Principles of Early Childhood Education (5 cr)

Evaluation scale

H-5

Content scheduling

Teachers:
Tiina Suni
Noora Ahvenjärvi

Teaching on Thursdays, weeks 3-6
Teaching in English at Salo campus

Thu 16.1.2025, 9:30 - 14:30 (Tiina)
- Course info & study assignments
- Introduction to early childhood education: The central goals of early childhood education
- The legislation concerning early childhood education and the related service system
- The competence requirements for a social pedagogue in early childhood education

Thu 23.1.2025 9:30 - 14:30 (Noora)
- The development of children under school age

Thu 30.1.2025, 9:30 - 14:30 (Tiina)
- The national core curriculum for early childhood education and care and the early childhood education plan
- Early childhood education as children’s learning environment

Thu 6.2.2025, 9:30 - 12:00 (Noora)
- Discussion on learning diary and observation assignment
- Course feedback

Changes are possible.

Attendance in contact teaching of the course is mandatory, which is based on the working and learning methods used in the course. The contact teaching includes interactive activities, discussions, peer learning, and workshop activities. Participation in contact teaching supports the development of the student’s professional skills and interaction abilities.

In case of absence due to illness, a compensatory assignment must be completed. The max. amount of absence is 50 % of the contact teaching. If this is exceeded, the completion of the course will be postponed to the next implementation.

Objective

• you are familiar with the legislation concerning early childhood education and the related service system
• you are familiar with the early childhood education plan and understand its meaning
• you know the central goals of early childhood education and have an understanding of early childhood education as children’s growth environment
• you know the learning and development process of children
• you know the competence requirements for a Bachelor of Social Services in early childhood education

Content

• the legislation concerning early childhood education and the Convention on the Rights of the Child
• the development of early childhood education and its roles in society
• the overall structure of early childhood education services
• the national core curriculum for early childhood education and care and the early childhood education plan
• the development of children under school age

Materials

National core curriculum for ECEC in Finland
The Act on Early Childhood Education and Care in Finland

Karvonen, P., Ukkonen-Mikkola, T., Fenyvesi, K., Salonen, M., Erkkilä, P., Laine, E., Storgård, E. (2022). Playful learning in early childhood education in Finland. Otava Publishing Company Ltd.

Hujala, E., Valpas, A., Roos, P. & Vlasov, J. 2016. The success story of Finnish early childhood education. Nokia, Finland: Vertikal Oy.

Järvinen-Taubert, J., Valtonen, P. & Chukhlantseva, E. (Eds) 2021 What, why and how – Finnish education in practice. Malta: Kite.

Teaching materials

Teaching methods

Individual work, pair work, group work
Literature-based, lecture-based and learning assignment-based work

Completion alternatives

If you have a Finnish degree on educational field and at least two years working experience from Finnish early childhood education, you have a possibility to complete the course by recognition. In this case, please contact the responsible teacher for further details.

Student workload

Learning diary in pair work 4 ECTS
Observation assignment and participation in contact teaching 1 ECTS

Qualifications

Students can start optional customer group-specific studies when they have completed at least 60 credits.

The modules in early childhood education must be completed in order: first the basic studies (Module 1) and then the advanced studies (Module 2). Exceptions can be made if it is justified from the perspective of the student’s personal study plan (HOPS) and the student has at least one year of work experience in early childhood education tasks in Finland or previous higher education studies in early childhood education that have been accredited in their studies at Turku University of Applied Sciences.