approach to the challenges of change and the importance of being constantly ready and responsive to those challenges;
• developing and enhanced confidence in their ability to be critical and reflective when relating theory into competent practice.

Programme Outcomes

On completion of the programme, students would be expected to demonstrate the following.

Subject Knowledge

Students would be expected to:

• understand critically the conceptual underpinnings of ECS as a subject area, its historical origins, development and limitations;
• demonstrate in-depth, systematic knowledge and consistently critical understanding of children and childhood nationally and globally, from philosophical, historical, psychological, sociological, cultural, educational, global, health, welfare, legal, political and economic perspectives;
• demonstrate in-depth, systematic knowledge and consistently critical understanding of the areas of interest contributing to ECS across the core subject- specific skills areas, and how they interrelate.

This includes:

• in-depth, systematic knowledge and consistently critical understanding of all aspects of significant policy and provision for children and families;
• a critical working knowledge and understanding of pedagogical approaches for working with young children and families;
• excellent knowledge of issues in relation to rights, diversity, equity and inclusion in relation to working with children and families;
• excellent and explicit working knowledge of the methods required for systematic study and research relative to children and childhood;
• in-depth and systematic knowledge of a range of research paradigms, research methods and measurement techniques, and awareness of their limitations.

Subject skills

Students would be expected to:

• have a high-level ability to reason clearly, understand the role of evidence and make critical judgements about arguments relating to the subject area of ECS;
• have a high-level ability to adopt multiple perspectives in relation to early childhood and systematically analyse the relationships between them;
• have a high-level ability to reflect upon a range of philosophical, historical, psychological, sociological, cultural, health, welfare, legal, political and economic perspectives and consider how these underpin different understandings of children and childhood;
• have a high-level ability to analyse and evaluate competing positions in relation to the construction of children and childhood by different subject disciplines, societal agents and time, place and culture;
• have a high-level ability to analyse and constructively critique theories and research in the area of child development;
• have a highly developed ability to plan for the curriculum, assessment, evaluation and improvement of creative learning opportunities, taking account of young children's health and emotional well-being;
• have a highly developed ability to plan for meeting and promoting children's health, welfare and safety needs, and the conditions that enable them to flourish;
• have a highly developed ability to explore critically the links between ethics, politics, culture and ideology in children's lives;
• have a highly developed ability to pose, operationalise and critique research questions, and demonstrate competence in research skills related to early childhood through practical and theoretical activities;
• have highly developed skills of observation and analysis in relation to aspects of children's lives;
• have a high-level ability to reflect upon the ethics of studying children and their families;
• be aware of the complexity of ethical principles and issues and demonstrate and apply this in relation to personal study, particularly with regard to the research project;
• have a highly developed ability to recognise and challenge inequalities in society and to embrace an anti-bias curriculum.

Generic skills

Students would be expected to:

• communicate ideas and research findings effectively, clearly and fluently by written, oral and visual means;
• present a wide range of theoretical positions and offer a well-informed and insightful point of view;
• interpret and use numerical, and other forms of data, clearly, critically and securely;
• present information to others in a variety of appropriate and innovative forms;
• listen carefully to others and reflect critically and insightfully upon one's own, and on others', skills and views;
• use a wide range of sources of information critically and with insight;
• use sophisticated communication skills necessary to effectively converse, debate, negotiate, persuade and challenge the ideas of others;
• be highly sensitive to, and react appropriately and thoughtfully to, contextual and interpersonal factors in groups and teams;
• have considerable critical insight and confidence in leading and working collaboratively with others.

Fees and bursaries

Fees are reviewed annually. Tuition Fees

University bursaries are available to students with particular profiles. Teachers are eligible for support through GTCW bursaries.

Further enquiries to the programme coordinator:

Faculty Office 01267 676686

This information is intended as a guide only. Please contact us to discuss the course.