Taylor’s University Education Degree Specialising in Early Childhood Education

Programme Structure for the Bachelor of Education (Honours) (Early Childhood Education) at Taylor’s University

The main focus of this specialisation is to develop early years teachers and caregivers. It enables students to learn and practice methods to address the learning needs of young learners using a variety of curricula.

Upon completion of this specialisation, students should be able to teach pre-schoolers and provide high-quality early childhood education and care to support children’s transition to primary school.

Subjects Taught in the Bachelor of Education (Honours) (Early Childhood Education) at Taylor’s University

PRIMARY MAJOR

This component consists of Common Core subjects, which are common modules across a discipline that provides the fundamental knowledge of the discipline.

Common Core

• Philosophy and Curriculum Design
• Education, School and Society
• Teaching and Managing Diverse Learners in the Classroom
• Learning, Assessment and Feedback
• New Pedagogies – Digital Tools and Resources
• The Reflective Practitioner: Teachers Investigate Their Work
• Action Research Project
• Academic Reading & Writing
• Practicum
  • Professional Practice 1 (PP1)
  • Professional Practice 2 (PP2)
  • Theory into Practice

Specialisation – Early Childhood Education

• Promoting Children’s Wellbeing
• Managing Behaviour and Safety
• Advancing Play and Learning
• Inclusive Education
• Early Science and Numeracy
• Literacy and Language Development
• Entrepreneurship & Small Business
• Introduction to Human Nutrition
• Capstone Project

ADVANCING PLAY AND LEARNING

This module focuses on play activities for children and their relation to learning. Play for children will be explored alongside learning for children. These include the types of play and types of learning, as well as the development and stages for both play and learning in children. The integration of play and learning for children will also be focused on the context of ‘play as a mean’ or commonly referred to as learning through play; and ‘play as an end’ which describes the process of children learning to play. In the latter part of the module, the criteria and process involved in organising developmentally appropriate play activities for children as well as how to develop a play-based curriculum for children will be explored.

This module is delivered via face-to-face, online, and blended learning modes. Lectures, tutorials, discussions and independent learning modes will be used to support learning. Both guided (synchronous and asynchronous) sessions and self-directed learning will help to facilitate students’ optimal engagement and learning opportunities. This module is assessed via course assessments. The course assessments include the development of curriculum and play activities as well as an e-portfolio. Students will be assessed in the domains of knowledge, critical and creative thinking skills, communication skills, and lifelong learning skills.

EARLY SCIENCE AND NUMERACY

This module introduces students to early science and numeracy for young children. It exposes students to the theories and approaches to teaching early science and numeracy to young children. The course provides fundamental concepts of early science and numeracy for young learners. Students will also learn about teaching strategies to design and implement learning opportunities and lesson sequences which enhance the development of young children’s scientific thinking, problem-solving and enjoyment of learning science and numeracy. The key concept of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) is discussed for students to have current knowledge and understanding of the practice of STEM in early childhood education.

This module is delivered via face-to-face, online, and blended learning modes. Lectures, tutorials, discussions and independent learning modes will be used to facilitate discussions on the theories and practice of teaching early science and numeracy. Both guided (synchronous and asynchronous) sessions will be offered to ensure optimal engagement and learning opportunities. This module is assessed via course assessments and final examination. Course assessments include both grouped and individual tasks. Students will be assessed in the domains of knowledge, critical and creative thinking skills, and communication skills.

LITERACY AND LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

This module focuses on children’s literacy and language development. Students will be introduced to relevant theories and current practice and research. Students will also learn various approaches including phonetic and whole language, as well as emergent literacy. The module discusses teaching techniques for supporting young children’s literacy and language development. This module is delivered via face-to-face, online, and blended learning modes. Lectures, tutorials, discussions and independent learning modes will be used to support learning.

Both guided (synchronous and asynchronous) sessions and self-directed learning will help to facilitate students’ optimal engagement and learning opportunities. This module is assessed via course assessments and final examination. Course assessments include both group and individual tasks. Students will be assessed in the domains of knowledge, critical and creative thinking skills, and communication skills.

MANAGING BEHAVIOUR AND SAFETY

This module focuses on managing children’s behaviour and safety based on the stages of development, theories and behaviour modification strategies. Students also learn how children self-regulate their behaviours and the importance of a supportive environment to avoid unwanted behaviours. Effective and ineffective behaviour management strategies used in early years setting and home environment are also discussed to ensure effective teaching and learning as well as to establish and maintain a safe environment for children.

This module is delivered via face-to-face, online, and blended learning modes.Lectures, tutorials, discussions and independent learning modes will be used to facilitate discussions on the theories and practice of managing children’s behaviour and safety. Both guided (synchronous and asynchronous sessions) will be offered to ensure optimal engagement and learning opportunities. This module is assessed via course assessments namely case study, project and activity planning. Course assessments include both grouped and individual tasks. Students will be assessed in the domains of knowledge, critical and creative thinking skills and entrepreneurism.

INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

This module focuses on identifying children with special education needs (SEN) and education programmes that suit children’s needs. The module will introduce the categories of SEN children including the risk factors causing the disabilities or disorders, symptoms and characteristics. With the information about the disorders, a screening activity can be planned. This module also explores students to the education programmes that suit the needs of SEN children with an emphasis on inclusive education. This will be the basis of planning an individual education plan (IEP) for SEN children.

This module is delivered via face-to-face, online, and blended learning modes. Lectures, tutorials, consultation sessions and independent learning are conducted to facilitate student learning. Students will also be supported with resources such as research articles and technological tools. Students will be assessed in terms of knowledge and 21st century skills, including problem-solving, critical and creative thinking. The assessment approaches used to support learning are case analyses, presentation as well as the development of a screening activity and individual education plan. Course assessments include both individual and group tasks.

CAPSTONE PROJECT

The inclusion of this course in the programme is to enable students to identify a problem in a real-world setting and develop the means to address it through the integration of various disciplines. Students will be expected to carry out an independent project which builds on and contributes to their specialization. Students will be guided to plan and develop a project that is relevant to their programme of study. In doing so, students will draw from the various bodies of knowledge acquired throughout their programme of study. Students will continuously be involved in discussions, self-directed learning and project-based learning.

The mode of delivery includes face-to-face lectures and discussions, as well as online learning, where students get to work independently and also in groups. Both guided (synchronous and asynchronous sessions) will be offered to ensure optimal engagement and learning opportunities. This module is assessed via course assessments. Course assessments include proposal and project report. Students will be assessed in the domains of knowledge, problem-solving, and lifelong learning.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND SMALL BUSINESS

This course is for students who wish to learn the principles and processes of small business and entrepreneurship. It is designed for individuals interested in starting a new business venture, acquiring an existing business, or working in industries that serve entrepreneurs. The course provides an overview of the many principles and processes of entrepreneurship and small business management. The assessment strategy will be both formative and summative. Formative assessment strategies are used to test the current level of understanding and progress at any in a learning programme and provide feedback to teacher and learner and to guide the next phase of learning. Types of formative assessments for this course will be discussions on tutorial questions and short quizzes. Summative assessment is used at the end of the programme formally to assess a learner’s skill, knowledge and understanding gained in this course.

This course is delivered via Lectures, Tutorials, Fieldwork/Research and Information Retrieval/Self-Study. This course is assessed via three learning strategies.

(a) Action Learning. Learning is achieved by engaging students in activities that have elements of problem-solving combined with intentional learning. Students will go through a reflective process within small cooperative learning. groups.

(b) Case-Based Learning. Students will discuss specific situations, typically real-world examples. This method is learner-centred and involves intense interaction between the participants. Case-based learning focuses on the building of knowledge, critical thinking skills and team spirit. Authentic Learning. Students will be presented with activities that are framed around “real-life” contexts in which students will find learning more meaningful and motivating. Thus they will be more engaged in the process of acquiring knowledge.

The small business sector contributes to the economy of a country by creating job opportunities and new products/services. The number of small businesses is growing rapidly and there is an increasing interest in small business entrepreneurs in the country. This course intends to broaden the horizon of students to the possibilities, challenges and rewards of owning a business and being an entrepreneur.

INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN NUTRITION

This module describes the principles of good nutrition and the nutritional tools used to plan for a healthful diet. For the six nutrients which include carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, vitamins, minerals, and water, the mechanisms of nutrients digestion, absorption, transport, and metabolism as they relate to the nutritional processes will be discussed. The different nutritional needs at various stages in the life cycle, from pregnancy and lactation to infancy, childhood, adolescence, and finally to the elderly will be covered. Authentic learning, collaborative learning, and student self and independent study are among the teaching and learning approaches adopted by the module.

The module content will be delivered mainly via interactive lectures and tutorials. TIMeS serves as the platform for access to module resources (Module Information Booklet, lecture notes, tutorial and assignment questions, etc.) and e-learning activities (online quizzes, online video clips relevant to the module, etc. Students’ performance in the module will be evaluated using weekly online quizzes, final examination, and assignments. Weekly online quizzes allow the students to understand their own learning and self-reflect, it is therefore of paramount importance to the students’ progression in the module. The final exam enables the students to see their own ability in retaining the information learnt in the module, it is important to the students’ progression in modules at the higher levels. Lastly, the assignment requires the students to locate, extract, synthesise and utilise information effectively which altogether promotes lifelong learning.

FLEXIBLE EDUCATION
[Choose ONE (1) of the packages:]

The Flexible Education component provides student the flexibility to study modules in a related or unrelated field from the same or different school to complement the Primary Major. It may be completed in a form of free electives, an extension, minors or a second major that typically requires at least one (1) semester of student learning time.

Minor

• Choose any Minor package* offered by Taylor’s University. Refer to the Complementary Study Guide for the list of Minor packages.

AND

Free Elective Modules

• Choose any TWO (2) Free Electives* offered by Taylor’s University. Refer to the Complementary Study Guide for the list of Free Electives.

*Subject to availability.
*Meet min. module pre- & co-requisite.

UNIVERSITY CORE

This component aims to develop critical thinking, build up social intelligence and cultivate civic responsibility as well as broaden cultural knowledge. These consist of compulsory and nationally-mandated study modules required by the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education.

• Social Innovation Project
• Falsafah dan Isu Semasa
• Life Skills for Success & Well-Being / Bahasa Kebangsaan A
• Millennials in Malaysia: Team Dynamics & Relationship Management
• Penghayatan Etika dan Peradaban / Bahasa Melayu Komunikasi 2

*Students are requested to take Bahasa Kebangsaan A if they do not obtain a Credit for Bahasa Malaysia in SPM.
**All information is subject to change. Readers are responsible for verifying information that pertains to them by contacting the university.

Careers & Prospects

• Preschool Teacher
• Preschool and Childcare Centre Director
• Educational Content Developer
• Edupreneur