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Unit of study_
EDEC2006: Language and Communication in EC
2024 unit information
The ability to communicate effectively in a range of different contexts and for different purposes is central to children's life chances. This unit of study enables students to begin to develop understandings, knowledge and skills about the language development of young children. It will provide key ideas about how young children begin to make meaning from the moment they are born as they learn to talk, listen and interact with those around them. Through lectures, readings, and other activities, the theoretical ideas and practical knowledge required to guide young children's learning of language and emergent literacy practices are examined. Students will learn how to listen carefully to young children's language and analyse their development intelligently. Making a difference for those children who experience additional language and literacy needs will also be introduced and the role of the teacher in addressing children's atypical language development will be considered. The unit also emphasises the centrality of providing rich language arts experiences including quality literary texts in early childhood settings. The intersections between play and language development are carefully explored. Pre-service early childhood teachers are encouraged to further develop their own interest in language and literature, and to reflect on how they can partner with parents and caregivers to help children learn through and about language.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Arts and Social Sciences
| Study level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | Education |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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42 credit points including EDEC1005 and EDEC1006 and EDUF1020 |
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Corequisites:
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EDEC2011 |
| Prohibitions:
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EDEC2004 |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. articulate the nature of language learning as a social practice in relation to the development, personal strengths and interests of individual children, including the role of parents/caregivers’ language and literacies in children’s language development
- LO2. explain the relationship between play and language development
- LO3. identify relevant theories about language learning and meaning-making
- LO4. explain the centrality of language in all learning and the implications for their role as early childhood teachers
- LO5. discuss the relationship between spoken, written and visual language
- LO6. articulate the important role quality rhymes, poems, songs and children’s literature play in the lives of young children
- LO7. develop criteria for selecting rich authentic rhymes, picture books, fairy tales and poetry to share with young children
- LO8. begin to observe, listen to and assess young children’s language development in birth to five settings within a developing knowledge base of typical language development for infants, toddlers and preschoolers
Unit availability
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
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