| CODE | EPE2018 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Tapping on Funds of Knowledge | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Early Childhood and Primary Education | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | Following the introduction of the emergent curriculum in early childhood education, this study unit aims to introduce symbol literacy and outdoor education through a project-based approach. By adopting an interdisciplinary approach to teaching and learning in the early years, it aims to help students learn about a place and coming to understand children’s personal connections to it. Students learn to recognise that every place has a ‘story’, be it ecological or socio-cultural. They learn how each story presents an excellent unifying approach for a project-based approach to teaching and learning in the outdoors. Students learn to appreciate how such learning can involve young children engaged in cross-curricular activities while learning about events that took place many years ago, and/or how the impact these have on current society. They also learn about intergenrational learning and the wisdom passed on to us by the elders and previous generations. Therefore, they nurture children’s spiritual and moral development; increase their cultural and historical capital, and their symbolic reportoire; and provide children with opportunites to develop their higher order, critical and creative thinking skills. Study-unit Aims: The overall aim of this study-unit is to introduce students to different ways of planning project-based learning, using the local tangible heritage in their pedagogy. Given the interdisciplinarity of the study-unit, students do this by building a solid foundation of cultural and symbolic capital, which will increase their funds of knowledg and cultural capital. Students will be challenged to understand the importance, benefits and value of applying the project-based approach as part of the emergent curriculum in the early years. Then they will be encouraged to apply what they have learnt in a holistic manner through a project-based approach to learning that is emotionally and intellectually engaging both for children and adults. Learning Outcomes: 1.Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Discuss of, and reflect upon, the importance and benefits of increasing their cultural capital and funds of knowledge; - Demonstrate why increasing children’s cultural capital and funds of knowledge is crucial for the holistic development of children; - Analyse, discuss and reflect upon the value and relevance of increasing children’s cultural capital and funds of knowledge in the early years; and - Transfer their learning by planning and implementing a project-based approach to learning aimed at increasing children’s cultural capital and funds of knowledge in the early years. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Build their personal cultural capital and increase their funds of knowledge; - Use concept maps to plan their projects; - Identify cultural capital and funds of knowledge available in the school community; - Demonstrate awareness of how cultural capital and funds of knoweldge can be used in the early years; - Observe, analyse, reflect and report on children’s participation and learning through a project-based approach; and - Plan and implement a meaningful project-based approach in ECEC using the cultural capital and funds of knowledge available in the local community. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings : Main texts - Edwards, C., Gandini, L., & Forman, G.E. (2011). The hundred langauges of children. The Reggio Emilia experience in transformation. California: Praeger. - Gonzalez, N., Moll, L.C., & Amanti, C. (2005). Funds of knowledge: Theorizing practices in households and classrooms. New York: Routledge. - Katz, L., Chard, S., & Kogan, Y. (2014). Engaging children’s minds: The project approach. California: Praeger. Supplementary readings - Balfour, R.J. (Ed.) (2010). Culture, capital and representation. London & New York: Palgrave Macmillan. - Chesworth, L. (2016). A funds of knowledge approach to examining play interests: Listening to children’s and parents’ perspectives. International Journal of Early Years Education, 24(3), 294-308. - Hedges, H. (2012). Teachers’ funds of knowledge: A challenge to evidence-based practice. Teacher and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 18(1), 7-24. - Hedges, H. (2015). Sophia’s funds of knowledge: Theoretical and pedagogical insights, possibilities and dilemmas. International Journal of Early Years Education, 23(1), 83-96. - Miller, K., Hilgendorf, A., & Dilworth-Bart, J. (2014). Cultural capital and home-school connections in early childhood. Contemporarty Issues in Early Childhood, 15(4), 329-345. - Miller, L. & Cameron, C. (Eds.). (2014). International perspectives in the early years. Los Angeles: Sage. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Fieldwork, Lectures & Project | ||||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Adrian Mario Gellel Jane Spiteri |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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