Play And Pedagogy - Project Report

Assessment Task:

Building on the literature base established through task one, you will identify a significant, contemporary issue pertinent to play in early childhood.  This examination will be presented in the form of a professional development package, to enhance the understanding of practitioners, relating to the unique dynamics of play in early childhood.

To begin, you will focus on one of the four topics introduced in weeks 3-6, or you may choose a topic of your own. However, if you choose a topic of your own, consult your unit lecturer to ensure the topic is appropriate.

You will then develop a professional development package in the form of an interactive workshop to be delivered to early childhood teachers of an early learning service of your choosing (therefore you set the context).

The objective of your interactive workshop is to enhance the capacity of early childhood teachers to successfully integrate a conceptual understanding of your chosen contemporary topic within their early learning service. To do this, you will need to give consideration as to how the chosen topic can be:

• Best understood by early childhood teachers;
• Planned for within a play-based learning environment;
• Related to curriculum;
• Assessed within a play-based learning environment. 

Furthermore, you will need to frame the workshops within a traditional or contemporary theory of play (your own choosing) which will support early childhood teachers to understand the need for praxis (the link between theory and practice) when integrating the topic within their educational context.

As the workshops are intended to be interactive, you must include potential activities that you would do with staff members to develop their understanding of how to integrate your topic within their educational context.