Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood)

In summary the requirements are that to be eligible to be admitted to a bachelor’s degree programme a person shall, as a minimum:

• have passed a Senate-recognised Form 7 or equivalent examination; or
• have completed a diploma or a degree at a recognised tertiary institution; or
• have completed a qualification that USP recognises for cross credits; or
• have met the mature student admission criteria.

All new degree-level students will sit an English proficiency test, English Language Skills Assessment (ELSA). Students identified by ELSA will be enrolled in the course, EL001 English Language Skills, which provides students with an opportunity to acquire the English language skills needed for successful university studies.

Students enrolling at Laucala, Emalus and Alafua Campuses can complete their enrolment process online via the USP website. All other students, including those without online access, should fill out the appropriate form, available at all USP campuses.

Programme Requirements:

• The Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) consists of 21 courses:
• 8 at 100-level
• 6 at 200-level
• 7 at 300-level.

Courses:

1. UU114 (English For Academic Purposes) - By the end of this course students will be expected to have achieved a proficiency in academic writing, reading and speaking sufficient to support their language needs in courses in the humanities, social science or sciences and in future professional tasks.


2. UU100 (Communications and Information Literacy) - From 2010 all students admitted to degree programmes will be required to undertake four generic courses as part of their programme. UU100 will be offered in Semester 2.


3. ED101 (Early Childhood Development) - This course will concentrate on general studies of development during a child`s first six years - pre-natal, infancy, and early childhood years. Aspects to be covered will include cognitive, emotional, language, moral/spiritual, physical and social development.


4. ED102 (The Child In The South Pacific) - This course helps students understand how the context of Pacific Island countries (physical and social environment) is related to children`s growth, learning and development.


5. ED103 (Understanding and Managing Young Children’s Behaviors) - This course enables students to understand, respond to and improve young children`s challenging behaviour in addition to safeguarding the emotional needs of those involved. Foundations for a guidance approach will be examined.


6. plus three (3) of;
• ED153 (School & Society) - The principal aim of this course is to establish a foundation for subsequent education courses by introducing students to a wider understanding of education and schooling and the issues relating to it in the societies in which we live. In the Pacific, schooling as a form of education has had a great impact on the lives of the people, thus the focus of the course on school and society.
• ED158 (Intro To Non-Formal Education) - This course enables students to develop an ideological base for non-formal education practices.
• ED182 (Integrated Arts) - This course takes an integrated view of the role and relevance of the arts in relation to both schooling and culture generally. The arts represent society`s most profound and acute insights, as well as a sure way to empathy and emotional understanding.
• ED184 (Physical Education and Leisure Education I) - This course seeks to integrate components of physical education, games teaching, outdoor and leisure education. It offers practical activities and draws theoretical insights from teaching games for understanding, pedagogy, and outdoor education.
• LL108 (Introduction To Children's Literature) - The course examines the relationship between children and literature and analyses a range of books in various genres, written for children. It intends to make the students aware of the wide range of literature currently available for children, to give them understanding of a selected group of good children`s books of different genres.
• LL122 (Introduction To Language Studies) - This course provides a general introduction to linguistics, which is the study of (i) language as a social and intellectual phenomenon, and (ii) the human languages of the world.
• PS101 (Introduction To Psychology) - This course introduces students to the science of behaviour - what people do and why. It also looks at major approaches within the discipline of psychology ranging from how we perceive our surroundings and persons within it, to how we learn to think, feel and act.
• SO100 (Themes and Perspectives In Sociology) - In this course students will gain some initial understanding of the development and structure of society as viewed by sociologists, together with a preliminary understanding of sociological approaches and concepts (to be built on further in SO110 and S0200). or another 100-level course approved by the dean.


9. ED201 (Curriculum in Early Childhood Education) - Students will study ECE curriculum development in order to develop knowledge and understanding of the theory and methodology relevant to planning, implementing and evaluating a programme designed to be appropriate for particular groups of young children.


10. ED202 (Leadership in Early Childhood Education) - This course assists students to understand and develop strategies to lead and manage an EC centre. Principles of management, leadership qualities, recruitment, administrative duties, finance and budget management are examined.


11. ED204 (Social Competence and Emotional Health in Young Children) - This course examines the importance of healthy social and emotional development in young children. Major theories, key research findings, age specific descriptions of how children develop temperament, body control, self regulation, morality, a sense of conscience, self esteem, emotional regulations, planning and problem solving, social competence, empathy and caring behaviour are studied.


12. ED205 (Maths Science and the environment in Early Childhood Education) - This course gives students theoretical frameworks to guide their teaching and assist in young children`s learning. How children respond in the steps of inquiry and how educators can develop skills to foster children`s active exploration in each step is examined.


13. ED206 (Arts, Craft, Movement and Music in Early Childhood Education) - This course offers a multicultural and developmentally appropriate approach to the creative arts. Areas such as exploring feelings and images, music and movement, celebrating the visual arts, encouraging play and creative drama, three-dimensional art, planning for literature, children with special needs, and teachers` personal and professional growth are addressed.


14. ED217 (Literacy Process) - This practical course deals with the teaching and learning of reading and writing in the Pacific context. The aim is to develop and enhance teachers` abilities in designing and conducting effective procedures to promote literacy in their classrooms.


15. ED301 (Practicum in Early Childhood Education) - This is a structured course with set tasks. Student must attend a compulsory five-day workshop and a minimum 10-week placement (50 working days) in an approved ECE centre, in which all set tasks must be written up.


16. ED302 (Play & Early Childhood) - Focusing on ages 0-8, this course integrates contemporary theories of play with curriculum practice. Topics examined are the quality of play in early childhood, play as a means of self-expression, and play as a channel of communication;


17. ED304 (Working With Infants & Toddlers) - This course presents the most current theoretical and research foundations of child development as well as practical `how-to` and hands-on aspects of childcare.


18. ED305 (Early Intervention) - This course provides field-tested, research-based guidelines and strategies for working in early intervention. The focus will be on preventing disabilities at different levels (conception to age eight) and how it affects adolescents and adults.


19. ED309 (Educating Gifted and Talented Children) - This course will enable students to identify and program for gifted and talented individuals in their classrooms/ centres. The course reviews current issues in the field of the education of gifted and talented individuals, discusses the characteristics of gifted and talented students as well as the challenges of parenting and provides understanding and counselling of gifted children.


20. ED317 (Special Topic in Primary Curriculum) - This course is aimed at providing an opportunity for participants to explore an area of interest in primary curriculum through guided individual research. This is aimed at providing students with an area of specialisation in primary curriculum for which they could provide professional leadership in their own schools when they become teachers.


21. ED321 (Educational Programming for Students with Learning Disabilities) - This course is a core course in the Bachelor of Education (Special Education) and an elective for the Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) because it will be especially useful for class 1 and 2 teachers.


22. ED334 (Values In Education) - This course gives an overview of how values permeate the whole of primary education. The importance of values within the school community and across the curriculum is highlighted. The effective teaching and learning of values is also discussed.


23. TE313 (Applied Nutrition In South Pacific) - This course aims to identify and explain the significance of the inter-relationships of the social, economic, political, technological and health sciences relevant to community and national nutrition.

Note: Please click on the course codes to access detailed information about the course from the USP database.