Online Microcredential in Teaching

Learning Through Play

Discover how play is crucial in early childhood development and how you can successfully advocate and facilitate play in learning.

Created by

Federation UniversityFederation University

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Understand the importance of play-based learning

Play can have a positive impact on the social, emotional, physical, and mental development of all children. Yet play can often be viewed as a waste of time, with priority given to more academic or structured pursuits.

This microcredential will guide you in examining the importance of play for children’s development. Exploring a variety of environments and resources, including natural and purpose-made, you’ll understand how these environments can support rich play experiences.

You’ll also develop the skills to communicate the value of play and become an advocate for play-based learning.

Finally, you’ll have the opportunity to experience play, and explore how play is used across cultures in early childhood development.

Explore play as a vital learning experience

You’ll be introduced to play as a development stage, recognising its importance and its decline in recent years. Exploring play-based pedagogies, you’ll learn how play contributes to the development and learning for children from birth.

You’ll also develop your ability to plan inclusive play-based learning experiences and support children’s transition to school.

Unpack the characteristics of play

To help you further develop play-based learning experiences, you’ll learn to define play and identify its key characteristics.

You’ll also gain an understanding of the role of the educator in facilitating play for children, as well as the importance of identifying diversity and equity issues in play space settings.

Gain a solid understanding of early childhood development

You’ll delve further into the importance of play for childhood development, particularly in behavioural and cognitive development.

With this knowledge, you’ll also be able to explore the importance of play environments, both indoor and outdoor.

Finally, you’ll learn how to incorporate play-based learning into curriculum, including techniques such as introducing language and literature through play.

How will I be assessed?

You’ll complete two assessments. The first is a multiple-choice online quiz and the second is a written assessment on the benefits of play. You’ll research and develop a presentation that advocates for the benefits of play in early childhood education.

The second assessment will give you the opportunity to apply the concepts and skills learnt throughout the microcredential to help cement your understanding.

How will this microcredential help my career?

Throughout the microcredential, you’ll gain transferable skills such as organisation and communication skills for the workplace and career progression.

Specifically, you’ll learn how to design play space environments, plan teaching and learning experiences in early childhood settings, and gain an ability to integrate the curriculum into play-based learning.

What will I receive?

Upon successful completion of the microcredential and two assessment tasks, you’ll receive a digital badge of completion. You may also be eligible for recognition of up to 5 Australian credits (equivalent to 50 learning hours constituting one third of a full course/unit in higher education at Federation University). The eligibility will be issued at the discretion of the relevant Institute of Federation University.

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Skip to 0 minutes and 10 seconds <v ->Learning Through Play is all about learning by doing.</v> This course is designed to get you experimenting, designing, and reflecting on experience with play in order to understand why play is so important to children’s development. This 11-week course will outline the opportunity of play to children and the benefits it creates socially, emotionally, physically, and mentally. You’ll learn what play is and why play is an important right for all children. Along the way, you’ll consider the key characteristics of play and learn how to create your own activities and play spaces. Through hands-on activities and challenges, you’ll develop curriculum about play and harness your role working in the early childhood profession.

Skip to 0 minutes and 57 seconds By learning about the importance of play, you’ll become a better advocate for play in early childhood settings. Welcome to Learning Through Play. We can’t wait to see what you’ll discover. (bright music continues)

What skills will you learn?

  • Early childhood education
  • Play-based pedagogies
  • Education planning
  • Value of play

Are you eligible for this microcredential?

Learners should be proficient in the following:

  • basic computer skills
  • sending/receiving email
  • using a web browser
  • conducting research using a search engine
  • using word processing and presentation software
  • able to self-direct in learning new technology skills (eg. completing activities in new learning tools)
  • able to meet English Language proficiency requirements for general study programs.

Is this microcredential right for you?

This course will be applicable to any person that may be working in an environment where they need to interact with young children.

This may be teachers, teacher leaders, school administrators, museum educators, and any educators and facilitators working in informal learning environments. It will also be useful for parents or child care workers wanting to expand their skills.

The course will be also suitable for anyone with an undergraduate qualification interesting or working in education, seeking a low-cost option to enter a postgraduate study.

Syllabus

What happens before, during, and after your microcredential

  • Before learning

    You are invited to familiarise yourself with considerations of studying a Microcredential https://www.futurelearn.com/learning-guide

  • Course

    From 9 Sep 2024

    Learning Through Play

    Gain the skills to facilitate play in learning as you discover the importance of play for childhood development.

    11 weeks

    4 hours per week

    • Week 1

      Play is the way!
      • Welcome
      • Why do children need to play?
    • Week 2

      What is play?
      • Play is ...
      • Characteristics of play
    • Week 3

      Learning to play
      • Permission to play
    • Week 4

      Why play?
      • Benefits of play
      • Right to play
    • Week 5

      Play environments
      • The indoor environment
      • The outdoor environment
    • Week 6

      Curriculum in play
      • It's not just play
    • Week 7

      Learning to play: role play
      • Role play
      • Assessment 1: Online quiz
    • Week 8

      Diversity in play
      • Everyone can play
      • Other perspectives
    • Week 9

      The role of the educator
      • Intentional teaching
      • Creating play spaces
      • Power dynamics
    • Week 10

      Play presentation
      • The advocate
    • Week 11

      Bringing it all together
      • Summary of the course
      • Careers in early childhood education

What you will receive

Eligibility for up-to 5 Australian Credits at Postgraduate level from Federation University

You may be eligible for up to 5 Australian Credit Points from Federation University. The eligibility will be issued at the discretion of the relevant Institute of Federation University.

Find out how credits work and where you can use them in our FAQs.

What is a microcredential?

Microcredentials are designed to upskill you for work in rapidly-growing industries, without the time and cost commitment of a full degree. Your microcredential can stand alone as an independent credential, and some also offer academic credit to use towards a degree.

Learn online with expert instructors

Complete online courses led by experts over multiple weeks with a dedicated group of professionals.

Complete project-based assessments

Test your understanding with online tutor-marked assessments and exercises.

Earn a professional credential

Finish your learning and pass your assessments to gain an accredited credential.

Advance further in your career

Use your microcredential as evidence of your specialised skills and progress further in your industry.

Career-focused learning by Federation University

Federation University Australia is a premium dual-sector university that has been educating the leaders, innovators and thinkers of regional Australia for over 150 years.

  • Established

    1870
  • Location

    Ballarat, Berwick, Brisbane, Gippsland, Wimmera

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  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
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  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

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  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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FAQ

We can accept payments made by card (Visa, Mastercard and American Express) or PayPal via our online system.

You will have 14 days from the day the course starts to apply for a refund. If this Microcredential has any non-refundable costs they will be stated in the ‘Overview’ section above. You can find more information in our cancellation and refund policy.

Microcredentials are designed to fit around your life and timezone.

There may be live events as part of your studies, but these will be recorded and can be watched afterwards if you aren’t online for the live broadcast.

No, microcredentials are designed to be taken anywhere in the world. You won’t need the right to study in the country where the university offering the microcredential is based.

Want to know more? Read the microcredential FAQs, or contact us.